Ikelite Canon EOS R8 Underwater Housing
Ikelite has a reputation to produce high quality underwater camera housings, and the Ikelite Ikelite Canon EOS R8 Underwater Housing lives up to the name. The housing is small, compact and lightweight which makes it great to bring when going on dive trips. It is also built from ABS-PC material which provides strength and requires minimal maintenance. The housing also has great ergonomics. Button and lever location has been well thought off to make your shooting experience wonderful even when wearing thick gloves.
The Ikelite Canon EOS R8 underwater housing during field tests in the Galapogos with Bluewater Travel:
Key Features:
- Ergonomics - The Ikelite R8 Housing has excellent ergonomics. Buttons, levers and dials are located at your fingertips. The curved trigger levers for shutter and back button focus can hug the side of the housing if shooting without a grip or be extended for easy reach from an optional handle. AF-ON is accessible with your thumb by a lever control at the side of the housing. When combined with back button focus, this provides a shooting method far easier than attempting to half-press the camera's shutter button. Soft-touch control knobs add comfort and extra grip to the main dial, quick control dial, power switch, and lens release. Stainless steel, direct-drive rotating controls are virtually fail-safe and user serviceable and adjustable in a pinch.
- Setup - Installation and removal of the camera is very easy. A small mounting plate attaches to the bottom of the camera and secures in the front of the housing. The camera mounting plate does not need to be removed from the camera for surface use or when changing the battery or memory cards. The mounting plate features a 1/4-20 threaded mount on the bottom so that it can be attached to a tripod on the surface.
- Vacuum Testing - The optional Ikelite Vacuum Kit allows you to draw a vacuum on the housing to check for proper assembly prior to entering the water and provides peace of mind.
- TTL Strobe Exposure - Ikelite offers a fast and accurate TTL converter - Ikelite DL5 DS Link Canon TTL Converter and CT1 TTL Hotshoe Kit which can be programmed to the camera's specific TTL protocol and supports both first curtain and rear curtain sync up to the camera's maximum flash sync speed. Exposure compensation can be used added or subtracted in the camera. A push button and indicator light on the side of the converter make it simple to switch back and forth between TTL and manual exposure underwater.
- Strobe Connections - Ikelite Bulkhead with Manual Hotshoe
For a more in-depth review of the Canon EOS R8 underwater, view the article on the UW Photography Guide. Watch the R8 review video here.
Canon EOS R8 Camera
The Canon EOS R8 is a lightweight, travel-friendly, full-frame camera body, the Canon EOS R8 Mirrorless Camera delivers outstanding picture and video capabilities for both photographers and multimedia content developers. Utilizing a newly developed sensor also found in the EOS R6 Mark II, the R8 features a 24.2MP CMOS sensor paired with a DIGIC X processor. Together, this combination gives great stills performance, amazing 4K 60p 10-bit video, and rapid focusing. That said, being an entry-level full-frame camera, there are some limits to the R8 including a lack of in-body image stabilization. The question is - will these limitations be a hinderance for underwater shooters?
The following images were taken on a recent trip to the Galapagos.
Canon EOS R8 Specs
- 24.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
- Dual pixel autofocus with animal eye autofocus tracking
- Low light autofocus down to -6.5 EV
- Uncropped 4K/60p video with C-Log3 recording
- 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording
- 1/200s flash sync speed
- 370 shot battery life using LCD
- Electronic first curtain shutter (only one mechanical shutter)
- 6fps burst shooting
- No in-body image stabilization
- Size: 132.5 x 86.1 x 70mm
- Weight: 461 grams
Recommended Strobes:
For other options, see our other recommended strobes see our Buyer's Guide for Best Underwater Strobes
Recommended Video Lights:
- Light & Motion Sola 2500F Video Light - Bluewater Exclusive!
- Fisheye Fix Neo Premium 4030 EF II Video Light
- Big Blue VTL3500P Video Light
For other options, see our other recommended strobes see our list of best underwater video lights.
Related Underwater Gear Categories:
- Controls: Controls are provided for everything except Diopter Adjustment Dial
- Strobe Connector: Ikelite Bulkhead with Manual Hotshoe
- Port Mount: DLM (Dry Lock Micro)
- Accessory Port: 1/2-20 Thread
- Depth Rating: 200 feet (60 meters)
- Weight: 3 lb / 1.4kg
- Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.9 x 6 in (191 x 150 x 152 mm)
- Ikelite Canon EOS R8 Housing
- Rear O-Ring (Installed)
- Front O-Ring (Installed)
- Waterproof Bulked Cap (Installed)
- Silicone lubricant 1cc tube
