Ikelite designs and manufactures the widest range of underwater imaging equipment in the world. We are a market leader in waterproof camera housings, strobes, TTL systems, and accessories. Our products are engineered to provide a professional grade performance using lightweight and durable materials. We make underwater photography accessible to every level of shooter through our educational content, direct advice, customer service, and affordable prices.
Ikelite is woman-led and family owned. Our products are innovated, built, and sold from our headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Definitely anxious to dive into this! I'm very comfortable with the ocean but have only ever shot with a GoPro and I only do freediving these days. Really want to start with a smaller setup, no strobe lights just the housing. There's a lot of factors like which lens to use, how to setup the ports and all that. Wish I had someone local to just take me out and go through the whole thing. Also just preordered the Iphone 16 Pro which does 4K 120fps so I bet that could get some really cool macro shots with a housing.
I just wanna see how smooth the slow motion is in 4k 120. Ive seen videos where it doesnt look that smooth underwater. Really want this setup for underwater.
When using with a Sony it requires a slightly longer zoom gear sleeve (5509.28) but the installation is basically the same as what is shown in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0ARIoxUwF-M.html
Yes for the most part it does. There is a little more difficulty adapting fisheye lenses designed for DSLR cameras to newer mirrorless cameras- often continuous autofocus is poor or not supported at all. But the principles of optics still hold in terms of image sharpness and depth of field.
We haven't tested that lens yet, it may not work due to its size. It's not an ideal lens for underwater use due to it being relatively narrow at its widest, a longer minimum focus distance (requiring a diopter), and the fact that it extends so much when it zooms.
can i ask you which kind of lighting are you using? 1 or 2 continuos light torch ? and how many lummens. what can you recommend for this sort of focal lens (16mm). Greetings from Denmark
It's a matter of preference... Many users have shared they prefer the simplicity of a low-profile mechanical valve with no electronic components and no batteries to maintain.
We hear that quite frequently actually! Every system has pros and cons, what feels right for you may not be right for someone else. It’s good to have choices of all kinds of quality systems at all different price points.
@@ikelite for me, only thing that is preventing me to buy ikelite housing again is the vacuum system. It’s amazing how much little green led brings peace of mind while diving.
I second an awesome job. But 850 bucks, are you serious? 🙁 Anything around 300, even 400 would look acceptable, but 850.. Almost of the price of the full enclosure for an acrylic back panel? 😮
Two precision machined pieces and a surprising amount of cost in 12 controls and an optically enhanced viewfinder. And that's before it's assembled, tested with a camera, and water pressure tested.
The Z6 III system is definitely geared towards a more serious and/or professional user. Every system has its strengths and weaknesses, including iPhone. It is great that we have such a wide variety of camera options that are capable of excellent imaging underwater.
I have worked with Erena several times and I can vouch that she truly is a gifted underwater healer. Of all the photographers I’ve worked with, she is my favorite. She is a gem of a person too! ❤️
We prefer fisheye lenses like an 8-15mm fisheye but you may be able to get by with a 14-35mm or 16-35mm depending on how close you are getting. Check out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BNXMKC0mW2A.html
@@ikelite great thanks! It doesn’t cause distortion / barrel effect when filming ? Talking about video not stills. Also in such a low light situation, what fstop do you use to get the whole orca in focus ? Would you be concerned about a very shallow depth of field when shooting wide open ? Thanks again & keep up the amazing work!
@@happy1wandering Assuming you're referring to the 8-15mm fisheye. The distortion effect of a fisheye lens tends to work in your favor underwater and is generally not even noticeable at the distance your shooting orcas from. You can see more big animal video taken with a fisheye in this video of Florida manatees: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pq7PMgw95aA.html Wide open f/4 is going to be preferred in these kind of very dark environments. Depth of field is not a concern with fisheye lenses underwater.
ikelite has a brilliant business model. They completely dominate the entry market with great products, great reliability, and a fully modular ecosystem set to compete with systems 5x the price.
Hey! Good question. It stacks up wonderfully next to the A7SIII, and I have used it as a b-cam next to the A7SIII for a few shoots. Underwater, you're not going to see a big difference outside of the size and ergonomics of the ZV-E1's housing being much smaller. Which is great. Basically they're identical in the image that they produce, with the ZV-E1 having updated stabilization modes and AI auto-focus. However, A7SIII has way more buttons to customize and can record for much longer than the ZV-E1. It's not all the time, but I have had the ZV-E1 overheat on me during a dive (switched it off for a few min and was good to go). The A7SIII also has 2 card slots, which is really nice if you're doing any professional work or need lots of storage. Hope this helps!
@@ikelite thanks for such a great reply. really appreciate it. im considering this, in an Ikelite housing for sure.. just undecided between this and the A6700. im moving up from a canon g7xm2, so both will definitely be an upgrade regardless.. but leaning towards the ZVE1 for the sensor. off my head, these 2 should produce the exact same results, if not, the ZVE1 being slightly better due to the new tech... im a hobbyist at the moment, so no professional work is being done, so the dual card slot isnt a huge deal on my end.. too many choices in the market right now that it gets confusing..
@@DeepBlueWanderer-ww9ho Nice! We've seen some great footage out of the A6700 (same APSC sensor as the FX30) and you'll probably end up saving some money on lenses in the end with the A6700. Let us know if we can answer anymore questions. Happy diving!
@@ikelite One final question, for now... if i do videos, using lights, do you think there is gonna be significant differences compared to the ZVE1? i know, with larger sensor, u get better low light performance.. but once video lights are being introduced, you reckon there is still a big difference? i also know depth of field plays a role, but in terms of underwater photography and videography, is it even an issue, depth of field wise..
@@DeepBlueWanderer-ww9ho In the same, sunny environment, I don't think video quality will be significantly different. You could argue the ZV-E1 is better since its using a sensor proven to produce great footage. But so does the A6700. Specs seem to level out a bit underwater, especially with cameras that have come out in the past few years. With proper lighting, you'll get a great image with either camera. As for depth of field, I wouldn't look at it as an issue. In my opinion, the difference in DOF between ASPC and FF isn't something I worry about too much. The sharpest point behind a dome is going to be stopped down a bit anyways. - Logan
The housing starts at US$1895 plus the cost of the port (required - sold separately). Find a dealer worldwide here: www.ikelite.com/pages/store-locator
The first time you take it off it is extremely tight. We actually thought it didn’t come off at first! Just keep at it and make sure you’re rotating it the correct direction.
Hey Mirko, go as wide as you can. F/4 will work if there's light, but in December in Norway, perfect light is 2-3hrs of ambient light and no cloud cover (which isn't always the case). Outside of that, F/4 is too dark. Hope this helps!
So rad! Beautifully shot! I dig the kelp forest adventure. Recently went freediving in a kelp forest for the first time and it's gorgeous! Love the little swim throughs but you can definitely get tangled up. I was right there with you on that kelp moment you were narrating it was lovely. They're tagged as sea lions in the description but were being called seals in the video. Those are definitely sea lions and not seals. I'm planning to buy a DSLR with housing in hopes to get some lovely shots like these! Big inspiration! Looking forward to more video adventures from you!
Well noted :) Cape Fur Seals are in fact Brown Fur Seals (a similar type is also found in Australia) and due to several physical features, including external ear flaps (pinnae) they have been described as the most sea lion-like fur seals.
@@JdeVos Wow Cape Fur Seals do look so much like Sea Lions! I just see the big span of the flippers and the way they spread them out like they're flying through the ocean and think Sea Lion. So fun to watch.
Make sure the batteries are in the right orientation and the switch on the battery holder is “ON.” If you’re still having trouble email us via ikelite@ikelite.com and we’ll troubleshoot it.
Once I lubricated my canon g7x mark iii ikelite housing O ring. To my surprise 🤣 increased 3 times the size. Luckily ikelite replayed to my email by explaining, before I went to my next dive. Just in time 🙏
Aw thanks for choosing Ikelite! Please consider sharing your photos for our Featured Customers section of the website: www.ikelite.com/blogs/customer-photos/customer-photos-gallery-submissions
Will this be available for Sony A series cameras? Having had a number of sync cord failures one of which ruined a trip, optical is a very attractive alternative.
Sorry to hear that! Typically electrical sync is very reliable. There is a manual fiber optic converter available and hopefully a TTL fiber optic option coming soon.
I bought this system for my Nikon Z7 a week or so ago and really cant get it working. I have emailed support today and hope to get a resolution. Some controls work, others dont - cant turn it on or off, use the wheel selector, switch photo to video and cant get the lens and focus ring to bayonet at all - seems the ring is too tight even with the thinnest adhesive. Although I am sure there is a resolution right now I am super disappointed in the products
Thanks for choosing Ikelite products. Sorry to hear about the difficulties you're experiencing. We appreciate the opportunity to address any issues and will be in touch over email.
We often shoot the PZ 16-35mm but this housing is compatible with a wide variety of lenses, check out the port chart here: docs.ikelite.com/reference/port-chart-dlm-a-system-sony.pdf
Sadly the Z6 Mark III cannot be used in the same housing due to differences in the camera thickness and control placement. We are releasing a new housing for this model very soon.
Have you had a chance to shoot any stills underwater with this set up? It seems like the ZVE1 is taking a lot of heat as a video only camera that has no business as a hybrid camera underwater. I’m assuming that is mostly due to the lack of EVF and the electronic shutter. Curious if anyone has actually tested this out with strobes, or if everyone is just writing it off as a stills camera?
Honestly we haven't shot this underwater with strobes but in terms of lighting compatibility and TTL operation it works just as well as any of the other compact Sony cameras. On these smaller cameras we tend to use the LCD for framing anyway when shooting stills so the lack of EVF isn't a major issue.
@@ikelite appreciate the response, and would be interested in a video about the ZVE1 as a hybrid underwater camera or a comparison as a hybrid camera versus the a7siii, or other similar full frames. I have a couple of used ZVE1’s at my local camera shop, that I’ve been really close to buying, but all the RU-vid reviews of it being a video exclusive camera has scared me off a little. I shoot mostly video, but still like the option to capture stills when the situation dictates.
Auto WB could be usable if you're shooting with very bright video lights, but in ambient light conditions it's not going to bring out nearly as much color as custom white balance.
