Sea & Sea 5000G problems

Just thought I would add my experience of the S&S 5000g.

I got this camera last September and have been reasonably pleased with some of the results I got. But the camera developed a fault in Feburary this year (an error code appeared and the lens would not retract). Also the power on/off button came loose and is hanging out of the case. So as it was still under warrenty I went back to where I bought it. They happily shipped it of to sea&sea for repairs. After nearly 3 months the camera came back, but they still had not repaired the faulty power button. God knows why as the technician must have seen it and I cant believe they decided not to repair it. So it's now on it was back to seas&sea in Japan and I expect to see it again in maybe 2-3 months.

So at the moment it's like I am time sharing the camera, 6 months with me and 6 months with S&S.

Oh and I nearly forgot to mention the first 5000g I took home didnt work at all out of the box so I had to get a replacement. No complaints about the housing DX5000 or the DX-27 strobe though.

So be aware if you are thinking of getting one. I have got myself a Nikon D80 and will be investing my cash in an Ikelite system as I see the guys from Ikelite post here often. I like that kind of attention to detail and customer support, which is non existant from Sea&Sea.

whinge, moan, complain

I just bought the D80 and 18-70mm lens and ordered the Ikelite from Reefphoto. Great setup! The folks at Reef were very nice once I got throught to them and have been easy to access for some questions I had. I have had the Ikelite twice in the water so far this week and am very pleased with it. My only regret is I have only one DS51 strobe and its obvious that any photo above f16 and sometimes f11 need a second strobe to adequately illuminate the subject. The camera is awesome and focuses/snaps pictures so quickly I was amazed.

The port assembly is a bit unnerving as it seems there isnt much pressure compressing the oring compared to the strong latches on the backplate. The housing is easy to use, all the buttons are there and the two handles are nice. The dome port tends to swing up as the camera body weighs a lot and one handed holding can be tiresome. If you are freediving for your photos the mass of the Ikelite is to me fairly substantial and the drag can be a bit much. Having said that, the housing is very nice so far and looks to be a winner!

My first outing with D80 (never had a DSLR before)

nice pics, I Just need to decide on a final config and post the order next month. I was thinking of getting the ds-125 strobe for more power and I like the modelling light.

I would definately get the most light you can. For the price you can almost get two DS51s vs one 125. I dont know if that totals to more light but the spread would be greater I would think.