Part of the fun of any dive is sharing the experiences with others, and the best way to do that is often with pictures. Now, for some, simply the mention of underwater photography sends them running away with visions of the poor house and panic attacks of future frustrations. But contrary to popular belief, underwater photography does not have to be complicated or overly expensive.

Over the past several years the Ikelite Aquashot camera system has gained a reputation for simplicity, ease of operation, reliability and for producing great results.

The new Aquashot 3 and 3E carry on this tradition with a few significant design changes. The Aquashot 3 is comprised of a sturdy, clear housing unlike previous models which were made of a non-transparent material. This allows the photographer to see the camera in the housing and avoid any situations before they become a problem. The window over the camera lens is made of optical glass and both the lens and flash windows are larger, giving better light absorption and distribution. The housing is compact and designed with a built-in hand grip and controls that are easy to access and very simple to operate. The film advance control has been moved from it's top mounted location on previous housings to the back of the camera, where it works more efficiently.

One Ikelite AquaSnap camera is included with the kit but the Aquashot 3 accepts any of the current flash version, single use cameras including the Kodak Funsaver APS camera. Wide angle, panoramic and all weather, one time use cameras cannot be accommodated. In addition to one time use cameras the 3E also accepts the reloadable Fuji Endeavor-10 / Fotonex-10 APS cameras. These cameras both feature drop in APS film loading with 3 format selections, built-in flash and motor drive film advance and rewind. The Ikelite 3 housing can be modified into the 3E with an optional kit.

Accessories for the Aquashot include a macro lens with flash diffuser, water correcting close up lens which allows the user to focus down to two feet and a macro kit that enables fixed focus from eight inches. An independent strobe is also available which, when mounted away from the camera helps to eliminate back scatter. Loaded with four AA size batteries, the AQ/S strobe will deliver up to 500 flashes with a five second recycle time. Strobe comes with water correcting lens and deflector which covers the built in camera strobe to allow for lighting by the AQ/S strobe only. A padded carrying case is also available. The housing is sealed with a removable O-ring and operates to 125' and is pressure tested to 200'.