Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 + Ikelite #6111

By Jaap Voets

After long deliberation I decided to buy to digital camera in 2002. This turned out to be a good move. Digital photography shortens the learning curve considerably, because of the instant feedback on the results of the chosen settings.

Finding a camera was not an easy job. There were a couple of demands the camera had to satisfy:

• As many megapixels as I could afford
• A viewfinder for use in bright light situations, but capable of showing the same information as the LCD
• Good optical zoom.

As digital SLR cameras were above budget, the final choice was between the Sony Cybershot F707 and the Minolta DiMage 7. Both cameras have comparable specs: 5 Megapixel, 5x optical zoom and additional LCD in the viewfinder. But according to various reviews on the internet the battery of the Sony is superior.

A complete review of the Sony F707 can be found at Steve's DigiCams.

Underwater

The results on land were excellent. So when going for my first live-aboard on the Red Sea, I wanted to take my F707 underwater as well. The choice was again difficult. At that time there were not that many housings available. I had to choose between the:

• Ikelite #6111
• Hugyfot HFD-707
• Amphibico SHSR0707 Surveyor 707

At this moment there are more housings available, take a look at the underwater housings page.

The Hugyfot housing was outside my budget. The Surveyor 707 was Amphibico's first housing, so in the end I chose the Ikelite housing because of the large number of housings they already offered.

I am greatly satisfied with the housing, given the following most important pros:

Advantages

• The housing is transparant, so it is easy to check the o-ring for problems.
• The two handle bars makes underwater handling easy.
• A slave sensor for an external strobe is built in to the housing. Iklite strobes can be directly connected using the sync-cord.
• The macro of the Sony give perfect results in this housing!
• All functions of the camera are available through the housing.

There are however a few negative points:

Drawbacks

• The housing is large (305x203x210mm). Not something that is easily taken with you in your travelling bag.
• There is no wide-angle solution. See the DSC-F707 Wide Angle lenses review.

Add to:     Del.ico.us     Digg     Reddit     StumbleUpon