Ikelite Housing for RX100

[xabain2003]

Hi

I have a RX100 and need to find a case for it , my initial idea was the Nauticam as is quite ergonomic but may be out of budget.

Yesterday I saw the Nauticam one , is well done but heavy for such tiny camara ( never saw a compact aluminium housing before), it seems like the room they had to leave for the flash added certain weight to it

I would like to hear any experience from the Ikelite one but I have not seen any.

Is the Ikelite so bad as I am hearing from everybody around me?

I know that it has some disadvantages as the zoom button or the way the aperture button is located...?

They are telling that I may regret If I go for it etc...

Thanks
Kind Regards
Xabier Pérez

 

[netazure]

Am also interested in opinions, really with how using the DS strobe(s) would work (with controller) with the clear case.

 

[Interceptor121]

In water the nauticam is 170 grams negative with the camera not that much really
The Sony RX100 has not got a hot shoe so wired TTL strobes are not compatible

 

[alien]

Go the Nauticam or the recsea. Ikelite too bulky and clunky

 

[BlueDevil]

If I recall correctly the Ikelite housing is much heavier than the Nauticam (in terms of weight above water).

 

[Interceptor121]

Ikelite 1180 grams or 2.6 lbs outside water near to neutral in water dimensions 173x127x140 mm
Nauticam 770 grams or 1.7 lbs outside water -170 grams in water dimensions 144x113x102
The ikelite is 1.8 bigger than the Nauticam in volume so it is a big box and clumsy once you are in water though is neutral
Price vise $400 vs $950
Nauticam is aluminium and has a leak detector probably the best ergonomics
Ikelite works but is clumsy and is plastic
You get what you pay for

 

[KhunNeal]

When I contacted dealers in USA about the Ikelite I was steered away from it. I decided to go with the Patima, slightly less then the

Nauticam and my local dealer carried it (in Bangkok).
I can't compare the Patima with the Nauticam ,since I never used the Nauticam, but I am happy with the Patima. Just had my first dive with it and everything worked out fine - no problems using the controls.​

 

[dreifish]

I have the Ikelite housing and overall find it usable. The most frustrating thing is the zoom mechanism (mentioned in some of the reviews.) Basically, the prongs on the zoom fork aren't quite long enough and sometimes don't make contact with the zoom knob on the rx100. This can probably be easily fixed by sliding a cap on the end of the prongs or similar solution. You can also work around the problem by assigning the zoom to the lens control ring.

I was initially planning to get the Nauticam housing, which most people feel is the best, but couldn't find it in stock in time for my trip. Obviously, I can't compare the two directly, but I think the Ikelite does the job. The aluminum housings are probably more ergonomic and if you spend a lot of time in the water that may be worth the extra $550 to you, but the Ikelite housing will allow you to take the same pictures/video you would take with the Nauticam.

One other difference is that the Ikelite doesn't have a cold shoe, whereas the Nauticam does. This means you can't mount a video light directly atop the camera, which is why I'm planning to add a tray with handles. You might want to do this anyway since it allows the light to be angled to the side to reduce backscatter.

The handle system should also solve another minor annoyance with the Ikelite housing -- the fact that it's a square box makes for a less than ideal handhold (still fine -- I used it for 40+ dives on my trip). I'm hoping handles will improve my ability to hold the camera steady for video though.

Does anyone know of a tray that will work with the Ikelite housing? Would the Nauticam handle tray work?

 

[James R]

Ikelite makes tray & handle stuff - Underwater Digital Housing Accessories

 

[Sfen]

check out this one, USD 210 only but no experience with it...

NB Housing for Sony RX100