Questions about housing for 5D

I am interested in getting a Canon 5D and housing, and need some help choosing the housing.

I use Canon digital cameras topside (EOS 1Ds MarkII) and I want full frame. I'd get a new 5D for this (ultimately two).

In the past I have used (and still have) two Aquatica housings for Nikon N90s film cameras. I have some big manual Ikelite strobes for these. I also had some housings for Nikon SB-24 flashes.

However I haven't taken UW photos for a number of years - I am getting back into it. I have a lot of topside photo experience so I am not a photo newbie.

I am interested in both macro and wide angle. I will probably start with one housing, but ultimately will get two so I can have two bodies - one wide one macro.

Aquatica has a 5D housing, which looks nice. It is probably too much to hope for that the large collection of ports I have for the N90s housings would be compatible.

Pluses of Aquatica seem to be:

- Well made

- Variety of ports available

- Reasonable priced compared to other aluminum housings

- The (expensive) new viewfinder sounds very nice

Minus seem to be:

- Unclear whether it works with E-TTL (see below)

- More expensive than Ikelite

Subal, Nexus, Sea and Sea and others also have 5D housings. Some of them are significantly more expensive than Aquatica. However, other than that I am not sure what their advantages or disadvantages are versus Aquatica. I'm not saying that there is no difference, I just don't know and would appreciate finding out if there is a real advantage or disadvantage.

Ikelite has a polycarb housing for 5D. Pluses there are:

- Much cheaper than an aluminum housing

- Has E-TTL flash connection built in

Minuses seem to be

- Fewer ports

- Lingering doubts about robustness, port flooding etc (what I hear from others)

I do not dive deep, so difference in depth rating between Ike & aluminum housings is not important to me.

I'm aware that the E-TTL flash issue is one of enormous controversy. I have used manual strobes underwater and above, so I am not freaked out by using manual strobes. Indeed that is what I will probably start with. However for macro subjects E-TTL is probably worthwhile.

Nevertheless, it seems a bit weird in 2007 to spend thousands of dollars for a housing that doesn't export the E-TTL features, just in case I want it in the future.

Every time new technology is introduced in photography (autofocus, in camera meters, zoom lenses) it is resisted by photographers. In part that is becaues the early versions never work very well. But over time it really does improve.

So, with that background, I am very interested in the collected wisdom of Wetpixel members on what I should do.

Also, in addition to housings any other advice/comments about gadgets I should get are welcome.

Hi Nathan,

Im not 100% sure as i do not know what strobes you have, but i would doubt they will work in ttl, so to get ttl may well require the purchase of new strobes too.

Aquatica now has the huge optical glass superdome too which looks great.

Simon

Hi Nathan,

 

Im not 100% sure as i do not know what strobes you have, but i would doubt they will work in ttl, so to get ttl may well require the purchase of new strobes too.

 

Aquatica now has the huge optical glass superdome too which looks great.

 

Simon

Both good points. Yes, to use E-TTL I assume that I will need to get some new strobes.

Yes, the huge optical glass dome does look nice, and is another reason to go with Aquatica.

Actually, Aquatica had a very similar large dome for its film camera housings (long ago) - unfortunately I have two of them, that I suspect are not going to be compatable, or useful for anything but paperweights...

Hi Nathan and welcome to Wetpixel.

I have the two cameras you describe, and I moved from a 1D body to the 5D for underwater use. It's so much smaller and easier to handle.

If you have the newer Aquatica 90s housing then yes, you can use your ports. Great news eh? I used the Aquatica 5D housing to photograph sharks in the Bahamas and I liked it a lot.

Some points to consider. If you want eTTL you'll need to get an adapter circuit installed in the housing. You'll need some newer strobes too.

Cheers

James

Indeed if your housing is a bayonet type its the samea as used today, As far as ETTL, the board can be installed by some of our dealers, (actual sponsors of Wetpixel) maybe a few zoom gears is all you will need to ad up, once you have decided on your lens roster you can PM me and I will let you know the things that you have and the things you need to make it work, the dome and macro port are a fit, and the cords you have will fit on the two bulkheads supplied. other differences from the film days is the removable camera tray and the accessory large viewfinder soon to be available.

Regards

Can confirm everything said above. I made exactly the switch you are proposing (Nik 90s to Canon 5d) and basically just needed to buy the basic Aquatica housing. My ports - macro and dome plus extension rings - just transferred across. I also just continued to use my SB 105 strobes and arms albeit only in manual (which was the biggest change of all!). If you have used Aquatica before you will know their housings are good, bomb-proof jobs and I have never had one let me down. Price is very competitive also. Bear in mind that the Aquatica 5D housing is not as easy to use as your old N90 set-up - changing aperture while keeping your eye to the viewfinder is impossible unless you have hands the size of shovels. It is a two-handed job for me and takes a bit of getting used to.

As pointed out above, just make sure your old housing is the bayonet port model - ports for the previous model will be no good.

Hi Nathan and welcome to Wetpixel.

 

I have the two cameras you describe, and I moved from a 1D body to the 5D for underwater use. It's so much smaller and easier to handle.

 

If you have the newer Aquatica 90s housing then yes, you can use your ports. Great news eh? I used the Aquatica 5D housing to photograph sharks in the Bahamas and I liked it a lot.

 

Some points to consider. If you want eTTL you'll need to get an adapter circuit installed in the housing. You'll need some newer strobes too.

 

Cheers

James

for ettl you can also go the seacam route as they offer the 250ttl in canon ettl format. however, i am not sure if this would work with a non-seacam housing even if you have an s6 port. i am sure one the seacam guys, paul or stephen, will be able to confirm/infirm this.

/paul

Thanks very much for all of the helpful replies. I am definitely leaning toward Aquatica given that I can use my existing ports.

For manual flash I am already set.

For E-TTL it sounds like I could use:

- Converter board internal to housing

- Sea & Sea TTL converter (with S&S flash, and perhaps other flash?)

Any other options?

I will post in the flash forum on what E-TTL flash to get - which I may do right away or may wait on.

Aquatica viewfinder sounds great - but it appears from other posts that it is not out yet.

Also, any other options/gadgets I should get to be state of the art ?

I feel like a total idiot, but made a mistake in my first posting.

I could have SWORN that my two N90s housings were Aquatica. I had not used them for 5 years, so they sat in storage, but I was positive that they are Aquatica, which suggested that I should use Aquatica for the Canon 5D because I could re-use the ports.

Well, I dug them out. They are Sea & Sea NX 90 housings. I have plenty of ports for them (that part I remembered), a pair of Ikelite Substrobe 200 and a pair of S&S housings for Nikon SB-24 flashes.

Does anybody know if the ports are compatible between the old Sea & Sea NX 90 housings and the new Sea & Sea Canon 5D housing? That might tilt the balance in favor of Sea & Sea.

Alternatively, I could go to Aquatica or another make. However, reusing the ports would take at least some of the sting out of it.

Yes Nathan, they are compatible. What you can do now is get the Sea and Sea 5D housing, with external eTTL adapter and correct sync cords. Send your SS200's in to Ikelite and get them upgraded to DS200's (digital).

I think the DS200's are compatible with the Sea and Sea eTTL converter but you may want to check on that.

Cheers

James