Canon DSLR question...

[sunnyboy]

For an expensive camera, there are a couple of MUST HAVES (in my opinion) for an underwater housing.

1. Positive lock ports. That is, once the port is locked in place, it would take a sledge hammer to remove it.
2. A vacuum valve. You seal the housing, turn the VV on and apply a vacuum (usually supplied hand pump). When the light goes green and stays green, you dive.

Not all older housings have #1. There is one housing that had little click-tabs to hold the ports on. My buddy lost a Canon D30 many years ago because the port got bumped as he was getting into the water. I think all modern housings, and especially the aluminum ones, have a really solid locking port mechanism. I certainly love the locking mechanism on my Nauticam housing (for a Canon 7D Mark 1).

Likewise, the vacuum port is (to me) a real layer of security. You not only seal the thing with a vacuum (all o-rings seated etc.) but you have visual confirmation (blinking green light) that it's working. I love mine (leak sentinel V4 on the above Nauticam housing).

Otherwise it's just some common sense and following guidelines that have been around for some time (i.e. don't just dump the system in a rinse bucket and walk away for a while)...

There was a 7DMk2 housing for sale just this past week. You should be able to find an excellent housing used for a good price.

 

[Damselfish]

My husband had a vacuum port installed on his Aquatica housing for his Canon and loves it.

 

[TruckDiver1981]

For an expensive camera, there are a couple of MUST HAVES (in my opinion) for an underwater housing.

1. Positive lock ports. That is, once the port is locked in place, it would take a sledge hammer to remove it.
2. A vacuum valve. You seal the housing, turn the VV on and apply a vacuum (usually supplied hand pump). When the light goes green and stays green, you dive.

Not all older housings have #1. There is one housing that had little click-tabs to hold the ports on. My buddy lost a Canon D30 many years ago because the port got bumped as he was getting into the water. I think all modern housings, and especially the aluminum ones, have a really solid locking port mechanism. I certainly love the locking mechanism on my Nauticam housing (for a Canon 7D Mark 1).

Likewise, the vacuum port is (to me) a real layer of security. You not only seal the thing with a vacuum (all o-rings seated etc.) but you have visual confirmation (blinking green light) that it's working. I love mine (leak sentinel V4 on the above Nauticam housing).

Otherwise it's just some common sense and following guidelines that have been around for some time (i.e. don't just dump the system in a rinse bucket and walk away for a while)...

There was a 7DMk2 housing for sale just this past week. You should be able to find an excellent housing used for a good price.

If I see one then I will certainly try and get it! Thank you for the info

 

[darook]

I started shooting (very poorly) with an Olympus Tough camera and no strobe. I decided I wanted to learn how to actually shoot and got a Rebel T21 (550D) and a housing for it along with strobes. After a bunch of dives, learning Lightroom and good composition I got a lot of shots that I liked a lot. Many of them are on my walls. Last year I got a 5D4 and a Nauticam housing for it. I had two of the three lenses I wanted so it was not quite as painful as it would have been. I really love this set up for both stills and video. The new Inon Z330 strobes really made the full frame come alive. It is a lot of money to take under water but I have it insured. The vacuum system makes me much more comfortable taking it down.

 

[TruckDiver1981]

I started shooting (very poorly) with an Olympus Tough camera and no strobe. I decided I wanted to learn how to actually shoot and got a Rebel T21 (550D) and a housing for it along with strobes. After a bunch of dives, learning Lightroom and good composition I got a lot of shots that I liked a lot. Many of them are on my walls. Last year I got a 5D4 and a Nauticam housing for it. I had two of the three lenses I wanted so it was not quite as painful as it would have been. I really love this set up for both stills and video. The new Inon Z330 strobes really made the full frame come alive. It is a lot of money to take under water but I have it insured. The vacuum system makes me much more comfortable taking it down.

I am going to keep an eye out for a second hand housing i think as a new one is a bit out of my price range at the moment, the camera itself i absolutly love so i would love to be able to use it underwater, and i also need to learn how to work things like photoshop lightroom etc

 

[HKGuns]

I shoot Canon and I shoot birds. Shooting birds well is expensive. I don't plan on diving with any camera for a while as I don't need one more thing to worry about.

I shoot birds with a 1DMIV (APS-H) and 500/F4 on a gimbal. I won't spend the coin required to house the 1DMIV for use under water.

If I ever start UWP, I will likely buy a purpose built camera for diving as long as it will shoot raw images.