DEMA 2015 – Ikelite Announces New Generation of Housings
For years Ikelite have been known for their trademark clear shell Polycarbonate housings.
This DEMA, we were surprised to walk into their booth and find a new breed of housings. A combination of a clear back side and an opaque grey shell with newly designed controls.
The major upgrade of these new housings is a wide port opening, which will allow the photographers to mount many lenses which were previously too large for the port system (The 16-35mm f/2.8L type II can finally fit!)
Ikelite left the clear back end to maintain the visual inspection of the O-ring, which is vital for your camera’s protection.
According to Ikelte, the lower manufacturing costs for this type of housing would benefit everyone, lowering the total cost on the housings.
This new generation of housings would require a completely new port system. While adapters can be made, using the old ports in the new system would render the larger opening useless. The new ports would however fit both the new and old housings with the help of an adapter.
As for compacts, they have made some samples of those as well for the show. It looks like they will create a more affordable solution for snorkelers and divers looking for a simple solution for their compacts.
The ETA for these housings is currently set at 2-3 months, so we will keep updating here when we have more info!
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