Canon R5 II Setting It Up // 200DL Ikelite Underwater Housing Assembly [VIDEO]

Featuring Jean Rydberg

It's time to take your brand new Canon EOS R5 II camera underwater! Jean shows you how to set up your camera in the underwater housing for full functioning at depths up to 200 feet (60 meters). The 200DL Deluxe Housing for the Canon EOS R5 II # 71765-DLX comes fully equipped with dual handles, USB-C charging & data transfer bulkhead, and complete vacuum leak detection system.

 

 

The new Canon R5 II camera is finally available and it works very well in our DL underwater housing # 71765 and I'm going to walk through how to set that up on the R5 II camera.

Today we’re working with the 200DL Underwater Housing for Canon EOS R5 II Deluxe Version # 71765-DLX which comes pre-installed with the Right Hand Quick Release Handle with Extension # 4077.02, Trigger Extension v2 for Shutter or Back Button Focus # 4077.95, and the awesome USB Charging & Data Transfer Bulkhead # 46007. It also comes with the Vacuum Pump # 47011, which I'll show you how to use later.

I'll be installing the R5 II with the Canon RF 16mm wide angle lens and a DL Compact 8 inch Dome Port # 75344. The housing and all of these accessories are also available a la carte if you have an older system that you're moving up to and want to transition those accessories.

Moving the MODE Function to a Different Button

On the R5 II Canon has added the power on/off switch that rotates around the top dial with a MODE button in between. To improve the ergonomics when used inside of a housing we have eliminated access to the actual MODE button. Before you put the camera in the housing you’ll want to make sure to go into the custom functions menu and reassign the MODE function to another button. I recommend you assign it to the bulb button. We have a great video where Logan shows you exactly how to do that.

Installing the Camera in the Housing

I'll be assembling everything on an Assembly Mat # 30205 which will protect my housing and my assembly table surface.

To start out, I'm going to remove the porthole cover from the front of the housing. The porthole cover is held in place by the zoom gear retainer and I'm going to use my zoom gear retainer tool to take that out. Loosen it and remove the port hole cover from the housing. I'll set the port hole cover aside because I can use it when I'm getting ready to travel with my system. And I'm going to put the zoom gear retainer back in so that I don't lose it, it's not going to interfere with anything and I can keep that in place even though I'm not using a zoom gear with this 16mm lens.

Now we'll turn the housing over to the back. We can just set it face down on our assembly mat. You'll notice there are three locking lid snaps, two on the sides, and one on the top of the housing. I'm going to pull the lock back with my thumbs and pull up on the lid snaps with my fingers to release those and do the same with the top. Once I unhook all of those, then I can remove the back from the housing and set that aside.

Now we'll turn our attention to the inside of the housing. You'll find the controls for all of the functions on the camera. I also have a USB-C cable that goes to my bulkhead and a manual flash hotshoe cable that goes to my flash bulkhead. But we're going to look at the camera mount. The camera mount just slides out and you'll find the camera mount features an anti-rotation wall on the back and a 1/4-20 threaded screw that will attach to the tripod mount of the camera. So I'll pick up my camera, turn it over the anti rotation wall is aligned against the rear LCD screen of the camera and the screw lines up with the hole for the tripod mount on the bottom. I'm going to use a screwdriver to tighten that snugly onto the bottom of the camera.

When attaching the camera mount I want to be sure that it is tightened very firmly so that there is no movement between the camera mount and the camera itself, which could translate to a misalignment of controls in the housing. 

When I get ready to put the camera in, I want to make sure my lens cap is off and my lens is clean. I'm going to install this camera from the back with my lens already attached to it. If you're shooting with a larger lens or a lens that requires zoom gearing, then likely you'll want to install just the camera body by itself and then attach the lens later through the port opening.

I'm going to give myself space to install the camera by pulling all of the housings controls out then attach the manual flash hotshoe. I'll slide that all of the way on until it stops, making sure that it's making good contact with the flash hotshoe of the camera.

To attach my USB-C bulkhead, I need to open up the side door on the camera to expose the USB-C port. I'll take my cable and carefully plug that into the side of the camera and push that in all the way and make sure both connections are secure.

Then I can drop the camera body into the housing, and that's going to push all the way forward. Then I'm going to reorient all my controls to make sure that everything is in good function before I get ready to put the back onto the housing.

Now I'm ready to put the back on the housing, but before I put the back on I want to take the time to visually inspect the o-ring and the sealing surface of the housing to make sure that they're clean and free of debris like hair, dirt, or sand. I don't need to lubricate this o-ring because it's a compression seal and the lubricant will not help it seal. In fact, lubricant could attract more dirt and hair to your o-ring, so it could end up being a detriment.

Once I've made sure it's clean, I can align it with the front of the housing and then lift my locking lid snaps over the lid hooks on the back. I'll do the two side lid snaps at the same time and push them all the way down until I hear them snap into place. Next I'll do the top lid snap the same way and then I'll take the time to pull on each of them to make sure that the locks are engaged and that nothing's going to happen to allow these to accidentally open during use. 

Installing the Dome Port onto the Housing

Turn the housing over and we'll put the port on. I have my Compact 8 inch Dome Port here and the first thing I'm going to do is back out each of the thumbscrews so that they do not protrude into the opening of the port.

Next, I'm going to take a very small amount of lubricant because the port o-ring seal does require light lubrication. So I'll put just a small amount on my fingers and run that around the visible surface of the port o-ring seal. I'll take the excess and run it inside of the port on the o-ring sealing surface.

Now it's important to properly align your dome port because each of the thumbscrews will line up with a recess on the port mount of the housing. If these are misaligned, that could lead to problems. The easiest way to align this is to find the thumb screw that is in the center of one of the large dome shade projections. This thumb screw will align with the center top of your housing, so I'll align those and push all the way down until flush.

Next I'll tighten each of the thumbscrews with my fingers. When they're properly aligned, you shouldn't feel any resistance when tightening these thumbscrews. You don't want to use a tool to tighten them, which could lead to over tightening and damaging the thumb screws or something else on the housing. I'm just going to use my fingers and tighten just until they stop. You do not need to crank them down.

 

Using a Vacuum Leak Detection System

Now, before I go diving, I want to pull a vacuum on this system to check for leaks before I enter the water.

You'll notice on the left hand side of the housing, there is a vacuum valve with a small release button. Press the button and the plug of the vacuum valve can be removed. Now, you do want to periodically lubricate the o-rings on this vacuum plug to allow it to pop in and out smoothly. Once I have that removed, I can use my vacuum pump, which has a barb that plugs into that valve.

I have a vacuum gauge which has numbers Inches of Mercury (in Hg) from 0 to 30. When I pump it, it doesn't really matter specifically which number I pump it to, I'm just looking for a number that I can remember and that I can see a change in if the vacuum were to change in the housing.

I use the number 10 because it's easiest for me to remember. You may not see a change in the gauge for the first few pumps because there's more air inside of the housing as the air is a evacuated. You'll see a change happening more quickly as you pump the vacuum valve.

Now I've got it to 10 and what I want to do now is leave the system for some time to see if the vacuum changes over time. When I do that, I want to have my pump removed from the housing. So I'll press the button and take the pump part out. 

It's a good idea to get in the habit of always replacing the vacuum valve plug whenever you don't have your vacuum pump plugged into your housing because the housing is not waterproof to depth without this plug in place. So you really want to be in the habit of always having it in place.

You don't want to leave the hand pump attached for extended periods of time, say 15 minutes or overnight, because the pump itself is not necessarily air tight. So you could get a false reading, making you think that there's a leak in the housing when really it's leaking out of the pump.

So I could leave this overnight if I'm really getting ready in advance, or at least maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Then I'm going to remove the plug and plug my vacuum back in and see if the gauge goes back to my number (in this case, 10) and we're in luck.

I am going to dive with this housing under a vacuum, which is going to help reinforce all of my front and rear seals. As long as I have my plug in place, I would remove this and put the plug in and I'm ready to go diving.

When I'm ready to disassemble this system, if I want to take the back off or take the port off, I cannot do that with the vacuum pulled on this housing. What I need to do is have this pump plugged in and press the small button on the back of the hand pump to release the vacuum. Then I can remove the back and the front from the housing

 

Using the USB-C Charging & Data Transfer Bulkhead

To use the USB-C bulkhead you will remove the waterproof cap to expose the USB-C port. The port surround is red to give you the alert that this is not waterproof when the cap is not attached. When you're done using the USB-C bulkhead, it's always important to reinstall the waterproof craft before you dive. The USB-C bulkhead is not airtight, so if you do not have this cap in place, you will not be able to pull a vacuum and get a successful vacuum test with this port.

  

That's all you need to know. If you have any questions related to the R5 II housing or anything related to underwater photography, please reach out to us at ikelite@ikelite.com. Happy diving!

 

Additional Viewing

Canon R5 II Initial Impressions for Underwater Photographers [VIDEO]

How to Use the Canon R5 II in a Canon R5 Underwater Housing [VIDEO]

Canon R5 II Re-Assigning MODE Function for Use in 200DL Underwater Housing [VIDEO]

GET the Canon 8-15mm Fisheye Before It's GONE! // Underwater Review & Results

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L NEW Zoom Gear Assembly // Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing [VIDEO]

Canon RF 24-70mm Zoom Gear Assembly // Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing [VIDEO] 

 

  

Jean Rydberg is the President & CEO of Ikelite. She has lived her whole life in landlocked Indianapolis, Indiana, but is no stranger to the water as a daughter of Ikelite’s founder Ike Brigham. She has traveled around the world shooting and testing gear and enjoys new challenges in both photography and diving. Jean loves to learn about the creative ways photographers achieve their visions. More than anything she wants to show aspiring underwater photographers that excellence is attainable with any system. When she's not working she's spending time with her husband and two daughters.