Ikelite 30D/DS-160 too heavy?

Hi, all. I'm a pretty "seasoned" shooter with Canon P&S's in Canon housings underwater and SLR's on dry land. I just got an Ikelite housing and DS-160 strobe for my "backup" camera, a Canon 30D. Looking very forward to the "wet SLR plunge"!

Upon first assembling the housing, strobe, lens, camera, and port, my first thought was, "geez, this thing is huge!" Followed by, "geez, this thing is heavy!" (17 lbs, fully assembled...)

I took it to the pool to play with it, and found that the rig is quite negatively buoyant -- at least several pounds. I know that this is going to get a bit lighter in seawater, but I can't help but think that this will negatively impact my trim, when I bring the camera up to take pictures. I am very "reef conscious" and pride myself on my stability and control underwater. Are my concerns valid? Any suggestions? (And to think that you can get weights to make this beast heavier? Huh-what?)

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Dan, I used to use an Ikeliete housing for my D300 with 2x Ds-125 strobes and yes, its a beast to move out of the water, but in fact in water I found it relatively simply to handle.

You will need to reduce your diving weight. Normally I dive "sans camera" with approx 3.5kg, but I find that I need to drop 1 kg when taking the camera underwater. Obviously one could use flotation arms to increase buoyancy, but I found that the by slightly adjusting my diving position and using a weight integrated BC, trim and balance are easily regained.

It just takes a little bit of practice. The drag of a big camera/strobe unit in current can take some getting used to though! I still don't cut through the water like a barracuda!

Enjoy your new toys!

Steve

I dive with an Ike housing and dual DS-125's. I found it to be quite negative which would make my right arm tired when one-handing the camera and holding myself away from the reef by putting one finger on dead coral or rock. I added ULCS flotation arms and a couple of STIX foam flotation segments (not shown in the photo below). Now the rig is almost neutral underwater and is very easy to use. Here's a pic:

I bought my flotation stuff from Reef Photo. I could have just reduced my own weightbelt to compensate for the camera, but what if an emergency arose? Also, if I'm in a really strong current, I'd rather have a neutral rig than a giant weight dragging me around. Just my opinion, but I'm happy with it now.