Startup Housing Company Seeking Your Input

[H2O Photo Project]

Hi, I'm Troy with H2O Photo Project (working title). I'm part of a startup company that is developing a new underwater camera housing. In order to ensure that we build a product that is successful, we are looking for input from underwater photographers so that we can build what you want, instead of just what we think you want.

We still have a lot of developing to do, and there isn't much of a spec to share at this point, but we're confident our housing will have some significant advantages over current market offerings.

Please take a look at our website and complete the survey there if you have a few moments. H2O Photo Project

Also, i would like to personally interview via phone or email anyone who is willing to lend me a bit more of their time. If you're interested, please send us a message either through the contact page on our site, or directly at h2ophotoproject@gmail.com.

Thank you,
Troy Smith

 

[H2O Photo Project]

Thanks for the input we've received so far, it's been very helpful! We'd love to get more responses to the SURVEY and also we'd love to hear from anyone who hasn't taken the dive (har har) with UW photography yet, but would like to if they could find less expensive gear. h2ophotoproject@gmail.com

 

[Kryssa]

My one general survey comment is that your desired depth options are very limited. I think one option was 100' and the next was 300'. I'm a recreational diver, but it's not unusual for me to go to 120'. However, 300' is really overkill for the diving I do. 150' would be fine, but since I definitely need some that goes to at least 130', I picked 300'.

 

[diversteve]

Recreational dive limits are 130'. So a 100' limited housing has less appeal for divers.

Most of your competition in the low end space works to at least 130' (Canon etc.) up to about 200'. (60M)

Beyond that metal housings go deeper but are more specialized.

Thought about Kickstarter? There was a GoPro housing recently funded there.

 

[chile7236]

done .

 

[H2O Photo Project]

Thanks for the feedback. Most of the survey responses are indicating a 300' rating. It sounds like 150' may be sufficient for many of those, based on feedback here.

 

[diversteve]

It sounds like 150' may be sufficient for many of those, based on feedback here.

Are you planning to compete in the housed DSLR space? If so you'll need to manufacture your housing to be reliable at twice that depth.

Almost all of the other mfr's rate their housings to between 70-130M. Most typically are rated to 100M (330'). The exception is Ikelite, they only rate theirs to 60M.

Based on what I read on your website, you're targeting the higher end metal housed DSLR housing mfr's so maybe you want to rethink that - someone with $5K+ invested in a Canon 5D MKIII or similar probably isn't going to be looking for "sufficient".

 

[smellzlikefish]

Done. One more comment not included in the form regarding desired depth limit, I would definitely want to take it below 150', probably more than 200'.

 

[BoltSnap]

I wouldn't even look at anything that is less than 250 feet. DSLR must be 100 meters, anything less is for picture snappers.

 

[bvanant]

I wouldn't even look at anything that is less than 250 feet. DSLR must be 100 meters, anything less is for picture snappers.

Well that may be your opinion but I can tell you that in the recent LAUPS International Photo competition (serious photographers) none of the winning photos were anywhere near 250 feet deep and most were from less than 100 feet deep. I shoot with a Nauticam housing and I bought it for its ergonomics and the fact that it is good to 100 meters makes absolutely no difference. Of course there are folks who need cameras that can go deep but if I were starting a housing company, I would follow the 80/20 rule and build for the 80% of serious UW photographers who don't need to go to 300+feet and maybe offer an option to go deeper. There is an ergonomic penalty to pay for extreme depth ratings and that is the buttons are much harder to push at shallower depths and major determinant of depth ratings is that the buttons don't get pushed in at depth. In any case, I think that the whole one-housing -- many cameras idea is interesting but technically daunting.
Bill