Housing for G11?

[mudchick]

Hi all,

I bought a G11 a few months ago with the idea of getting a housing and lights with in the next few months instead of pouring a bunch of money into the system all at once. That said, I watch the Backscatter website and a few others to see if prices drop or just "window shopping". I also notice recently that the G12 has become a bit more popular based on things posted here. Two questions: Did I goof buying the G11 instead of waiting and getting the G12? It looks like the Fisheye Fix for the G11 isn't as available anymore; and what housing is recommended for the G11 since it's what I have and won't be running to replace soon.

Any folks from Backscatter, Reefphoto or anyone else, please weigh in.

Thanks

 

[oggy666]

Hey i am shopping for a housing as well, i have come across this one Canon WP-DC34 Case for Canon PowerShot G11 & G12 4042B001
for an amazing price.

 

[Tug]

I bought a Fisheye FIX housing for my G11 from Backscatter East a week or so ago, if you call both of the shops they may still have one or two in stock.

 

[FrankPro1]

G12 has HD video but beyond that their not much different.

Canon Housing is the cheapest option but doesn't have access to the rear dial.
Ikelite Housing has full access to all controls and has a better overall build quality then the Canon.
Patima and Fix housings allow wide angle photography "with the proper lens", are ultra compact and most durable.

I shoot with a G10, Ikelite housing w/ DS-51 strobes & a Fantasea 44 LED focus light. I chose the Ikelite housing over the other options because: 1. The Canon's housing seemed flimsy and of low quality "thin case, plastic buttons". I do a lot of rocky shore dive entries and I didn't think the Canon housing would hold up. 2. I couldn't afford the Fix or Patima and wasn't really interested with wide angle photography at the time.

I am now becoming increasingly interested in wide angle photography and probably would have been better off with a Fix housing / Inon strobe setup. I will be upgrading soon to a newer system "EVIL format camera" and most likely will have to sell off all my equipment besides my strobe arms and tray. If you do invest in strobes, lenses, trays, etc. etc. Make sure to buy ones which will transfer over to future setups.

 

[dtreid]

You might have to purchase a new tray; but the arms and clamps you should be able to
use on any system, especially if they are ULCS

 

[HerraduraDivers]

The G11 is a excellent camera and except the doubtful avantage of 720p "HD" and the front wheel there is no useful change.

I use the PATIMA G11 aluminium housing as i dive with the camera almost every day so i invested almost the double of the Ikelite housing for added ruggedness. The FIX and the Patima housing allow you to use wide angle wet lenses giving you a 130° field of view, while with the Ikelite housing you can use only their 100° wide angle.
Patima and FIX housing have 2 ports, one not zoomable wide angle port and one generic zoomable port, so you have to deceide
before your dive if going wide angle or macro.
The Canon OEM and the Ikelite have one port allowing zooming but are not so good performers on wide angle!
The Ikelite housing has a included TTL controller, giving you the possibility to shoot TTL but only with a Ikelite strobe.
The Ikelite is a big housing and the only real backdraw is the limited performance on wide angle, but Ikelite housings
are rugge and have the right price tag.

For the Canon WP-DC34 housing he only option is the fantasea big-eye, some people are not so happy with it.

Check with Reef Photo and Video, i bought mine there and the service and knowledge was perfect.

Chris

P.S. Unfortunately i have to say that the Olympus E-PL1 including the housing cost basically the same as the Patima or Fix housing....
http://www.backscatter.com/learn/article/article.php?ID=100

 

[PatW]

Towards the less expensive end, Ikelite makes a decent housing for the G11.

 

[furby076]

I had the g11...the housing was great. There are shortcuts to give you access to the rear dial functionality. Some of the people here ( i believe Gilligan) can give you better detail. Also, check out his pics. He uses a g10 and the shots are always AMAZING.

The Canon case (WPD) is a great option that is very inexpensive. Then get a strobe, use a water proof marker to block the camera flash and you are good to go.

 

[Nemrod]

Once a camera goes out of production finding housings rapidly becomes problematic, especially for the high end stuff like FIX. It is always best to buy everything together lest one be left holding the cat without the bag. Which can become painful.

N

 

[oyoroi]

I have one unused FIX housing for G11 with me in Japan. If you still interested send me a PM.