In a previous thread i asked about GoPro housings. I took the plunge and bought an Isotta. Here is a little review should you be interested:
Reason for purchase
I was unhappy with my previous GoPro housing as:
Looks
The Isotto housing looks great. It's a lovely red colour. They haven't updated the numbering decal yet, so it says '12' on it, even though it is compatible with GoPro 13... but this is of course just cosmetic and not an issue.
Ease of Use
The back door comes off to allow you to easily insert the GoPro. It is easy to replace and close up. The two o-rings are easy to maintain.
A lever locks the back door and the camera safely inside the housing.
The housing has little rubber feet on it's base, which will keep it study when topside on a rolling boat
Once in the water it is esay to use. The shutter button is a lever that you pull towards you. It takes just a couple of minutes to get used to this, rather than depressing a button, but it is quickly mastered.
Haven't used it with gloves yet, but it seems like controls could be used without having to take them off.
It was slightly larger than i expected, but I can still drop it on my wetsuit thigh pocket (without tray)
Design / Build Quality
The housing feels very secure and good quality - it's made of anodised aluminium which is anti-corrosion and thermo-coated, and stainless steel. I haven't dropped or banged it (yet) but i imagine it would take rough treatment well. This is in contrast to the GoPro housing, which is of course plastic so more prone to damage.
The back door closes very nicely onto the dual o-rings, which makes it feel like a good seal is obtained. I am confident to take it deeper on my next tech dives.
Power button and shutter lever have nice action and feel like they will last the test of time.
There is a small hole on the underside of the housing for putting through a lanyard line. The lens cap line - if you decide to take the lens cap diving with you - can't also fit through this hole, but it can easily be tied to your lanyard line.
One of the reasons i got this camera is that the front (lens) portal is the same size as the gopro housing, so you can use accessories such as the backscatter macro lens and filters. However - the housing design unfortunately prevents the macro lens from locking back, away from the lens, which means it swings about unless you have locked it into place to use it. This is a big pain in the butt and i haven't quite worked out what to do about this. I guess use a spare finger to hold it back.
There is a cold hotshoe so you could theoretically add a video light arm on top without having to buy a tray (i haven't tested this yet - awaiting an adapter to arrive!)
The logo cover fell off the lens cap as i was unboxing. This is pretty poor - and described more below.
Customer Service
The housing comes with a 2 year warranty - supposedly. However, i worry that the customer service is shockingly bad: As i was unboxing the Isotta housing after it was delivered, the front cover to the lens cap fell off. I pushed it back on, but it keeps falling off. I wrote to the supplier (with photos) to request a new cap, who replied to say the distibuter requested that i just glue it back on. I replied to say i've just spent AU$899 on the product and i shouldn't have to go out an buy glue to fix it before even using it. The distributer then offered to glue it/replace it if i sent the cap to them. I replied to say i've only got a few days before a long dive holiday and that would not be enough time for the postal exchange.
I then wrote to Isotta directly and - one week later - they have still not replied to my email.
I would say to be very careful of a company that gives such terrible after-sales service on a faulty product, even though the fault is relatively minor.
Conclusion
It's a great housing for those wanting something more durable than the GoPro plastic version. The customer service is terrible though, so you need to factor that in to your decision-making. Also, be aware backscatter macro lens can be used but cannot be locked back, as the housing or power button prevents this.
Reason for purchase
I was unhappy with my previous GoPro housing as:
- Buttons became stiff on deeper dives.
- Buttons locked up completely on technical dives around 45m
- You can't buy replacement o-rings (incredible but true)
Looks
The Isotto housing looks great. It's a lovely red colour. They haven't updated the numbering decal yet, so it says '12' on it, even though it is compatible with GoPro 13... but this is of course just cosmetic and not an issue.
Ease of Use
The back door comes off to allow you to easily insert the GoPro. It is easy to replace and close up. The two o-rings are easy to maintain.
A lever locks the back door and the camera safely inside the housing.
The housing has little rubber feet on it's base, which will keep it study when topside on a rolling boat
Once in the water it is esay to use. The shutter button is a lever that you pull towards you. It takes just a couple of minutes to get used to this, rather than depressing a button, but it is quickly mastered.
Haven't used it with gloves yet, but it seems like controls could be used without having to take them off.
It was slightly larger than i expected, but I can still drop it on my wetsuit thigh pocket (without tray)
Design / Build Quality
The housing feels very secure and good quality - it's made of anodised aluminium which is anti-corrosion and thermo-coated, and stainless steel. I haven't dropped or banged it (yet) but i imagine it would take rough treatment well. This is in contrast to the GoPro housing, which is of course plastic so more prone to damage.
The back door closes very nicely onto the dual o-rings, which makes it feel like a good seal is obtained. I am confident to take it deeper on my next tech dives.
Power button and shutter lever have nice action and feel like they will last the test of time.
There is a small hole on the underside of the housing for putting through a lanyard line. The lens cap line - if you decide to take the lens cap diving with you - can't also fit through this hole, but it can easily be tied to your lanyard line.
One of the reasons i got this camera is that the front (lens) portal is the same size as the gopro housing, so you can use accessories such as the backscatter macro lens and filters. However - the housing design unfortunately prevents the macro lens from locking back, away from the lens, which means it swings about unless you have locked it into place to use it. This is a big pain in the butt and i haven't quite worked out what to do about this. I guess use a spare finger to hold it back.
There is a cold hotshoe so you could theoretically add a video light arm on top without having to buy a tray (i haven't tested this yet - awaiting an adapter to arrive!)
The logo cover fell off the lens cap as i was unboxing. This is pretty poor - and described more below.
Customer Service
The housing comes with a 2 year warranty - supposedly. However, i worry that the customer service is shockingly bad: As i was unboxing the Isotta housing after it was delivered, the front cover to the lens cap fell off. I pushed it back on, but it keeps falling off. I wrote to the supplier (with photos) to request a new cap, who replied to say the distibuter requested that i just glue it back on. I replied to say i've just spent AU$899 on the product and i shouldn't have to go out an buy glue to fix it before even using it. The distributer then offered to glue it/replace it if i sent the cap to them. I replied to say i've only got a few days before a long dive holiday and that would not be enough time for the postal exchange.
I then wrote to Isotta directly and - one week later - they have still not replied to my email.
I would say to be very careful of a company that gives such terrible after-sales service on a faulty product, even though the fault is relatively minor.
Conclusion
It's a great housing for those wanting something more durable than the GoPro plastic version. The customer service is terrible though, so you need to factor that in to your decision-making. Also, be aware backscatter macro lens can be used but cannot be locked back, as the housing or power button prevents this.
