Gear questions for Canon Setup

On the surface I've been working as a photographer for a couple of years but not until recently I've felt comfortable bringing my camera on cold water wreck dives which are my favorite ones.

So now I'm about to buy some underwater accessories for my camera and I need your help! It's a JUNGLE and I've spent too much time reading and not enough time doing valve drills in the pool

So my setup atm:

Canon 5D Mk2

Canon EF 17-40/4L

Canon EF 100/2.8 1:1 Macro

Canon EF 24-70/2.8L

Canon EF 70-200/2.8L IS

Canon EF 50/1.4

Canon 2x Extender

So I feel pretty well equipped at the surface - but now to my actual questions

1) What housing to buy? I've been looking at ikelite housings selling for about 1500 USD which isn't all that bad. I've been using Ikelite housings for my point-and-shoot cameras and I'm really happy about the quality, the service and the support I've received when I've had problems with them. Should I get a 5d mk2 housing from them or aim for a metal housing? Aquatech is 1800 USD which is about the same, but I haven't heard of them. Sea & Sea and Aquatica has a bit steep price for me I'm afraid unless you can't convince me that I need to spend 3K on just the housing... (which would mean that my next purchase - a rEVO rebreather has to wait...again...)

2) When diving I'd like to do 3 things.

- Take wide angel pictures. Wrecks inside and outside, reefs, buddys posing in front of marine life/big wrecks and so on

- Take "portrait" pictures of marine life

- Shoot some HD video of the subjects included in points above

Which one of my lenses would you say I should focus on getting ports/domes for? Or should I buy a 10-17 tokina fisheye? Help me and explain the pros and cons of my lenses and what I should buy (if I need anything more)

3) I've seen that ikelite has module port system with either a flat dome or a large 8" 180 degree dome and a regular port/dome system. Which one should I opt for? Pros cons?

4) I've read that some lenses require a +4 diop close up lens - what's that about?

Many questions from someone that's pretty new at it.. (If you sell any of items talked about, pm me about it)

Hi Dreadock,

There are plenty f people more educated and experienced in the u/w photography game than me on this site but i will have a go at answering your question as I have asked myself and others pretty much the same thing over the last few years. FYI I use a Canon 5D + Aquatica housing.

I use the 17-40 f4 L and the 15mm f2.8 FE on the wide end of the underwater scale and the 100mm f2.8 Macro for the smaller stuff.

1. A quick note on the Aquatech housing, I believe that these are surf photography housings i.e not really for much deeper than 5 -10 meters or so. Ikelite is very popular amongst many U/W shooters but it all depends on how they feel in your hands All housings will enable you to take great photos underwater etc so it is a bit of a persona choice. One thing to consider is the depth that you are going to be diving. I have a friend who says that he hears alarming creeks from the Ikelite as he approaches 50 meters, (having said that it has not imploded at 70m yet), whereas Aquatica and other metal housings etc are rated to 90m (from memory). A quick search on this site will reveal loads of discussions between Ikelite, Auatica, Sea & Sea, Subal etc etc. I went for Aquatica as I preferred the solid feel and I know how kit gets knocked about on boats and shore dives etc. but that is just my opinion.

2/3. With the full frame sensor the 17-40 is pretty good at the wide end but I use a +4 B&W diopter to compensate for some of the corner softness which you get using rectilinear lenses behind a dome. I think that the 10-17 is an APS-C lens or EF-S mount therefore will not fir the 5D MkII but just check on that.(I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong). The 100mm Macro behind a flat port should do the trick for the close up critters and portraits but also consider a diopter and extension tubes as well once you have the hang of it..

Basically you will need a dome port and a flat port with the correct gears and extension rings. So using what you have lens wise will be fine for the time being and you can get some great results. no matter what housing you have the camera in.

I hope this helps, as I say that I am not an expert and there are lots of guys on here who know more than I do but, as I said I went through the process a few years ago

I've been in almost the same situation. Instead of your 17-40 I had the 16-35 2.8mkII, which was too big for Ikelite housing.

I went with Ikelite, and bought the Sigma 15mm 2.8 Fisheye. I also have a 35mm 1.4L lens, that I can but haven't really used in the housing.

The 10-17 is indeed a crop-sensor lens, but from what I understood you can mount it, and use an extender (1.4) to get usuable stuff from the whole range. You will loose 1 stop of light, and some sharpness though.

I think I might end up enjoying UW-photography more then I thought, and I'm not 100% sure that the Ikelite was the right choice. I travel with the gear to all my diving, and the Ikelite is heavy and bulky. TTL for macro is really nice though.

Regarding your lens questions,

- Take wide angel pictures. Wrecks inside and outside, reefs, buddys posing in front of marine life/big wrecks and so on

You could use either the 17-40 or invest in a 15mm fisheye

- Take "portrait" pictures of marine life

I would think your 17-40 at 30-40 would work here. If not, the 100 macro would do good.

/Björn

17-40mm and 100mm from your arsenal (perhaps later 24-70mm for big fish, sharks etc, but very limited in scope). Potentially invest in a fisheye and a 60mm macro.

Now, for the 17-40mm you need an 8" or bigger dome due to corner sharpness issues with superwide rectilinear lenses. This is also where a diopter comes in, as the lens must focus on a closer virtual image. The strength of diopter, from what ive read, is dependent on the dome not the lens. I believe a 6" dome is optimized with a +4, an 8" dome with a +3 and a 9" dome with a +2. These are approximations. If you use a stronger diopter (i.e. a +4 with an 8" dome) you may not be able to focus on infinity. At the same time, a diopter will degrade image quality and give you a bit less wide coverage. So if a lens focuses quite closely you may not need one at all (e.g. with my last camera i was shooting a tokina 11-16mm behind a 9.25" dome, no diopter, with great results). A fisheye can take a smaller dome.

An ikelite will generally be a bit bulkier and heavier, but they are great housings at a great price. Also check lens compatibility, as someone above mentioned they won't take the 16-35mm nor some of the other newer fat lenses coming out these days. I use an Aquatica which i think is the best of both worlds, a quality form fitting aluminum housing at the lower end of the price range with great accessories that can take all the fat new lenses.

cheers,

chris

17-40mm and 100mm from your arsenal (perhaps later 24-70mm for big fish, sharks etc, but very limited in scope). Potentially invest in a fisheye and a 60mm macro.

I don't think there is a 60mm macro for FF out.

/Björn

I would use metal every time. I have a metal housing for a video camera that I have had to 130mtr and which has been used at 300 mtr, in both cases entirely without incident. I own an Ikelite housing for another video camera but I wouldn't trust it below about 50mtr, even though it's rated to 60 something. I have in the past seen several Ikelite housings with fatigue cracks around the corners, though whether that was a problem since corrected I have no idea. I wouldn't trust one deep.

I'd second 17-40mm and 100mm current kit as the way to go, though if you plan on shooting wrecks you'll likely want to go wider to the fisheye lenses. Depending on your housing I know guys using the Canon and Sigma FE lenses. As already mentioned, out of the box you can't use the Tokina 10-17mm and Canon 60mm on EF bodies like the 5D, but the kit you have is pretty good stuff to get started.

Re: Housing choice, if budget is a concern I'd go ikelite though you need to manage expectations around ergonomics and depth limit. If a CCR is around the corner you might find yourself quickly doing deeper dives, so just check that your choice of housing will handle the depth that you want to dive. Many have a 60m limit which is easily hit with a CCR these days. Aquatica is a popular choice if you're planning deep stuff and is what I use. Nauticam might be an option to consider too though I don't know if they make a 5Dmk2 housing. You might want to consider a used 5dmk2 housing to save some bucks as they're popping up a bit here in Oz anyway.

Re: Port system, I prefer the modular as it's less to travel with and cheaper in the end. In the Ike world it also supports the 8" dome which is what most people are using. The 6" gave me soft edges on my old Ikelite setup.

I've noticed you haven't mentioned anything about strobes. For WA shooting you'll likely need two for covering a wreck. Ikelite DS160s are nice pieces of kit though bulky to travel with. I think they're the logical choice if you're buying Ikelite housing, otherwise I'd go for Inon z240s as they're smaller, but not as powerful.

Enjoy!

Alright.

I've done some economical review here and found out that on the kind of dives I will bring a camera will be no deeper than 50 meters (51, 52 maybe) - if I go deeper I need all focus on diving and wont bring camera anyway. So It will be a Ikelite housing.

Next. What ikelite ports and domes I need? This is what I've found out on my own - is it correct?

For my 100/2.8 USM I need this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=5...itialSearch=yes

For my 17-40/4 I can go with either this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=5...itialSearch=yes

OR I can go with http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4206..._Port_Body.html AND http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4646...h.html#features

Am I correct this far? Then I need some +3 or +4 lens - about 50 USD

Strobing. Yes. I know. IT's expensive so I made myself forget about it but I've been looking at this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6604...robe_Video.html

I'll start with one and add another 161 when I got the cash.

Have I forgot about anything?

I'm still a bit skeptical on your expected maximum depths, though I'll leave that assessment to you. I say this as I as I've been through the CCR growth cure and although we did deep OC dives before, with CCRs the depths are getting much deeper. My experience with an Ikelite housing in the 40-50m metre range is that some of the controls shafts (aperture/shutter dial on a 350D in my case) pushed in more due to the pressure at said depth. Whilst it still engaged the camera dial it was pushed it more which oddly stopped the camera setting changing. I could replicate this on land by pushing down on the dial when I turned it. My workaround was that I had to pull the shaft back ever so gently before I could change shutter/aperture setting. I don't know if this will apply the 5Dmk2.

I'd definitely go with the modular Ike system if I was buying one now. It requires that you need the 8" dome, flat port, port body and one or more extensions depending on you lenses. I can't speak for specific parts though. You also need the zoom gear collar for the 17-40mm lens unless that comes bundled with the housing or port system. I'm sure others on this forum or Ikelite themselves can give you specific part numbers for you lenses.

You have listed a combination of modular and independent ports. This can work but defeats the modular system in my view. Also consider whether you want the ports with manual focus, as they cost/weigh more if you're not going to use it. I personally don't like MF underwater, but others have differing views when it comes to video and/or tight macro work.

Re: strobe, nothing wrong with a single strobe DS160; it'll teach you strobe placement better. Coverage will be a challenger but you'll quickly fix that or buy a second. The package listed has the dual sync cord which is good (you can just plug up one end with a single strobe), though you might want/need longer arms for WA shooting. You can always add this later though.

Dreadlock, another heads up.

I bought my gear on B&H last year (seems like your getting your stuff from there aswell). They ship with UPS, and they WILL run your stuff through customs. Not all stuff is listed as "digital cameras" (no import tax), I think it all evened out at about 4%. Then UPS charges around 500SEK for taking your gear though customs (and add sales tax for this, including the shipping). All in all, it was just barely cheaper then to buy it from a Swedish store.

Just sayin'.

I'm also not sure if you can use a dual sync cord if you don't plug in the 2:nd cord in an actual strobe; I would not want to use the plastic "cover" that comes with it as the only protection.

I went with all modular setup, both for WA and macro. If you later on want to add say an extender, you don't have to buy a whole new port (then again, its less orings, and you get the focus ... hrrm tough choice).

/Björn

I'm fortunate enough to travel to the US a couple of times per year, so the plan was to ship from B&H to the place I'm at - but thanks for the heads up!

I'm also not sure if you can use a dual sync cord if you don't plug in the 2:nd cord in an actual strobe; I would not want to use the plastic "cover" that comes with it as the only protection.

 

/Björn

Ok, I'm in error here. Just checked the Ike FAQ which states you should NOT use the end caps to seal water out. I guess I should stop doing it then as I've done this many time without an issue. Dumb luck perhaps! Being machined out of Delrin you'd think they'd be more useful than just protective caps.

You'll sadly need a single sync cord too, but it'll serve as a backup when you move to dual.

From http://www.ikelite.com/faq/faq_dual_strobes.html

Question: I want to connect only one strobe to my dual sync cord. Can I dive with a cap on the other end?

Answer: No. The caps including with our sync cords are intended to be dust caps for storage only. The caps fit loosely on the ends to prevent the o-rings from taking a set over long periods of time. There is not enough pressure exerted on the o-ring to keep the end watertight at depth. Diving with a dust cap on your sync cord WILL result in a flood which will NOT be covered under the one year limited warranty.

You may dive with a second strobe attached that is left in the off power position.

I'd definitely go with the modular Ike system if I was buying one now.

No doubt about it. The modular system feels very sturdy. I changed from the non-modular to the modular last year, and I like the modular a lot more.

Regards Bent C

5D MK2 is very nice and powerful camera. You need to decide how deep you want to go and do you have plans on changing your camera soon?

For the housing I would recommend Aquatica (90-130m), Sea&sea (60m), Subal (70m). This is my recomendation!If I were you I would take Aquatica (but this is only my opinion)!

As for the lens 17-40 will do just fine for the WA ( I used also 16-35 on several dives and I prefer it over 17-40), 100mm for macro!

For the strobes I would recommend Inon Z240 (small for packaging and strong), or if you dont care for the space take Sea&Sea YS250.

I did not shoot video with 5D underwater, but for the land use I was more than excited with the 24mm 1.4!

Cheers

5D MK2 is very nice and powerful camera. You need to decide how deep you want to go and do you have plans on changing your camera soon?

 

For the housing I would recommend Aquatica (90-130m), Sea&sea (60m), Subal (70m). This is my recomendation!If I were you I would take Aquatica (but this is only my opinion)!

 

As for the lens 17-40 will do just fine for the WA ( I used also 16-35 on several dives and I prefer it over 17-40), 100mm for macro!

 

For the strobes I would recommend Inon Z240 (small for packaging and strong), or if you dont care for the space take Sea&Sea YS250.

 

I did not shoot video with 5D underwater, but for the land use I was more than excited with the 24mm 1.4!

 

Cheers

Im sure they¨re all great houses, but they're twice as expensive as ikelite.. Don't know if I have the money

I know but owning 5D MK2 I want to be sure that I can dive without worries of leaking! I did not have had any experience with Ikelite so I can not comment its quality, but I play on safe Better to hold for a while and save some money for the decent housing, after all you have one worry less cause you don`t have spend money on decent glass!

Unless your doing or planing to do rebreathers (and face it, its even more expensive, and way more stuff to haul around), to worry about if your kit will work at 60 or 90 meters seems (at least for me) moot. I've done some serious deep compression diving on air in Indonesia, but at around 60m the chances of oxygen toxicity would at least be my major concern, not if my kit holds up or not. Not sure what the DUI fellows doing Trimix thinks of holding a camera in both hands while diving ...

From what I've gathered here on the forums, what sets the Ikelite vs Aluminum-housing apart are mainly ergonomics, size and weight. As a swede I can relate to the weight issue, since I do almost all my diving in destinations that I fly to. As someone else said, you can take exactly the same pictures with all housings, some housing might be nicer to handle and easier to carry.

Dreadlocks, not sure exactly the best combo for the 17-40 lens, but for the Fisheye you want the 8" dome (5510.45) and the 5510.11 (new for the newer housing with 4 locks) port body. For macro (no manual focus) 5510.35 flat port and the 5510.28 port body.

Reading on Ikelite it seems like you want the 5510.24 for the 17-40 (and since it says 5503.51 is not long enough to add accessory diopters or filters, I'm guessing that 5510.24 is long enough).

/Björn

Unless your doing or planing to do rebreathers (and face it, its even more expensive, and way more stuff to haul around), to worry about if your kit will work at 60 or 90 meters seems (at least for me) moot. I've done some serious deep compression diving on air in Indonesia, but at around 60m the chances of oxygen toxicity would at least be my major concern, not if my kit holds up or not. Not sure what the DUI fellows doing Trimix thinks of holding a camera in both hands while diving ...

/Björn

I agree totally, though the original post references the future purchase of a CCR which is why I raised the whole depth issue. Once you throw in enough helium and remove the gas logistics of deep OC, 60m+ is a lot more reachable than it used to be.

Budget is a factor that we all have to managed. Personally though I would rather be shooting an Ikelite than nothing at all. It's a big chunk of money however you look at it, which is why I suggested considering a used housing (if you can find one). I don't think Ikelite have full floods more often than other manufactures (based on observation), but from my experience they do let this trickle of water in which becomes very annoying (I suspect the port system as the cause). I don't think the images that come out of Aquatica housed cameras are X-dollars better than Ikelite ones. To me it's like the difference between Toyota and BMW, both will get you there but one does it with more function and style.

To me it's like the difference between Toyota and BMW, both will get you there but one does it with more function and style.

I have to agree but Jeez I like driving my BMW

Regards,

Lance

Reading on Ikelite it seems like you want the 5510.24 for the 17-40 (and since it says 5503.51 is not long enough to add accessory diopters or filters, I'm guessing that 5510.24 is long enough).

 

/Björn

I use the 5510.24 with the 17-40. I always add a diopter, but even then it will have to be at least f8 to be reasonable in the corners. More and more I tend to use the EF 15 fisheye with a 1,4 extender för wide angles. Corners are way better with that combo. Then again, turtles and stuff like that have to be very close, so sometimes the 17-40 is on anyway. The FE and extender uses the 5510.16.

I use the modular macro set up with manual focus. I wouldn´t like to be without mf for macro work, even if I use it mainly to set the lense at it´s closests focus distance.

Regards Bent