Canon G16 -> 3 popular housings ->> what would be the real difference?

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I'm gunna go with the Nauticam-------will be able to use my existing tray, handles, video lite, 2 fiber optic cables, 2 S&S 110a strobes, UCL 165 macro lens, UWL-04 WA lens, 4 arms & 4 clamps--ie EVERYTHING I already have for my S95.....plus, I currently have a FIX alum housing & LOVE it ie will stay with alum---again.......Will just swap out the camera in the housing on my exiting tray(rig)

---------- Post added September 17th, 2014 at 01:15 PM ----------

Many Thx M8s!

unfortunately ,money is an issue....I also need strobe and I already above my budget


So....will Fantasea Line FG16 be a good choice?
Fantasea Line FG16 Underwater Housing for Canon PowerShot G16 Digital Camera | eBay


???
.......Since $$$ is an issue, I think you can(still) buy the camera & housing as a package for 850 USD(with free shipping).....Divers Direct for one had them both together @ that price....Think it saves about 50 bucks compared to if you buy them separately......
 
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I have a canon housing on a g15 and have had an overall positive experience. About 120 dives on it since I bought it last year. I take care of it after use. But I dislike a few things. One is lack of access to all controls. Second is that I have to be very careful getting into the water. I firmly clamp my hand on the latch based on the advise of numerous shops where they've seen canon housings flood. Sure it's possible for someone to hand it to me but I generally prefer negative backroll entries.


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I have a canon housing on a g15 and have had an overall positive experience. About 120 dives on it since I bought it last year. I take care of it after use. But I dislike a few things. One is lack of access to all controls. Second is that I have to be very careful getting into the water. I firmly clamp my hand on the latch based on the advise of numerous shops where they've seen canon housings flood. Sure it's possible for someone to hand it to me but I generally prefer negative backroll entries.


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......... I used the OEM Canon housing for my A570 for over 4 years(something over 200 dives with it) with no problems---no strobes, & macro/WA lenses used......Just found the FIX was a better way to go --for me--when I wanted to get back into WA & macro shots with the S95........
 
Yes, the Fantasea is a nice housing. you can get it here with free shipping.
Canon PowerShot G16 Underwater Housing FG16 by Fantasea 1391

The only issue with most of the after market housings is you are unable to use the onboard flash of the camera. Which is not a problem if you are buying a strobe, but if you are not buying a strobe right away you won't have a flash of any kind. If you are in clear tropical waters and not going too deep you can get some nice shots without a flash. (or any kind of water I guess, just more difficult) (just be sure to set the WB & shoot in RAW) I enjoy taking photos using natural light when I can. You can get some nice shots with the onboard flash once you learn how to use it. But not as nice as an external strobe. The more control you have the better your pictures get.

I got a G16 last summer and I'm enjoying it. I like being able to wifi pix from the camera to my phone so I can share them with friends online even while I'm still on the diveboat. :) No matter what you decide to get......just learn how to use it. Lots of practise makes for better photos.
 
Many Thx M8s!

unfortunately ,money is an issue....I also need strobe and I already above my budget


So....will Fantasea Line FG16 be a good choice?
Fantasea Line FG16 Underwater Housing for Canon PowerShot G16 Digital Camera | eBay


???


For someone on a budget I would say yes to the Fantasea housing, you also have the extra added comfort of 60m vs 40 from canon, the housing is also made from my opinion a more durable plastic and I like the housing lock more than Canons. For strobe I would recommend either the Inon S2000 or Sea&Sea YS-01 as they both offer s-ttl are compact but still offer a good flash, I personally like Inon more and they are both about the same price. The Sea&Sea YS-02 is a decent strobe as well for a little less but it does not come with the s-ttl option. The other option available for the Fantasea Housing- Dome port is very nice I have used it before with a G-12 and known many others using that same dome and works great.
 
Looks like the Fantasea option is well worth considering for you,the biggest plus for the FG16 is the access to the front dial on the camera which you will definitely appreciate if you plan to shoot in manual (this dial provides shutter speed control) or TV, Av, P mode with ease. If you're set on the g16 dont go for a housing that sacrifices any of the controls (dont go for the OEM, essentially). As I see it, the strength of the canon G cameras is having a superior user interface, ie. more dedicated buttons/dials at your fingertips, than many compact cameras offer. This combo would serve you very well for macro and fish portrait shots, particularly with strobe(s) and macro lens.

The big difference performance-wise in going with the Fantasea over the Recsea or Nauticam (both of which are 2-3x jump in $$$) is that the Fantasea uses a separately sold (albeit not too expensive) 67mm adapter which clips on to the square port to allow wet lenses like a macro diopter to be used. Its an odd design that works well - but its not as simple and necessarily as sturdy as mounting lenses on the threaded ports of the aluminium housings.

I have the FG15 for my g15 and one other big thing to consider with these cameras is whether you want the ability to do proper wide angle (100 degrees + field of view). The inon s100 zm80 is just about the only wet wide-angle lens for the job due to the particularities of the G cameras' long focal range. In all my searching around to date I havent been able to find evidence of someone using the zm80 with the Fantasea housing, and some people seemed to suggest that the adapter is not suitable for attaching a relatively heavy lens such as this. Which means for any wideangle shooting you might want to do you will be limited to Fantasea's own bulky Big Eye Dome which only restores the 75 or so degrees angle of view it is on land (to the tune of a couple hundred bucks).
However, i tested out a friends zm80 on my fantasea housing with the adapter and decided it felt and looked good enough to take the plunge in buying my own. The 67mm eyedapter has a surprisingly fast hold once clicked on. I will be diving with it this weekend and hope for success, and will put a post up about how that combo works for the benefit of others, since there seems to be nobody else whose explicitly described pairing the Inon zm80 lens and Fantasea housing (DO tell if you have, anyone, or know someone who has!!)

If wideangle is not a priority then none of this will be a problem for you, but just thought you should know if you end up settling on the Fantasea Fg16. Also I use 2 sea nad sea YS-01 strobes with my g15 and the are terrific, powerful small strobes that are very user friendly. They can be found for about 300usd on Divervision I believe. YS-01 does sTTL, or for a cheaper option that requires you to set the power manually full time the YS-02 is essentially the same thing.
 
I'm now diving my G16 in an Ikelite (TTL) housing and I have no complaints or problems. My previous rig was a Canon A570IS, also in an Ikelite housing. That one has been quite deep without any problems. The new G16 housing has also been deep without problems.

The only qualifier I'd add is that 99% of my photography is macro due to the vis in the PNW. I also do video, so have both a strobe (Ike DS51) and a Sola 1200 (focus & video). I do quite love my new rig.
 
I'm now diving my G16 in an Ikelite (TTL) housing and I have no complaints or problems. My previous rig was a Canon A570IS, also in an Ikelite housing. That one has been quite deep without any problems. The new G16 housing has also been deep without problems.

The only qualifier I'd add is that 99% of my photography is macro due to the vis in the PNW. I also do video, so have both a strobe (Ike DS51) and a Sola 1200 (focus & video). I do quite love my new rig.
.........


sunnyb------have a link to any of your pics/videos???.........tia........
 
My set up with Nauticam housing, Inon S-2000 strobes, Inon W/A with adapter and dome port, Inon close up +10, i-Das: arms, joints, base plate, and lens holders.

g16-1.jpgg16-2.jpgg16-3.jpgg16-4.jpgg16-5.jpgg16-6.jpgg16-7.jpgg16-8.jpg
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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