aquatica or nauticam for canon t2i?

[voodoomagic5]

i have a canon t2i and will be going with a tokina 10-17 lens for my guadalupe shark cage trip next season. i am leaning towards an aquatica or nauticam housing because of the small size of the housing. just wondering if one was better than the other. any thoughts are appreciated! thanks!

 

[furby076]

I don't know about the Aquatica but I have the nauticam for the t2i and do like it. One thing I need to get, and you may want to, are flotation devices. The camera/case/strobe is heavy and sometimes fatigue develops from holding it (I often switch to the rope). The camera setup will sink like a brick. I have it attached to my BC with a cord/clip while in the water, and with the extra rope you can buy when I am on land. So in the water if I accidentally drop it I can pull on the cord/clip. On land (while jumping in the water) the additional rope you can buy ensures the camera is secured to the chest portion of my BC...tightly secured

 

[AussieByron]

i have a canon t2i and will be going with a tokina 10-17 lens for my guadalupe shark cage trip next season. i am leaning towards an aquatica or nauticam housing because of the small size of the housing. just wondering if one was better than the other. any thoughts are appreciated! thanks!

I currently have a Aquatica housing for my Nikon D90 and I am very happy with it. Its simple, strong and has the buttons where I want them. I also looked at the Nauticam when I was looking at housings. Both look like very nice setups.

The major reason why I didnt buy a Nauticam was mainly because they have only been out in the market for over 12 months and havnt had the tried and proven track record. Bit like buying a car, one company has been making them for years (Aquatica) and one just released their first models (Nauticam). They might look really nice on the showroom floor but what are they like when you have done a few thousand miles?

Also as another suggestion in regards to your Cage diving trip. You might consider smaller domes to use with the Tokina 10-17mm, especially if your shooting in a cage with little room. Maybe something like a 4 inch mini dome which is available for both Nauitcam and Aquatica. You can have more room to get your camera out of the cage or fit through the bars.

Regards Mark

 

[AussieByron]

I don't know about the Aquatica but I have the nauticam for the t2i and do like it. One thing I need to get, and you may want to, are flotation devices. The camera/case/strobe is heavy and sometimes fatigue develops from holding it (I often switch to the rope). The camera setup will sink like a brick. I have it attached to my BC with a cord/clip while in the water, and with the extra rope you can buy when I am on land. So in the water if I accidentally drop it I can pull on the cord/clip. On land (while jumping in the water) the additional rope you can buy ensures the camera is secured to the chest portion of my BC...tightly secured

I use two 8 inch ULCS bouyancy arms per strobe (I used Ikelite DS161, and they are heavy). I think if your looking for a compact rig and also a travel rig have a look at the Inon Z240's. Powerful, light, and compact. I think with ULCS bouyancy arms on these you might even have a positive rig underwater.

I have a Nauticam rope handle attached to my Aquatica. Mainly so the boat crew can grab an obvious spot. But I am not keen on having extra cord/rope to secure it to a BCD and or BPW. I often use a stainless clip tied off to one of the handles and if need be clip the camera off to my tow ring (i dive a BPW). Its secure spot and balances well but I can say I honestly never clip off my camera as its always in my hands.

Regards Mark

 

[Tienuts]

The major reason why I didnt buy a Nauticam was mainly because they have only been out in the market for over 12 months and havnt had the tried and proven track record. Bit like buying a car, one company has been making them for years (Aquatica) and one just released their first models (Nauticam). They might look really nice on the showroom floor but what are they like when you have done a few thousand miles?

Why did you buy aquatic then? They had a horrible track record of producing crap for a while. True they have gotten better, but they are still known as 'a-crap-tica' for a reason.

To the op- buy Nauticam. I have one for the the 7d and love it. The control ergonomics are superb, much better than other housings.

 

[AussieByron]

Maybe becuase they have a record and as you said they have gotten better. In regards to Nauticam their record is about 12 months old and still an unknown in regards to problems which might happen with time and useage.

Regards Mark

 

[bvanant]

My take is that either is a good choice, but remember that you are buying into a system. In the future you will be using the ports and arms and stuff, but my take is that either will do fine. I bought Nauticam for the 7D since the ergonomics for MY hands made better sense than the Aquatica.
Bill

 

[AussieByron]

I did have a play with a Nauticam 7D underwater yesterday and liked the controls for aperture and shutter speed all accessable with one hand while holding the handle.

Regards Mark