What underwater housing options are available for a Canon 5D Mark II, and can they be used with flash?

Asked 2/21/2013

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I’m a certified diver and have started shooting underwater with a compact camera, but I’d like to use my Canon 5D Mark II. I’m looking for a reliable underwater housing and would like to know what options are available for this camera. Can these housings be used with an underwater flash or strobe, and what else should I consider before buying?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

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Underwater housings are a tricky beast and are largely going to depend on acceptable cost and features that you need. Personally, my recommendation is to take a look at B&H's selection of housings available for your camera. There aren't a whole lot of options available in the segment (only probably about 5 or 6 enclosures even made for any particular model and several of those don't provide access to all controls.).

If you intend to use a strobe or light, Ikelite makes some reasonably "cheap" ($2200 - $2400 with ports) options, though not quite the cheapest, but they integrate well with their underwater strobes and lights.

The cheapest reliable option that I've seen is made by Equinox. It runs around $1500 and looks basically like a cylinder with knobs on it and a clear front and back to see the camera and for the lens to see out. It's not very versatile since it has to be made for one particular body and lens combination, but it's about 2/3 to 1/2 the price of a modular system.

Aquatica also makes nice enclosures (I believe their's was the one I was favoring since it could support manual focus, which is key for doing video underwater.) They are however, more expensive than Ikelite.

I don't have any personal experience with any of the options, but as a fellow diver and photographer (with a 5D Mark III), I've just recently been looking in to the same thing.

Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11392

13y ago

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Yes—there are underwater housings available for the Canon 5D Mark II, including options from makers such as Ikelite, Aquatica, and Equinox. The right choice depends mainly on your budget, required depth rating, and how much camera control access you want underwater.

A few key points:

  • DSLR housings are expensive, often costing a large fraction of the camera body itself.
  • You usually need a separate port matched to the lens you want to use.
  • Not all housings provide access to every camera control.
  • If you want to use flash, look at housings that integrate with underwater strobes; Ikelite was specifically mentioned as working well with their strobes and lights.

Aquatica was mentioned as a real-world choice used with the 5D Mark II. Equinox was noted as a lower-cost reliable option, though likely with a simpler design.

If you only need shallow depth, a camera dry bag may be an option, but these are generally limited to relatively shallow water and are less ideal for serious underwater photography, especially with flash.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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