1Ds / 1D MkII housings

Hi All-

Ok, after seeing a couple 1Ds' in Fiji last month, I'm transitioning out of my D100 into a 1Ds. I'm trying to decide which housing to adopt -- right now it is between Seacam and Sea&Sea.

Aside from cost, what are the real-world issues I will encounter with those 2 systems??

If anyone wants to buy my Titan, it's in the classified section...

Thanks!

-Erik

I just saw my first Sea & Sea 1Ds housing last month, and it was pretty slick. The housing itself costs the same as the Seacam housing, but the Seacam accessories really ad up. The S45 viewfinder is an absolute jewel, and it's worth shooting Seacam just for that option.

I have no complaints about my Seacam system, other than that the * button is still awkward to access. Harald says he's going to fix that.

I saw the Subal's on available now to buy at Ocean Optics in London this week. I don't know enough about Canon to comment in detail, but the * button is very well placed on the right rear of the housing, parallel to the shutter release and falls right under your thumb.

Alex

I saw the Subal's on available now to buy at Ocean Optics in London this week. I don't know enough about Canon to comment in detail, but the * button is very well placed on the right rear of the housing, parallel to the shutter release and falls right under your thumb.

Alex

That's very cool, Alex. When you're there next time, can you take a bunch o' photos and send them to me?

I just saw my first Sea & Sea 1Ds housing last month, and it was pretty slick. The housing itself costs the same as the Seacam housing, but the Seacam accessories really ad up. The S45 viewfinder is an absolute jewel, and it's worth shooting Seacam just for that option.

 

I have no complaints about my Seacam system, other than that the * button is still awkward to access. Harald says he's going to fix that.

Hey Eric,

I'm on the list for a Seacam for my 1D Mark II, and I was curious if the housing allows you to switch your lenses from AF to M. For instance, going from trap focusing macro stuff really close to slightly wider shots from a fixed point...

You don't need to switch lenses from AF to M on USM lenses (most lenses we use, except for 15mm fisheye and 50mm macro). Just disassociate focus with shutter, and you can manual focus at any time...

You don't need to switch lenses from AF to M on USM lenses (most lenses we use, except for 15mm fisheye and 50mm macro). Just disassociate focus with shutter, and you can manual focus at any time...

Ah, right. I'm still getting used to the 1 series cameras...

Ya, both the Seacam and Sea&Sea look good to me. Has anyone seen the Subal in person? It seems to be a good bit cheaper.

Also, the Subal TTL strobe cans are intriguing. Anybody try those yet?

Eric -- what are you doing for strobe control??

Hi Eric, hope you got home in one piece and had a good time in Fiji,

Eric (Cheng) and I saw a mock up (the housing body was plastic) of the Subal 1Ds at DEMA. It's pretty much identical to their housings for the D100 and S2pro, but it's bigger of course.

Can't talk about the weight though, as the mock-up wasn't aluminum.

I've got one of the Subal strobe cases and it's a nicely made item. Mine is "universal" in that it doesn't have any buttons, just the tubular housing which fits a variety of flashes. Early users of the SB80DX case reported that they had problems with the electronic connection between the strobe and the shoe though... but I think this has been corrected.

Cheers

James