Housing and lenses for G12

[Nemrod]

1. Neither the FIX or Recsea G12 housings have TTL and neither does the Canon OEM housing. The only G series housing that has wired TTL is the Ikelite.

2. The FIX and the Recsea G series housing do NOT have a 52mm threaded port. The Ikelite does have a 67mm threaded port. The S series housing from FIX has a 52mm threaded port, the Recsea95 has a 44mm male threaded port that takes 52mm or 67mm or ST or 28AD or X infinity adapters

3. Overall the G series is not the best choice for wide angle vs the S series. I am not going to address the complicated series of adapters that may be available now such as the Dyron short port or listed accessories for the Recsea that are probably a mistake.

4. Regarding Inon strobes. Only the Z240 currently has wired TTL capability. The D2000 and S2000 have optical sTTL which works superbly with most cameras. The D2000 has more 'real" power and coverage than the S2000 in a housing sized the same as the Z240 and has every capability of the Z240 except the wired TTL. Both the D and the Z have the useful External Auto mode and both have the LED focus light.

General thoughts, as a former Leica owner, I assure you, nothing about a G12 reminds me of a Leica. It is not like a Leica at all. Neither is the S95 for that matter. Any housing that does not support FULL control fo the camera is a non starter for me as to the G and S series Canons. They are highly dependent upon the rear ring control and only the FIX and Recsea housings offer that control.

The reason I did not go with a Pen from Oly is that while I like the format and think it has huge growth potential in the future the current cameras are uninspiring, clunky and God awful slow, slower than a G or S and as a strictly amateur photographer and hobbyist I do not believe the larger sensor has any real world significant advantage in the media most people currently use for viewing of their photos. Bigger sensors are better, little sensors have greatly improved, at some point the sensor wars will end as the point will be moot much as chip clock speed in computers has become a non issue for mot computers, who cares? Smaller cameras are the future and unfortunately it seems like real cameras with real camera feel, like a old film Leica, are a thing of the past.

This is the closest thing to the look and FEEL and function of a film era Leica in the digital world:

http://photorumors.com/2011/03/26/fuji-x100-review-guest-post/

N

 

[slowhands]

Okay, I'll try to keep it shorter and more simple. Hopefully, someone can answer these!

1. Is there a benefit to using the hotshoe?
2. Is there a way of using strobes (in the auto-adjusting more, TTL(?)) without firing the internal flash?
3. How does one adjust aperture and shutter with Canon WP-DC32?
4. Is there a lens that can do both wideangle and macro (at least as accurate and hopefully more than the camera in a normal housing without any lens)?
5. Is there a short(er) port available for FIX G12 housing (on which wet lenses migth be added)?

Did I mention this gets to be a religious debate?

1. Hotshoe? It's old school. Do you need it? No, not if you buy a strobe that can watch your camera's flash and imitate its duration. Most midrange to high end strobes can nowadays. The two strobes I suggested, Inon S2000 and Sea&Sea YS-01, work well when coupled to the camera with a fiber optic cable. There are other good strobes that work too. I merely picked these as low cost and compact ones that are widely sold.

The benefit of using a hotshoe is that the internal flash does not have to fire to trigger the external strobe, saving battery life. But this benefit is largely offset by the extra cost and limited choices of housings that support a hotshoe -- in fact there is only one, namely the Ikelite G12 housing which requires Ikelite strobes to use the hotshoe. As I mentioned, I prefer the S95 camera, which has no hotshoe so the question is moot for me.

The downside of using a hotshoe is you have two extra watertight connections to maintain, namely both cable ends. If these get water in them, they corrode and short out -- you're out of business. And sometimes they do, ask anyone who has used them. Then you are stuck in Lakacamawa with your $2000 underwater camera that doesn't work. It can really be a downer on a trip to a remote dive site. A fiber cord can't corrode and it's a lot lighter and cheaper.

Incidentally a fiber optic cable is here cheap ($20):
Intova Fiber Optic Cable
The other brands cost 4x that price, wonder why they are recommended?

2. The camera has to communicate with the external strobe somehow, either via a hotshoe cable or a fiber optic cable. So a camera without hotshoe has to fire it's flash to trigger the external flash.

3. To adjust both aperture and shutter in M mode, you can use both dials if your housing supports them, or only the front dial and a workaround if your housing does not.

In a canon DC-35 (for S90) or DC38 (for S95), you have direct control of the front dial, and a workaround way to simulate the rear dial. You have to press the S (Shortcut) button down and hold it, then the left or right arrow buttons to simulate counter clockwise or clockwise dial movement. It sounds awkward, but becomes a habit. I believe the G12 has a similar workaround. If you think this is too annoying, of course move on to the FIX or RecSea housings which have direct access to the rear dial.

4. There is no one add on lens that will do both closer focus and wider angle, sorry. Actually the original camera lens is pretty darn good at both, much better than some past ones. It's just that some people want closer or wider, for their creative possibilities. I mentioned that if you use the Canon (with adapter) or Ikelite housings, then M67 close or wide lenses screw in, and you are in business.

Some people find these M67 lenses very difficult to thread on when underwater, and prefer bayonet mount lenses that mount easier. Sometimes when you enter the water you have to clear bubbles under the wet-mount lens, so you have to remove it and agitate the bubbles away. For convenience then, the bayonet mount wins, but at a price. There are several bayonet mounts, incompatible, and limited choices of lenses. And they cost quite a bit more than the M67 lenses. Like the man said, there ain't no free lunch.

Add to that the very real possibility that the Canon S95 and G12 will be upgraded soon, to perhaps a new camera with a radically wider lens for example. Then the expensive add-on bayonet lenses you just bought may become ... paperweights.

5. There are special adapters for the FIX and Recsea G12 housing ports that allow mounting various lenses, but I'm no expert on them. I seem to recall you have to dry mount them, that is, topside. You have to choose which lens, then make sure there is an adapter for your housing. It's best to consult your dealer for the particular housing and lens to get the right answer.

Bottom line: Unless you dive a lot every day, you might not get a lot of use out of your expensive system before it's time to upgrade. For that reason, I suggest that the occasional diver, or beginning UW photographer, keep it simple and get a Canon or Ikelite housing, knowing it's not the ultimate but it's probably the right match for the little use it might get.

 

[Nemrod]

Add to that the very real possibility that the Canon S95 and G12 will be upgraded soon, to perhaps a new camera with a radically wider lens for example. Then the expensive add-on bayonet lenses you just bought may become ... paperweights.

No, even if they went to a 24mm or even a 20mm it would still not be as wide as a fisheye type lens, not even close. As well, a flat port would introduce severe distortion to ultra-wide lenses, a dome port would be required to take full advantage of a wide lens underwater, anything wider than about 35mm equivalent and especially wider than 28mm.

N

 

[charlesml3]

They are highly dependent upon the rear ring control and only the FIX and Recsea housings offer that control.

The Ikelite housing for the G12 offers rear ring as well as front dial control. The older Ikelite housing for the G11 can be sent back to Ikelite to have the front dial control installed which essentially makes it the same as the current G12 housing.

-Charles

 

[Cumbo]

2. The FIX and the Recsea G series housing do NOT have a 52mm threaded port. The Ikelite does have a 67mm threaded port. The S series housing from FIX has a 52mm threaded port, the Recsea95 has a 44mm male threaded port that takes 52mm or 67mm or ST or 28AD or X infinity adapters

Is there no threading on the FIX G12 housing, if you remove the standard port? I was under the impression (can't recall why), that there would be a 52 mm threading..

3. Overall the G series is not the best choice for wide angle vs the S series. I am not going to address the complicated series of adapters that may be available now such as the Dyron short port or listed accessories for the Recsea that are probably a mistake.

Probably so, but I do have the G12 already. So S series is quite irrelevant for me. Why would a short 67 mm port + a lens for it be a mistake?

4. Regarding Inon strobes. Only the Z240 currently has wired TTL capability. The D2000 and S2000 have optical sTTL which works superbly with most cameras. The D2000 has more 'real" power and coverage than the S2000 in a housing sized the same as the Z240 and has every capability of the Z240 except the wired TTL. Both the D and the Z have the useful External Auto mode and both have the LED focus light.

The reason I would have wanted to get true wired TTL (eTTL?) is that it would've spared me from lots of camera battery changes. Thank you for correcting me.. I think, I'll go with the D2000 - unless I find out that I've been wrong about something, again.

General thoughts, as a former Leica owner, I assure you, nothing about a G12 reminds me of a Leica. It is not like a Leica at all. Neither is the S95 for that matter. Any housing that does not support FULL control fo the camera is a non starter for me as to the G and S series Canons. They are highly dependent upon the rear ring control and only the FIX and Recsea housings offer that control.

But the Canon housing does offer "full control" in the sense, that you can change aperture and shutter by using the shortcut button. I isn't even that difficult. The Canon WP-DC34 does not offer access to control wheel, but I'm starting to think that is is not that big of a problem given, that the price difference is around $900. The Canon housing is also around 400g lighter..

 

[Cumbo]

1. Hotshoe? It's old school. Do you need it? No, not if you buy a strobe that can watch your camera's flash and imitate its duration. Most midrange to high end strobes can nowadays. The two strobes I suggested, Inon S2000 and Sea&Sea YS-01, work well when coupled to the camera with a fiber optic cable. There are other good strobes that work too. I merely picked these as low cost and compact ones that are widely sold.

The benefit of using a hotshoe is that the internal flash does not have to fire to trigger the external strobe, saving battery life. But this benefit is largely offset by the extra cost and limited choices of housings that support a hotshoe -- in fact there is only one, namely the Ikelite G12 housing which requires Ikelite strobes to use the hotshoe. As I mentioned, I prefer the S95 camera, which has no hotshoe so the question is moot for me.

The downside of using a hotshoe is you have two extra watertight connections to maintain, namely both cable ends. If these get water in them, they corrode and short out -- you're out of business. And sometimes they do, ask anyone who has used them. Then you are stuck in Lakacamawa with your $2000 underwater camera that doesn't work. It can really be a downer on a trip to a remote dive site. A fiber cord can't corrode and it's a lot lighter and cheaper.

You're right, but I would've probably paid that extra amount, if there was access to the hotshoe in the FIX housing. That's because of saved battery life of the camera. I've had many incidents, where my housing has become foggy during a dive after I've opened it in between dives to replace the camera battery. I won't buy the Ikelite, because it's HUGE (178 x 152 x 152mm) and weighs 2,7 kilos without camera. Too much for me.

3. To adjust both aperture and shutter in M mode, you can use both dials if your housing supports them, or only the front dial and a workaround if your housing does not.

In a canon DC-35 (for S90) or DC38 (for S95), you have direct control of the front dial, and a workaround way to simulate the rear dial. You have to press the S (Shortcut) button down and hold it, then the left or right arrow buttons to simulate counter clockwise or clockwise dial movement. It sounds awkward, but becomes a habit. I believe the G12 has a similar workaround. If you think this is too annoying, of course move on to the FIX or RecSea housings which have direct access to the rear dial.

I tested and both are available using "the workaround". Shortcut+UP/DOWN for the other and Shortcut+LEFT/RIGHT for the other.

4. There is no one add on lens that will do both closer focus and wider angle, sorry. Actually the original camera lens is pretty darn good at both, much better than some past ones. It's just that some people want closer or wider, for their creative possibilities. I mentioned that if you use the Canon (with adapter) or Ikelite housings, then M67 close or wide lenses screw in, and you are in business.

Some people find these M67 lenses very difficult to thread on when underwater, and prefer bayonet mount lenses that mount easier. Sometimes when you enter the water you have to clear bubbles under the wet-mount lens, so you have to remove it and agitate the bubbles away. For convenience then, the bayonet mount wins, but at a price. There are several bayonet mounts, incompatible, and limited choices of lenses. And they cost quite a bit more than the M67 lenses. Like the man said, there ain't no free lunch.

Yeah, that's too bad. This Subsee adapter looks quite handy. I wonder, if there is one available for WP-DC34..

Bottom line: Unless you dive a lot every day, you might not get a lot of use out of your expensive system before it's time to upgrade. For that reason, I suggest that the occasional diver, or beginning UW photographer, keep it simple and get a Canon or Ikelite housing, knowing it's not the ultimate but it's probably the right match for the little use it might get.

I thought I had already made up my mind on getting the FIX G12, but given it does not have hotshoe, I will probably settle for Canon WP-DC32. If I'm not happy about it, I can always get a new housing and I won't have lost that much money.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Sometimes threaded lenses can be a hassle getting on / off, but the Dyron macro and wide-angle lenses actually thread on fairly easily to the Dyron adapter for the Canon S95 housing. The adapter fits the housing snugly, and I actually prefer to leave the lens on the adapter and simply pull the adapter off the housing.

Scott

 

[HerraduraDivers]

The PATIMA G12 housing has all you want:
2 ports, 67mm tread for WA wet lenses, 5 pin Nikonos or 6 pin Patima bulkhead for external strobes, 120m/360ft deep rated, all functions usable.
http://www.deepshots.co.uk/2011/04/review-patima-g12-housing-canon-powershot-g12/
Using the Patima PS-SB900 Speedlight Housing you should e able to get native TTL.

I use the Patima G11 housing with a single Inon D2000 strobe with very good results.

I got my housing from Reef Photo and Video and they where very helpful and informed,
so you may ask them.

Chris

 

[HerraduraDivers]

here some more links:
http://www.aditech-uw.com/en/shop/1006-patima-pdch-g12-canon-g12.html
http://www.fun-in.com.tw/catalog/index.php?language=en

Chris

 

[Cumbo]

Thanks, but the problem, again, with this housing is, that it weighs a lot (1,7 kilos).

In addition, it's quite expensive.

here some more links:
Shop - Patima PDCH-G12 (Canon G12 & G11) - Aditech | Underwater video and photo online store
FUN-IN Underwater Photographic Equipment

Chris