sacha

Thank you for all the tips ! I have used multiple times recently with the vacuum check being on during the whole day (turning it on in the morning and off when getting back at the hotel) and haven't had an issue. But sometimes after getting out of the water and with the camera getting warmer I see some fogging. Now I need to have a look at when I might be letting water get inside. Yes this is how I have been using it ! Quite happy with that solution. Main gripes I have is that two strobes would be way better for wide angle (or I'm just bad at it) and also the floats on each arm segments tend to get in the way of each other and limit the mobility a little.

Thank you Craig, I'll apply this. I have been cleaning the O-rings and they seem ok but I still get some condensation sometimes. The camera water and pressure sensors haven't shown any errors though. I hope it is not something stuck in one of the smaller o-rings because I have already quite a few costs to repair things on the camera, but I'll see.

Hello, I have been using the camera and it has been a blast ! Thank you very much everyone for the different advices. I need to post my pictures here somewhere as well as I’m sure I’ll get many great advices, as there are many potential zones of amelioration 😄 I have also removed the right handle like some people recommended here. I quite like it but the strobe is sometimes hard to position because both floats get in the way of each other. It is also quite bulky which makes it difficult to get close to things sometimes if they are hidden under a coral. I love the macro, and the diopter works great. But will probably acquire a macro lens at some point as that sounds better / easier. I’m quite bad at wide angle though. Find it much more complex to get a great picture. Also I smashed my wide angle lens against a rock during a dive with way too much current where I shouldn’t have taken my camera with me … Another thing I need to learn is how to take videos. Not great at that either … Also quite happy about the MF1. I have a new question. The manual for the aoi housing mentions not washing the inside of the port. I avoided doing it but after a while I started collecting some small dust on it so decided to clean it with a microfiber. Looks like it was a bad idea as it sometimes gets foggy now which it didn’t before. I probably damaged some hydrophobic layer that was on it. What would you recommend to do now ? Go all in and wash it with shampoo like I do my masks ? I already have a small silica packet inside.

These are jumbo floats actually so +726g. So a bit more difference between both config. I'll have a look at the balls thanks ! Didn't realize the orings could be changed. And yes I initially thought about bringing extra clamps to make sure the floats would stay there but I must say that they seem to be really attached. Will check whether I have extra clamps to be sure though. Yep I realize the limitation for the single strobe but had to cut somewhere unfortunately. It is already much heavier / bigger than I wish already. Thinking of doing mainly WA close to the surface without any strobe and use the strobe for macro. Ah nice idea, I will try that ! Also thought of getting rid of one arm but didn't want to risk hating it so took both with me. After a few dive, I will try removing one and see how it goes. Do you usually handle the strobe with the left hand or is that a personal preference thing ?

Please don’t have a bad influence on me ahah. Anyway it is too late now, I’m leaving tomorrow for my holidays 😁

Coming with an extra question as you're all very helpful ! To pack as light as possible, I have decided to start with one strobe only. I have got a backscatter Mini Flash 1 for now. This is what my tray and strobes look like : I'm worried of not having enough amplitude in the arm. I have seen some examples from backscatter where both arm floats are on the same side. Doesn't that make the camera float in a strange way that needs to be pushed hard with one hand ? Like this : And then one final question. It feels like the balls on my arms are smaller than the ones on the strobe and on the tray. Is this possible ? Are there different type of balls ? If yes, is this an issue ? I feel like it then rotates easier there than in other places but it doesn't feel like it will falls off. Thanks again !

Well seems to be an anonymous decision ! I will start without two lenses underwater and I will know soon if I regret it, thanks !

Well the advice makes sense. I'm just 'worried' of going on a macro dive, seing mantas and not being able to take any pictures. And thank you for the foam advice !

Hi, coming back with more questions again 🙂 Thank you for all the help ! Any advice on using both the wide angle wet lens and a macro diopter on the same dive ? The camera came with a flip holder but I guess that this is not compatible with using the wide angle lens ? Should I get a M67 mount option that I could put on top of the housing ? Or is a bayonet system better ? How do you carry a wet lens with you underwater ? Other question, I will need some floats. Are stiX floats anything specific or is it normal foam ? Because I have some foam at home so it might be a stupid question but if it helps me not buy something else, it would be great !

Are post only editable for a short amount of time ? I can't seem to find how to edit my previous post. I'm also giving away an old ikelite substrobe AI. And selling a Ikelite 8 inch dome + port extension 5510.24 for 300€. Both piece can be sold separately.

Hi, I have been buying gear that is way too bulky for the way I'm doing underwater photography. Doing a final try now with a mirrorless but I'm selling all the gear I acquired for my DSLR. I can share photos for everything, so don't hesitate to reach out. I have a lot of gear because every housing I bought was bought used as a pack with other things. If buying a housing, I can deliver it with either a 5503, 5503.5, another one for macro and another one that is longer than the 5503 (but I can't find the number). Some of those are in better state than others so feel free to ask for pictures ! All the gear is visible and shipped from Brussels, Belgium. Ikelite DS161 : 500€ The strobe is in great state. Ikelite DS51 : 200€ each. I have 4 of those, 2 that I initially used and 2 that came with some new gear I bought. I will deliver each of those with one clamp. Ikelite Nikon D750 housing : 400€ Ikelite Nikon D800 housing : 400€ Ikelite Nikon D600 housing : 300€ Please be aware that TTL doesn't work with this housing anymore. Nikon D600 : 300€ Has some marks of usage but works perfectly Precision Dome with ikelite FL port extension 5510.11: 250€ Used with the Tokina 10-17mm Sigma 105mm for Nikon : 250€ In perfect state. It is relatively "noisy" when the stabilization is active but I have read online that this is normal. Tokina 10-17mm for Nikon : 200€ Ikelite single cord : 50€ I have multiple of those. Ikelite dual cord : 80€ Fiber Optic Converter for DS Strobes : 70€ each I'm also selling a olympus EPL-1 with housing and UFL1 strobe for 250€. It is a nice system to see if you like UDW Photography.

Yeah the 8mm looks nice but I'll not have time to find one before my trip. I really want to take the wet lens but the almost 2kg with the case makes it a bit hard to justify ... BTW how do you store the wet lens ? I have a flip holder for the CMC but not sure how I will store the wide angle one. Anyone has recommendation on small handle and arms ? I'm wondering whether I should sell the ikelites and try to find a backscatter MF.

Thank you @humu9679 !

Hi John, yeah the macro lens looks very nice ! Once I'm sure I like the set up, I will look into it 🙂 Thanks for the warning regarding scratches, I'll make sure to pay attention ! A bit worried both on the boat and underwater to get too close to something TBH. And thank you for the Inon S2000 recommendation, I will look into it !

So I ended up biting the bullet and buying the kit I mentioned above 🙂 Hoping to take a lot of great pictures with it ! Indeed you were right, this is coming with ikelite fiber optic convertors : https://www.ikelite.com/products/fiber-optic-converter-for-ds-strobes-3rd-gen? These backscatter 4300 look incredible. The pack I got came with Hugyfot Arius 1500 which seemed bright enough outside of the water but looking now, are only 1500 lumens. But it seems to be impossible to find the backscatter's weight anywhere. Now that I have the whole kit, I need to check how to make it as compact as I can. The housing and wet lenses are compact enough but unfortunately arms and strobes are just as big as for a normal DSLR 😛

I don't really get how the multi quote functionality works yet so starting a new answer 🙂 Would the MF-2 also work for wide angles shots (I understand it would not be the ideal solution but would it work as a DS51 replacement) ? I'm thinking of taking a video light and a strobe light with me on holidays to keep it as light as I can but still flexible.

Thank you but based on my budget I'll take what I find used so I guess I'll start without TTL. From what I read online, in a lot of situations it is still recommended to shoot without it no ? I just find it very hard to compose with this poor view, and I also found it very hard to make sure my focus was right. I also find it much harder to have an idea of my distance to the subject and I'm always worried to get too close and touch it. I hope that using the screen will solve these issues. Videos are a plus but I don't care too much about it. It is mainly the small size which speaks to me. Newer mirorless cameras look much smaller indeed and very good but they are unfortunately out of my budget 😕

Hi All, I currently own an ikelite housing with a Nikon D750 but have unfortunately realized that it is too big for me (I only dive on travel and I tend to combine my dives with other activities). On top of that I hate using the optical visor underwater, I find it extremely small and I don't understand how people use this. I guess I could buy a magnified viewfinder but all the housings I have seen online are sold without one. Are all these people shooting without a viewfinder ? Sorry I'm digressing a bit here ... Because of my budget and my needs, I have been looking into a used EPL-10. I was interested in the backscatter package but I haven't seen any used one sold where I live. I found another one that seems to have a lot of accessories that would be relevant to me but most of those are different brands than the one sold by backscatter. I'm wondering if these make sense or not ? Close up lens : The close up lens sold with it is the Nauticam CMC. Different than the AOI one but I read a lot of good things about it, so I guess that is fine. Wet wide lens : It is sold with a WeeFine WFL01. I guess the biggest issue about that one is that it can cover 24mm FF equivalent but the olympus 14-42 that always seems to be the lens used on this setup is a 28mm equivalent. So you end up with a wet lens which is much bigger and heavier than the AOI one sold by backscatter for no added value. I'm not sure how their quality compares either. Strobes : The camera is sold with two ikelite DS51. This is the strangest part to me. It seems to me that ikelite strobe works well with Ikelite housings but that people using other housings tend to use other brands. What kind of disadvantages might I expect there ? I guess there will be no TTL but it is not clear to me if the EPL-10 can have TTL with other strobes ? Please let me know what you think of this package and if you have any suggestion of parts I should swap or add if I get it. Thanks !

Hello, I have been lurking here and I'm now joining as I'm planning to post some questions regarding equipment recommandation. Hopefully I will soon be able to start sharing images as well. I'm a holiday diver but have dived for about 20 years, registering about 200 dives in total. I'm now planning a big trip in asia so hoping to get some nice equipment before that. Nice to meet you all !