Purchasing a CP5000 Setup for underwater use (Ikelite Housing and Ds125 Strobe).
By Dave Harasti - May 2003
Note: The views expressed in this article are entirely of the author and are not linked to any company or business.
In January 2003 I purchased a Nikon Coolpix 5000 for my honeymoon/diving trip to Papua New Guinea. The idea was to take some really nice shots on land and use my MMIIex camera system for underwater photography. But then the penny dropped, why not buy the underwater housing and strobe before I depart so that I can use the new digital underwater in PNG.
To cut a long story short, after much research I chose the Ikelite housing and the DS125 strobe. And thanks to Tony Chandler at Cape Byron Imports, it arrived at my Sydney hotel 16 hours before I departed. Perhaps I should have given him more than 2 weeks notice ;-)
Since I posted the underwater images of my PNG trip on my website, I have had many people asking me questions about this camera setup. So I've decided to write a report on this system and also provided some tips to assist those taking this system underwater for the first time. Now I'm the first to admit I'm no underwater camera expert, but I've had a fair amount of experience with this system so I've just put down my views and thoughts.
I have now done approximately 80 dives with this camera system so I have had a considerable amount of experience in its functionality.
If you are interested in knowing about settings for underwater use, have a look at my "Guide to using the CP5000 Underwater".
The Camera
The camera is the Nikon Coolpix 5000 (CP5000) and is one of the most popular digital cameras on the market. I'm not going to rant and rave about how great this camera is as there are experts out there who have already done that. Have a look at these reviews for details on the CP5000:
Steve's
Digicams
Digital
Photography Review
The underwater housing
This was the biggest decision that I had to make, which housing would I choose for the camera? At the moment there are 12 different housings available for the CP5000, the most popular of these are:
For further information on camera housings for the CP5000, have a look at each manufacturer website or visit Digideep as it is an excellent resource to determine what housings are available for your camera and also provides reviews and technical specifications.
So how did I end up choosing the Ikelite housing I hear you ask? Unfortunately here in Australia there is very little information about digital camera underwater so I spent a considerable amount of time reading through US underwater camera forums to obtain the information I need. I eventually found all the information I needed in the one location, the discussion forums of www.wetpixel.com
The users of wetpixel are very experienced in digital underwater photography and it was here that I got all the vital information I needed. In short, they all recommended that the Ikelite housing was easily one of the best choices for the CP5000. The reasons for the recommendation of the Ikelite housing are as follows:
Okay, so the above list details why I purchased the Ikelite CP5000 housing. And so far I am more than happy with my purchase and very glad that I chose this housing. For further details on the Ikelite CP5000 housing please visit the Ikelite website for further technical specifications and details.
The Strobe
As all budding underwater photographers know, you must have a good external strobe to add colour to your underwater images. Without a strobe your shots be very blue and your images will be missing the reds, pinks and greens. In my view, a strobe is essential, particularly for macro work.
I again sought advice from the experts in the Wetpixel forums on which strobe would compliment my CP5000/Ikelite housing setup. They all concurred that the new Ikelite DS125 digital strobe is an excellent choice. The main reasons for recommending the DS125 were:
The Ikelite DS125 setup I chose was the package #3944.75, which includes the SubStrobe DS-125, TTL sync cord, deluxe ball/arm set and smart charger. This costs approximately $1680 Australian dollars (shipped to your door). The system I bought was the deluxe DS125 setup, there are other cheaper possibilities for use with the CP5000 and these include:
Standard DS125 digital package #3944.66 Approx $1325 - This comes with #4103 TTL Sync Cord, #4065 DS-125 SubStrobe with diffuser, #4075.1 Strobe Arm system and #0083.9 110/220v 6-hour charger.
DS50 digital package #3944.41 Approx $780 - This comes with #4103 TTL Sync Cord, #4044 DS-50 SubStrobe with #0561.2 diffuser and #4075.1 Strobe Arm system.
I am now in the process of buying a 2nd DS125 but this time with a TTL slave sensor (to mimic my first strobe). For further information on the DS125 strobe please visit the Ikelite website for further technical and descriptive details.
The final purchase
So if you were to buy this setup now, here's how much it will approximately cost:
Total cost is $4,390 (not including GST)
As the Australian peso is currently going strong at the moment against the US dollar (at 67 cents on 7 May 2003), now is a good time to consider the purchase. Ikelite products are bought directly from the US so hence with our strong dollar you are currently getting a good deal.
Ikelite is distributed around Australia by Cape Byron Imports and can be contacted by calling (02) 6685 7185 or you can visit their website. Cape Byron Imports will quote the US $$ price and then convert to Australian $$ at the time of invoicing the customer. Cape Byron Imports pay for the import duty and freight (international and local) and it is included in the price. GST of course is inescapable and is added to the final cost.
Extra Notes
A 2nd battery is also essential. I have found that the Nikon battery will last for a 1-hour dive, with the digital viewfinder on the whole time, but no longer. If your on a boat doing a double dive you will need to change over to a 2nd battery in your surface interval. The standard battery charger that comes with the camera package charges a battery to full power in about 1 hour.
I also bought as part of this whole process, the 19mm Nikon WC-E68 wide-angle lens for $300 and the E5 adaptor ring for $22. This lens attaches to the front of the Nikon Coolpix 5000 and gives a much greater wide-angle coverage. To compliment the wide-angle lens and allow for use underwater, I purchased the Ikelite #9306.68 optional port with dome lens which allows the 19-mm lens to be used underwater. This is a dry lens setup, meaning it is used inside the housing and cannot be changed underwater like some other wide-angle lens. The optional Ikelite port costs approximately $295.
The use of the 19mm wide-angle lens underwater is one of the reasons why I first chose the CP5000 camera. This lens will give you 19mm wide-angle coverage but also allow you to shoot 1:1 macro. There are not many lenses on the market that have these capabilities! Therefore you can take this lens underwater, shoot the whale shark or grey nurse as it swims past and then change your tact and start shooting nudibranchs and sea spiders - it is very versatile and produces good results. If you are in the process of buying a CP5000 housing, make sure that you buy a housing that will accept the 19mm wide-angle lens. If the housing doesn't accept the 19mm lens, choose another housing!
Another good idea is to purchase a bigger memory card immediately. You will find that the Nikon 32mb compact flash card that comes with the camera is not big enough. The minimum I would choose would be a 512mb card. I have a Kingmax (20x speed) and I have found this works very well. Currently, you can get a 512mb Kingmax compact flash card for $242. For prices on compact flash cards, have a look at these excellent online websites:
Okay, that's the formalities over - let's move onto some tips for first time users of this camera system.
Next Page: A Guide to using the CP5000 Underwater