Wp Dc34 lens Attachment

[Funland111]

I finally ordered the G12 and the main deciding factor over the S95 was that it felt better in my hands. I would like the FIX housing, but I'm afraid I would lose my happy home if I spent that much on the housing. I realize the Canon housing has some limitations, but that's what I'll probably end up with. I noticed that Dyron has a fisheye wet lens for the Canon housing --- is this an accessory worth looking at, or is there a better wide angle lens system available? Thanks Bill (heading to Aruba shortly)

 

[Nemrod]

You realize there is no real wide angle option for that camera or housing? There is this:

http://www.bluewaterphotostore.com/dyron-wide-angle-wet-lens-wp-dc28-wp-dc34-g10-g11-g12

It is a bubble lens that will restore the original FOV of the native 28mm lens but that is not "wide angle" or even close. Furthermore, those types of accessories really are not on the same level as the Inon or Fisheye accessory lenses and a lot of people have been seriously unimpressed with them and the similar versions from Fantasea. Do they work, yeah, sorta.

I don't understand buying an underwater camera based on how it feels in your hands without the housing? But anyways, won't go there. You can do macro with several different lens adapters but there are NO wide angle lenses that will work effectively with the G12 and DC34 housing. If you wanted wide angle you have the wrong camera and wrong housing.

I have always been of the mind my underwater camera was a dedicated unit(s) and not used for surface photography once I invested in a system built around it. It does not matter how the camera feels naked in my hands but instead how it feels underwater and most importantly what it can do and what lenses/accessories it can utilize underwater.

N

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Like Nemrod said, there is only a dome port available for the Canon G12 housing.. there are many more wide-angle options available for the Ikelite and Recsea housings, including regular fisheye lenses and an incredible 8mm circular fisheye lens from Dyron, with a version for each of those housings.

 

[Nemrod]

I cannot wait to see photos from (and of) the incredible 8mm Dyron lens. I hear it is amazing, don't know but sure sounds like the dealio for some real wild photography never available before with compact systems.

N

 

[Funland111]

I agree with Nemrod's response to my original thread. If I had more of an opportunity to dive I would definitely have a dedicated system. I had contacted underwater photography store, and was told that Ikelite's housing for the G12 was the worse housing Ikelite has produced. I don't have any experience with housings other than the canon housing for my A640. I should probably just bite the bullet and get the FIX housing, but the cost is hard to justify only having one week out of the year available for warm water diving -- the rest of the time I dive a cold quary.

Bill

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Don't forget to check out the Recsea G12 housing, we just got them in stock and they are great, allowing access to 2 different fisheye lenses, and access to both control wheels. I'll post a review soon.

Scott

 

[slowhands]

I agree with Nemrod's response to my original thread. If I had more of an opportunity to dive I would definitely have a dedicated system. I had contacted underwater photography store, and was told that Ikelite's housing for the G12 was the worse housing Ikelite has produced. I don't have any experience with housings other than the canon housing for my A640. I should probably just bite the bullet and get the FIX housing, but the cost is hard to justify only having one week out of the year available for warm water diving -- the rest of the time I dive a cold quary.

Bill

I am not a great fan of ikelite housings, but I have dove with people who used them successfully for the G11, and the G12 housing is virtually identical. I'd be curious to hear what the specific criticisms were. Could be they wanted to upsell to a FIX.

Yes, the port glass is big, and you need an adapter to mount a macro lens and the WD4 bubble lens is expensive, but they do deliver a solid product. The ergonomics might not be great, but the alternatives cost twice as much. It has a great built in strobe interface for Ikelite strobes too, which are solid.

 

[Funland111]

I believe the fellow's issue with the Ikelite housing was ergonomics, but as soon as I mentioned Ikelite G12 housing he went into a rolling criticism of it, which ended that portion of out conversation. I am looking for a housing compatible with my Ikelite AF-35 strobe. I understand my strobe will not work with the Recsea or FIX housings, which means I have to purchase a new strobe with either of those options. We have a family business that is into it's 4th generation, which limits my diving time --- they will be putting me out to pasture before too long then it will be a different story.

Bill

 

[slowhands]

I believe the fellow's issue with the Ikelite housing was ergonomics, but as soon as I mentioned Ikelite G12 housing he went into a rolling criticism of it, which ended that portion of out conversation. I am looking for a housing compatible with my Ikelite AF-35 strobe. I understand my strobe will not work with the Recsea or FIX housings, which means I have to purchase a new strobe with either of those options...
Bill

The AF35 sensor module just needs to see the camera flash to trigger the AF35 strobe. So any transparent housing, the Canon or Ikelite, would work fine. When you decide to move on to another strobe, there are guys who want the AF35 used. You can offer it in the classifieds here and recover some of your investment.

The one criticism I hear of the ikelite housing is the non-return zoom control -- you have to manually push it back to center or the lens will keep right on zooming to the limit. I suspect you develop a habit of doing that and it becomes a minor issue. But the housing is solid, if not svelte.

Ikelite does not do a custom plastic shape for each camera. They use one of several standard housing "boxes" and machine the plastic to hold the controls and lens port for many cameras. This minimizes their design time and design cost, but the housing shape is not optimized for any given camera. There are limitations on where they can place controls and how the controls work. When you compare it to a custom tailored housing, it may seem bulky and less optimized for a particular camera, but generally the Ikelite housings are reliable and the customer support is industry-leading.

I know salesmen like to sell the higher-end housing, but for people who use the camera for one or two weeks a year, maybe that investment is hard to justify.