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I have been shooting with a Canon XTi in Ikelite housing/strobes for some time. Last year I made the decision to purchase a 5D Mark II for my above water shooting. I am kind of locked into Ikelite due to price and the fact I already own two Ikelite stobes, arms and other equipment. The lenses I use above water are no use for underwater and am looking for advise on which lenses are best for UW with ikelite housings. I am most interested in your opinions for wide angle lenses. Thanks in advance. Michael

Ali, I think you have hit the nail on the head. If price is your main concern at this time, I would suggest starting small and working up. Go with the 18-55mm kit lens combined with the DS-51 and that should work just fine for right now. There will definately be some shortcomings, but as you get better you can add different lenses and maybe upgrade the strobe. Keep getting better and get even more lenses and ports and then add a second strobe. OMG I think I'm starting to get excited! Some please take away my credit cards!!!! LOL....good luck and enjoy.

I would have to agree with Christian. I have almost the same setup: Canon XTI, Ikelite housing. I started with a DS-50 but recently moved to the DS-125. I honestly don't think you are going to be happy without the use of a strobe. I remember paying aroung $550 for the 8" dome. A DS-125 is around $800 with the charge pack. Go with the kit lens and build from that. Keep in mind there is no end to the amount of money you can spend putting stuff underwater. I think you made a very nice selection in camera and housing. Start slow and get used to it. As you get better, you can purchase more lenses and ports. (I would suggest a nice macro lens...this type of photography is usually the easiest to get good results and can get you fired up to learn more, spend more, shoot more). Best wishes Michael

I have almost exactly the same set-up as you including lens selections. The only difference is mine is an XTi instead of XT. I also agree with the previous responses and never let time be a factor is setting up my equipment. I decide that day what lens I want and stick with it for the entire day. I can see situations where I may want to make a change (doing a night dive), but would always make sure everything is thoroughly rinsed and dried before attempting to open up the housing. This is especially true with the 10-22mm lens, as you have already pointed out that you need to place it in the housing before you attach the lens. Very tricky on a rocking boat with all kinds of salty wetness everywhere. Best wishes Michael

What housing are you going to be using? I shot with that camera for seveal years and loved it. Unfortunately it is currently oozing salt from a trip to Roatan earlier this year. I used the Olympus PT-020 housing with an Ikelite DS-50 strobe with a slave sensor to fire the strobe. Also did some great macro shots utilizing just the internal flash. Feel free to check my gallery with shots I took with that camera. http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?s=&am...m&album=258 There are some wide angle lens options available, although I never purchased them. Unless you do, I do not see the need to purchase dual strobes for that system. If I had to do anything differently I would have gone purchased a more powerful strobe (probably DS-125). If you grow out of that system, that strobe can easily move to whatever new system you purchase. Best wishes Michael

What do you want to get out of it? If you are happy just taking snap shots of what you see under the surface, then I would suggest keeping your $ investment at a minimum. In which case find a housing for your Sony, or there are some relative inexpensive newer cameras from Olympus, Sony and Canon (et.al)that you could put in a housing relatively cheaply. Some of these do really nice work. However, if you are more ambitious and want to take some serious uw photos then be prepared to spend a bit more. You can get some really awsome photos with the XT, however, you will need to get a suitable housing and a strobe and those do not come cheap. The rewards, however, are well worth the investment. I guess the decision is up to you. If you are only going to dive once or twice a year...well that may help you in your decision. Best Wishes Michael

Gus, I have a Canon 400D with the 60mm macro and the 10-22mm wa lenses. I also use an Ikelite housing and I must say that I am very happy with the results. The 10-22mm gives outstanding wide angle shots while still being good for general fish pics that happen to swim by. I love the 60mm lens as well. I think it is a great first macro lens and does allow for some other types of pics as well. Here is a link to the galery I have posted here with the setup. http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?autom...m&album=259 For better or worse, all pics were taken with one of those two lenses (and all using the Ikelite DS-50 strobe...before I upgraded to the DS-125) I do sometimes wish I had the 100mm macro for some even better close-ups, however that would be somewhat more limiting as to the types of photos I could shoot. Just a thought. Best wishes Michael

The 4GB III is not compatable with my Canon 400D. I learned this the hard way. Best wishes. Michael

I also shoot TTL more most of my macro photography, but recently have gone to manual for wa shots. Canon 400D XTi Ikelite housing Ikelite DS-125 stobe

You should keep in mind that this type of battery does suffer from "memory-effect" when it comes to charging and discharging the batteries. If you have repeated partial discharge the battery may fail to fully charge. Here is a link to wikipedia and a nice article on NiMH batteries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_metal_hydride_battery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_Effect I hope this helps. Best wishes. Michael

Kim, First off, I do not think this photo is terribly underexposed. In fact, compositionally I think it is near perfect. The main subject is obviously the sunburst in the context of how it appears underwater. Whether it was intentional or not, the use of subtle lighting (almost as a fill-flash) creates more shadow and thus gives a greater sense of depth to the image. I like it as is! This is just my opinion, and is complete subjective. Then again, I’m looking at this photo from my work computer with a really crappy monitor and your picture may really stink (just joking!). Best wishes, Michael

I also use the Canon 400D XTi camera. I have it in an Ikelite housing and an Ikelite DS-125 strobe. Here is a link to one of the galeries I have posted here on Wetpixel. Please note that these were taken using an older Ikelite DS-50 strobe and not the 125 (the 125 is new and I have not yet posted any of those images). http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?act=m...m&album=259 Best wishes Michael

This is the truth. Sorry to hear about your loss. You must feel violated. My deepest sympathies. Michael

Good logic, that is what I did for the longest time...except I figured that if you are looking through your viewfinder you're probably not going to be looking at your wrist either. I use the Oceanic VT pro, air integrated. But instead of putting it on my wrist, I have it on a tether on my BC.

I would agree with derway...UW housings are too expensive and bulky for that kind of application.

Hello everyone, My name is Michael and currently reside just outside Columbia South Carolina. I am currently shooting with a Canon XTi in a Ikelite housing with an Ikelite strobe. This is the first SLR camera I've taken underwater and I am still getting used to transition from point and shoot. I have been shooting UW pics for about 3 years utilizing an Olympus 5060. Some of those photos are available in a gallery I've posted for everyone to review. Unfortunately that camera is now oozing salt from a nasty flood on my second day in Roatan this past winter (let's not even talk about the shark dive I did the next day without any camera...I cry at night when I think about it). Thanks to a very understanding wife, I upgraded to the Canon SLR (fully insured this time, not like my Olympus) and so far I am very pleased with the results. I will be posting a gallery of some of those images shortly. Again...glad to be here Michael