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G1 Underwater Housing

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Dont_Shoot

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Does anyone know of a cheaper underwater housing for the G1 than the Ikelite?

When I originally bought my G1 the salesman told me that Canon sold one, but when I went back to order one he denied saying this. This was part of the reason I went for the G1. So far I've only seen the Ikelite and that is 750 USD which is a little pricey for me...
 
If the salesperson told you that, you should go back there and speak to the Manager. Insist that they do something to compensate you. There is too much of this going on, and it makes me mad.

Bottom line - they obviously cannot sell you something that does not exist, but they can offer some kind of compensation. If what you say is completely correct, what the salesman did was "misrepreseantation" and there are laws that protect consumers against this. The store knows this, and now you know it. Just don't put up with it.

Good luck...
Matt.
Dont_Shoot said:
Does anyone know of a cheaper underwater housing for the G1 than
the Ikelite?
When I originally bought my G1 the salesman told me that Canon sold
one, but when I went back to order one he denied saying this. This
was part of the reason I went for the G1. So far I've only seen the
Ikelite and that is 750 USD which is a little pricey for me...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for that, it's fairly basic but ok for snorkelling and taking shots in the surf etc.
I've emailed them for the price/dealer list.
It's a shame Canon don't do one.
So is my choice the Ewamarine bag or the $750 US Ikelite?

As for the sales rep. he just denied saying anything to do with a Canon housing. He was like "oh, there's one for the Ixus...but not for the G1".
Don Ellis said:
Dont_Shoot said:
Does anyone know of a cheaper underwater housing for the G1 than
the Ikelite?
Click to expand...
Here's a thought...

http://www.ewamarine.com/English/Cameras/e-dcg1.htm

No prices listed but you can contact their distributors:

http://www.ewamarine.com/English/e-start.htm

Don
Click to expand...
 
I got a reply from Ewa-marine (very prompt).

"the retail price of the D-CG1 is $265 (AUSD) this includes GST, our products are not available in stores at this point of time however if you wish to purchase one please drop us a line as we are placing orders for Germany."

I know it's cheaper than the $750 (USD) Ikelite but $150-ish (USD) seems a bit steep for a plastic bag...

Has anyone used these products??? Is it worthwhile, or should I start saving for the Ikelite?
 
Dont_Shoot said:
I know it's cheaper than the $750 (USD) Ikelite but $150-ish (USD)
seems a bit steep for a plastic bag...
Click to expand...
I agree with that...
Dont_Shoot said:
Has anyone used these products??? Is it worthwhile, or should I
start saving for the Ikelite?
Click to expand...
Haven't used it but on paper, at that price, I would buy the Ikelite. You'd have the strobe flash option with Ikelite (which I think would be almost imperative beyond 15 feet) and I question how easy it is to operate the camera controls through thick plastic.

Still, if you can operate the controls and you're snorkeling in ten feet of water, and you want to save $600, it's probably all right.

Don
 
$600 bucks is a lot of schmackeroos... especially when they're of the US variety! that works out to $1200 AUD in savings for an aussie... or 2/3 the cost of the camera, still in your pocket.

i have ordered the dcg-1 and hope to get it in late january. will let you all know how it goes with my G2... incl. posting some pix of course! should be a lot of fun and i sure as hell can't justify $1500 aussie bucks to get some underwater pix!!!

you'd have to be either a pro, or pretty hardcore diver to shell out those bikkies...
Don Ellis said:
Dont_Shoot said:
I know it's cheaper than the $750 (USD) Ikelite but $150-ish (USD)
seems a bit steep for a plastic bag...
Click to expand...
I agree with that...
Don Ellis said:
Has anyone used these products??? Is it worthwhile, or should I
start saving for the Ikelite?
Click to expand...
Haven't used it but on paper, at that price, I would buy the
Ikelite. You'd have the strobe flash option with Ikelite (which I
think would be almost imperative beyond 15 feet) and I question how
easy it is to operate the camera controls through thick plastic.

Still, if you can operate the controls and you're snorkeling in ten
feet of water, and you want to save $600, it's probably all right.

Don
Click to expand...
--------------------------------------i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
 
oh yeah, and it's not just "a plastic bag"... you could call the ikelite a very expensive "plastic box" if you wanted, too... the dc-g1 is specifically designed for the G1/G2 cameras, and obviously has to be made to exact, precision tolerances to remain watertight. plus it's got an optical glass lens port- never cheap, esp when it has to be 100% waterproof!

the dcg-1 can be taken down below 15 metres (i sure as hell won't be going down anywhere near that far, i'm thinking about in the pool, at the beach, in rivers etc,shallow stuff but still wet!) and it WILL NOT LEAK... however the controls may be hard to operate due to water pressure compressing air in bag....

anyway its still waaaaay cheaper and almost justifiable!
Warren Prasek said:
i have ordered the dcg-1 and hope to get it in late january. will
let you all know how it goes with my G2... incl. posting some pix
of course! should be a lot of fun and i sure as hell can't justify
$1500 aussie bucks to get some underwater pix!!!

you'd have to be either a pro, or pretty hardcore diver to shell
out those bikkies...
Don Ellis said:
Dont_Shoot said:
I know it's cheaper than the $750 (USD) Ikelite but $150-ish (USD)
seems a bit steep for a plastic bag...
Click to expand...
I agree with that...
warren prasek said:
Has anyone used these products??? Is it worthwhile, or should I
start saving for the Ikelite?
Click to expand...
Haven't used it but on paper, at that price, I would buy the
Ikelite. You'd have the strobe flash option with Ikelite (which I
think would be almost imperative beyond 15 feet) and I question how
easy it is to operate the camera controls through thick plastic.

Still, if you can operate the controls and you're snorkeling in ten
feet of water, and you want to save $600, it's probably all right.

Don
Click to expand...
--
------------------------------------
i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
Click to expand...
--------------------------------------i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
 
Warren Prasek said:
oh yeah, and it's not just "a plastic bag"...
it has to be made to exact, precision tolerances to remain watertight.
Click to expand...
Well, my Ziplock bags hold water and I don't think we're talking too precision there :-) But you're right... it's a lot of money for the Ikelite. You'd have to do a lot of diving to justify it.
warren prasek said:
the dcg-1 can be taken down below 15 metres >
Click to expand...
I mentioned 15 feet because below that your light is starting to fall off fast and you (or maybe that's "I") would really want an external flash, especially considering particulate matter in the water.

Anyway, I hope the plastic bag works well for you and look forward to a report.

Don
 
I found this site some time ago, and it appears that they are now out of stock on the item shown in the link:
http://www.cases4less.com/detail_aquapac_aq-c70.html

The price is much better, but I don't know when they will be getting any more. The lens window isn't glass, so I suppose that it is possible to scratch it.

It could be worth checking out...

--rhb
Dont_Shoot said:
Dont_Shoot wrote:
Does anyone know of a cheaper underwater housing for the G1 than
the Ikelite?
When I originally bought my G1 the salesman told me that Canon sold
one, but when I went back to order one he denied saying this. This
was part of the reason I went for the G1. So far I've only seen the
Ikelite and that is 750 USD which is a little pricey for me...
Click to expand...
----rhb
 
If you want to scuba dive, the ewa marine will not work. The controls will be totally unusable below about 25-35 feet, due to the pressure collapsing the bag around the camera body.

I've got the ikelite housing for my G2, and love it. Solid as a rock, and takes great pix. I've personally taken pix at 140 feet, and come home with flame wrasse shots.

Ikelite just makes great gear, and compared to all the other real uw photo housings, they are a total bargain. Typically, the aluminum housings gor for $2000 and up, and you have to pay extra for a lens port.

Don
 
Just wondering where you got the 15 metres from. The Ewa website page says 10 metres. Have you tried it deeper than 10m?

Bag Vs Box: I guess it's a decision between snorkelling and diving at the end of the day....
Warren Prasek said:
the dcg-1 can be taken down below 15 metres (i sure as hell won't
be going down anywhere near that far, i'm thinking about in the
pool, at the beach, in rivers etc,shallow stuff but still wet!) and
it WILL NOT LEAK... however the controls may be hard to operate due
to water pressure compressing air in bag....
Click to expand...
 
You can order directly from the manufacturer.

http://www.aquapac.net

Based on the dimensions given you may need the larger "digital camera" bag for a g2. Search on this forum there are a few posts about the aquapac
Richard said:
The price is much better, but I don't know when they will be
getting any more. The lens window isn't glass, so I suppose that
it is possible to scratch it.

It could be worth checking out...

--rhb
Richard35285 said:
Dont_Shoot wrote:
Does anyone know of a cheaper underwater housing for the G1 than
the Ikelite?
When I originally bought my G1 the salesman told me that Canon sold
one, but when I went back to order one he denied saying this. This
was part of the reason I went for the G1. So far I've only seen the
Ikelite and that is 750 USD which is a little pricey for me...
Click to expand...
--

--rhb
Click to expand...
 
Dont_Shoot said:
Just wondering where you got the 15 metres from. The Ewa website
page says 10 metres. Have you tried it deeper than 10m?
Click to expand...
i must have made a mistake. i haven't received the dcg-1 yet, so i guess it goes down to whatever the website says it is- 10m sounds about right. certainly much deeper than i intend on going, seeing as i don't (never have yet anyway) dive... just want it for beach/pool/river shots... i.e. typically in/above water (protect from splashes) and up to say 4 or 5metres below, tops...

incidentally, the site says the plastic "bag" can go down more than 10m and WILL NOT LEAK at all, you just can't operate the camera controls due to water pressure compressing the air in the bag.
Dont_Shoot said:
Bag Vs Box: I guess it's a decision between snorkelling and diving
at the end of the day....
Click to expand...
yes, that and about $600 USD!

--------------------------------------i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
 
I'm wondering if the camera is set ok (ie doesn't need any controls changing, or is on P etc) then it'll still be ok to keep shooting. I'm guessing the shutter release button will still be operational.

I wonder how deep it could go and not leak. Then on a dive one could shoot til it became non-operational but one could keep diving deeper without the fear of damage.

Do you think the pressure (squueze) would damage the camera even if the bag didn't didn't leak?
Anyone fancy testing on their camera? ;-)
Warren Prasek said:
Dont_Shoot said:
Just wondering where you got the 15 metres from. The Ewa website
page says 10 metres. Have you tried it deeper than 10m?
Click to expand...
i must have made a mistake. i haven't received the dcg-1 yet, so i
guess it goes down to whatever the website says it is- 10m sounds
about right. certainly much deeper than i intend on going, seeing
as i don't (never have yet anyway) dive... just want it for
beach/pool/river shots... i.e. typically in/above water (protect
from splashes) and up to say 4 or 5metres below, tops...

incidentally, the site says the plastic "bag" can go down more
than 10m and WILL NOT LEAK at all, you just can't operate the
camera controls due to water pressure compressing the air in the
bag.
warren prasek said:
Bag Vs Box: I guess it's a decision between snorkelling and diving
at the end of the day....
Click to expand...
yes, that and about $600 USD!

--
------------------------------------
i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
Click to expand...
 
the ewa-marine website seems pretty adamant that it will keep your camera safe. down to what depth, i don't know, obviously every product has its "breaking point"- but yes, the key factor here would be pressure impeding operation apparently, not water getting in.

dont know how deep that would be, but for me, even 10m will be way more than i can ever see myself going, at least in the next 2 or 3 years, by which time i am sure i will have sold the G2 to get something better

(pro 90 successor perhaps? fingers crossed...)
Dont_Shoot said:
I'm wondering if the camera is set ok (ie doesn't need any
controls changing, or is on P etc) then it'll still be ok to keep
shooting. I'm guessing the shutter release button will still be
operational.
I wonder how deep it could go and not leak. Then on a dive one
could shoot til it became non-operational but one could keep diving
deeper without the fear of damage.
Do you think the pressure (squueze) would damage the camera even if
the bag didn't didn't leak?
Anyone fancy testing on their camera? ;-)
Click to expand...
--------------------------------------i was gonna type something witty here but then i changed my mind.
 
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