I'm not sure how to really ask this question, and I am sure there are as many answers as there are way to pose this, so...here goes a shot.

Which housing , for my D80 that I am getting for Christmas , might be appropriate for me? I'm not a beginner. My point and shoot is frustrating me beyond all belief. I just can't adjust things to get the shot I want. That is why I am making the jump to DSLR. I'll probably never be a professional, thus my wanting a mid level DSLR, not a D2x or something. I want something I can grow into not out of and do more with than print 8.5 x11's for my wall.

A brand such as Ikelite is near the bottom of the price range. Very good, yet heavy above water by 2-3 lbs. over aluminum ones. I believe they work best with their proprietary strobes?
Another brand, such as Sea & Sea, is a few hundred dollars more. Is it worth it? I don't see too many with this brand. Does it do the same job as Ike or a more expensive brand like:
Aquatica. This one is several hundred, if not a thousand dollars, more than Ike. By spending some time here, I have found that more of the Professionals use this caliber of housing. Is it lighter to carry? Does it have better buoyancy characteristics? More access to camera functions?

What makes a particular housing more desirable? I persoanlly like the aluminum ones because they are more form fitting and "sexier" than a square plexiglass case. Is this enough of a reason to spend the extra money? I know someone is going to say, "go pick one up or try it out". Unfortunately, with my current schedule, I'd be skipping the one weekend per month I get off work and the day of diving to do that. Please help me to understand the differences. Thanks!!

There have been a few discussions on the topic, with protractors of both camps (polycarbonate v/s aluminium, glass ports v/s polycarb ports, etc.).

After trying an important number of housings, I think it all boils down to the ergonomics of the housing and the budget. If you feel comfortable with a housing and you can afford it, great. If you can't afford the one that feels best in your hands, then the answer is also obvious: go for the next best you can afford.

I got the Ike D80 housing a few weeks ago and have taken it diving for one weekend. You are correct that it is a bit heavy out of the water, but I don't know if it is much heavier than its aluminum competitors. Looking at the housings for the D200, the Sea & Sea housing weighs 2.5kg. The Ikelite housing weighs 2.67 kg (without port). The Subal weighs 2.2kg (Subal and S&S weights are from DigiDeep and probably don't include a port). Half a kilogram isn't worth all that much to me, since I don't carry the camera around out of the water that much. Underwater, with one DS-125 strobe and ULCS arms, the camera was a little negatively buoyant, but not terribly so.

When you're comparing the costs between the different brands, be sure to compare some port costs. An additional consideration for me is that I don't want to spend $3-5k for a housing for a camera that I might use for only 3 years - figuring that I'll have some reason to upgrade from the D80 one day.

David

Hi Pat,

I started off very much like you being horribly frustrated with my point&shoot experiences but still very much interested in UWphotography. In hind sight I think a good number of my earlier frustrations could have been addressed with a good strobe (instead of no strobe) and the newer compacts with less shutter lag should at least reduce that issue.

Anyway, like you I decided to make the leap to dSLR and boy what a difference it made. I went with the Ikelite housing as that is what I used before for my Canon G2 and I was comfortable with weight and ergonomics. I only have two weeks of diving experience with the camera but I never felt that weight or ergonomics where limiting me. Actually, this time I can confidently say that I myself am the limiting factor and I think that's the best situation to be in and a good motivation to get better at it. If money is not an issue then more expensive cameras and housings will have their benefits but if not then I think it is better to spend the money saved on the housing on a good lens, strobe, or on diving.

Bart

PS The only limitation I've come across is that the port diameter is not wide enough to accommodate some zoom lenses. It hasn't been a serious issue for me but it could be if you're dead-set on a particular lens.

Again, thank you for your responses! I guess what I am trying to figure out is that at what point am I going overboard with a housing I don't need. And better yet, Am I going to wish that I had spent the extra $500 on another housing after one brand won't do something that is helpful? + and - of one over the other?

Bart, which lenses won't the port diameter accept on your Ike? Maybe this would be a deciding factor for me. After much research I think the two lenses I want/need are the Nikkor 60mm and a 10.5mm.

BTW, I do have a strobe on my P&S and that helped emensely. I'm still frustrated because I am so limited with my particular camera.

Neither of those lenses is a problem in the Ike housing

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/2port_nikon.html

I have an Ikelite D70 housing most of my friends have Sea & Sea housings, The new Sea & Sea housing for the D80 looks much neater than the Ikelite housing however if I was upgrading I'd still save the money and stick with Ike. I've never found anything that's possible with the Sea & Sea that is not possible on the Ike housing.

Not sure exactly what it means but the Ikelite blurb says

Controls for all camera functions are provided except lock switch and the function button.

and the Sea & Sea blurb says

Controls almost all of the Nikon D80’s essential functions underwater.

I'd like to know just what S&S mean by this.

The maximum diameter for lenses in Ikelite ports is 3.3" when you don't need manual zoom or focus. If you do, you need to install a zoom gear (comes with the housing) and I'm not entirely sure what the maximum diameter is in that case. Definately no problem below 2.8" and with a special gear (also included with the housing) I understand that you can easily go to 3.0". Beyond that I'm not entirely sure. I believe it is possible (again up to 3.3"?) but I don't have personal experience. The 24-70mm F2.8 Canon lens does not fit. Some on this board have said they liked the Sigma 24-70 F2.8 (or 28-70, can't remember) which is wider than 3.3" according to the specs. Because of that I just bought a 28-75mm F2.8 zoom from Tamron which is only 2.9" and should be fine. In practise there aren't too many lenses that would go beyond 3.3" and are of great interest for UW use.

Bart

From the Wetpixel DEMA coverage, here are some photos of the Sea & Sea housing. Although the housing itself is very sexy, I prefer the way that Ikelite integrates the TTL into the housing body.







Here are a few pictures of the Subal prototype.





David

And, also from the Wetpixel DEMA coverage, here is the Nexus housing.







From Ikelite's website, here are a few pictures of their housing.





David

Like you I was frustrated by P&S cameras - I got a D70 and an Ike housing which I loved.

When I came into a bit of 'spare' cash from a dive related job I purchased a D200 and without any hesitation again bought an Ike housing.

To be honest my pictures have not improved any with the D200 over the D70 but the constant has been how happy I have been with that housing brand - put any 'saving' toward a 10.5mm lens and a small dome port.

I have no connection with Ike <insert disclaimer>....

Paul C

Comparing costs of housings can be deceptive. Don't forget the extras like ports, sync cords and TTL adapters. These little accessories are not cheap. On the plus side with Ikelite ports etc are also a lot cheaper than with Aquatica or S&S. With Ikelite the TTL adapter is built in so there is no added cost. So the few hundred dollars of extra cost on the housing will be over a thousand dollars when you factor in the cost differential on the extras as well.

Ikelite housings work with all strobes but will only TTL with their strobes. You probably want the Ike strobes anyway. Their higher power and faster recycle time is the best for the money. Be careful of the specs from S&S and Inon. Many users here have stated that they are exaggerated.