[ArneTorp]

I am planning to buy the K3 very soon and I would love to have an Under Water Housing for it. Does anybody know if there is such a thing?

I see that Ikelite had housings for K7/K5 but these are discontinued.

[DVaughan007]

I am, also interested in finding one!

[k5astro]

I think you need a custom build for DSLRs and that runs 3-5K$

EDIT: Its probably cheaper to select your camera based on the housing manufacturer offerings.

[mrNewt]

I doubt anyone builds a specific underwater housing for the K-3...

What you can try is the "underwater camera bags/case". They are built to fit many type of cameras and water proofing is very good as well. And some have very good reviews - like the ewa-marine

Examples:
ewa-marine:
http://store.aquapac.net/explore-product-range/waterproof-camera-cases/water...-case-451.html
Waterproof Large SLR Camera Case

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Last edited by mrNewt; 01-09-2014 at 07:23 AM.

[RoxnDox]

I doubt it. As you say, Ikelite has discontinued their K7/K5 housing, I can't find one for Nauticam, so one of those wet-bag sort of solutions would be about it. Better to do your underwater photography with another camera :-) Unless you go to tropical (clear) water, most of the time you're just as well off using a compact camera & lights rig anyway. The rule for us, here in the murky green waters of Puget Sound, is "Get close. Then, when you think you're close enough, get closer!". When visibility might be 5-10 feet, you won't get any far-away shots regardless of hte camera...

Jim

[alamo5000]

A guy on here a while back had one for the K-5.

It all depends on what kind of 'underwater housing' you want. Not all are equal.

For something really good that can take a big pounding... that's different than say something you will have in a swimming pool. 18 foot Hawaiian waves vs shooting divers in a pool... not the same.

Also the design matters...

But if you go with quality you can get one made or buy one for about the same price. A good one is going to be several thousand dollars. If you are interested I will find some people who make them back in Hawaii and connect you. I have several friends that are major league surf photographers and they will know what is better than what...

I do know housings are not cheap.

[andrewvu]

I've been struggling to get hold of decent housing suitable for scuba for the K5 II for sometime now. Lots of sites list having the Ikelite casing in stock but when you contact them they say it's discontinued and out of stock and that they need to update their listing.


The best bet I've had so far is with Equinox Housings, if you give them an email and they'll quote you a price for a case for your camera and a specific lens even though Pentax is not listed on their site. I'm tempted, their cases are solid and have good reviews but they just doesn't look as comfortable to hold/use as the Ikelite cases.


I guess the other alternative is to email Ikelite directly and express an interest in the hope they'll make a case if enough people do that.. but the reply I got from them included the words "We encourage you to consider a different camera" so not likely.

[ArneTorp]

For something really good that can take a big pounding... that's different than say something you will have in a swimming pool. 18 foot Hawaiian waves vs shooting divers in a pool... not the same.

Also the design matters...

But if you go with quality you can get one made or buy one for about the same price. A good one is going to be several thousand dollars. If you are interested I will find some people who make them back in Hawaii and connect you. I have several friends that are major league surf photographers and they will know what is better than what...

I do know housings are not cheap.

This is good to know alamo5000. I will have to see how my budget vs the real need is when I get the camera. I will keep your offer in mind - thanks!

I guess the other alternative is to email Ikelite directly and express an interest in the hope they'll make a case if enough people do that.. but the reply I got from them included the words "We encourage you to consider a different camera" so not likely.

This is the exact answer I got from them earlier. Guess they are not so open to make a great variety of housings.

[andrewvu]

This is good to know alamo5000. I will have to see how my budget vs the real need is when I get the camera. I will keep your offer in mind - thanks!


This is the exact answer I got from them earlier. Guess they are not so open to make a great variety of housings.

Forgot to say the equinox quote was $1500 for the case + $1250 for two strobes.

[mrNewt]

... better off buying a dedicated underwater camera...

[andrewvu]

... better off buying a dedicated underwater camera...

Depends what you want. Most dedicated underwater cameras (like the Pentax WG range) only go to 10-15m. I dive to 40 meters- other people dive beyond that. Alternatively you can buy an ordinary compact camera and pick up a cheap(ish) case for that- I have a Sony Camera (~$200) with a case ($150) which is good to 40m. It's OK but I've outgrown it and want to be able to take my time getting decent shots underwater. While the compact is great in light environments (such as when I'm not diving in the British North Sea) I think that given the fact the K5 II is so good in low light, and given the fact I already own it + lenses, it'd be the perfect upgrade for me if I could get it underwater. Diving's an expensive sport, I'd consider the value of those cases worth the money in relation to the kind of money my diving colleagues might spend on things like underwater flashlights..

[mrNewt]

Depends what you want. Most dedicated underwater cameras (like the Pentax WG range) only go to 10-15m. I dive to 40 meters- other people dive beyond that. Alternatively you can buy an ordinary compact camera and pick up a cheap(ish) case for that- I have a Sony Camera (~$200) with a case ($150) which is good to 40m. It's OK but I've outgrown it and want to be able to take my time getting decent shots underwater. While the compact is great in light environments (such as when I'm not diving in the British North Sea) I think that given the fact the K5 II is so good in low light, and given the fact I already own it + lenses, it'd be the perfect upgrade for me if I could get it underwater. Diving's an expensive sport, I'd consider the value of those cases worth the money in relation to the kind of money my diving colleagues might spend on things like underwater flashlights..

From that point of view will make sens I guess...
Let us know if you get one and make sure you come back and post some pictures up .

[Danzarr]

ikelite had a dive housing for the k5 thats discontinued with some carriers having surplus. I know the k3 is larger slightly than the k5, I wonder if it will fit in the K5 housing.

[MetteHHH]

I got this one, because it is cheap, and all I wanted was a pool toy:
DiCAPac SLR Pack Waterproof Camera Case (WP-S10) - Digital Camera Warehouse Australia

I used it to take the pics in this thread:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/252619-people-underwater-fun.html

It is bulky, but solid enough, and I have never been concerned about leakage. Honestly, even if a few drops did leak in (and so far not a drop did) my k-5 could deal with that easily. It has seen very heavy rain on occasion with no problems at all.

And on March 20th, I have been asked to do a photo session for the baby swimming class at our local pool - which means that my toy just paid off with a bit of a surplus! Yey!

[JimJohnson]

Its probably cheaper to select your camera based on the housing manufacturer offerings.

+1 .... Olympus and Sony seem to do the best job of OEM designed and branded pressure rated housings for their cameras. In particular the P&S models - 40m maximum depth is typical. Olympus often includes an underwater scene mode for color correction. Sony may do the same, but I am not sure.

I have used two Olympus P&S cameras with camera specific Olympus housings. In both cases I had to order the housings from either Japan or China via eBay as Olympus USA doesn't distribute them (fools - every dive shop would carry them!). In both instances, the delivered cost to me was +/- US$100.