D70 Housings

[scorpiofish]

it seems like a lot of people get nexus and aquatica. i guess they're the best two housings out. i was looking into Sea&Sea and Light&Motion.

We should have a physical vote for Nikon Nook. i'll put up a vote on a new thread. you guys should all vote~

Warning, strong opinions about to happen!

Disclaimer, I'm an Aquatica dealer and theoretically an Ikelite dealer.

Nexus and Aquatica are not the best.

Subal and Seacam are the best, but they are not without their quirks. Wierd handles and top of housing strobe mounts are not the greatest. They both offer great construction, optional viewfinders that are fantastic (to die for) and some awesome ports. Bad news, they cost more than anyone else's. The optional viewfinder for a Seacam costs more than an Ikelite housing. Are they worth the extra cost? I don't know.

Nexus is a little cheaper than the Subal. This is a very nice design. The size of the housing is minimal. The port system is very secure. Nexus housings tend to look like crap after a few years, but are in fact very rugged. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this housing. In the "less than a car" price range this is the nicest design.

Aquatica's housing is based on the tried and true A90 housing, as is the Digital Rebel housing. This is the "best bang for the buck" housing. You get an aluminum housing based upon a solid design. Excellent and reasonably priced port system.

Sea and Sea used to make superb (and expensive) aluminum housings for film cameras. They went to a composite "one size fits many" design for digital SLRs. It's just the same. For the same price you can get an Aquatica. If you want a plastic box, get an Ikelite and save some real money.

Ikelite makes a good housing. I was never thrilled with their port system. If you need to save money, it's an excellent choice, but not the best choice.

After a week on a boat with different photographers and different housings and different cameras, I was re-inforced with the idea that it didn't make that much difference.

 

[seacam diver]

Well, here is my 2 cents. I recently purchased a D70 and after researching my choice is the Subal. It is ergonomic has a great viewfinder and full control. It is pricy though. I do support a Nikon Nook. I get al of my gear from Underwater Photo-Tech in Derry NH. In honesty I must admit I work there part time. I have my choice of housings and I chose the Subal leaving my beloved Seacams behind. Any questions e mail me at mjluwphoto@juno.com or Mike@uwphoto.com.

 

[f3nikon]

Well, here is my 2 cents. I recently purchased a D70 and after researching my choice is the Subal. It is ergonomic has a great viewfinder and full control. It is pricy though. I do support a Nikon Nook. I get al of my gear from Underwater Photo-Tech in Derry NH. In honesty I must admit I work there part time. I have my choice of housings and I chose the Subal leaving my beloved Seacams behind. Any questions e mail me at mjluwphoto@juno.com or Mike@uwphoto.com.

Hi, I have a question on the D70, with your eyes 4 inches from the cameras viewfinder, can you see the full frame all at once or do you have to move around in order to see all four corners? And what is Subal or the other housing people doing the housing viewfinder port to address this issue? Thanks

 

[motionsync]

This tread is old but I think helpfull to all newcomers.
My first warning is . DONT read what dealers say, ask the customers about the housings.
Second. Housings are not only Seacam, Subal, Nexus, Aquatica and IKE
SEALUX make Aluminium housings in the price range off Ikelite!! Thats the best bang for the buck. Port in Mineral glas off exelent quality!
Sealux have the same grand viewfinder like Subal.

If Nexus locks like crap after some years the same is for Aquatica. Both have problems with the paint. I think ONLY SEACAM & SEALUX (teflon) have the best paintings.

Subal is a nice housing but if you are looking for ports then you must go with Seacam & Nexus. Both have the best port system with Nexus on the Top off the game

What I have miss in this tread is the ergonomy off the housings.

Under water is dosent matter if you husing is pretty or silver or have a big name as Label.Ports & ergonomy is the most importand.

Where are the Comand dials, Is the shutter release sensitive? What about AE-AF lever., do you can use all those controls easy and with one hand?.......

About me.. I have a Nexus D70s with multiviewfinder. I love the ergonomy off the housing. All buttons are very whell done and put in places where they must be.
But still i think that the housing (Like every housing) lacks and some points
If I had more money I will go with SEACAM
Housings that I love are HUGYFOT AND SEALUX. But that is for a Nikon D70

If we take a NIKON D2X then we have SEACAM & AQUATICA on the first place

Get the point

Some manufactors make great housings for one camera model but not so great for a other..

 

[Chris Bangs]

All housing have their downfalls, but I do not agree with you on the paint/coating issue on Aquatica housings. I have more than a few of these housings, some of which are over 15 years old and have seen thousands of dives. the coating still looks nearly new. Any blemishes are user induced and these have never resulted in corrosion.

The Seacam is by far the best housing I have ever used but this is attributed to its wonderful but incredibly expensive viewfinder. Otherwise it is a bit too pricey for my budget. Even the Seacam has its issues I.E. the handle design on the Canon 1D MarkII is mounted so that unlatching the housing back is very difficult to do without busting your knuckles.

I do not like the current viewfinder or top LCD window on the Aquatica digital SLR housings.

 

[ssra30]

I have not tried all the various housings myself so take this with a grain of salt. I heard a lot of good things about Sealux and Hugyfot but their support network does not seem to exist much outside of Europe. While mechanical function/finish of the housing is very important, don't forget the backup service as well.
Locally for me, Subal and Seacam share the same dealer but Subal can be serviced on site but not Seacam. For me, that would make Subal a bit more desirable.
For D2X, Seacam looks very nice and Aquatica certainly looks very promising, especially the price but the final product is not ready yet. I am not sure that I would conclude at this point that Aquatica is definitely better than Nexus and Subal (and I have handled both already). Finish on Subal is excellent but I am not sure about Nexus since both units that I played with were ordered without the coating (my 2 friends like the more industrial looks, I supposed but the D70 housing coating seems ok).

Subal is a nice housing but if you are looking for ports then you must go with Seacam & Nexus. Both have the best port system with Nexus on the Top off the game

Not sure what is wrong with Subal ports as I found them to work as they are intended with all the lenses that I have. Nexus small dome system and multiport are nice but their old 12-24mm domeport kind of suck and I would not compare it to the performence of Subal FE02 dome! The new one however supposed to be a major improvement.
When I first switched from Sea and Sea to Subal, I certainly felt more comfortable with the way the ports felt when I assembled the Sea and Sea but after I got use to Subal, it was ok. Different feel but functionally they all work.

Price wise, at least over here, Seacam port is significantly more expensive (and I am not sure how much better their ports really are or if they are worth the price) but Nexus and Subal is quite similar when I figured out the cost of the ports/gears for all my usual lenses.

I guess I am a bit bias since I now have Subal but each housing has its own quirks and different people will prefer or dislike certain features of each housing differently. However, one thing I am very sure of, if I take sucky picture with Subal, I doubt switching to Seacam will make it any better

 

[motionsync]

Lembeh:
Very good answer. Like I say. If , like you, have a d2x I wourld definitly go with Seacam & Subal and the new aquatica.
For the D70 I think that SUbal is to expensive and becauce there are many morey fine housings (Sealux- hugyfoot) you dont need tho go with the giants.

Nexus have a big problem. DEALERS!!! I have a new model off Nexus D70s and not one dealer have it in there webpage. The portsystem is old to. There are exisitng new domes and a new 12-24 & 18-70 port but not one have it.
I am living in Sweden and to find it out I must translate Japanise webpages!!!!

On the end think this. If you have a D2X then you are pretty sure that you will stay with this camera the next years becauce it is top on the line and very new.
If you have (like me) a D70 you may go thith a other housing very soon. Nikon 2000 is on the way.

For me the nexus was the best for my money deal. For me the best housing is the Hugyfot. Why?? becauce I am a freediver and this is very ergonomic and small housing that you can operate with just one hand

Lambis

 

[ssra30]

We have the opposite problem, I know the local Nexus dealer very well (I think he was a bit put out when he found out that I bought Subal and be different rather than being another Nexus D2X crowds like the rest of my divebuddies-next month I will be in Lembeh as the only Subal D2X user, surrounding by at least 3 Nexus D2X users). Trying to find Hugyfot or Sealux would not be possible here.
I would love to try the Hugyfot and if it was not because of wetpixel, I probably would never even aware of its existence. The only annoying thing about Hugyfot though, if I am not mistaken, is the screw mechanism to close/open the housing. That becomes a pain when I need to open and close housing often or when those whales/dolphins decide to stop by the boat. Depending on dive location, when I was in Lembeh Strait, I can fill a 4 GB card in 2 dives easily doing 4 dives a day.
That would be a pain (unless I can afford 8GB card which I can't ).
Subal has an excellent 2 latches system that is very secure and easy to use. Nexus/Ikelite/Sea and Sea all use regular latches that I scraped my fingers on a number of times already (Nexus D2X is even worse, it has 5 latches).
Sealux definitely looks interesting with optional viewfinder and relatively low cost. I think magnifying viewfinder is a very worthwhile investment especially for D70 since it has tiny viewfinder.
The most compact D70s housing I have seen is probably Nexus though.

 

[motionsync]

scraped my fingers on a number of times already

Happen to me very offen to

One think about nexus is , like you say very compact.
But the other think is to find Ports
I am searching for a Athena Dome port that it was making for nexus D70 I think the name is Athema OPD-170 or OPD-W
I have hear that thi is a exelent dome but i can't find a relsealler and I dont know with what lenses is working.

About hugyfoot you are right but you know..every housing have a problem

BTW I like the Idea to order the housing without painting!!! I wonder if we can paint a housing. I would piant it BLACK or Ferrari RED

Lambis

 

[ssra30]

Nexus unpainted housing has slightly silvery rough surface.
I personally think that black housing would be cool but Ferrari Red, hmmm, I could get a matching Ferrari Red Acer laptop for the trip now only if I can get the car to match!
I don't know much about Nexus ports. My divebuddies usually just told the Nexus dealer to get them whatever ports for the lenses that they have. I just remembered them complaining quite a bit about the old 12-24mm port. Both of them just got the new 12-24mm ports but not sure if they will have a chance to try out the new port in Lembeh or not.