Gilligan
Contributor
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.