Upgrade from Canon Ixy 8

[Gilligan]

I was talking about the Canon housing... you can see an example of the problem here (on the G9):

Notice how the bottom right of the picture is dark as the viewport for the lens has obstructed the path of the flash from the camera?

My friend who has one has complained bitterly about it.

I agree with you on the solutions, I guess what I am really looking for is how much of a problem it is in real life and how much it affects the utility of the camera...

This is an issue, and probably with the A650IS as well as both cameras are similar in shape as is their respective Canon housings. I'm not so sure the problem would not also exist with the Ikelite housing, or for that matter most other brand cameras and housings. Other than my previous solutions to this problem, only an external strobe will solve it.

This issue would not stop me from buying the Canon A650IS and the Canon housing. I do have an Inon slave strobe but I also use my on-board strobe in many areas where the slave strobe won't fit. I like having those options.

I have an older Olympus C4000Z in an Olympus housing and if I get too close to the subject with my macro lens on I would have the same issue using the on-board strobe. This is why I think having a zoom feature in the macro mode is important. I only have a 4 megapixel camera so cropping can be an issue. That is not a concern with the 12 megapixel A650IS or any other high megapixel camera.

 

[alcina]

I'm not 100% sure, but it looks like that shot was pretty close up. If the diffuser plate was on, you shouldn't get such a shadow from the flast...it may be that another part of the housing was blocking the light path from simply being too close.

Backing up and using the zoom is a viable option and a good tool to have in your arsenal.

I've seen so many of the Canon cameras in Canon housings and just haven't come across this problem when the diffuser is in place.

Have you checked out the G9 thread in the Canon Corner here on the board? Maybe the answer is in there or at least the guys who are using this set-up might be able to offer more hands-on advice.

 

[Geoff_H]

Cheers guys.... I will borrow it from my friend and see how much of an issue it really is... if it's easily surmouted I think an upgrade for me is in order!

BTW Alcina that picture came from the G9 thread here (MantaRey's shot)

 

[alcina]

Thanks, I saw that it did - I was just wondering if there were other factors in play in the shadow.

A hands on test is always a good thing.

 

[friscuba]

Look at the A650IS and the G9.

Both are 12 megapixels
Both have 6 X zoom
Both have image stabilization
Both appear to have the same CCD
G9 has a 3" monitor and the A650IS a 2.5" one
G9 has a hot shoe for true TTL flash but only with the Ikelite housing
G9 use a proprietary battery and the A650IS uses AA bats.
Both have the same lens sizes

Canon housing for G9 and A650IS is under $200. Yuzo in Japan sells a 67mm adapter for the Canon oval shaped housing ports

Ikelite housing for the G9 is $600 and $450 for the A650IS. Both have 67mm threaded lens ports for add-on lenses.

G9 has RAW and the A650IS does not. Just a matter of time before someone post a firmware hack at FAQ - CHDK Wiki to get RAW out of the A650IS.

IMHO if you are going to be satisfied with a slave strobe that operates off the cameras flash and a JPEG format (for now) the A650IS will do the job in the Canon housing, both for $505.86 at Amazon.Com. You may find them for less elsewhere.

NOTE: As far as I know the Canon housing for the G9 does not have a control on the back of the housing to work the dial control on the camera. The features accessed by this dial can be accessed with other push button controls but with more inconvenience. The A650IS does not have this dial feature so all the controls are accessible on the Canon housing.

NOTE: Someone correct me if I am wrong on this but the G9 does not have zoom capability in the macro mode. The lens is fixed at wide angle and you have to move the camera too and from the subject. I believe the A650IS does have zoom capability in the macro mode. I know the A640 does.

I don't see it directly answered in the rest of the thread yet... Yes, you can zoom in macro mode. In fact, I find it one of the nicer macro/zooms in that it'll actually show you the minimum distance it can focus when zooming in as you zoom. As you zoom a sliding graph will appear and the minimum focus will also show. It starts at .3 inches and then increases up to as much as 19.6 inches as you zoom. At least you have a rough idea how far away you need to be to get a good focus.

The dial thing is no big deal once you've done it a couple of times. Press a button on the upper left and you are in like flynn in seconds.

 

[friscuba]

On the flash in the corner issue....

That'd happen with pretty much any housed underwater camera that has a lens that sticks out beyond the plane of the flash on the camera. Olympus and Canon handle it differently in that Canon has a continuous macro focus where you can get closer than the flash can reach around the lens, and Olympus has a macro that goes down to the distance the flash can reach around the lens and then has a separate supermacro function which disables the flash at the same time so you don't have shadow/hotspot issues. In essence, if you turn the flash off on the Canon when you are close enough to notice it you would have pretty much the same thing an Olympus will do. With Olympus you can set the flash to slave, so it'll work when in supermacro, but you'll have the exact same problem you have with the Canon close up using only the onboard flash.

If you notice it, just back off and zoom in a little and you'll be fine.

 

[Geoff_H]

Olympus and Canon handle it differently in that Canon has a continuous macro focus where you can get closer than the flash can reach around the lens, and Olympus has a macro that goes down to the distance the flash can reach around the lens and then has a separate supermacro function which disables the flash at the same time so you don't have shadow/hotspot issues. In essence, if you turn the flash off on the Canon when you are close enough to notice it you would have pretty much the same thing an Olympus will do. With Olympus you can set the flash to slave, so it'll work when in supermacro, but you'll have the exact same problem you have with the Canon close up using only the onboard flash.

If you notice it, just back off and zoom in a little and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the info! Very interesting.

Do you happen to know what the magic distance is for a G9 and Canon housing? Assuming no optical zoom, do you need to be within 6/12/18/24 inches for the port to visually block a portion of the lower right corner?

 

[Larry C]

Can't vouch for Canon, but on my Olympus it only becomes a problem if you're withing about 3 inches of the subject. Sometimes creative lighting can be used if you don't have a strobe. Before I got mine, I would sometimes backlight or edge light the subject on the shadowed side with my dive light. I got some interesting results, though lack of a strobe effect means you have to up the shutter speed a bit or you get blurring from hand movement.

 

[Gilligan]

I am also going to forewarn you about the lens adapter made for the Canon housing I mentioned earlier in this thread. I contacted Yuzo in Japan and this is his reply as respects using that adapter for a wide angle lens (not the macro lens):

"For DC8/18 or DC6/16, it is possible to use UWL-100 with some zooming up but not recommended. Even with these, you see some blooming of the image.

But with DC11 or DC21, you see hard vignetting and blooming of image, and I say it is impossible to use."