I obtained an Aquashot 3e back in the late 1990s, right at the beginning of the transition from film to digital photography. This system - designed to use a specific small APS point and shoot film camera (the Fuji Endeavour 10) was the final evolution of a system Ikelite originally introduced in the late 1980s.

Those original Aquashot systems were designed as inexpensive, entry-level underwater photography tools for novice divers. They kept costs down by employing disposable cameras inside a simple plastic airtight housing.

When the APS (Advanced Photography System) emerged in the mid 1990s, Ikelite re-designed the Aquashots to use that format, which allowed users to move up from disposable to a "normal" reusable camera (which at the time was seen as a major step forward).

The Fuji Endeavour 10 camera employed was the bottom of the line Fuji APS model, but it did the job. This final version of the Aquashot allowed snorkelers and divers to engage in serious underwater photography (when employing the optional outboard flash unit and water correcting lenses).

In usage, the 3e performs up to the level of the photographer. A snorkeler or diver who can carefully "sneak up" on underwater life and compose their pictures carefully can get very good results, much sharper and brighter than those with a land based digital camera in a housing. Optional macro lenses let you shoot items as close as 8 inches away.

Loading the Aquashot seems involved the first time you use it, but with practice becomes simple. The APS film gets loaded into the Endeavour camera, which then goes into the housing, sitting on a holder to place it so the control buttons allow it the flash to be turned on and off and the shutter operated underwater. The housing is then shut and sealed, and the optional flash and water correcting lenses are installed.

Now, some readers may be thinking "why use a obsolete film based system when relatively economic underwater housings for regular digital cameras are now readily available? My answer would be "it all boils down to depth."

If your underwater photography activity is basically going to be limited to shooting the kids in the pool or snorkeling in shallow, brightly lit water (less than 6 feet or so) the digital approach is the way to go.

But if you are going to start more ambitious snorkeling (diving down 8 feet or more to get close to all the interesting stuff on the bottom) or any form of scuba diving, you will quickly find the optics and weak flashes on generic digital point and shoots just don't do the job. The flashes aren't strong enough, and the optics designed for land start to distort at depth. In that scenario, a camera system designed for diving -- which is what the Aquashot is -- performs much better.

Which is why I still drag mine down to the Caribbean!!

Also, I am currently checking to see if a current production digital camera (the 7.1 mp Pentax Optio W30) can replace the Fuji Endeavour APS (the dimensions and lens/flash/shutter button layout of each are very, very similar). If it can, I will have world class contemporary underwater photo system.

Like any housing based underwater camera, the Aquashot does require some regular maintenance. The gasket on the hatch wears over time and needs to be kept lubricated with silicone gel. The battery compartment on the optional flash also needs to be kept clean, and if used heavily the strobe unit (which is factory sealed) should be sent back to Ikelite every other year or so for pressure testing.

The Fuji Endeavour can't do APS mid-roll rewind, so you have to use up the whole roll once you've loaded it.

This now out of production system (new old stock is still available from some sources) from the late 1990s is STILL the best affordable turnkey underwater photo system ever produced. Results can rival very expensive professional systems, ergo, you have to spend thousands to improve upon what this product can do.

Customer Service

I actually got my 3e directly from Ikelite, as part of an upgrade deal they offered to owners of the original I and II aquashot systems back in the late 90s. Their service was excellent - I mailed them my original system and within two weeks they returned the upgrade package. And the cost for the upgradde was nominal (about $40).

Also, Ikelite still sells replacement parts for wearable items on the system such as gaskets. So it won't become obsolete based soley on wear and tear.

And yes for the skeptics, new APS film is still available, but increasingly only in 400 speed. I find that 200 speed (which is still being produced by Fuji and is readily available online) works best for medium to close up work with the Aquashot, because it the finer grain than 400. APS processing is also still out there and in fact has gotten better since the only firms left doing it are major regional labs that purchased the highest end APS processing machines back in the 1990s.

Similar Products Used:

Canon and Vivitar waterpoof point and shoots. Because of their limited depth capability, relatively weak flashes and land based optics, neither come close to doing what the Aquashot is capable of.