Underwater housings

julez113@yahoo.com · 10-02-2008, 09:14 AM

I'm looking for an underwater housing that will fit my ist DL and K10D. Is there such an animal out there made specifically for Pentax SLRs in the hard plastic case variety? I see the plastic baggy types going for about $100-120, but I would prefer a hard case if there is one out there, or if anyone knows where I can get one. I see one for everything BUT Pentax, naturally

bdery · 10-02-2008, 09:22 AM

Ikelite is the most common, but apparently they don't do it for Pentax. You could request it, though.

One thing is sure, a plastic shell will be dedicated to one model only, and will not fit any other. That's one of the good aspects of getting a polyurethane bag. the plastic shells are rated for much deeper levels, of course.

julez113@yahoo.com · 10-02-2008, 09:45 AM

Thanks for your reply, that's kind of what I was finding, but I wanted to make certain I hadn't missed anything. Does $100-120 sound pretty reasonable for the bags? Do you think I'd have any chance of finding a used one (I'm cheap hehe)? Cheers

woof · 10-02-2008, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by julez113@yahoo.com

I'm looking for an underwater housing that will fit my ist DL and K10D. Is there such an animal out there made specifically for Pentax SLRs in the hard plastic case variety? I see the plastic baggy types going for about $100-120, but I would prefer a hard case if there is one out there, or if anyone knows where I can get one. I see one for everything BUT Pentax, naturally

http://www.uk-germany.com/

This company has a housing for the K10D and the DS. Well worth the trip I would think. When I looked at their site today it seemed to be down. However, I looked into distribution, and found this:

List of underwater cameras that can be used with the UK-GERMANY UK-D-K10D underwater housing

List of underwater cameras that can be used with the UK-GERMANY UK-D-*istDs underwater housing

Let us know how this works out for you!

Kind regards,

woof!
Certified Rescue Diver

IlluminataPhoto · 10-02-2008, 11:29 AM

I purchased a used ewa marine housing/bag for my Pentax K20D this summer and have really enjoyed using it. I bought the model that could allow me to put a flash onto my camera - don't remember the model number off of the top of my head. I paid about $200 for this on ebay in July, and it's a purchase that I don't regret. I had my camera at the pool several times, and went snorkeling in Lake Michigan a few times. It has been really great for me to extend my photography in this way...

The ewa marine design has a glass port, surrounded by thick polyethylene (I believe). I mostly use this outfit and just "machine gun" my images - i.e., shoot without looking through the viewfinder. It is possible to use the viewfinder, but it gets awkward (which is likey true for any of these housings).

Good luck,

Tim!

*Frank Fletcher* · 10-02-2008, 11:37 AM

Ouch - 1900 euros. Out of my price range! (actually anything is out of my price range right now)

Apparently, there is a guy out of San Diego who makes housings. Check out SPL Water Housings - Custom crafting splash housings since 1996 - SPLwaterhousings.com. He doesn't list the Pentax (surprise surprise) but he has made several of them. I know Mark Dimalanta and Erik Aeder have used them. See here: NED BUNNELL: January 2007 and here: ewa-marine (underwater-housing) - Digital Photographer Philippines. The video on Dimalanta's Pentaxians.com segment shows him using it briefly. I'm sure they are also too expensive for me.

Disclaimer: I don't know any of these people (yet).

Nor have I used any of these products (yet).

woof · 10-03-2008, 07:32 PM

If we are back to talking about bags as opposed to hard shells, the cost goes down significantly, and you can actually get bags that will go as deep as about 150 feet.

See the following listing:

Waterproof Camera Cases, SLR, Digital SLR, Underwater Housings

The K10D/K20D fit the following models: U-A, U-AZ, U-AX, U-AXP, U-AXP100

woof!

*Canada_Rockies* · 10-03-2008, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by julez113@yahoo.com

I'm looking for an underwater housing that will fit my ist DL and K10D. Is there such an animal out there made specifically for Pentax SLRs in the hard plastic case variety? I see the plastic baggy types going for about $100-120, but I would prefer a hard case if there is one out there, or if anyone knows where I can get one. I see one for everything BUT Pentax, naturally

How about the Pentax Optio W60? it's good to 3 or 4 meters underwater, weighs almost nothing, and has a 10>1 zoom to boot. Since the LCD is the viewfinder, it should be easily used underwater.

Caveat: It won't work at 50m down!