Need help\advice

Hi,

I have a Canon EOS 400D and I was thinking of buying a housing and strobes for it, but there are so many housings, ports and strobes that I don't know what to choose, not to mention the price is pretty high too.

The Ikelite housing has ttl conversion circuitry, what does that do?

Is it worth it to buy the Fantasea housing that doesn't have the conversion circuitry?

How much would the setup cost me?

Please help me,

Thanks

Hi, if you buy an Ikelite housing and a single strobe the package will be around $1,500 to $2,000 depending on what strobe you choose.

The advantage of the TTL circuitry is that it allows you to take photos in automatic mode, with auto flash exposure. In housings that don't have that circuitry you have to do everything in manual. Is it worth it? Not for me, as I always use it in manual anyways, but it maybe useful for you...

The selection of ports will depend on which lenses you are planning to use. I suggest you look around the forums, there are tons of topics about what the best lenses are.

Cheers,

Luiz

I can't comment on the Fantasea. Ikelite has a big following and is competitively priced. I'm not a big fan of their style of housing and especially their ports/ zoom & focus rings. I have friends who have produced some nice photos with their Ikelite 350D housings. But I've also had a friend flood one... (I like to think that was user error...)

Most pros will tell you you don't need TTL but to be honest I find TTL pretty accurate for macro shots and very helpful for someone just getting into u/w photography. Occasionally now, as I've gotten more comfortable with the camera and how it behaves u/w, I've been switching to manual strobe control for some additional flexibility.

I've been happy with my Sea & Sea housing (350D converted to fit my 400D). I am NOT happy about what Sea & Sea did to their 400D housing by removing certain buttons on the rear and not making the TTL converter optional (it's now built into the housing).

Take a look at the Seatool 400D housing. A bit pricey but it allows you to use optical cables for TTL instead of requiring an expensive electronic TTL converter and cables. The housing is tiny as hell. Downside is you will be locked into Seatool for their ports and domes.