Ikelite
Type: Housing and strobe manufacturer Founded: 1962 (Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) Key products: Polycarbonate underwater housings, DS-series strobes, underwater lighting
Overview
Ikelite was founded by Ike Brigham in 1962 after he flooded six underwater lights in Lake Michigan. The first Ike light was molded in a Westinghouse oven. The company pioneered several underwater photography innovations: seamless housing molds, lid snap closures, detachable underwater sync cords, and modular TTL intelligence (“smart housing, dumb strobe” philosophy).
Ikelite’s signature is their clear polycarbonate housings, which allow photographers to see the camera inside — a unique feature among housing manufacturers that aids in spotting leaks and verifying camera settings. While most competitors use machined aluminum, Ikelite has maintained this approach across decades.
Ike Brigham passed away in 2006. The company remains family-owned in Indianapolis.
Ikelite was one of the first housing manufacturers to support digital compact cameras (housings for the Nikon Coolpix series, Canon PowerShot series) and later DSLRs, making them a key player in the film-to-digital transition that Wetpixel documented extensively.
Product timeline
- 1962: Founded by Ike Brigham
- 2000-01: Prototype housings for Nikon Coolpix 800, Coolpix 950, Kodak DC-290, and Sony Mavica shown at DEMA 2000 in Las Vegas ([1])
- 2001-01: DS-125 strobe prototype shown at DEMA 2001 in New Orleans, along with housings for Nikon CP880, CP990, Canon G1, and Canon S100 Elph ([2])
- 2001-11: Equipment sponsor for the Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout ([3])
- 2002: Widest variety of underwater digital housings on market; entered high-end DSLR market with Fuji S2 Pro housing; new digital strobes and strobe controller ([4], [5], [6])
- 2002: DS-125 strobe shown at [7] ([8])
- 2003: D100, Digital Rebel, and Fuji S2 Pro housings; DS-125 strobes in production ([9])
- 2004-01: Olympus TTL circuit developed for Ikelite housings ([10])
- 2004: Canon 10D, Canon 300D (Digital Rebel), and Nikon D70 housings ([11], [12])
- 2004-09: Canon 300D housing with eTTL-to-TTL converter announced (Aquatica was first to crack the eTTL code in Jan 2004; Ikelite followed with their own implementation) ([13], [14])
- 2004: DS-125 and DS-50 strobes shown at DEMA 2004 ([15])
- 2005-02: Canon 20D housing with eTTL2 converter — conversion circuitry enables eTTL2 ([16])
- 2005: D100 housing and 8” dome port reviewed ([17], [18])
- 2005-08: Ikelite housings appear in Hollywood film Into The Blue ([19])
- 2005-12: Canon 5D housing — first to market for the Canon 5D ([20])
- 2006-01: DS200 Substrobe announced — 200 watt-seconds with new IC chips and IGBT circuitry, 1.6-second recycle time. ([21])
- 2006-03: Nikon D200 housing reviewed. ([22])
- 2006-07: DS51 replaces DS50 (adds 6 manual power settings); DS125 upgraded with NiMH battery pack (+100 full-power flashes per charge). ([23])
- 2006-12: Founder Ike Brigham passes away. Wetpixel member #15, he had posted 939 messages with his signature dry humor and self-appointed title “Addled Shopkeeper.” ([24])
- 2008-02: Introduces Modular Port System with extension rings. ([25])
- 2008-06: DS-160 Substrobe announced — 160Ws, built-in 5-watt LED modeling light, TTL plus 10 power levels, 1.5-second recycle time. Replaces DS-125. ([26])
- 2009-11: Digital SLR housings now feature 4 port locks. ([27])
- 2009-11: DS-161 Movie Substrobe announced — adds 3 high-power LEDs (500 lumens at 5000-5500K) for video lighting, addressing the dSLR video convergence. DS-160 upgrade available. $950. ([28])
- 2012-06: Nikon D800/D800e housing released. ([29])
- 2011-06: Suspends production of EVIL (mirrorless) housings — reversed course later as mirrorless market grew. ([30])
- 2015: Housing for Sony Alpha a7/a7R II/a7S II ships — Ikelite enters full-frame mirrorless market. ([31])
- 2017-01: Announces vacuum kits — follows Nauticam in adopting vacuum leak detection. ([32])
- 2019: Ships housing for Canon EOS R — enters mirrorless Canon market. ([33])
- 2021-04: Ships M16 TTL bulkhead — enables TTL with third-party housings. ([34])
- 2021-12: Complete DS strobe line redesign: DS230 (213Ws, integrated 2500-lumen video light), DS162 (160Ws with video light), DS160 II, and DS51 II. All feature circular flash tubes, improved recycling times, redesigned controls. Backward-compatible battery packs. ([35])
References
- About Ikelite
- Inside Ikelite — Dive Photo Guide
- [36] — editorial
- [37] — editorial
- [38] — editorial
- [39] — editorial
- [40] — editorial
- [41] — editorial
- [42] — editorial
- [43] — editorial
- [44] — editorial
- [45] — editorial
- [46] — editorial
- [47] — editorial
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Dec 31, 1999: Dema 2000 Gallery ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 14, 2001: Dema 2001 Gallery ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2001: Kona Aggressor Ii Digital Shootout Webcast ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 21, 2002: Ikelite Adds More To Digital Line ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 16, 2002: Ikelite Announces Fuji S2 Housing ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 24, 2002: Ikelite S2 Pro Housing ↩
- Seaspace 2002 (article) ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 22, 2002: Dema 2002 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 26, 2004: Ikelite Olympus Ttl Beta Test ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 8, 2004: Ikelite Canon 10d Housing Details ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 15, 2004: Ikelite Sd10 Housing ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 6, 2004: Ikelite Does Canon Ettl ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 13, 2004: Ikelite 300d Housing With Ettl Converter ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 15, 2004: Dema Show 2004 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 13, 2005: Ikelite 20d Housing With Ettl2 Converter Conversion Circuitry Enables Ettl2 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 8, 2005: Ikelite D100 Housing And Ports A Review In Photos ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 14, 2005: Canon 10 22 Lens And Ikelite 8 Dome Port ↩
- Wetpixel article, Aug 18, 2005: Ikelite Housings For Hollywood ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 8, 2005: Ikelite Canon 5d Housing Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2006: Ikelite Announces Ds200 Substrobe ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 9, 2006: Ikelite Nikon D200 Housing Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 18, 2006: Improvements On Ikelite Strobes ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 28, 2006: Ike Brigham Founder Of Ikelite Passes Away ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 15, 2008: Ikelite Introduces Modular Port System With Extension Rings ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 28, 2008: Ikelite Substrobe Ds 160 Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 2, 2009: Ikelite Digital Slr Housings Now Feature 4 Port Locks ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 5, 2009: Ikelite Ds161 Movie Substrobe Announced ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 25, 2012: Ikelite Releases Housing For Nikon D800 And D800e ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 10, 2011: Ikelite Suspends Production Of Evil Housings ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 21, 2015: Ikelite Is Shipping Housing For Sony Alpha A7 Ii A7r Ii A7s Ii ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 3, 2017: Ikelite Announces Vacuum Kits ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 25, 2019: Ikelite Ships Housing For Canon Eos Rp ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 9, 2021: Ikelite Ships M16 Ttl Bulkhead ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 8, 2021: Ikelite Announces New Ds Strobes ↩
- DEMA 2000 Gallery (article) ↩
- DEMA 2001 Gallery (article) ↩
- Ikelite adds more to digital line (article) ↩
- DEMA 2002 report (article) ↩
- Ikelite does Canon eTTL (article) ↩
- DEMA 2004 report (article) ↩
- Ikelite Canon 5D housing review (article) ↩
- DS200 Substrobe (article) ↩
- Ike Brigham passes away (article) ↩
- DS-160 announced (article) ↩
- DS-161 Movie Substrobe (article) ↩
- New DS Strobes (article) ↩