Buying housing, strobe and ports for a canon 40D

So I've got a Canon 40D, 10-22mm lens, and a sigma 150mm macro, and I'd like to start taking them underwater with me.

I gather I'll need a housing, #6870.50, and I'm probably going for a DS160 strobe, then the ports are a bit more complicated.

For the 150mm I've found out that the #5505.5 port should fit and that there's also a combination of pieces in the modular system that will work, but neither arrangement would give me manual focus. I'm guessing that this is because the lens is fairly fat, 3.1 in. X 5.4 in., and there aren't any focus gears that will work in the existing port system, but I'd love to hear it confirmed that it won't work with any of the "flat ports w/focus" like a #5506.5, before I buy. Never having actually handled the mechanisms, I don't know how exactly they'd work (or not work)

Lastly, the 10-22mm. I guess the 5503.5 dome seems to be the obvious choice, but I'm just not sure on this one, and would love some confirmation, since the optics of dome ports seem quite complicated, and I'm not sure a +2 or +4 dioptre is in the cards for that particular lens (vignetting and cost issues)

Thanks!

:Edit: Just remembered, I noticed the temperature rating of the housing is between 4 and 32c, I'm hoping to be headed south to warmer climes, but in the immediate future my dives will be in a canadian lake that's hovering around 4c right now, what are the concerns at these low temperatures? Battery life? Temperature stress if rapidly cooled? Brittle plastic? O-ring shrinkage?

Hi,
I'm not a Canon shooter so I can't really answer your questions on the port for your lens. But on the question of temperatures. Norbert Wu uses a Nikon D200 in a Ikelite housing for his work in the Antartica. He'll set it up on a tripod with a DS 125 and leave it there for up to six hours doing time lapse photography. The water temp is 28 degress F. So I would not worry about using the housing in your waters.

Stephen

stnichols:

Hi,
I'm not a Canon shooter so I can't really answer your questions on the port for your lens. But on the question of temperatures. Norbert Wu uses a Nikon D200 in a Ikelite housing for his work in the Antartica. He'll set it up on a tripod with a DS 125 and leave it there for up to six hours doing time lapse photography. The water temp is 28 degress F. So I would not worry about using the housing in your waters.

Stephen

Click to expand...

Thanks! Coming back to it, I can't even find where I got that 4c-32c range, it's not listed on any of the sites I'd looked at :doh2:

So most likely it's just my imagination...

No problem.
You can also go to Wetpixel.com :: Underwater Photography and Videography and ask your lens, port question there. There are plenty of Canon shooters that use Ike housings on there. You can get your lens port answer there plus its a good all round source of information.

Stephen

Hi Robin,

Ikelite Modular Flat Port #5510.35 + Port Body #5510.22 + Port Extension #5510.75 should accommodate the Sigma 150mm macro lens. We do not currently have access to this lens, so it will need to be sent to Ikelite to test for proper operation of the "built-in" port extension zoom control. Since the "built-in" control is designed for the Canon 100mm macro and Nikon 105mm VR lenses, an adjustment will likely be necessary. You can send the lens to my attention "Brett Foster" at the following shipping address:

Ikelite Underwater Systems
attn. Brett Foster
50 W. 33rd. St.
Indpls., IN 46208

Regarding the Canon 10-22mm lens, #5503.50 is the correct 6" dome. However, I would consider an upgrade to the modular 8" dome port #5510.45 with port body #5510.22. This should result in improved picture edge sharpness. Diopters are not necessary for this lens to get good underwater photos, but a +2 diopter should slightly improve edge sharpness, with both the 6" and 8" domes. The diopters are relatively inexpensive and available through most Camera Stores.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly at brett@ikelite.com if you have any additional questions.

Ikelite housings operate well within our stated temperature extremes. Battery life "run times" may diminish slightly in colder climate.

Regards,

Brett Foster - Ikelite

Thanks Brett (again!?)

The info on the dome for the 10-22mm is exactly what I was looking for.

As for the 150mm, once I've got the budget lined up for the purchase in the next couple weeks or so, I may well end up sending it in. Hard as it will be to part with, it'd be great to have you guys take a look for me.

Thanks for the great information!