Ikelite Housing Problems

I have a Canon EOS 10D with an Ikelite Housing, and I'm having control problems.

Anyone else encounter a problem where your index finger adjuster knob (shutter knob in M mode) and your selector knob on the back of the camera (aperture adjustments in M mode) will not work?

My housing has only been in the water a few times and I like to think that I take very good care of it, but when I was in the Bahamas a few weeks ago I had to fight with the housing most of the week. Finally, I took a bit of plastic from blister packaging, folded it in half, and slid it between the frame of the camera and the platform that my EOS rests on in the housing.

That put just enough pressure on the camera to tilt it back enough to allow both controls proper contact with the housing controls.

Does anyone have any suggestions about a better way of fixing this problem?

Hi David,

I had similar problems with my old Ikelite film camera housings, and my solution was similar to yours (I used paper instead). I will move this topic to the dSLR area where I think it will get more attention. There are a few members that work for Ikelite, so I think they will give you good advice.

Luiz

Not quite sure if this is your problem, but it sounds like the rubber wheels aren't making good enough contact with the camera controls?

If so, I had a similar problem that I solved by adding a stainless steel washer under the rubber wheel on the control arm so that it made better contact. Works much better.

Jack

As I search for a nikon housing I find it outrageous at the prices of the housings to have to do this type of stuff. Question is it just ikelite or lots of aluminum housings also?

As I search for a nikon housing I find it outrageous at the prices of the housings to have to do this type of stuff. Question is it just ikelite or lots of aluminum housings also?

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Well as far as Ike housing go, I know he errs on the loose side as otherwise the controls could damage the camera. I do know with all housings these issues can occur due to minute differences in the cameras themselves. That all being said, you sort of get what you pay for with Ike.

Jack

Every housing made can have these issues and most do....proper pre-dive checks and maintenance is where the responsibility lies

Karl

Connick started out okay but ended with "That all being said, you sort of get what you pay for with Ike" but I don't agree with that comment. I may be over sensitive, but each housing has had a camera installed to be sure it works and has been water pressure tested. Knob can be moved out on shaft or shim can be placed behind the friction tire. Cameras have different amount of detent which can make the control more difficult to move.............

[edited for language - moderator]

I have encountered the same or similar problem with some Subal housings.

As Ike said, there can be subtle differences among identical model cameras - and I like the word "detent"! Even the same camera, over time, will undergo changes that can affect how it works in a housing. The command dials can become stiffer and harder to turn (solution: clean and lubricate, by professionals); the grooves on side of the dial can wear smooth over time, making it harder for the housing control to engage properly (Solution: replacement of the dial, same); and the spring that tensions the control against the dial can weaken (solution: replace the spring - I carry spares - or add a shim to increase tension).

After shooting a humpback underwater in South Africa, I realized that I had been pressing on the shutter control on my FS2 housing so hard that I'd bent the metal arm, so it would no longer engage properly with the shutter button on the camera. (And I hadn't got anywhere near as many exposures of the whale as I thought I'd taken.) It took half an hour of fiddling to rebend it just right so it worked again.

Frogfish

Concerning the "get what you paid for" remark.

I don't see a Sea & Sea equivalent, out there, and I'm not fond of Aquatica housings, so that leaves me with Ike, and frankly I like the ability to watch the entire frame and detect leaks or other problems early upon entry into the water, so the Ike frame naturally becomes the best choice.

This wasn't about wanting to hear someone denigrate a particular brand. I need a working solution that I, as a layperson, can put in place to fix a relatively minor problem.

Interesting that I am edited when complaining about a derogatory remark.

You can loosen the set-screw and move knob out slightly for more length. Make sure you wiggle knob as you tighten the set screw to be sure it is flat on the shaft.

Easiest may be to slip the rubber drive wheel off the hub inside and add an "O" ring or washers to provide more length.

Installation of camera in housing is critical. It must be tightened securely after you are certain it is centered. This pertains to other alignment problems not the dial.

Let us know how you do. Email me <ike@ikelite.com> if problem persists. I can send replacement drive tires.

From my experience, all systems have quirks. My Subal housing was so problematic, even IKE offered to look at it for me. Then I got the Titan D100. I cannot use the metering knob for spot, CW or matrix. Doesn't work...the dial does not come in contact with the shaft. Guess I got what I paid for cuz it cost me more than three grand. Does that mean if I pay four grand I will get the matrix feature working? It's all about manufacturing tolerances. In fact, I love the ability to shim Ike's rubber wheel because it allows me to play with the sensitivity of the knob to work flawlessly with my stubby fingers. Other systems often don't allow you to do squat without special, custom jigs...unlike my Titan.

Joe

I have the Ike 350D housing and these things can happen in my housing if the camera is not properly inserted. Basically, you have to get the camera in the proper place first, then tighten it down and make sure you tighten it well. I use a big screwdriver. Since I started doing this I've never had that problem anymore.

I had the same problem with my well-loved 5050 Ike housing after I sent it in for a TTL upgrade. When I got it back, the controls would not engage with the camera anymore. I sent it back in - they modified it...and I had the same problem.

I was really frustrated, I talked to Ike, sent it in again...this time with my camera inside. With my camera, which obviously has it's own tiny quirks, they were able to fix the problem perfectly and I am happy again. They even gave me a set of housing 0-rings to make up for my shipping cost, so it' didn't cost me anything.

Personally, I don't like to phutz around with my housing controls lest I cause a leak. If you are not comfortable with doing it - send it back to Ike with your camera with it (they will treat it like their own) and they'll fix it. I always get my equipment back in two weeks.

Ikelite has always been very responsive to problems and I think they go above and beyond in the way of customer service.

Just my $0.02.

C

Then I got the Titan D100.  I cannot use the metering knob for spot, CW or matrix.  Doesn't work...the dial does not come in contact with the shaft.

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Joe, I've never seen a problem with the metering knob control on the Titan D100. Do you have the eyecup and lcd protector removed?

I had the same problem with my well-loved 5050 Ike housing after I sent it in for a TTL upgrade.  ....  I talked to Ike, sent it in again, this time with my camera inside.  With my camera, which obviously has it's own tiny quirks, they were able to fix the problem perfectly and I am happy again.  They even gave me a set of housing 0-rings to make up for my shipping cost, so it' didn't cost me anything.

....Ikelite has always been very responsive to problems and I think they go above and beyond in the way of customer service. ....

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I noticed a similar problem on my Ikelite 7070 housing. The problem was the housing rubber wheel would not quite engage the mode dial with enough friction to turn it, and a couple of the top mounted controls were not quite aligned with the actuators. The cause seemed to be that the camera was tilted forward a bit, due to pressure from the foam gasket around the LCD. Due to this pressure, the rear bumpers of the camera were lifted off the camera saddle about 1mm, and the camera tilted forward enough to miss the actuator.

Because of their excellent commitment to support, I know Ikelite would have fixed this in a jiffy. But rather than send this back to Ikelite and be out of action, I shimmed the camera backward a tiny bit, just enough to operate perfectly. Because I did not want to bend the mode dial shaft, I was very cautious with the amount of backward tilt. I used Dymo label tape on the saddle of the housing, under the front edge of the camera. I chose this tape because the adhesive does not bleed and the tape is tough and thick. Now its another odd item added to my "Save a Dive Kit". End of problem. We divers have to be able to cope with minor things like this, or be out of action on trips.