Waterhousing Recomendation!

Coleman Photography

Ok so i have been wanting to get a waterhousing for my camera. i shoot alot of surfing. I dont have alot of money to spend on one. but know im going to have to drop a bit to get one. anyone know of anygood places and prices to get one and one you have used you like, thanks.

ziggy53

Coleman Photography wrote:

Ok so i have been wanting to get a waterhousing for my camera. i shoot alot of surfing. I dont have alot of money to spend on one. but know im going to have to drop a bit to get one. anyone know of anygood places and prices to get one and one you have used you like, thanks.

What camera and what lenses?

Do you want a true underwater housing or do you just want basic splash protection?

Jabba

Coleman Photography wrote:

Ok so i have been wanting to get a waterhousing for my camera. i shoot alot of surfing. I dont have alot of money to spend on one. but know im going to have to drop a bit to get one. anyone know of anygood places and prices to get one and one you have used you like, thanks.

ReefPhoto.com is one of the leading sources in the U.S. They're located in Ft Lauderdale, FL I bought the housing for my G10 there and they were terrific to deal with. Know their stuff and carry a good inventory. I dealt with Ryan.

Coleman Photography

its for a nikon d200 and lence depends on the houseing.

ziggy53

Coleman Photography wrote:

its for a nikon d200 and lence depends on the houseing.

Actually, it's the other way around. Different lens sizes may require different "ports" for an underwater housing.

OK, since you didn't respond to whether you needed an underwater housing or just splash protection, let's start very simply.

Some photographers, our own Andy being one and "aktse" another, use a plastic bag with a hole cut in a corner of the bag to allow the lens to poke through, while protecting the rest of the lens body and camera body. This provides some protection from spray and foam, but will not protect in case of immersion. A protective front filter is almost required.

The next step up is a DIY solution, but it mostly works with shorter lenses. You find a sturdy plasic, weather proof box and cut a porthole in one side and attach an optical port of some sort. Once the activated camera and lens are safely inside and the box is sealed, you use a wireless remote for basic camera actuation. The wireless remote is placed inside a suitable plastic bag and sealed to protect it. (Freezer bags tend to be nice for this and you can even use a heat seal to make the bag waterproof.) While not really suitable for deep underwater, some occasional immersion may be possible if care is taken to make sure the box is truly a sealed system. Adjusting the camera or changing the lens obviously requires opening the box.

The best solution, and by far the most expensive, is a custom underwater case with interchangeable ports for the different lenses. It can easily cost as much as the camera and lens it protects, but it allows true immersion with the best possible protection. A system which uses dual seals is considered potentially better, but there is always some risk.

Some links to the DIY solutions:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=128669

http://web.media.mit.edu/~tim/pix/waterproofcamera.html

http://www.geektonic.com/2007/08/diy-underwater-camera-housing-for-under.html

http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/accessories/0901sb_doit/

akent

I would go this route if you aren't sure if your going to go all-out and get a housing. I got this for some wakeboarding shots and it has done well so far.

BH Link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/547694-REG/DiCAPac_WPS10_WP_S10_Waterproof_Case_.html

Coleman Photography

Have you had it submursed in water. I will be wading in the water and when a wave comes i might be under for a second or so.

akent

Its been trouble free the few times I have had it out in the water. I have taken it wakeboarding a few times, white water rafting and it has been great. Definitely worth every penny. Better than a housing? no, but its also a 20th of the cost. Housings are designed to go down below what non-scuba people like myself are prepared to go. I went into B&H and talked to the underwater specialist there and this is what he suggested. He likes this more than the EWA marine system that they also sell (for more money) and he said this was for me. I have to agree, I have been quite happy with the results. Here is a quick clip I got of a friend jumping off a ledge into the water. Click Here The lake wasn't TOOO clear but you get the idea...

Forgive the insane Fbook compression but its the only place online I have these posted...

InsuredDisaster

I've got an Ikelite housing for my D300. It works very well, waterproof, and you can get to all the controls. Downsides are that its heavy, big, and expensive. Furthermore, you need a port for the lense, and the downside of that is for example, my Sigma WA lens uses a port that is 8 inches across. I'd probably go for one of the waterproof bags shown above if you just need splash protection.


Something else you might consider though is insurance. H20insurance.com is one that covers flooding. You might end up with a high deductible, but you'lll get up to 90% of the camera's value if flooded. Covers other damage too.