Help me decide a new UW housing for Canon 5D Mark II

Dear all,

Currently my UW equipment is:

- Camera: Canon 5D Mark II

- Lens: Canon 8-15mm fisheye, Canon 17-40mm wide angle, Canon 100mm L macro

- Strobes: 2 Ikelite DS161

- Ikelite UW housing

I'm upgrading the UW housing. Nothing wrong with Ikelite, it's been serving me very well; I just want to get a new one.

I was considering the following UW housing:

- Subal CD5MII

- Aquatica

- Sea & Sea MDX-5D (I think it's discontinued?)

Please advise, which do you recommend.

Thanks in advance!

AJ

In early 2010 I upgraded from a Canon 5D in an Ikelite housing to a 5D MkII in a Aquatica housing. I've now done a couple hundred dives on the Aquatica and I love it. It is rugged, hard-working, and allows me good control of the camera functionality. It seems much better made than the Ikelite, and the port attachments are far more secure. I feel like it has also pushed me to be a better photographer--the Aquatica housing does not do TTL like the Ikelite (although now there is an expensive add-on which allows it, but I've never used it) so I was forced to start shooting in full manual, and that was the best move I could have ever made.

A couple of things to note: make sure you can use your strobes with the Aquatica bulkheads (I think they come standard with Sea & Sea-type bulkheads), and do a few test dives before taking it out on a big trip (mine needed some minor adjustments to get all the controls working perfectly).

-Gina

Thanks Gina. Mind if I know what type of adjustment they were?

With the 5D MkIII so close to being released, I would wait to see how that pans out. I wouldn't want to sink so much money into a housing for an older camera, just to decide that I want to upgrade my camera a month later.

--Mark

Thanks Gina. Mind if I know what type of adjustment they were?

I had a problem with the on/off switch slipping, and the control that turned the dial on the back of the camera. The former was a misaligned screw, if I remember correctly, and the latter was not enough pressure from the control pushing on the dial. The problems most likely could have been fixed in the field had I the right tools (which I've since purchased) but I did end up sending the housing back to Backscatter to adjustments (since I didn't want to mess anything up).

Everything has been working fine since.

-Gina

I use an Aquatica with my 5DII, and I love it. I cave dive and I'm confident that the housing is going to stand up to the transiting over rocks involved. In two and a half years and 250 dives with mine I haven't had a leak (touch wood).

Mine came with two nikonos bulkheads which I thought was standard - I assume you'll get whatever you ask for.

I'm also dubious about the "wait for the camera to come out" philosophy. You could be waiting a long time, and even once the camera is out the housing takes longer again. Although it could just be that I don't want my MkII to be superseded...

Just for clarification on the Aquatica 5dmk2 pro housing, it comes standard with 2 Nikonos style bulkheads. This is compatible with Sea & Sea sync cords as well. If you need Ikelite bulkheads, you need to specify this upon ordering. The price is the same for the housing with 1 Ike bulkhead as the housing with 2 nikonos style Just make sure of the type of Ike sync cords you have.

As per Ikelite's site: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sync_cord_d1x.html

The sync cord on the left is the Ike cord, the cord on the right is the Nikonos style cord. Please make sure you order the housing for the correct one

The housing comes standard with the moisture detector and the hydrophone....an option on the 7D & T2i Aquatica housings.

cheers

Stu

I'll give another vote of confidence in Aquatica housings. I switched from Ikelite to Aquatica and it's really a solid product. Dead easy to use and reliable. Easier to open/close and change ports/lenses than the Ikelite in my opinion. Also, it's very easy to buy accessories for Aquatica housings - there's at least five or six different online vendors selling their line.

I've seen several Subals and they seem to be very high quality too. I saw a guy with one in Turks and Caicos who had used his Subal for more than 1000 dives. It was scratched up, but still working perfectly.

Cheers,

John

I'm also dubious about the "wait for the camera to come out" philosophy. You could be waiting a long time, and even once the camera is out the housing takes longer again. Although it could just be that I don't want my MkII to be superseded...

I usually am too. The rumor mill (http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/02/announcement-soon-cr3) is suggesting that the announcement will be on Feb 28. So, if you can wait 9 days, you will know whether it is true or not.

--Mark

According to the strobe you have, there are two choices of connection available for the Aquatica 5D Mk II:

20062 is supplied with dual Nikonos type strobe connectors, on these you would need to have two separate Ikelite manual Sync cord (# 4104.31) or a split sync cord with a Nikonos plug (#4104.32)

20062-KM is supplied with a single Ikelite bulkhead on which you can plug your existing Ikelite double sync cord (4103.52) and use them in manual exposure mode.

Also I would consider a dome port in the 8"/200mm range which has a removable shade, this will let you take in the full potential of the 8-15mm potential, also both Subal and us, at Aquatica, have an extension ring with a focus knob on the side for the Canon 17-40mm this will let you focus manually in video mode, (it makes a big difference)

Wow... thanks to all for your comments. Aquatica then my choice.

@Mark, based on years of my experience with Canon, waiting for the exact release date for Canon new products is painfull; plus the new housing R&D by the manufacturer will take some times. So rather then waiting, I will go ahead and get a new casing . And I'm very satisfied with 5D MII performance and probably not upgrading it to MIII.

@Vizart, thanks for your advice on technical.

- I would get 20062-KM so I use my existing Ikelite double sync cord (4103.52)

- Here's the issue: I live in Jakarta, Indonesia; and I don't see any Aquatica distributors. Any suppliers do you recommend? I need to get it fast before my next trip next month on the 23rd.

Thanks again guys.

AJ

I'll chime in a bit late and reinforce previous comments. I use Aquatica with exactly the kit you have. Done so for three years - also had Aquatica for the 5D mk 1. Absolutely no issues.

I wrote a review of 2 of the housings you are considering, and of the 2 I think the S&S is the better housing if you don't need the depth rating and hydrophone. It's lighter, better ergonomics/feel and the camera mounting system is more elegant than the Aquatica (for this camera). The best part is you can use the joystick controls.

Aquatica has more accessories but S&S is supported by various 3rd party manufacturers. It's a moot point if you want to buy new since the S&S is no longer made. I would seek out 2nd hand if I were you. Save the money so you can get a bigger 9" dome.

I also suggest you test the 16-35II... you'll throw out the 17-40 once you do!

Wow... thanks to all for your comments. Aquatica then my choice.

 

@Mark, based on years of my experience with Canon, waiting for the exact release date for Canon new products is painfull; plus the new housing R&D by the manufacturer will take some times. So rather then waiting, I will go ahead and get a new casing . And I'm very satisfied with 5D MII performance and probably not upgrading it to MIII.

 

@Vizart, thanks for your advice on technical.

- I would get 20062-KM so I use my existing Ikelite double sync cord (4103.52)

- Here's the issue: I live in Jakarta, Indonesia; and I don't see any Aquatica distributors. Any suppliers do you recommend? I need to get it fast before my next trip next month on the 23rd.

 

Thanks again guys.

 

AJ

AJ I don't like using the forum as a place for shaking business, you can check our listing on our website or PM me if you want a referral.

You can check footage done with the Aquatica 5D Mk II here: http://www.backscatter.com/learn/article/article.php?ID=59 as they say, the proof is in the pudding. There is some more if you dig in the website.

@ Jean, no problem. I'll send you PM.

I wrote a review of 2 of the housings you are considering, and of the 2 I think the S&S is the better housing if you don't need the depth rating and hydrophone. It's lighter, better ergonomics/feel and the camera mounting system is more elegant than the Aquatica (for this camera). The best part is you can use the joystick controls.

Aquatica has more accessories but S&S is supported by various 3rd party manufacturers. It's a moot point if you want to buy new since the S&S is no longer made. I would seek out 2nd hand if I were you. Save the money so you can get a bigger 9" dome.

 

I also suggest you test the 16-35II... you'll throw out the 17-40 once you do!

Thanks Drew, great review, very helpful.

I've tested 16-35II, and yeah it's a great lens. However, for several reasons, I'm happy with my 17-40 .

I wrote a review of 2 of the housings you are considering, and of the 2 I think the S&S is the better housing if you don't need the depth rating and hydrophone. It's lighter, better ergonomics/feel and the camera mounting system is more elegant than the Aquatica (for this camera). The best part is you can use the joystick controls.

Aquatica has more accessories but S&S is supported by various 3rd party manufacturers. It's a moot point if you want to buy new since the S&S is no longer made. I would seek out 2nd hand if I were you. Save the money so you can get a bigger 9" dome.

 

I also suggest you test the 16-35II... you'll throw out the 17-40 once you do!

I know its your opinion Drew, but the Aquatica 5D Mk II housing is among the most popular housing we ever made and yet, Sea & Sea judged that it was not worthwhile to continue production of their housing for some reason... go figure!

I know its your opinion Drew, but the Aquatica 5D Mk II housing is among the most popular housing we ever made and yet, Sea & Sea judged that it was not worthwhile to continue production of their housing for some reason... go figure!

I've Had An Aquatica For Two Years Now Best Money Ever Spent,btw I Also Bought An Aquatica T2i Housing w/4" dome Just So I Could Use The 10-17 Tokina I LOVE That Housing Compact Every Controls Easy To Access Brilliant You Cant Miss With Aquatica!!!!!! :-)) DD Sat Nam

Aquatica may look like a good housing, but it's not. Well I can't say that for sure because the one I got a few days ago (brand new from aquatica) came broken. I've read on here about kit's to fix these problems, but I find this outrageous. They just made this housing less than a month ago. I had to wait twice as long as promised and it arrived defective. Now I will have to wait longer to get a repair kit that I shouldn't need. If this was a known problem it should have been addressed by now in the factory not still built into the new housings. I went with this brand as it was supposed to be the best. I have never been more disappointed. As a small time underwater videographer this was a major investment for me and now I have a 5 thousand dollar paperweight (not counting lights and accessories). If I could sell it and go with another brand I would. I hate spending top dollar for the best product and not getting what you pay for. This hasn't worked from day one. Aquatica, what a let down. Now I feel dumb for recommending you to everyone looking for a housing. I won't make that mistake again!

Aquatica may look like a good housing, but it's not. Well I can't say that for sure because the one I got a few days ago (brand new from aquatica) came broken. I've read on here about kit's to fix these problems, but I find this outrageous. They just made this housing less than a month ago. I had to wait twice as long as promised and it arrived defective. Now I will have to wait longer to get a repair kit that I shouldn't need. If this was a known problem it should have been addressed by now in the factory not still built into the new housings. I went with this brand as it was supposed to be the best. I have never been more disappointed. As a small time underwater videographer this was a major investment for me and now I have a 5 thousand dollar paperweight (not counting lights and accessories). If I could sell it and go with another brand I would. I hate spending top dollar for the best product and not getting what you pay for. This hasn't worked from day one. Aquatica, what a let down. Now I feel dumb for recommending you to everyone looking for a housing. I won't make that mistake again!

Sorry you are having problem, but have you contacted us at Aquatica already, its hard to say, since your post is anonymous (no name attached), if not, then I suggest you do so at jean@aquatica.ca, I am back at the office tomorrow and will look into it first thing in the morning (that is if you send me or have sent me the info on the issue at hand by then), If you did contacted us and we have not acted upon it, then you are more than welcome to vent on this forum, Right now I have no idea of the nature of the problem you have, but to suggest that we, on purpose built and ship housings knowing they will not work properly is ludicrous. On the other saying we are perfect and never fail would also be ludicrous.