Nikon D700 Housings

[wayne007]

I'm looking to buy a housing for the D700. Can anyone explain why there is such a big price difference between Ikelite (~$1500) and any of the others (+$3000)? Do the others have a performance advantage? Can't see why I would spend almost twice the price over Ikelite.
I'd appreciate if anyone has an explaination and or advice.

Wayne

[Larry C]

The Ikelite is cast polycarbonate, the others are cast or machined aluminum. The polycarbonate is easier to machine and finish, doesn't require painting or hard anodizing, etc. Lower production cost equals lower consumer price. Ikelite is a very nice product and they stand behind it well. They are sometimes physically larger and are designed to work with Ikelite strobes and accessories.

[AussieByron]

I'm looking to buy a housing for the D700. Can anyone explain why there is such a big price difference between Ikelite (~$1500) and any of the others (+$3000)? Do the others have a performance advantage? Can't see why I would spend almost twice the price over Ikelite.
I'd appreciate if anyone has an explaination and or advice.

Wayne

As Larry said the Ikelite are polycarbonate plastic compared to metal housings like Aquatica, Nauticam, Seacam etc etc.

Basically the difference in price is due to the different way the metal housings are produced. Machined from solid Aluminium costs alot more than cast ploycarbonate.

There are a few adavantages with metal housings compared to Ikelite. Mental housings are generally stronger build. This is shown by the deeper depth rating of metal housings. Some are rated passed 120m. You might not need a housing rated to 120m but it shows that the metal housing have a strong build quality.
Having a machined finished housing also means that the buttons and controls are more precise which allows for a better feel of your cameras controls.

Metal housings also allows for more options with other components like strobes. You can order housings with different bulkheads for different strobes compared with Ikelite your limited to just their strobe bulkhead.

Another important item is aditional Viewfinders made by Inon, Nauticam, Aquatica. These basically improve what you can actually see through the housing and give a more detail sight into what your shooting. These viewfinders are expensive but once you have used one you can actually see the big picture so to speak ;-). These viewfinders are not an option with Ikelite.

Another option when looking at housings is also the quality of the matching ports and domes. The metal housing companys also make their ports and domes out of metal compared to ikelite plastic ports and domes. Again these domes and ports are more expensive but are made to a higher quality compared to Ikelites polycarbonate ports and domes.

Best way to get an idea for yourself is to go and have a look at an Ikelite housing and compare it against one of the metal housings like Aquatica, Nauticam and see for yourself the difference in build quality and finish.

But seriously if I had a an excellent camera like the Nikon D700 I would not consider Ikelite as an option for housings. Like everything these days you get what you pay for.

Regards Mark

[John Gulliver]

"Metal housings also allows for more options with other components like strobes. You can order housings with different bulkheads for different strobes compared with Ikelite your limited to just their strobe bulkhead."

True but many experts say no other company has succeeded as well as Ikelite as regards TTL circuitry and that an Ikelite housing with Ikelite strobes has the most accurate TTL money can buy.

[John Gulliver]

"These viewfinders are not an option with Ikelite."
Really? Then why do Reef Photo sell a Nauticam viewfinder mounting ring for Ikelite housings?:D

[AussieByron]

"Metal housings also allows for more options with other components like strobes. You can order housings with different bulkheads for different strobes compared with Ikelite your limited to just their strobe bulkhead."

True but many experts say no other company has succeeded as well as Ikelite as regards TTL circuitry and that an Ikelite housing with Ikelite strobes has the most accurate TTL money can buy.

Many experts shoot with manual strobes also.

But those with metal housings can also buy the TTL converter to have the same TTL when using Ikelite DS series strobes. so you have the best of both worlds.

Regards Mark

[AussieByron]

"These viewfinders are not an option with Ikelite."
Really? Then why do Reef Photo sell a Nauticam viewfinder mounting ring for Ikelite housings?:D


Yes the metal housing manufacturers like Nauticam make adapters to use with Ikelite housings.

Why doesnt Ikelite make their own Viewfinders? Cost involved would make this adition too expensive was the reply I recieved from Ikelite. Ikelite basically aiming their housings at the Budget end of the Underwater housing market and the major reason why people buy Ikelite is mainly due them being the cheapest option in getting a camera in the water.

I dont think many Ikelite housing users would be willing to pay $1100 for a Viewfinder and $100 for an Adaptor for it. Its almost the cost of a brand new housing.

Regards Mark

[John Gulliver]

Many experts shoot with manual strobes also.

But those with metal housings can also buy the TTL converter to have the same TTL when using Ikelite DS series strobes. so you have the best of both worlds.

Regards Mark

Yes, many experts do shoot with manual strobes, but several really good uunderwater photographers I know have only done so because they didn't have access to really good TTL. Once they did, they quickly became passionate advocates of TTL, simply because in many situations you only get one shot at photographing the subject and you need to be sure of spot-on exposure the first try. Using a strobe manually is "guestimation". A few people are good at it, most of us are not and we need all the technical help strobe and housing manufacturers can give us.

A TTL converter will give you TTL but not Ikelite's reputedly superior TTL circuitry.

[John Gulliver]

Yes the metal housing manufacturers like Nauticam make adapters to use with Ikelite housings.

Why doesnt Ikelite make their own Viewfinders? Cost involved would make this adition too expensive was the reply I recieved from Ikelite. Ikelite basically aiming their housings at the Budget end of the Underwater housing market and the major reason why people buy Ikelite is mainly due them being the cheapest option in getting a camera in the water.

I dont think many Ikelite housing users would be willing to pay $1100 for a Viewfinder and $100 for an Adaptor for it. Its almost the cost of a brand new housing.

Regards Mark

I agree that few Ikelite housing owners would be willing to pay so much for a viewfinder but I'm not sure Ikelite housings are aimed at the budget end of the market. Ikelite housings undoubtedly have advantages apart from the lower price, above all great TTL circuitry and the fact that you can check that the back door and port o-rings are properly seated before immersing the housing and camera. Two of my friends who are among the best Swedish underwater photographers and own top-of-the line cameras (one Nikon, the other Canon) both choose to use Ikelite housings, partly for the above reasons and partly because they want to be able to afford to update their cameras to the latest models every year or so and are not willing to spend 3000+ dollars on a new housing every time and lose a lot of money on their old housings.

[Ryan]

I'm looking to buy a housing for the D700. Can anyone explain why there is such a big price difference between Ikelite (~$1500) and any of the others (+$3000)? Do the others have a performance advantage? Can't see why I would spend almost twice the price over Ikelite.
I'd appreciate if anyone has an explaination and or advice.


Ikelite makes a reliable product at an attainable price point. More money can get you smaller size, lighter weight, more redundant bulkheads, and fancier controls.

One thing to consider is lens support... Many of the new "girthy" FX zooms are not compatible with ikelite's port opening size. There are a lot of great lenses that work, though.

[JackConnick]

While Ikelite has electrical TTL it uses the camera's built in circuit now for most of their housings in conjunction with their strobes. However most manufacturers have moved to offer optical sync using newer generation strobes from Sea & Sea, Inon and other manufacturers. These strobes have built-in D or S-TTL and are very accurate. Optical sync has far less problems and is less expensive for cords, bulkheads and strobes in some cases.

Their are huge differences in the quality of gearing, size and overall ergonomics. Some of Ikelite's controls are shared and a bit awkward (the D90 controls for instance) where Nauticam and Sea & Sea have dedicated controls.

Nauticam does this one better, moving controls over to where they are all under one hand and making things like switching from still to video a simple flick of one lever. Controls are very smooth with excellent gearing. In addition, they have a far superior port system, that uses a locking cam lever. All ports & extensions lock together. They also feature a visual & audible flood alarm.

I agree with Ryan, Ikelite makes a decent product that's very popular. But it's not that sophisticated in terms of design and form factor. When you add in the cost of their better quality modular ports, Ikelite strobes and chargers the price differences tend to get smaller. But they are and remain an industry standard, lots of people love their systems. Their strobes are very powerful for their size and cost.

You can use Ikelite strobes in TTL with Nauticam. Add an Ike bulkhead, an i-TTL Nikon converter and Ike strobes. I have a couple of customers who love that setup.

I sell lots of both product, each platform has it's fans.

Jack

[AussieByron]

Yes, many experts do shoot with manual strobes, but several really good uunderwater photographers I know have only done so because they didn't have access to really good TTL. Once they did, they quickly became passionate advocates of TTL, simply because in many situations you only get one shot at photographing the subject and you need to be sure of spot-on exposure the first try. Using a strobe manually is "guestimation". A few people are good at it, most of us are not and we need all the technical help strobe and housing manufacturers can give us.

A TTL converter will give you TTL but not Ikelite's reputedly superior TTL circuitry.

Yes thats why they purchase the Ikelite TTL converter to use with their metal housings.

Regards Mark

[AussieByron]

I agree that few Ikelite housing owners would be willing to pay so much for a viewfinder but I'm not sure Ikelite housings are aimed at the budget end of the market. Ikelite housings undoubtedly have advantages apart from the lower price, above all great TTL circuitry and the fact that you can check that the back door and port o-rings are properly seated before immersing the housing and camera. Two of my friends who are among the best Swedish underwater photographers and own top-of-the line cameras (one Nikon, the other Canon) both choose to use Ikelite housings, partly for the above reasons and partly because they want to be able to afford to update their cameras to the latest models every year or so and are not willing to spend 3000+ dollars on a new housing every time and lose a lot of money on their old housings.

If they are updating every year they would be able to sell their housings off and still get good money for it. This would be the same for Ikelite and for a Metal housing. The metal housings hold their value more as they are built stronger.

But if they are diving alot (like almost everyday) the Ikelite housing will be not in the same condition as the metal housing and be worth alot less to sell.

Regards Mark

[h204fun]

I bought an Ikelite housing for my D700 and upgraded all the components ( I used to shoot the D100).

I am very frustrated today with Ikelite. After calling them several times for advice over the last year, they requested that I email vs. call. Their employee outlined the parts I needed and I called the retailer and ordered. After a 9day trip and "practicing" to get expected results and couldn't, I emailed Ikelite to verify the parts. They told me to remove the hood from the dome and try again. They weren't sure of the operation. I inquired about the "tenative" recommendations post purchase vs. the adament suggestions prior to the trip. His response was that they couldn't guarentee anything and the testing of every model was impossible. Much differnent tone. I made the suggested changes and spent a few hours shooting only to get the same results. I emailed Ikelite some photos and the response was that they would send this information to the webmaster to correct the port chart. NO APOLOGY or anything...
Additionally, I had some corrosion on the inside of the housing and questioned why it would be only selected parts on this new housing. I emailed a picture and they responded that they supplied me with parts that are prone to corrode. (non stainless). My only option is to send in for repair at my expense.

I have been shooting since 2003 with Ikelite and have been fairly pleased. Thus my decision to stick with them in this upgrade. Cost was reasonable. They don't know anything about the D700 set-up (FX vs. DX) Needless to say, I will advise that the extra money will be well spent on the higher end brands. I left out many details in this scenario, but this was a disaster.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Could you be specific about how the results were not expected?

And that sure doesn't sound like the Ike customer service I've
heard about.


Chuck

[Warren_L]

I find it odd that you would experience corrosion on the inside of the housing, as there shouldn't be any water inside the housing. Humidity may be one thing, but that in itself shouldn't cause corrosion, but perhaps over a long period of time.

[h204fun]

@Chuck,
specifically, I ordered (based on much research and advice from Ikelite) the modular port body 5510.16. I also committed to a 20mm lens from these conversations with Ikelite, so that wasn't a surprise to them either. This lens is only 2" from camera body. This produced a bit of "vignetteing". Even after pointing out the vignetteing to Ikelite they suggested removing the shade. Even before removing the shade I copy and pasted the information from their site related to port body 5510.11, the shorter one. Same response, remove the shade. I never did get a response specifying what the shorter one was designed for (if you read the description on the site it specifies measurements not lenses. My lens was well within the measurements for the 5510.11)... The port chart and the part description didn't really match in my opinion. I did end up testing without the shade as they encouraged me to do. It didn't change a thing. I sent pictures... Thus the email to me that the lens must require the shorter port and they would forward this to their webmaster to update the port chart. No apology or thank you for my time.

@Warren, I found this odd also which is exactly how I posed the question to them. How could only a select group of hardware inside the housing be corroding. I wasn't aware of any moisture entering the housing. ( Humidity would be my only guess). Ikelite requested that I send a picture of the corrosion and responded immediately that they had non stainless steel parts get integrated in their supply. This would need to be returned for replacement. This housing is virtually new.

Now for the rest of the story. I decided to call Ikelite and get a different individual to assist me and see if anyone could address my concerns. I also wanted to bring this to their attention. They were apologetic that the issue occurred and requested that I forward all the emails. The following day, they agreed to fix everything at their cost and would work out a "trade" for the additional port.

As stated in some of my earlier emails to Ikelite, it was likely that I would use both ports so the exchange wasn't necessary.... SINCE I was going to be getting a 105 and flat port for this set up I would need the longer port. I even made commentary that I was nervous about purchasing the 105 flat port... OKAY -- sit tight on this last part. I got the Macro set-up on Friday afternoon. I decided to get everything out and test it since I would be mailing the housing in for repair and didn't want to wait until it was fixed to test the set up (just making sure all the parts were there.)
My D700 housing and the Nikon 105mm lens do not fit with the ports. I cannot see any possible way this can work with the way the housing and the ports are aligned. The 105 VR has a control box for A/M settings and the infinity focus and such... This minor protrusion for these controls over hangs the port opening on the housing.
I called them, but it was at the end of day and I am waiting for this to be tested by them. I am very hopeful that I have missed something, but I was also working with the retailer on this and they requested that I send photos and they are supporting my observations at this time. They suggested that maybe my specific housing may be a lemon due to the fact the hole (port opening) in the housing is not centered with the lens/bayonet on the camera. I personally am about 80% certain that no one from Ikelite has ever put a D700 in a housing and assembled these lenses. I am hoping I am wrong and there is an easy answer. If either of you have any suggestions or knowledge of the correct way to set this up, that would be great. The retailer thinks this could cause the vignetting on the with the other lens as well.

Just to address the customer service. I have been with them for a long time. I have had a couple poor experiences in the past, but overall I have received good support. More good than bad. I will say that on this last trip of 9 days, 3 separate individuals said they couldn't believe I was using Ikelite because of their own experiences. They actually had switch brands because their history was so bad. I had heard complaints on other trips, but very random and not as often. These latest users were very specific and adamant.
My disclosure:
Forgive me if I misstated any of the part numbers, I didn't cross reference the site as I typed.

[h204fun]

Ikelite emailed me Monday and without telling me the resolution asked if it was accpetable to send my equipment back on Thursday or Friday due to weather delays.
I responded inquiring for information related to what the actual resolution was. Thursday evening, after not hearing back, I emailed again asking for an update.
They called me on Friday and said the that tray, which holds the camera in the housing, was mounted off-center and they removed it, redrilled holes, filled the other holes with washers and moved it to the center. This concerns me since I measured this before sending the unit in and my analysis was that the tray was correctly positioned and the hole for the lens was off-center. All of the controls lined up fine. I verbalized this concern. ( I had emailed the photos to them 2 weeks prior with the same comments). They were very agitated with me raising these concerns and felt that their tech with 25 years experience trumped my observations. I hope that is true. But now I have a housing with modifications that weren't part of the original design specs. Seems to open up more room for error or maintenance.
I am not sure what will happen when I get it, but Ikelite was very antagonistic blaming me for the problems with the housing. Never once apologized for any of the manufacturing defects. They told me I didn't take care of the housing, yet this each of the housing issues were defective based on their assembly of the housing. I am very discouraged at this point.

[Warren_L]

This surprises me that they would re-drill your tray instead of giving you a new housing back, unless the D700 model is no longer in production. However, if they do it at the factory and pressure test it and it's fine, I wouldn't worry about it.