Sony F707, Ikelite Housing and DC-125

I am a new comer to UW photography and after surfing and reading what seems to have been a million pages I am still undecided about what system to purchase. There doesn't seem to be an ideal solution to the restricted budget VS perfect system, I guess there never will be. I had thought about purchasing OLY 4040Z, PT10 and DX90. However with the 5050Z soon to be released and no doubt housings to follow, I have a feeling that I will be kicking myself this time next year for having bought a 4 mega pixel model. As I will be leaving for a 3 week trip to Komodo Alor in two months I don't have the time to wait.

The only two affordable 5 mega pixel options seem to be the CoolPixs 5000 and the Sony F707 and of these two, for me the Sony seems to be the best value/feature for money of the two.

Anyway my question is has anybody used the F707, Ikelite Housing and DC-125 combination. I noticed a thread started by Clownfish posted on 4-28-2002 who was using this system but reported to have experienced problems with TTL and the DC-125, dose anybody know if this has this been fixed ?.

I also looked at the Amphibico housing but I can't seem to find any information on the LSD (Light Sensor Device) or how to use an external flash. Dose anybody have this housing working in TTL or manual mode with a DX90 or DC-125. Would the Ikelite digital TTL slave work with this housing as it seems that the internal flash is blocked ?

I can't help you with the Sony F707 - I won't go into details, but I would very strongly encourage you to choose a different camera for underwater shooting.

If you do decide to go the other route, post here again and I'm sure we can help.

Cheers

James Wiseman

I am considering using the 707 for uw shooting too. I see that you have a time limit to deal so here goes. I have written serveral e-mails to Amphibico about their LSD, light sensor device, unit. What follows is part of the first reply from Amphibico followed by the second reply:

"The camera flash will be over written because of the design of the housing

and not being able to operate properly underwater. What we have design is

an LSD sensor, Amphibico,s engineers have developed this light sensoring

devise to control the firing and intensity level of any type of strobe on

the market today, it will simulate TTL motion, since the Sony F707 is not

compatible with TTL. The LSD will be available in mid September, or you

can equipment the 707 housing with one of our 10 watt HID light head which

will work as a spot light a good alternative to Yes there will be to lugs

on the housing to accommodate a strap. The LSD with retail for about

$295US, the LSD will come with one mounting bracket to accommodate either

TLC, Ultra Light Control Arms or Sea Sea Arms, There will also be an

optional left hand grip available with a mounting bracket for a strobe. So

you will be able to mount one strobe on the left grip and the other on top

of the housing."

Second reply:

"It uses a sync cord and electronics between the LSD which has a Nikonos

connector that the strobe plugs into, and the LSD will have a control knob

for the intensity levels. The LSD will connector to the housing bulkhead

with our Mini 3 pin connector system then it will plug into the main PCB in

the housing which the camera's LANC is then used."

Once again these are repplies to my qusetions to Amphibico's info desk.

I would probably go with Ikelite except that they don't offer a wide angle lens. Which is a deal breaker for me. WA gotta have it. Although the CP5000 has a 28mm lens a lot of divers are shooting wider than this, say 19mm. Still faciltating the purchase of another lens.

I hope this helps.

Adding a wide angle lens to the F707 is easy. The pertinent question is the resultant angle wider than the original lens provides? Nothing is accomplished if camera must be zoomed out to prevent vignetting with the add on lens.

Ikelite includes a special sensor installed inside the housing which connects to our strobes with a sync cord. This system does provide TTL with the F707 cameras.

Thanks for the input, it helped me decide that my first decision OLY 4040,DS-125 and Ikelite housing are probably sufficient for a newbie like me.

I can't really see the point of buying a Amphibico housing until the LSD sensor is ready.

The whole UW digital business is like shooting at a very rapidly moving target. By the time I am pushing OLY 4040 system to its limits in a few years (hopefully) the whole scenario would have changed. And I can start all over again.

Thanks again for a really useful site maybe some day, when behind my ears have dried out a little, I will be able to contribute.

If you are thinking about a camera for uw use, consider the lower cost 4000 unless you need/want the 1.8 aperture.

By buying the PT-010, you can save a few dollars as well, although I think that the Ike is better for deeper diving and multiple strobes since you can get the version with 2 handles.

I am biased, of course, and moreover I sell both!

The Sony 707 works fine with the DS-125 in TTL mode. I've tried it both in manual and TTL, and the TTL produces much more precise and accurate colors. I'm very happy with the results.

My only complaint about the 707+Ikelite setup, is the lack of true wide angel option. Any suggestion?

The Sony 707 works fine with the DS-125 in TTL mode. I've tried it both in manual and TTL, and the TTL produces much more precise and accurate colors. I'm very happy with the results.

My only complaint about the 707+Ikelite setup, is the lack of true wide angel option. Any suggestion?