almost done, couple more questions

I've reached an impass as I flooded my camera not too long ago and have been trying so hard to find the perfect replacement and have read entirely too much and am burning out. I've want an ikelite housing (because of my tendancy to flood other housings and i like that i can clearly see the o-ring seal with the ike's.)

I had it narrowed down to the canon g5 and the oly 5060 (as I could not find a 5050 anywhere). I've been using canon's for some time and in a perfect world would prefer the canon.

I wanted to get the inon WA and M lenses as opposed to the epoque's based on some sample pics of each online and some comments i've read here and elsewhere. Since the ikelite g5 housing will only use the epoque lenses that seemed like a big strike.

Today, I noticed on another thread lukerob mentioned that the oly5060 does not work with wet lenses which was something i hadn't read anywhere. I just want to clarify that even if i got the 5060, that I can't use the inon or epoque lenses? Does anyone have any experience using the G5 in the ike housings with the epoque lenses? I need to be certain of this as I've got my strobe but will be buying 2 of whatever camera i decide plus the ike housing and the lenses which is not a decision I want to make half assed. thanks in advance for your help.

The way I understand the 5060's use of lenses, you have to buy a seperate housing for your lens and it attached to the camera housing. This also means you can't change lenses U/W. This is the main reason to stay away from the 5060...just my opinion. There have also been reports, from both users and retailers, that the pin that holds the lens housing to the camera housing has problems sheering off under very little stress.

They also have a seperate housing for their Olympus flash but you can use a 'regular' U/W strobe.

If you like the Canons, look at the 5Mp models. I'm not denying that Ikelite housings are very well made, but having an Ike is not guartantee agaist floods. The vast majority of floods are caused by user error in some way, not failure of the housing.

lee3:

I just want to clarify that even if i got the 5060, that I can't use the inon or epoque lenses?

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That is correct. As Dee mentioned you will need to get the Olympus LAND wide angle adaptor and house it with Ike's dome port. See this: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/5060domelens.html. You can also use the dome with the built-in lens of the C5060 and get the full benefit of the wider lens (when compared to the C5050) with a 78° coverage. Add the wide adaptor and you get 94° coverage. The poor C5060 is a much maligned camera - ok you can't change lenses underwater - but it is actually a very neat package.
What strobe do you have? If you have the Ikelite DS-50 or DS-125 you can get full Olympus TTL with this setup.
I don't know much about the G5/Ikelite setup but according to Ike's chart you can use the Epoque and Inon wet lenses. See here: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/camcanchart.html. Best to contact Ike and check.

Dee:

There have also been reports, from both users and retailers, that the pin that holds the lens housing to the camera housing has problems sheering off under very little stress.

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Dee, that's only a problem with the Olympus PT-020 housing, not the Ikelite.

lee3:

I(because of my tendancy to flood other housings and i like that i can clearly see the o-ring seal with the ike's.)
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FWIW - I think the Canon housings are clear? Both of mine are and the o-ring is easily visible. As Dee said, it isn't the housing type that is more likely to flood usually, it is operator error.

alcina:

FWIW - I think the Canon housings are clear? Both of mine are and the o-ring is easily visible. As Dee said, it isn't the housing type that is more likely to flood usually, it is operator error.

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No Canon made housing available for the G5...

ReyeR:

No Canon made housing available for the G5...

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Well, then, that won't work at all without some slight modifications

ReyeR:

Dee, that's only a problem with the Olympus PT-020 housing, not the Ikelite.[/list]

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You're right...I should have been more clear.

Something else to clear up....

ReyeR:

The poor C5060 is a much maligned camera - ok you can't change lenses underwater - but it is actually a very neat package.

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If I was starting from scratch I might consider the 5060 but since I already had wet lenses, strobes, etc. it wasn't worth starting over.

Um dont know how set on these cameras or how quick you wanted to buy but a whole new range of canon cameras is coming out pretty soon. Including G6.

If you want a clear plastic housing for cheaper you might want to look at the S60 or the new S70 (same sensor as G6) which will have cannon made housings - you lose a few of the really advanced options on the G series, plus the fast lens, but get a camera which is cheaper to house, cheaper to replace, has a much wider lens to start and is much smaller.

thanks for the help all. I realize the flooding problems are my error, but i've killed 2 cameras in about 8 months despite taking every precaution i could after the first. So, the ike housings give me a little extra comfort since i can see the o-ring even better than the canon housings, plus i will no longer need to worry about my camera at 120-130 feet. I have the inon d-180 strobe so the ttl cords are out of the question, which is fine as I got pretty used to dialing the back of the strobe. luke, I did see the new line of canon's and the g6 would give me 7 megp instead of 5, but I don't necessaryily need the xtra 2 as 5 were doing me just fine previously (of course they were all lost in the last flood as the 1G card got fried too.) I'm just getting impatient and want to get back down there snapping photos without waiting for someone to design a new housing. Plus it looks like I can get a fairly good deal shopping around the purchse of a pair of g5s.

I was looking at the s70 and still haven't ruled it out; but honestly would feel more comfortable with a more robust housing at this point. I've only been snapping photos for about a year underwater and only 5 months with a strobe (on an s500). I kind of like the challenge of forcing myself to learn all about the different options available to me with the g5 and its settings underwater which should help me in the future with even better cameras.

Lastly, ReyR I have contacted ikelite on a number of occasions asking questions about the various housings and even though that chart states yes for the g5 housing with respect to inon or epoque lenses, you have to confirm with them as the key word in their descrriptor being OR. The g5 housing only works with epoque lenses according to the litereature on that specific housing page which i have since confirmed with 2 different ike operators. Again, thanks for everyone's help as I truly appreciate it. I'm slowly making my way. If anyone has any experience with a g5 and ike housing specifically I'd like to hear any of your pros or cons.