ReefDiver

Hi Adam: I would direct you to read the reply by James to my post below this one. This would be a good starting point for your camera as well. BTW, I have the Canon S-500 which uses the same underwater case as your's. My housing leaked on my first dive! Not from the rear seal but from the zoom button on the top. Apparently, this was enough to stop my camera from operating and I could not use it for the remainder of my vacation. I did purchase an underwater strobe from Reefmaster for the camera which worked out very well. I also bought a wide angle lens from Inon for the camera which is made to fit that particular housing. Interestingly, there was another diver that was using your exact set up with no strobe or WAL and was getting excellent underwater photos, especially after I discussed some of the settings suggested by James with him! As long as you are in water with excellent visibility and have sufficient sunlight penetration, you should be able to get excellent quality photos underwater. However, under more demanding situations, a strobe and wide angle lens would definately be a plus. As a side note: I called Canon about the warranty and they said that the housing is NOT warranteed at all and that if the camera had water damage that it would not be covered either. Well, I went nuts on them and wound up writing a letter and sending the camera and housing to their service department anyway. They had better cover these products or I will report them to the better business bureau and elsewhere. So, bottom line, beware if anything happens to that housing while diving. Good luck and good diving. Steve

Thanks, as I would never have thought about the air bubbles but it makes perfect sense! Off to dive now & take mucho pictures!! Steve

Thanks Giles. Nope no O ring seal and there was no manual, just directions for how to install the lens onto the housing. So bottom line is that I am going to take it off & on as necessary. I tried it in my pool and taking it off & on didn't seem to make any difference. I can't imagine that it would be any different in the salty stuff? BTW, if and when I get back to Grand Cayman, I would like to hook up with you for a dive trip. Steve

Hi Ryan: I can't help you with the photo questions as I am a newbie myself and will be using an underwater camera for the first time next week. In fact, read my post below to see the questions that I asked which were answered by James. Anyway, have been diving many times in Cozumel. This is drift type diving as the current is fairly strong. This makes for a relatively easy dive as you are not doing much swimming or fighting the current. There are many good locations and all of them are worth it. However, the reefs are by no means what they once were. So don't expect to see pristine reef formations but what is there can still be spectacular depending on what your expectations are. That said, you can go online and find a variety of dive excursions available that you can prebook. I really recommend you doing this as if you wait until you arrive and then try to find a dive trip you may be disappointed. Also, be prepared to take lots of photos and I would suggest a strobe if you really want to take some good pictures. Keep reading on this site and also do your own research. Finally, if you can, practice with your camera taking some underwater photos even if it's just in a pool area. That is what I just got done doing and it really helped me to not only figure out the camera operation but also what to do to make the pictures come out better. Good luck. Steve

I will be diving next week and wanted to know if a wide angle lens can be removed & then replaced while taking underwater photos? I am using a Canon S-500 with housing and attached Inon wide angle lens (WAL). I would assume that water is getting in between the outside of the housing and the inner part of the WAL while it is attached and therefore taking it off and on should pose no problem. Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions. Steve

Thanks James for the informative responses. So, if I understand you correctly, even in the Manual Mode the camera still operates in an automatic manner. Therefore, would you suggest just using the camera in the total auto mode and not worry about setting any of the parameters? I can see now that this is going to take a lot of trial & error but at least with a digital you are not wasting lots of film. Hopefully, I will get some decent shots the first time around. Steve

Hi All: I will be diving in Curacao & St. Thomas next week and need your help. I have never used an underwater camera other than the cheap ones used for snorkeling. Here is a description of my set up: Canon Power Shot S-500 with underwater housing. Sealife Reefmaster Strobe with optional diffuser. Inon removable wide angle lens attached to camera housing. High speed 1GB Flash Card. I have read and have some limited knowledge of the proper settings to use depending on depth, water clarity, etc... but have never used this camera before ( just purchased everything within the last month!). I do have the strobe synced to the cameras flash so that they work together. I have taken some shots of a few corals in my reef tank but only through the glass and the pictures are very good. However, this is not underwater photography by any means. I have the camera set to the following Manual settings: ISO 100, EV -2, Flash ON and Red Eye Reduction OFF, WB set on “Sunnyâ€, Resolution mode on “Lâ€, and Compression mode set at “Super Fineâ€. Obviously, these settings are not set in stone and would need adjustment depending on the situation. Here are my questions: 1. Would you suggest using the zoom lens for close ups with the wide angle lens attached? 2. What about the position of the Strobe head to prevent scatter? 3. Any comments on holding the camera steady underwater? 4. How about close up shots? How close? How Far?? 5. What about panoramic shots, i.e, large fish, reefs, divers, etc.... 6. How should I attach the camera to myself prior to getting in the water? 7. Should I use any of those Moisture Munchers in the camera housing? 8. Is it better to Underexpose rather than Overexpose? 9. What about Shutter speed options? 10. Is there any time that you would use the “Auto†setting? I will probably think of many more questions but these will suffice for now!! Now I realize that EXPERIENCE is the real teacher but just wanted to get some opinions/recommendations from a few experienced underwater photographers. Any suggestions/comments will be very much appreciated. I am also going to post this in a few of the other forums as well. Thanks in advance for you help. Steve

Hi Phil: Enjoyed your photos of Cozumel as I have been there diving many times. The camera seems to do an overall good job of capturing the UW environment. Can you tell me how I can post any pictures that I take to the photo gallery that you are using? I am headed for the Caribbean shortly and will be diving on Curacao & St. Thomas. Thanks. Steve

Once again thanks Anthony. I just got off of the phone with Helix and could purchase the Fuji F-810 camera for around $450.00 and they also have the Ikelite housing available as well. However, I understand that this camera is discontinued. So, I was also looking at the Canon Power Shot S-70 as an alternative with Canon's underwater housing. I would also have to purcase a strobe as well and was thinking about the Ikelite YS-125 unit to go with it. What I like about the Canon is that the wide angle lens is already built into the camera. So, is there any concensus from you camera buffs as to which way I should go. Or, should I be looking at other models as well??? It's obvious that I don't know much about underwater photography, to say the least. Any suggestions will be very much appreciated. Thanks! Steve

Thanks Anthony for a very informative response indeed. Can you give me the link for Reef Photo and also what does the RHS refer to and where's the link to get to it? I am going to look on the B & H photo site as well as the Helixphoto site and see if they have the Fuji 810 in stock. Thanks again, Steve

I get your drift James and thanks for the reply. Although I would look into buying a Cannon, Olympus, or another brand rather than a Fuji, just my preference. BTW, I did call Ikelite and they indeed do not have any Nikon 995 housings left. Other than the megapixel diference, what makes the Nikon "obsolete" as you put it??? Finally, where would you suggest buying that camera outfit that you mentioned? Thanks Steve

Hi Folks: I am a newbie to this forum and have a question? Does anyone know where I can purchase an underwater housing for my Nikon 995 digi camera? I have done extensive searches online and have found out that both "Ikelite" & "Aquatica" have discontinued this particular housing unit and are no longer making it. I will be diving in the Caribbean from Aug 7th through the 14th and was hoping to find a housing ASAP! Thanks in advance for any help. Steve