LX5 housing choices - which one to get?

I don't know if starting a new topic is appropriate for this. I posted this a while back http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=39373 when i was deciding on which camera to outfit. This post is specific the the LX5.

I decided to go equip my LX5 to go underwater instead of my 7d. Primarily because of its smaller size and lower cost. When i first looked into LX5 housings there was only one, the 10bar. Now or very soon we will have three to pick from.

Ikelite $550

10bar $630 plus shipping from HK or about $730 purchased here in the USA

Nauticam rurmored at $965.

I think the USA retailer for the 10bar includes a few few other items and some spare parts so by the time you pay the extra postage the savings maybe minimual and at least someone for me to deal with locally.

I'm new to underwater photography. I have almost no experience with this kind of equipment so i don't know which one to get. I assume all three housings will get the job done and the photographs will the same. It looks like the more you spend the cooler the housing looks. There must be more too it, size, functionality, flash options, ports, reliability from leakage, etc. I have heard that the 10bar has some problems with the rear dial. The LX5's rear dial rotates and also clicks in so controlling that maybe be problemactic. Maybe Ikelite or Nauticam has a better way to control the dial? It maybe too early to tell, as far as i know the 10bar is probably the only housing that has actually been in the water by a customer.

I really like the LX5 camera, and am excited to have a competitor for the popular Canon G series. LX5 meters flash in Manual Exposure mode, allowing TTL strobe use in M, which is not available on S95 or G12.

Nauticam has separated the "click" and "rotate" functions of the command dial into two separate controls on the housing (a knob and a pushbutton). I know this has been problematic for other manufacturers, and ensures that you'll never accidentally click the command dial when trying to change a setting. This has worked perfectly in the inwater testing we've done with the housing.

I can't comment on the Ikelite solution as I haven't used it yet.

Both Ikelite and Nauticam allow for automatic TTL strobe exposure, they just do it in different ways. Ikelite uses electrical conversion circuitry compatible only with Ikelite strobes OR optical firing with Inon / Sea & Sea strobes. Nauticam is optical only.

Electrical triggering will allow for faster shot to shot times, and builds up less heat inside the housing (a consideration with a plastic housing, but less so with the aluminum Nauticam housing as metal housings effectively dissipate heat into the water). Optical ttl (Inon S-TTL, Sea & Sea DS-TTL) is also very accurate, and there are no electrical cables to fail.

I expect the real difference between Ikelite and Nauticam LX5 housings will boil down to the comfort of the hand grip on the right side of the housings, and access to key controls.

Amen to that Ryan! And with much faster autofocus, lower shutter lag.

I've been eyeing this camera as a backup system.

My thought is that as good as the camera is, it is still a camera with a small sensor. So I wouldn't want to invest too much in a housing.

The Ikelite with the TTL circuitry looks very tempting.

The other thought is that as a backup, I want something that I can throw in a "personal item" carryon. The aluminum housings are probably more compact and probably actually weight less. Making them easier to transport.

Going off topic, I'm comparing the LX5 to the Cannon S95. Less expensive, more compact, more compact less expensive housing, and UW menus in the camera. Of course I'm looking for a backup to my D300 and have somewhat different priorities than someone who wants to use this camera as their primary UW camera setup.

It seems a dome port is really needed. The 24mm wide would be wonderful behind a dome, but problematic behind a flat.

I can't see any of the current offerings supplying a dome... Or am I missing it?

Come on, ikelite!

Nauticam is planning a wet-mate dome port that restores the in air field of view of the camera (83 deg), and can be removed in water for macro shooting. This is not unlike the Ikelite WD-4 lens for G10/G11/G12.

Doesn't the wetmate imply that the 24mm angle of view is going through the flat port into water?

Won't that make for lots of color fringing and distortion?

I thought even 28mm was a bit problematic through a flat port..??

Thanks!

10 bar has a dome port for their housing. you can add at .75 panasonic wide angle converter making 18mm.

UK Germany is continuing to mfg their housing for the D-Lux 5 / LX 5. (I have the previous version). You can also get it with a dome port. So there are several options for a housing.

Just to update the thread on available ports and options for the 10Bar LX5 (and LX3)

The housing has a 67mm threaded port. Macro diopters just screw on.

Wet mount w/A 67mm mount lenses can be used. There may be some vignette. I understand the Fix UWL-04 works pretty well and is very wide.

There are two 10Bar solutions. One was detailed above, using the Panasonic (or other) wide angle conversion lens along with a port mount base and 104x125 dome port. It's a bit of a struggle as you have to unthread the camera bezel, load the camera, then screw on the port mount base into the housing, then the Pany conversion lens and ext tube into the camera and then the dome over that. Quite a struggle to change batteries or cards. But results are very good with no vignette.

The other newer version is a 10Bar replacement wide angle lens port for the LX5 housing, then optionally the same dome port onto that. You can pull the camera in and out easily. Results are very good as well.

The housing has both a screw on optical sync cord connector (Nauticam/Inon sized) or an electrical nikonos bulkhead. The later will only yield TTL with a housed Pany or Oly strobe, otherwise manual operation with just about any strobe.

These housings continue to be improved by 10Bar and the last batches I've received have been pretty good. All controls are there and the rear dial control has been improved a bit. It is a bit fiddly, and takes a delicate touch though. But the housings are rugged and now have about two+ years of installed base, as the LX3 was very similar.

Jack

Jack,

Is the 10bar conversion lens the same as the panasonic at x.75? Good to hear the wheel control is improved but it sounds like its not perfect. Have you seen how the 10bar lens compares to the panasonic?

thanks

Ken

There are some threads over on ScubaBoard with some shots I believe, but I haven't gotten too many images back from customers with the LX3.

The 10Bar lens port is about 90 deg+ FOV.

Jack

Am I right or wrong, in thinking that 24mm equiv has always been considered too wide for a flat port?

Or does it work ok?

Thanks!

Don

See this post:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=40143

It works but could be better.

Allen

Am I right or wrong, in thinking that 24mm equiv has always been considered too wide for a flat port?

 

Or does it work ok?

 

Thanks!

Don

I really like the LX5 camera, and am excited to have a competitor for the popular Canon G series. LX5 meters flash in Manual Exposure mode, allowing TTL strobe use in M, which is not available on S95 or G12.

 

I can't comment on the Ikelite solution as I haven't used it yet.

 

Both Ikelite and Nauticam allow for automatic TTL strobe exposure, they just do it in different ways. Ikelite uses electrical conversion circuitry compatible only with Ikelite strobes OR optical firing with Inon / Sea & Sea strobes. Nauticam is optical only.

 

Electrical triggering will allow for faster shot to shot times, and builds up less heat inside the housing (a consideration with a plastic housing, but less so with the aluminum Nauticam housing as metal housings effectively dissipate heat into the water). Optical ttl (Inon S-TTL, Sea & Sea DS-TTL) is also very accurate, and there are no electrical cables to fail.

 

I expect the real difference between Ikelite and Nauticam LX5 housings will boil down to the comfort of the hand grip on the right side of the housings, and access to key controls.

Ryan I just saw a new Ike sync cord 4118.2 on your webpage which apparently links Ike hsg to Inon strobes. Is that what your were referring to? Since I already have an INON D2000, I wonder what the disadvantage to using to f/o would be? I shoot mostly Exteranl Auto now vice sTTL.

The real question is whether the LX5 shoot faster u/w than the S95 which is of course TBD.

Attached is a picture of the back of the UK Germany Housing ... One can put a flat or dome or port on it.

how much for the uk housings? Who has them in the states?

Don,

To my knowledge no one in the USA stocks UK-Germany housings. I got mine from a very good dealer in Germany, Stefan Horvath at http://www.uw-fotopartner.de. The cost is € 920 without VAT. Further, there is no duty on the housing. In fact, I got my housing, strobe, tray, etc all sans duty. It probably helped that I saved sometime by chatting with a customs official a head of time and had the customs numbers on the invoice.

According to my note this morning from Uwe the housing is currently in production as he had to make very few changes from the previous version.

A few comments about the housing. It is compact but heavy in the water. The camera fits into it like a glove, it does not use a tray or other screws to hold it into place. Though there are soft tabs. The flash is not accessible, everything is via the hot shoe and sync cord (Nikonous 5 pin).

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Allen

how much for the uk housings? Who has them in the states?

And here is another housing by Recsea

http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/recsea/lx5.html