rrweather

Hopefully I understand this correctly...The TTL function of a Canon camera will only work with an ikelite housing and an ikelite strobe. If I combine an ikelite strobe to a non-ikelite housing, I can only use it in manual mode, since the ikelite housing contains the TTL circuitry. If I use a non-ikelite strobe on an ikelite housing, I can only use ikelite cable to trigger the strobe with the strobes in manual mode. If I buy an inon strobe now and use it with my ikelite housing, I would have to either A) use the ikelite cord, which would provide me with manual control of the strobe or B) use the inon optical cable/cap to make the inon work in S-TTL mode. Then if I bought the Aquatica housing for the 7D down the road, I could get the housing with the optical strobe connectors. I am in Europe right now and don't have the SX-1 and housing in front of me to look but I am 99% sure that the on-camera strobe will function inside the housing. Ikelite's site says that the wide lens port is what stops you from using the built-in flash. So, assuming I can use the built-in inside the housing, I should be able to use the inon cable/cap attached to the outside of the ikelite housing and get the inon strobe to operate in S-TTL mode. Sorry if I am confusing myself more than I am helping. It would help if I were home with my camera and housing in front of me. Thanks for the help.

A more specific question... Using my ikelite housing, would the inon z-240 operate in S-TTL mode without any cord? As far as I understand, the ikelite housing and an ikelite strobe, when used with the ikelite cord, would operate in TTL Mode. If I used the Inon strobe, with the ikelite cord, the strobe would only operate in manual mode. I am wondering if I could use the inon with no cord since the housing is clear. Are the optical cords only for housings that are not clear? Obviously there is only one cord plug on the housing so I imagine I am stuck using ikelite cords. Sorry for the stupid questions. Thanks for the help.

Thanks Tim, that is the type of advice I was looking for.

That is sort where I am at now. The SX1 seemed like a great idea when I bought it for underwater use until I wanted wide angle capabilities. I also thought the HD video would be great for underwater use but, again, the lack of wide angle is a limitation. The flat port on the ikelite housing makes the wide angle limitation even worse. I figure if I can get a strobe now that will work with a DSLR later, one equipment purchase will not necessitate another. Thanks for the help.

I am heading to Belize in April and would like to purchase a strobe for the trip. Currently, I have a Canon SX1 in an ikelite housing. At some point (later this year), I am going to get a DSLR. At some point after that, I will get a housing for it. My question is, what strobe options are available now (using the ikelite housing) that wouldn't force me to use ikelite housings in the future with the DSLR? I know I could get one of the DS strobes and TTL sync cord now for my housing. In the future, would the DS work with anything other than an ikelite housing? Can I get any other brand strobe now to work with the ikelite housing and to work with whatever I buy in the future? Sorry for the abundance of questions. I've tried to read up as much as I can on manual mode, TTL, etc. Just when I think I understand something, I read something else that makes be believe otherwise. I'd like to future-proof myself as much as possible. Thanks for the help, Randy

Peter, Thank you very much for your videos. It's nice to see someone out using the housing and posting videos for us all to see. I am also glad to hear that you like the camera itself. How was the visibility in Cozumel? I will keep an eye out for more of your videos. Thanks again for sharing! Randy

FWIW, I inquired about the Aquatica housing for the Canon HFS10/11 and was told the housing is not going to be produced because of the lack of a market for the housing. If Aquatica does come out with a housing for Canons, I was told it would be for the new HFS20/21 line.

Thanks for the reply. That is more information than I've been able to find anywhere else. I will be anxiously awaiting to hear about your experience and to see your videos. I have about 5 weeks before I need to order a camera/housing before I head to Belize. Hopefully by then, I will hear more from owners. If you get to use it any more before your trip, please let us know. Thanks again.

Anyone know of ANY review on the HD Wave housing? ANY video posted? The Aquatica rep told me they sold out of their first run. I was hoping someone that purchased one could share with us. Thanks.

Hi, I posted a similar post on SB a while back. I thought I'd post it here as well, along with what I've found. I also spoke with Mike at H2OPhotopros and gotten his input. I am in the market for a video camera... My fiance and I are getting married in a few months. Instead of hiring a wedding videographer, we are going to have a video camera passed around the reception by the guests. This will let us see the reception through our guests' eyes. As I look into cameras for the wedding, I naturally start looking into housings for the potential camera we end up buying. We are heading to Belize in April, so I would like to pick up the camera and housing by then for the trip. I already own a Canon SX1 and the ikelite housing for it. While I love the camera and I am satisfied with the video quality, the lack of wide angle has me yearning for more. One of my potential plans is to get a strobe for this setup and use it for stills. My brother is a photo-geek and will be diving with me in Belize so having two cameras will be beneficial. My budget for a camera and housing is $3000-ish. I will end up purchasing lights at a later time (few months) for use when I dive locally (NorCal). For the trip to Belize, I want to get the camera, housing, and filter, with an emphasis on wide angle. My main goal is to get the best video quality I can for my money. I am not a professional, nor do I desire to be. That being said, I don't want to drop $4000 on a camera and housing, only to be disappointed by the quality I get when all is said and done. If $4,000 will only buy me marginal quality, then I would rather not buy anything until something better comes along. I'm not looking for cinema quality but I do want the HD quality to be good when I watch videos on my TV. I guess the best way to describe what I want is I don't want the housing and/or lens to take away from the quality of the camera. I realize the limitation of these cameras. I want to use a housing that allows the camera to operate to its fullest potential. I am in the Air Force and I travel 2-3 weeks per month. Occasionally, I travel to a location that includes diving. Additionally, I go on at least one trip every year where diving and photography are included so I want to make sure that I get something that packs well. I've always owned Canon cameras and had good experience with them. These are some potential setups I've come up with: Canon HF S10/100/11 Gates Housing GP32 Port This setup is at the upper end of my budget. The housing seems great but is obviously not future proof since it is made for one of the 3 cameras mentioned. The GP32 port is not cheap, especially since it is not glass. I have reservations about the image quality since the GP25 port for Sony is not known for image quality. Canon HFS10/100/11 Bluefin housing This setup blows my budget to pieces. Sony XR500/520V Gates housing GP25 port <---leaves a lot to be desired from what I've read. Mike has posted elsewhere that the WP25 port is necessary to get the best quality out of this setup. Adding the WP25 port pushes this setup to the upper limit of my budget. Housing is likely to not fit any future cameras. Sony XR500/520V Stingray+ Housing 80-degree lens or, 90-degree fathom lens This seems like a nice setup. I have read about some issues others are having with the screen on the L&M housings. Also, adding the 90-degree lens puts the setup at my upper limit of the budget. At least the housing is somewhat future-proof with other Sony cameras. Sony XR500/520V Aquatica Housing This seems like a nice housing. The price includes the wide angle and macro lenses. The downside is I can not find a single review of the housing, nor can I find any videos taken with the housing to look at quality. I e-mailed Aquatica asking for a video and they do not have any. I would think the limitation with this setup would be the lenses included. Again, would love to see some video. I don't know that I am comfortable dropping $2400 on a housing that no one has commented on or posted video using. Sony XR500/520V Ikelite Housing Fathom Lens The ikelite has the least desirable housing design. The mirror setup would not be my first choice. That being said, the housing is $1200-ish and the fathom lens is $850-ish. For +/- $2000, I would have a housing and fathom lens. Obviously the housing fits only these two cameras so I am not future-proofing myself. At least the housing is only $1200 for something that will one day be obsolete. The audio is disabled with the image reversing circuitry--not a big deal since I don't need to hear myself breathing underwater. Others have posted fogging issues with ikelite housings. My fiance and I are going to purchase a new computer next month as well. It will be setup to process the video so that will not be a limiting factor. I would just like to make sure I am not missing something. I know with the XR500/520V, people either love them or hate them. Mike @ H2O has recommended the camera in other posts. On the other hand, people using them have complained about the white balance. Seems like everyone likes the HF S10/11/100 but the list of affordable housings and wide angle ports is few and far between. This camera and a housing might just be out of my price range for now. I appreciate the help and information anyone can add. Thanks. Randy