L22 with Ikelite housing?

[Tricia]

Phil,

What housing do you use for the L18? I am going to get the Ikelite 6280.23 and I'm wondering if that will work with a cheaper L18 as a backup, like you did.

Thanks,
Trish

 

[PhilC]

It's a 6280.18 and when I posed the question a few months back about whether a 20 would fit in my L18 housing to Ikelite they responded that it would not. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ikelite/293551-nikon-l20-l18-housing.html

I've since had a L20 in my hands next to my L18 and it is just a tiny fraction larger in width and the lens is just enough different that I don't think it would work quite right even if I milled the ribs in the housing to make it fit. I've not held an L22 but it would not surprise me if Nikon made just barely enough of a change that it doesn't work in either a 18 or a 20 housing even though comparing pictures online they look almost identical. L18s are essentially only available online as re-furbs or used at this point so they aren't always easy to find. I know L20s are still on the shelves most places so if that would work it would be much easier to find. Ikelite was very responsive to my questions regarding this and I'm sure they can answer for sure.

 

[Tricia]

Thanks for that Ikelite link Phil! It made me feel better because just before I saw your last message, I had "bitten the bullet" and ordered the camera!

It was one of those funny things where I had seen the camera and housing and the recommended strobe and thought, "Geez, it's too bad they don't offer some sort of package deal." And then, by strolling around the B&H photo site, I found one! So I ended up with the camera, the housing, the strobe (and the support bar) all for one great price - and with that lovely new carry bag, too! I decided to be (somewhat) financially prudent and not get the wide-angle lens as well (about another $250 - agh!). But I can get that for a future trip, if need be. What was interesting is that the Ikelite site explained the new package and gave an RRP that was a bit higher than what I actually paid. So I feel that I've saved money (while blowing a fortune, ha ha). It's amazing how we women's minds can make that justification for ANY shopping experience...

I'm off to the Bahamas on the 19th of June with this new set-up and if all goes well, I'll post a few pics here on my return!

Trish

 

[Tricia]

You guys won't believe this thread over in Basic Scuba Discussions:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/335831-found-camera-stage-com-help.html

It turns out the camera whose owner they're trying to find is a Nikon Coolpix L18 with Ikelite housing! Nice to know that this set-up can handle 4-6 months floating around the ocean without a leak!

Trish

 

[The Blue Whale]

Tricia, we're looking forward to seeing some of your pics. Hope your trip was fantastic!

I recently picked up a Nikon Coolpix L11 with Ikelite housing which was never used. I'm going to use it as a backup and match it up with an Ikelite strobe I have. From what I see, it will probably do more videography than stills after seeing how much room I have with a 4 GB SD card.

 

[Tricia]

Hi Folks,

Sorry not to come back to you sooner, but work has been crazy since I got back. Anyway, I'm afraid I have some bad news: I got some OK pics with the L22 and then, on the second day, at about 17 metres down, the camera case popped open and the camera flooded. It was a total loss. To say I was mightely pissed is to put it lightly. :cussing:

I've attached one of the shots I got (DSCN0054) and you can see the "ghost" Ritchy was talking about. I had that on quite a few shots.

Fortunately, I had repaired the housing for my Olympus SP350 where it flooded last year and got a decent used SP350 to replace the lost one. I've attached two photos I got with it: "Shades of Blue" - the name of the site and "Manta" a not too bad shot I got, despite the fact that I was so stunned (because I'd never seen a Manta ray before) that I almost forgot to take pictures!!

So my plan is to get another SP350 as back-up and then travel also with the Nikon L22/Ikelite case set up as a back up. There is nothing worse than losing a camera at the beginning of a dive trip. So having a back up makes it much easier to bear!

I can say that the new strobe I got with the package (Ikelite AF35) was excellent and I am really pleased with it (it comes with a converter bar so I could attach it to the Olympus housing with no trouble).

Sorry not to be more positive - I can say that on land, the L22 has taken some fantastic pics, but underwater, it's just not been the camera for me.

Trish

 

[rpc8520]

hi...
I just joined the board and this is my first post...
I was also looking to buy the L22 ikelite housing/camera combo and my brother asked me about a variety of colored lenses to bring out different colors or something???
More info would be helpful. Can I, or do I really need to, change to colored lenses. This would be my first underwater camera

 

[Coralcop]

If you have a strobe, there is no need for colored lenses.

 

[rpc8520]

Thanks for the reply Coralcop. I can't get myself to spend another 300 to 400 dollars on a strobe now, but it will be a future purchase.

 

[Tricia]

hi...
I just joined the board and this is my first post...
I was also looking to buy the L22 ikelite housing/camera combo and my brother asked me about a variety of colored lenses to bring out different colors or something???
More info would be helpful. Can I, or do I really need to, change to colored lenses. This would be my first underwater camera

Hi rcp8520 and welcome to Scubaboard!

I hear you about the strobe. I got my first camera in 2001 and it was about 2004 when I finally got a strobe. They're not cheap, but they do help a lot. But I have to say I still have some nice photos I've taken without one.

Re your brother's comment: I'm thinking he was mixing up LENSES with FILTERS. A coloured filter is what you screw on to the outside of the housing. I have a red filter because red is one of the first colours you lose as you start to go deeper. So it adds back in the red. These are not too expensive (under $50). You can try your camera with and without it. But I personally think it helps a lot.

Note that you have to buy the right size filter. I believe this set up takes the 46mm filter. The Ikelite site should tell you.

Happy photographing!

Trish