Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

I needed an underwater housing for my SLR so I could use it on a trip that would include some very basic snorkeling. Admittedly I was a little reluctant to jump in the ocean with my camera in what amounted to a plastic bag, but there was nothing to worry about because the bag worked flawlessly. It was real easy to use, the camera went in and came out quickly. Obviously it was cumbersome to use the controls underwater due to there being a thick plastic bag between fingers and the controls but it beat not having a camera that could be taken underwater. I considered buying a rigid housing that would allow for better control interface underwater but I decided since I am not a professional and since I don't do extensive underwater photography investing that much money seemed foolish. An additional bonus is this case folds up pretty small, so tucking it in my camera bag was easy.

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

I use the housing when kayaking to take much better pictures with my DSLR than I could do using a small waterproof point-and-shoot. It is much less expensive than hard plastic housings and fulfills its purpose. The one drawback is when using it with a zoom lens - the tension of the plasitic pulls the lens in, so if you want to shoot at tele, you need to prop the lens up that it can't move. I did this with a little piece of plastic I sawed to length and wedge between the body of my Canon 7-D and the adapter ring which comes with the housing and needs to be attached to the lens.

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

Purchased this unit to use for underwater shooting in a swimming pool. It was easy to use, and worked as expected. I used this with a Canon 5D mkII with a 16-35 MkI lens (77mm filter thread). Though the description says SLRs w/82mm Filter Thread, the unit comes with a 77mm disc and the 82mm must be purchased separately if you have a larger lens.

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

I attempted to use this in a swimming pool without a snorkeling mask or breathing mouth thing. It was very hard to keep my head under water, one eye open and hold my breath while trying to frame a shot. Once I get those things, I am hoping it will be a lot easier. It is a bit hard to manipulate the lens thru the bag, to zoom in and out.

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

This product is excellent and exactly as advertised. I was looking to protect my camera around windy, salt water beaches and while snorkeling. This case is perfect for those environments. I use it with my Sony A550 and have been able to manipulate the camera control fairly easily through the plastic. The clear plastic also allows me to use my camera in "Live View" and frame shots easily using the display screen instead of struggling to look through the view finder.

I mainly use the housing with two lenses. The first lens is a 10-20mm wide angle (internal focus) with a 77mm filter thread. Using the included filter thread adapter, the lens fits securely in the housing. There is no vignetting in the photographs. The 2nd lens I use is an 18-55mm (external focus) with a 55mm filter thread. While the housing is not designed for externally focusing lenses, I modified an EWA Marine AV-110 Autofocus Adapter Ring (sold separately) to allow me to use it with these types of lenses. If this is something you plan on doing, take care not to have the AV-110 rub against the glass port as it could potentially scratch it if sand or other particulates are on the surface.

Overall, I have been extremely satisfied with the product.

Comments about Ewa-Marine U-B 100 Underwater Housing for SLRs w/ 82mm Filter Thread lenses:

Product worked flawlessly with EOS 7D and Tamron 17-50 F2.8 VC lens. I added a step-down ring to accommodate the 77mm-72mm thread. You need an internal focusing lens for these bags, front element should not rotate. I got this bag because it avoids the vignette problem of 17mm wide lenses with the added front element diameter.Successfully dived to 10 meters with no problems shooting stills and video. Be aware that the bag pressure will start to conform the PVC to the camera so tightly that by 20 meter depth you can barely click the shutter and buttons may accidentally press. For shallow dives of 5meters all controls work fine with a bit of fiddling.The bag is made for auto and semi auto modes so you click the shutter and forget about any buttons while swimming/diving. Be sure to set your ISO and aperture /shutter before diving or leave it on all auto mode since it will be difficult to adjust later on.I suggest getting the lead weight from the manufacturer so the bag is less buoyant and you can dive comfortably. The bag will still pull slowly back to the surface with the weight of the camera and the lead weight depending on how much air you placed on the enclosure before closing. The deeper you plan to dive the more air you should leave in the bag. Without the lead weight the bag would be a pain to submerge and comfortably hold in any use besides snorkeling.They need a better manual with diagrams of how to use the thread placement and how to properly close the bag, you are on your own as the text is pretty vague and you could easily misjudge the pressure of the seals. EWA Marine: hire a designer or place a Youtube video with how to operation and help your customers work with the system without the guesswork involved.[...]If I had to buy again i would get the larger U-AXP vertical bag with the hot shoe flash space. I found the on camera flash to vignette heavily with the lens and will just get shadows on most of your close up pictures. The larger pouch will also let you feel a bit more secure with the deeper dive depth of 50mt.The U-B 100 was a lot of fun and will make your work or vacation a lot more interesting. Very pleased.Be sure to rinse with fresh water after every use and that will keep the bag working for many years.