Underwater Casing ...

[Digital Prophet]

Does anyone know of an underwater casing that will fit the 300D or even a 20D or 10D?

Possible mermaid shoot. And in the water is better than out of the water.

- Digital Prophet -

[Citizensmith]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=367757&is=REG

Damn expensive though. I've always wondered how come the plastic box to put it in can cost as much or more than the cameras themselves.

[Digital Prophet]

You know, for something like that. Yeah I can see a hefty price. Hefty, not herniatingly heavy. But hefty. I mean it is rate for a depth of 300'. It has access to all your controls. Looks durable. Ok. But that is still pricey.

All I need is something that is watertight to a depth of like 2'. And the only control I need is the shutter. But it seems like everything that they make is way overkill for what I want to do. There is no way I am going to spend $2k on a housing to use once. I'd be better off jumping in the water with a brand new 20D and snapping fast and hoping the card can download and replacing the camera. Hell I'd be ahead of the game that way.

- Digital Prophet -

[DocFrankenstein]

Might I suggest a ziplock bag then, with a filter attached?

[Citizensmith]

An alternate may be to pick up a decent point and shoot. You could get a G series powershot with a dedicated dive housing for less than the cost of those for the 20D. I had an A40 with dive housing that cost about $500 for the two back when I got them.

[Digital Prophet]

Hmm. Point and shoot. Now that is a thought. Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

Now all I have to do is get a mermaid tail.

- Digital Prophet -

[Poco]

I highly recommend the s400(s410) with WP-DC800 waterproof case. The entire package is smaller than your 300D and the cost of the s400/410s is very low right now. This is how I took pictures like this.

http://www3.telus.net/public/jokuda/2004.12.09.PMDiving/images/IMG_9008_1.jpg

and this...

http://www3.telus.net/public/jokuda/2004.12.09.PMDiving/images/IMG_9065_1.jpg

[DocFrankenstein]

I don't know what quality you're going for, but separate flashes are also a good idea...

[Rob612]

Hmm. Point and shoot. Now that is a thought. Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

Now all I have to do is get a mermaid tail.

- Digital Prophet -


I absolutely second that option. I do not know what is your diving experience, but handling a camera underwater is definitely a different story. A P&S with its own UW case will cost much less than a dedicated housing for a dlsr and woill be really much easier to handle. I even keep mine in one of the pockets of the BC jacket so it won't be in my way.

Not that a UW casing for a dslr would be a bad idea thou, but trust me, that's something that one does after some experience.

On a side note, solutions like a ziplock bag, no matter what the manufacturer says, are going to spill, sooner or later, just because sooner or later you WILL go below the 2/3 ft that are the maximum depth. And you do not want your reflex wet, don't you ? :D

[slicendice]

I can also vouch for going the P&S route. These pics were taken with a Sony DSC P12 in the Sony underwater housing.

The other thing to bear in mind is that however expensive the housing, sometimes they leak! I would just be permanently on edge if I was diving with my 20D, worrying that it was going to leak and resulting in much $$$$$$!! Much less of a worry if you're only using a P&S. No, you won't get quite the same quality of pics, but you'll still be able to get some pretty decent ones, especially if you're not going that deep.

If you do decide you need to go deeper, then get a red/yellow lens filter - it will really enhance the colours.

Just my 2 cents...!

[slicendice]

I highly recommend the s400(s410) with WP-DC800 waterproof case. The entire package is smaller than your 300D and the cost of the s400/410s is very low right now. This is how I took pictures like this.



Great pics Poco! Can I ask where abouts you were diving? Caribbean?

Also, I'm going to be in Vancouver the week after next - any recommendations on good photo shooting locations??

(Sorry - not trying to hi-jack this thread! :D)

[Rob612]

Here another couple with the ixus and its UW case (some PS and some cropping). The first one was taken in a night dive (about 50 ft deep) a 50W scuba torch, together with the on cam flash+diffuser. The second was daylight, definitely deeper (about 140 ft), only the standard flash.

[aam1234]

Rob, 140 ft :shock: You must be a pro diver.

[Rob612]

Rob, 140 ft :shock: You must be a pro diver.

Not at all. I do recreational diving and that's it. But here in the Mediterranean we do have a little problem: the best places are very often deeper than what a norma Open Water license allows :D

So what happens is that everybody that is really interested in scuba diving at the end is almost forced to the following path: Open Water Diver (limit 18 mt/60 ft) , Advanced Open Water (limit 30 mt/98 ft), and Deep Scuba (I do not remembre what the limit is, I believe around 50 to 60 mt) In the middle, there is the EFR (Emergency First Response) course that is necessary to have access to Deep Diver. I also have the Enriched Air Diver, the Wreck Diver and the Cave Diver, but that's different. Actually I do not even have that much dives in my logbook (about 800 as of today, nothing compared to several friends that are well above the 1500/2000 range and above). I am not interested in tech diving and usually do not dive too much deep just because I do not need it. I don't even like wreks, but I love UW caves.

You can, perhaps, have a lot of satisfactions in shallow waters in night dives. Thats the part I really love :D

[aam1234]

(Hope we are not hijacking the thread).

I'm not a diver, but did a couple of dives in Hawaii. But from swimming at the beach in the Med in southern France and S. Spain, I noticed the Med to be rather dark, even at the beach. I mean, I can't even see my feet when the water is at chest level. Is that the same around the Rome area.

[Rob612]

(Hope we are not hijacking the thread).

I'm not a diver, but did a couple of dives in Hawaii. But from swimming at the beach in the Med in southern France and S. Spain, I noticed the Med to be rather dark, even at the beach. I mean, I can't even see my feet when the water is at chest level. Is that the same around the Rome area.

Quick answer avoiding the hijacking of the thread. We have come places with "caribbean-style" water, but in general the Med rapidly goes very deep. And the water is not al clear as in other places.

[aam1234]

Sorry guys for the hijack :oops:

[Digital Prophet]

I don't consider this a hijack at all. My threads often take the same route as my dates. Sure they start out ok, but soon enough noone know what the hell is going on.

Seriously though Ithink that threads, like conversations, evolve on the fly and if the participants go askew then so be it. I am laid back like that.

Now buy me a fish sandwich.

- Digital Prophet -

[cruzyn56]

I have had some pretty good results with the canon A70 and the underwater housing. Took many shots on dive in Maui. Along with the 20d my wife also got me the Ikelite housing. I also have the external flash strobe that will work with either the A70 or the 20d.

The 20d housing is pretty big, certainly not for a beginning diver and even though I haven't used, do worry about leakage. Many in my dive club use video cams with underwater housings that are bigger and bulkier than the 20d.
For the depth you want to go a point and shoot might be the way to go. It might also come in handy in the rain.

[cruzyn56]

Depending on how often you will need/use the underwater casing you might consider a disposable. When my wifes A70 was stolen, we replaced it with an A75, the upgrade. The controls were not in the same place making the underwater housing limited to my camera. The housing cost almost as much as the camera, and now 1.5 years later the camera has a flakey lcd. The undewater housing will outlast the camera and when you upgrade it will be obselete. Depending on how old it is the resale might be very limited. I hope i don't run into the same issues with the 20d.