Patima Smart 2 UW housing review

[cofn]

Hey Gang,

So today was the day, my Patima Smart 2 casing has arrived.

For those unaware, this is a new housing on the market for Sony 500V and 520V cameras.

The price point is incredible at $1299US compared to 2k plus from Amphibico and L&M this case has the potential to be a serious contender.

So lets begin.

These cased are CNC cut from a solid block of aluminum, so needless to say construction is VERY solid, I honestly think I could drive over it with my SUV and it would be completely fine.

The website is a little inaccurate about the weight of this housing, they specified it was 12lbs, sadly it weights in at a whopping 17lbs!!!

And that is before the camera, additional lenses or any lights. Yikes. I am dreading lugging this thing through the airports, ugh!

I will be taking it out back into the hot tub later tonight to make sure their are no leaks and to see just how negative buoyant it is, web site specified a little on the negative side, but they also claimed it was 5 lbs lighter so.....

I do admit I will feel very safe with my camera in this housing. The locking system is fantastic, there are 2 rotation clips that spin 360 degrees and pull the back lcd panel in tighter gradually until sealed.

There are dual handle controls that are mirrored in case there is a malfunction. You will however have to open the case to connect the other handle, it is not a live mirror, but still, it is not a vacation show stopper by any means if one handle stops working. It is a mini din connection that goes into a secondary cable attaching to the camera.

This weekend I will go to see if I can find a Y cable adapter that may allow for in case signal splitting, it may or may not work.

The controls cover the basic features of the camera, zoom in, out, record, standby, picture, on and off.

As an added bonus there are hard buttons on the front that allow for a switch from auto focus to manual, and a dial to turn the manual focus wheel.

In addition there is 2 moisture sensors in the housing to ensure your camera is safe and dry.

Lastly for additional lens options the front port is 67mm threaded to allow for ANY 67mm UW lens attachment, and is designed to allow a underwater wet mount if desired.

Both handles have additional threading on the base to allow for handle extensions as the 2 handles do seem a little short.

I do have a gripe about the back panel LCD though, it is fit flush to the case, not angled at all, and has a protective skirting that is about 2 inches long coming out from the case, this means you will pretty much have to be right behind the camera to see the screen.

Thus far I am impressed overall, and for the price, I think it is well worth it.

I will post some detailed pics this weekend of the housing so you can all see for yourselves.

If you have any questions please let me know.

 

[Cousinducky]

17lbs!?...WOW

I'd like to see some close ups of the threaded 67mm front.

I'm looking to attach a special 72mm wide angle lens with a step down ring to 67mm....just wondering if..and how it will work.

post as many pictures as you can, I'm excited to see this housing in more detail.

Also, hows the LCD screen resolution? ..Is it clear and bright? ...easy to see, etc...

Can you show a picture of the housing next to the camera to get a better idea how big it is in relation to the camera?

And what do you plan to do for a red filter? what are the options?

If Patima put a flip red filter on this housing I think LM would lose a few more sales.


Thanks for the review and insight.

 

[cofn]

I took the pics last night, will get them in today hopefully when I get home from work.

Sadly there is no flip filter, so I am not 100% sure how I will tackle this yet. I may grab something external, 67mm threaded and add and remove as needed, I will have to look around online for solutions.

LCD is clear and bright, but as I mentioned, a little annoying to use as you need such a dead on perspective to see it.

There is a protective cover that is 1 1/2 - 2 inches long, and it does unscrew externally, so it may be just for protection when traveling, taking it off would make it much easier to see.

The 67mm threading is pretty much like any dslr camera lens, threaded on a slight recess.

I do have a closeup pic of it though so you can see for yourself.

I should also note that the LCD takes extra batteries, not a big deal, most do, but it requires 8!!!! AA batteries....

They claim it can run for 18 hours though so....

But I admit that any added weight is not welcomed.

On another note, took it in the hot tub last night, it is VERY negative buoyant. I put it in the water and it dropped like a lead balloon.

They included this weird device with it that I can definitely see being useful now. it is essentially an air bladder in a neoprene sleeve, it can attach via straps to the housing to add to it's buoyancy, it has an air input so you can inflate it underwater to balance out. It looks silly but may be needed as it feels like it weights a good 3 - 4 lbs under water.

 

[Cousinducky]

This is all good information for anyone considering this set up.

I guess your the first real world tester for this housing.

Yeah it sucks it sooooo HEAVY.... 17lbs seems ridiculous. And I'm not surprised its so negatively buoyant.

But when you look at the other housing options out there, this seems like a steal of a deal for what functionality you get. But you suffer in other areas(weight/size, no red filter, etc)

With all things considered, it still seems like a good option for those not wanting to fork out $2800+ for a housing that could do essentially the same thing as this one at $1300.


post pictures when you can. Thanks for the review.

 

[cofn]

I find it hard to beleive for the price no one else has taken the leap and picked this up. Guess everyone will be waiting on the video I come back with as a real test.

I was reading over the manual today and found that I totally missed something.

There are 5 buttons on top, I assumed they were to be used with the optional external viewer as they seemed to serve no real purpose, Man was I wrong.

You can slide your cameras remote control in and and have 100% menu functionality. White balance, playback, anything that you can so in the menu system. I cannot beleive I overlooked this.

I so can't wait to get this into the open water for a real test, only about 75 more sleeps.

Formatting the pics now, should be up in a bit.

 

[cofn]

Here are the pics I promised.

I decided to leave them in their original size for those wanting to view very detailed shots. Especially the 67mm shot.

Enjoy.



The aluminium beast in all her glory



Front view, camera mounted




67mm threading




LCD internal view with 8AA battery slots




XR500V inside the case




Solid construction on the handle attachment




Steel handle and 5 buttons for the internal mounted remote.




Right control handle.




LCD rear view




Left handle controls




LCD power button




Manual focus toggle button under front lens




Manual focue know, also used for white balance control.




Empty housing internal view




Camera mounting plate




Left and right mini connectors for control handles

 

[Cousinducky]

Very cool.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

A red filter system seems like an easy thing they could have implemented in the design but didn't.... that's strange.

The weight seems to be a BIG issue with me.
I'm trying to picture a diver swimming and shooting "acceptable" video in a mild current.

I wonder if it would seem bulky and cumbersome...hmmm? Like swimming around with a cinder block. And being VERY negatively buoyant scares me as well....


A lot of things to consider.

 

[cofn]

My pleasure.

I found the lack of filter odd as well, there is plenty of room in case to have added on, not sure why they didn't.

I must admit I am a little worried about the weight too, being this is my first adventure into underwater video, I am hoping the case will not be a burden for me. I am also fairly new to diving as I have only dove about 25 times now, so stressing about this camera underwater may be an issue, time will tell I guess.

I did however get the go ahead from my wife to dive as much as I want in the Bahamas this October, so I will have lots of time to practice.

I wish I was not so opposed to lake diving as I would take it for a spin here before I go south, but the water here is nasty, wouldn't stick a toe in let alone my face. Yuck!

I am going to play with the balloon like bladder it came with and see if it helps, just seems like a less than viable buoyancy option.

Oh well, will have lots of video to share when I get back regardless.

 

[diversteve]

It's interesting (and odd) that they go through the trouble of milling out the excess weight on the mounting tray and yet make everything else so heavy.

There aren't any sort of removable weights on the bottom are there? I don't mean to offend you by asking - but you did miss the remote pocket at first...

A little negative is good also, I like mine about 1lb. heavy. It helps with stability during pans.

And it will be slightly more buoyant in salt water.

Of course if you drop it...get a good lanyard for it. I have this one: Cetacea Corporation - Scuba :: Coil Lanyards :: Coil-Lanyard w/Brass Snap

I modified the loop end to take a locking carbiner which fits nicely through a hole in my handle.

Great review and pictures so far - thanks.

 

[cofn]

You are correct Steve, totally missed the remote slot.

Part of the issue I think is the manual is a little lacking to say the least. It is badly translated and as I mentioned, looked like this was for the external viewer at first, at least that was my thought.

Sadly no removable weights, it has 4 small legs on the bottom and that is it, but they are plastic so I doubt it would make any difference.

I will definitely check out the lanyard, dropping this baby is a concern for sure, so I want to make sure I have a really good tether to me.