camera/housing for technical diving

Hi All,

I'm hoping you can provide some input on what would be the best option for my scenario. I'm going to be working on a project at 180-280 ft depths, and need a small camera/housing to take some basic photos. Our group has a SLR camera and housing, but it is too bulky to complete photo transects with. I've been looking at the Canon G10 with either the FIX or 10 bar housing, and the Panasonic LX3 with the 10 bar housing. Which of these options is better, or is there anything that tops these and is still compact?

Thanks!

The FIX and Ikelite P&S housings are only rated to 200' (60m), so if you're going to 280, you're going to have a hard time finding something.

The smallest, most compact housing I've ever seen is the FIX housing for the S90, but again, if you need more than 200' that's not going to work, either.

The Patima housings are rated for deeper than the FIX housings, so that might be an option. They make housings for the G10 and G11 is coming soon, I think. Patima G10 rating is 80m working (262') or 120m max (I think that means you can use it/push buttons down to 80m, but you can take it deeper (120m) but don't push buttons that deep.

I do suddenly recall reading about a factory-upgrade option for the Fix housings, that allows them to be taken down to 100m. I'd contact Ryan at Reef, or someone at Backscatter, and see if they know when the upgraded versions will be available, and if they'll be available for the camera you'd prefer (S90 or G10/11)

Otherwise, the Panasonic LX3 in the 10bar housing seems like a decent option. Note, again, however, that the "recommended working pressure" is only 60m.

Hi All,

 

I'm hoping you can provide some input on what would be the best option for my scenario. I'm going to be working on a project at 180-280 ft depths, and need a small camera/housing to take some basic photos. Our group has a SLR camera and housing, but it is too bulky to complete photo transects with. I've been looking at the Canon G10 with either the FIX or 10 bar housing, and the Panasonic LX3 with the 10 bar housing. Which of these options is better, or is there anything that tops these and is still compact?

 

Thanks!

Also keep in consideration your strobe selection. You will need a flash down there and the strobe should be up to the pressure as well.

If film development was available and if it was me in your position, I'd grab my old trusty super-compact and rugged Nikonos III.

Bo

Also keep in consideration your strobe selection. You will need a flash down there and the strobe should be up to the pressure as well.

 

If film development was available and if it was me in your position, I'd grab my old trusty super-compact and rugged Nikonos III.

Took me a while to find the ratings, but all current-model Inon strobes are rated to 100m. So that should not be an issue, at least.

If you download the catalog and look at the spec table on page 11, they list the depth rating for Z240/D2000/S2000 as 100m.

The FIX and Ikelite P&S housings are only rated to 200' (60m), so if you're going to 280, you're going to have a hard time finding something.

That's not true ... FIX makes a G10 housing that goes to 120M.

http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...roducts_id=4098

That's not true ... FIX makes a G10 housing that goes to 120M.

 

http://reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=p...roducts_id=4098

Feel free to read the rest of my post.

Thanks for the link, though.

Feel free to read the rest of my post.

Sorry, I stopped reading when you made glaring factual error in the first line.

10Bar's housings are working rated to 60m but tested to 90m.

Jack

Sorry, I stopped reading when you made glaring factual error in the first line.

Consider me duly shamed by your witty retort.

Oh, that's right, you're the one that made the mistake. Nevermind.

Quotes taken out of context do not indicate an error, if the full context is correct.

Oh, that's right, you're the one that made the mistake.

"Dude" ... the only mistake I made was responding to the last post and this one.