I'm starting to figure out a setup for my 1D2 and eventually a 1Ds2 and I don't know too much about some of the top of the line housings. I am considering either the Subal system or the Seacam system. Has anyone used either one, and what would be the difference in operation between these two systems? I know that the Seacam is a little more expensive, but if its decidedly better I have no problem spending the extra money.

The lenses I plan on using are the 100 macro and 17-40. Also if I can use the same port, I am considering the 15mm fisheye. Any experience here?

Strobes are something I know little about as well. I have use DS-125s in the past and they were good but not great. I was thinking about Inon strobes, but have no idea what models are highly regarded or any other manufacturers that are good.

This is probably the last UW housing setup I will buy for many years with the capabilities of the 1Ds2, so I want to do this right. I am moving to Fl so I will get a lot of use out of this housing and want it to be as good as possible. Thanks so much for answering my many questions.

Hi,

Both Subal and Seacam are great systems. James and Eric have Seacams for 1d/1ds and they can give you their impressions when they return from their trips. I have the Subal for the D2x (which is comparable in size and quality to the Subal for 1d/1ds) and I consider it the best housing I've ever used.

Now, to your question about ports, I am sure you will be able to use the same (fisheye) port with the 17-40 and 15. You will only need to add an extension ring to use the port with the 17-40.

Here are some links you may find useful:

Subal and Canon 1d/1ds review

Seacam 1d/1ds review

The Ikelite DS-125 is a great strobe, relatively small and powerful. Inon's are smaller, but I've never used them. New Subtronic strobes support eTTL with the Canons, but they are the most expensive and larger ones. For strobe comparisons, check this link:

Strober comparison chart

I hope this helps,

Luiz

thanks a lot for the links, they're super helpful.

does anyone know where to get Subtronic strobes and information?

Subtronic strobes:

http://www.subtronic.de/

I think Ryan may sell them:

http://www.reefphotovideo.com/

You should send him an e-mail and ask even if it is not listed in his site.

Luiz

There is also one for sale in the classifieds! Alex

I think that you will find that for the Seacam you will have to use the Superdome without an extender for the fisheye and with an appropriate extender for the 17~40. This will give the best optical results as, although Seacam build a fisheye port, it is not recommended for the 17~40.

Seacam's strobes are rehoused Subtronics so are similar in spec.

I use a 1DS myself (it will fit in the 1DSMkII (Seacam) housing with slight modification as will the 1D) and the results from it are stunning. I find the Seaflash 200 (Gamma) to be perfectly adequate for most photography and tend to run it manually at half or quarter power to give me more flashes per charge. I also use the S45 Sportsfinder (more expense!) and would not be without it now.

I prefer a fixed focal (24/1.4 - very bright viewfinder image) to the 17~40 but this is purely personal, and I find the 100mm macro Canon lens to be awesome underwater.

30 in x 20 in prints are better than anything I've ever achieved from 35mm film.

i'll definitely consider the 24 1.4, or maybe the Sigma 14 2.8, 20 1.8 after the shock of this purchase goes away. I also don't think that the 24 would be wide enough on the 1D series, but when I get the 1Ds2 I think that would work out a little better.

I think I am leaning towards the Subal at the moment. I find it odd that for $5500 the seacam doesn't offer access to all of the buttons on the camera. I also really like the look of the Subal, plus I can more easily afford the Subal plus the magnifying finder.

Also for strobes I am thinking dual Inon Z-220F with some Ultralight arms.

Is there any reason why you would use a Seacam over a Subal? I understand that they are both basically the pinnacle of housing design, with Seacam being a little higher. The only think I could think of is the felt stuff inside and the moisture alarm (which can be added to Subal). But I really don't think it's worth $900, plus the finder is another $600 over the Subal finder

The Subal for 1d (and D2x) comes standard with a moisture alarm.

I really would not use a 14mm lens (from any manufacturer) underwater - I've tried and looked at the theory and corners will be soft. As it is the 1DS (not MkII) pushes many lenses, especially wide-angles, to their limits.

As for differences between Seacam (which I sell in Britain & Ireland) and Subal (which I used for many years), all I can say is that both are excellent housings but you really need to see both to decide which you prefer! My personal comments (ie what I myself like) about the Seacam are as follow. The user interchangable viewfinder - I love the S45 and would buy the housing for this alone. It has a third flash socket possible as the remote release socket takes a flash socket, and I use this to enable two flash systems to be operated easily - but this may not be of interest to many. And the ergonomics, I personally like too. But given the cost of either the Subal or Seacam, I would strongly recommend that you try to see both if at all possible. Oh yes, and I've never found a limitation on the Seacam's controls!

I ended up going with the Seacam and have never looked back. It is a great housing with zero issues. The view finders are the envey of many. Once you use them, you will understand how nice they are. As for stobes, i have been very happy with ds125s. There are some issues with flooding on these strobes; however, Ike has been great about repairs. I never used a Subal housing. But i have seen them. i am happy i got the seacam.

Good luck, mark

I went through this over a year ago when the 1DII came out and decided to go with the Seacam. I don't have any first hand experience with Subal but was an Aquatica user previously. One of the biggest reasons I went with Seacam was for the interchangable viewfinders. I have the pro-viewfinder and S180 which is incredible - very bright and you can easily see corner to corner of your frame with your mask on. The engineering and craftsmanship that went into the Seacam housing is like nothing I have ever seen (other than my 1DII ). The interior flocking, the linkages for all the controls, the simple no-tool interchangeable viewfinders, compact size, no fuss camera removal/installation and Seacam Silver finish. One nit pick I have with my housing is that due to the size of the viewfinder port, it is difficult to see the top 1/4 of the rear LCD display.

I went with the Inon Z220 strobes which have worked great. I like the compact size, power and the fact that I can use AA alkaline or rechargable batteries.

As to lenses, I use the 15mm FE, 17-40 f4L and 100mm Macro. No complaints there...

Good luck with your decision. Keith

I'd like to echo the above. I just got back from a big trip and the Seacam housing performed like a dream. Like Eric says, you just don't even need to think about it. Not only does it feel like an extension of the camera, but it is so well designed that you just don't need to worry about it leaking.

I used the S180 on this trip to shoot super-macro and now I see that it is really worth the money. It adds some weight to the rig, which was a problem for me as I have a heavy camera and a really heavy macro lens, but I designed a foam buoyancy collar that fits on the port and makes the rig perfectly neutral in the water.

I used Inon Z220's for my macro work and I liked them a lot. I always use them w/ the diffusers on and I had enough light to shoot f22 ISO100 no problem.

Cheers
James

How about the weight of the Seacam housings? Do they become an issue at any time underwater? I traded my housed 10D with a Sea&Sea housing once for just a moment with a buddy who was shooting a Seacam and 1D2 and the weight was significantly more with the Seacam. Enough to have to pop air into my BC to compensate.

With my Seacam setup up for wideangle, underwater weight is not an issue. With the macro setup, I use my custom made buoyancy collar which makes the rig neutral in seawater. Without buoyancy, it's about the same weight underwater as an Aquatica D100 setup or a Sea and Sea film housing.

Cheers
James

I guess with all these glowing Seacam reviews I'd be doing myself a disservice not to check it out. Now that I'm in Fl, I guess I'll be taking a trip down to Key Largo to check them out at Frink's place.

With the S180 does anyone think there might be a problem with the viewfinder being a little to dim? I might upgrade to the 16-35, mostly for the reason that this lens seems to take the same port at the superwide lenses, while the 17-40 does not. That's what I remember, but I'm on dial-up for a few days here and I don't have hours to go check on my facts again.

I think I'll be going with the Inon strobes, mostly for the smaller size. Thanks a lot for the help.

One thing I did not mention was that the customer service was outstanding when dealing with SeacamUSA (Steven Frink and Liz). I have had no problems with my housing and my camera fit right into the housing out of the box but it is reasuring to know that if I did have a problem, they would be there to back up their product.

As for the S180 being dim, It is quite the opposite, the viewfinder is very bright and even more so if you are going to use an f2.8 lens like the 16-35. I have NO complaints with my 17-40 as far as brightness goes even though it is an f4 lens.

One of the features that I really liked about the Inons was the multiple power settings, they are very flexable in that area.

The weight issue has not been an issue for me. Even though the 1DsII is a beast, the housing forms to the camera very nicely and having come from an older Aquatica my Seacam feels like it is half the size/weight.

Keith