Ikelite 6961.08 Underwater Housing for Panasonic Lumix G80 G85 200DLM/B

Before every dive, open the housing somewhere clean and dry, inspect and wipe the main o-ring and its groove, and close it with nothing trapped in the seal, because a single hair or grain of sand is enough to flood it. Confirm every latch is fully closed and that any vacuum or leak alarm reads correctly. Where you can, soak the sealed housing in a rinse tank or hang at the surface before descending, so a leak shows up before depth.

Remove the main o-ring regularly with a plastic tool rather than anything metal, which can nick the groove, and clean both the o-ring and the groove with a lint-free cloth. Apply a thin film of the silicone grease the manufacturer specifies, since grease helps the o-ring seat and slide rather than sealing by itself, and a thick coat only collects grit. Replace o-rings on the schedule in the manual, or sooner if they look flattened, cut, or dry.

A moisture alarm is a sensor inside the housing that beeps or flashes when it detects water, giving you a chance to abort the dive before the camera is ruined. Desiccant packs absorb humidity in the air sealed inside the housing, which prevents the port fogging as you descend into cooler water. Neither replaces a proper seal check, since they provide early warning and fog control rather than leak prevention.

Only as deep as its rated depth, which the manufacturer sets and publishes in the specifications, and it should never be exceeded even briefly. Depth ratings assume a housing in good condition with intact seals, so worn o-rings or a damaged port reduce the real margin. If your diving might take you deeper, choose a housing rated comfortably beyond your planned maximum depth.

Only if the housing is specifically rated for the depth you plan to dive, because many phone cases are splash- or snorkel-rated rather than scuba-rated. Touchscreens generally do not respond underwater, so a diving phone housing needs mechanical buttons or another control method. A phone's own water-resistance rating is not a substitute for a housing, and any housing still needs seal checks and o-ring care.

Soak the closed, sealed housing in fresh water and work every button and dial while it is submerged so salt does not dry inside the control shafts. Let it dry completely, especially around latches and seams, before you open it, since opening a wet housing drips water straight onto the camera. Avoid opening a housing on a wet, moving boat deck whenever you have the option to wait.

Get the housing out of the water and open it somewhere dry, then immediately remove the camera's battery and memory card, because leaving a battery in a wet camera does more damage than the water itself. Do not power the camera on to check whether it still works. Dry everything gently away from direct heat, get salt-water-exposed equipment to a repair technician promptly, and inspect the housing to find which seal failed before you dive it again.

This housing is built exclusively for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 and DMC-G80 mirrorless Micro Four-Thirds cameras. It is not designed for other Panasonic Lumix models, so confirm your exact camera model before ordering to make sure the mechanical controls and camera mount line up correctly.

No, this housing does not include a lens port. It uses Ikelite's DLM Type B port mount, and you need to purchase a compatible DLM Port System lens port separately for the housing to be waterproof and usable underwater.

No, the integrated TTL circuit in this housing is optimized for the Panasonic flash protocol and is powered only by Ikelite DS strobes. The housing connects directly to the camera's external flash hot shoe to drive this TTL circuitry, so other brands of strobe will not provide TTL exposure through this connection.

According to Ikelite's own product page, this housing is out of stock and permanently out of production, though service support continues. Ikelite states service support continues for this discontinued housing, though new units are no longer manufactured.