Ikelite DSLR housing for canon questions??

[RLXFXR]

Greetings,

I've recently purchased the Canon Rebel XT and have decided to buy the Ikelite housing and DS125 strobe. My question is which port should I buy? I currently have the 18-55mm lens that came with the camera, but it sounds like I may want to buy a wide angle lens if I want to shoot wrecks, sharks, etc. At this point I'm not into macro close up. When you buy a flat or dome port, can you zoom in and out? I was thinking I'd buy the domed port (approx. $150), but not sure what would be a good all-around lens.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I'm new to the DSLR game.

Thanks!
Andrew

 

[Diver Dennis]

I shoot the Canon Rebel XT as well. I bought the 10-22mm wide angle and I'm very pleased. You can see some WA shots in my gallery. I have the 6" dome right now but just ordered the 8" today. The 6" gives a slight distortion on the edge of your shots. Yes you can zoom in and out.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I use 2 strobes and you might want to look at 2 if the $$$$$ is not too much.

 

[Warren_L]

When you house your camera with a certain lens, you need to make sure you have the proper port for it. With the Ike housings and ports, you can check their port chart to make sure you have the right one:

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/2port_canon.html

If you are using a zoom like the 18-55, there is a zoom knob on the housing that connects to a zoom sleeve that fits around the barrel of the lens that allows you to zoom in and out. If you're not doing macro work, then definitely go for a dome port and not the flat port. It's more a question of the 6" or 8" port. I would also decide whether the 18-55 is the lens you want to use or a wider lens like the 10-22, which requires different 6" ports. I bought the proper port for my 18-70 kit lens, but have never used it as I've always used my 12-24 for wide angle shots, which has a different dome port. But this is a choice you need to make for yourself.

 

[sharkbaitDAN]

I too shoot the Rebel XT in an Ike housing. As has been said, you need to decide on a lens first. The 10-22 seems to be the popular choice, though I am shooting the 17-40. My reasoning is that I wil probably move up to a full frame sensor and won't be able to use the 10-22. Also, my dad already had the 17-40, so it was a slightly cheaper choice. I'm using the 6" port with the lens, and zooming is easy with the knob on the housing. There is a clamp that comes with the housing that goes around the zoom ring on the lens. Some lenses do need a slgihtly bigger clamp because of the lens diameter, which is about $15.

 

[RonFrank]

Most people seem to prefer wide (like the 12-24mm) or macro (like the 65mm or 105mm).

I'm not exactly sure what Canon makes, but I'm sure something similar to Nikon.

Which lens you choose is YOUR choice. Based on the lenses you plan on using, then you need to choose a port. If you are looking for a port first, then you've got the cart in front of the hourse, and he's about to stomp on it! :11doh:

You choose your port based on the lens you plan on using, however some ports can be used for multiple lenses. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for the Ikelite 8" dome port which is finally out, but it's a lot more expensive vs. the standard dome port.

 

[teamheatwave]

I just returned a few days ago from The Bahamas where I spent a week using a Digital Rebel XT with a 17-85 USM IS lens. Ikelite makes a special dome port for that lens which I purchased because I had a need to do some split level shots. I also liked the 17mm for wide angle as I did a few shark dives. I zoomed it out to 17 and was only inches from the sharks as they passed by. Wide angle that close is a neat perspective. I was very pleased with the results. Buying the camera & lens ($1200) and then the housing & port ($1400) the money tree dried up for now so I was unable to buy strobes. I did order the magic filter but it was on backorder from the UK and did not arrive in time for my trip. Anyway, what might be of some help is bringing along a slate for doing a while balance at depth. I also used a white sandy bottom to do a white balance which worked well too. Before this I had an Olympus 5050 and PT015 housing which I passed to my dive buddy. He did video clips as I shot stills. While I do like the improvements of the still end, I admit I miss the fun of the video clips. This way we wound up with both

 

[hedonist222]

teamheatwave, next time shoot in RAW. This way you can change the WB on the computer instead of hoping to God you got it right (like in JPG mode). Not to mention that you have greater control of contrast,color and sharpness. RAW is the way to go

<< 1dmkII owner

 

[hedonist222]

teamheatwave, next time shoot in RAW. This way you can change the WB on the computer instead of hoping to God you got it right (like in JPG mode). Not to mention that you have greater control of contrast,color and sharpness. RAW is the way to go

<< 1dmkII owner