Panasonic GF-1 in Seatool Housing

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

jd950

Contributor
Messages
1,301
Reaction score
282
# of dives
I just don't log dives
Well, I couldn't wait any longer if I wanted the new toys for an upcoming trip, so I have decided on the Seatool housing for the GF-1. :D I am getting the 14-45 and 7-14 ports. I have some concerns about how well the 7-14 will maintain center to edge sharpness in the Panasonic dome, but I am hopeful.

I will probably consider adding the 8mm fisheye lens and port when they are out later this year, unless the 7-14 really impresses me.

I know some others are facing the same decision. For me, the Inon is an unknown at this time. I have no idea what it will cost or even if I would prefer it to the Seatool and I now hear it will be at least late June or July before it hits the market. They don't even have a price for it yet, and it does not seem likely to offer anything the Seatool doesn't offer.

The 10bar housing for the EPL-1 appealed to me on price, but I want a flat port for the 14-45 and that isn't available with 10bar. I would also have to buy the Oly camera body, which I don't really need. The 10bar housing for the GF-1 looked like it had too many ergonomic compromises and was just not as mature a design as I wanted and again has no flat port for the 14-45.

I originally thought of getting a Canon S90 with Fix housing and fisheye lens, but I just could not bring myself to commit $1,200.00 to a housing and wet lens for another point-and-shoot dive camera. I also want to try some HD video and if I went with the S90, I was also looking at spending $1000.00 or more for a separate video camera, and who wants to carry two cameras?

I spent a lot more on this setup than the S90 stuff would cost, but I think and hope it will last me longer and give me more pleasure overall, and if I factor in the video abilities of the GF-1, the difference in price is not as much.

I fly to dive locations and carry on my camera gear. I also do a lot of shore diving and even the smallest DSLR and housing was bigger than I want to deal with. I compared the sizes of all the micro 4/3 housings, the Fix S90 housing, the WP-DC35 housing and the E620 housings. The Seatool housing for the GF-1 was as large as I wanted to go and actually not that much larger than the point and shoot housings.

I think I can get the GF-1, lenses, housing, ports and strobes into a backpack style camera case that is carry-on size.

Clearly, my choice was personal and your best option may be different. I hope this helps someone else who is trying to decide what to do.
 
Well I am in the exactly the same situation:)
Just bought e-pl1 off ebay and plan to buy 10bar housing. Will sell GF1 and stick around with Oly till Gf2 comes out to use it above water. Figured in will be cheaper just to get an extra e-pl1 + 10 BAR instead of 1 seatool.
Hope dedicated UW modes will do some good to. For the start I guess Panasonic 20mm + m67 inon UCL-165 will do
 
If you would not mind a couple question on your choices. I am at the same point. I have the GF1 and want a housing. I was able to see, touch, operate (dry) the Seatool housing last weekend at the dive show, but was not able to see a 10Bar. Were you able to get your hands on both housing before you made you decision?

My next trip is in end of July so I have a few week before I have to pull the trigger.

Let me know when you get your housing.

Tom B.
 
There are some sample pics taken with the GF1 in a Seatool housing over on Wetpixel here : Panasonic GF1 - Wetpixel :: Underwater Photography Forums. I'm impressed.

I've seen a few complaints about the 10BAR housing controls. In fact, there are some complaints on the same link above. I wouldn't consider a 10BAR housing until they sorted out some of these problems.

I spoke to a guy that played with a prototype INON GF1 housing. He was quite disappointed by its size. He said it was the similar in size to an Ikelite DSLR housing, which if true defeats the entire purpose for me. I hope INON releases some more info soon - the waiting is killing me.

I'm looking forward to some more reviews on the Seaool housing. Early reports are promising and currently looks like the way I'm going.
 
I was not able to get my hands on any housing. I live in a landlocked state and except for Sea and Sea products and the occasional Olympus brand housing, no one here sells underwater photo equipment.

I looked at as many photos and descriptions as I could, compared all of the measurements of the various housings, found as much on the internet as I could and talked to dealers for suggestions and prices.

I could find no information about the Nautilus housing except a brief user report and the manufacturer's own website, which is in Japanese. I just could not see buying a brand that is unknown to me from an overseas company I don't know.

It looks like 10bar has improved their controls on the EPL1 housing, so that might be a good choice, but the reviews and comments on the GF-1 housing and LX3 housing made it seem like both of those designs are not well liked by users. I don't know this, it is just how it seemed. I wasn't sure how well the 10bar housing for the EPL-1 would work with the ports for Panasonic lenses and from what I have read, the 10bar port design for the Pnasonic lenses wasn't that great (again, they have improved it for the Olympus). I already have Panasonic lenses and didin't want to buy all new equipment.

Seatool has been around for awhile, and a number of people have used their housings for other cameras and seemed happy. It looks to me like the Seatool is as small a housing as one could get for this camera and I have no idea how big the Inon will be.

Although I would have liked to be able to compare the two housings, I can't imagine the Inon will do anything the Seatool won't. I have no idea when it and its ports will be available and it may be larger and may be more expensive.
 
Housing has arrived. So far, so good. I can fit the camera, 14-45, 7-14 and UCL 165 lenses, 14-45 adapter for the UCL 165, housing, ports and gears for both lenses, two Inon Z-240 strobes, large Fisheye focus light and my buoyancy arms, tray and handles in a tiny Think Tank Airport Acceleration bag with room left over for all the little bits and pieces that go with the housing, ports, strobes, etc., and there is still room for an additional lens.

If I eventually add the 8mm fisheye and dome, I will surely have to pull the arms and tray out, but there should still be plenty of room and I don't need to carry the tray and arms in this bag. I am pretty sure I would even be able to add the 45mm macro and port if I want to, and still get it all into the bag.

This means one of my goals has been accomplished.

I'll try to put some photos up later.
 
Please share some photos of your rig!

Yes please!

What's your initial feeling about the size of the housing? It seems quite compact based on what you can fit into a single bag...
 
Here are some quick shots showing the Seatool housing with dome port next to an OEM housing for a Canon G10. To my eyes, the size differences are minor. The 14-45 port is similar in length to the dome, although of smaller diameter.

I also took a photo of all the gear in the the Think Tank bag. I am still playing with the arrangement of the gear. There is also a shot of the bag without arms, tray and handle, to show how much room there is left over.

Keep in mind the external dimensions of the bag are only 18.5” H x 13“ W x 7” D (47 cm x 33 cm x 18 cm).
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0298.JPG
    IMG_0298.JPG
    110.2 KB · Views: 346
  • IMG_0299.JPG
    IMG_0299.JPG
    111.2 KB · Views: 323
  • IMG_0301.JPG
    IMG_0301.JPG
    102.3 KB · Views: 288
  • IMG_0296.JPG
    IMG_0296.JPG
    141 KB · Views: 280
  • IMG_0302.JPG
    IMG_0302.JPG
    150.2 KB · Views: 250
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom