Which housing for RX100?

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tamas970

Contributor
Messages
610
Reaction score
59
Location
Switzerland - way too far from warm seas:(
# of dives
100 - 199
I just ordered an RX100 mkIV and looking for a good housing, which allows to use the 67mm threaded h100 and wwl-1 wide converters.

Here is my shortlist:
#1: Fantasea FRX-100 IV
#2: ikelite 6116.14
#3: Nauticam
#4: Recsea plastic
#5: Acquaplazza Aluminium <- I really like the design! Would perfectly fit under the Christmas tree:))
#6: Meikon Aluminium. <- cheap, also nice piece.

Are any of the above have serious shortcomings?
 
We have the ikelite and really like it. We also ordered the wide angle port and have a couple of sea and sea strobes. It does a good job and is fairly light. I also have a seacam for my D200 and its a great housing but very bulky and heavy. Its built like a tank. Since most of us travel to dive you want to look at having to pack it so the weight and bulk are important. Strobe connectors are important too and the ikelite only uses the fiber connectors. I don't think they are as reliable as the cable connectors.
 
Aquaplazza housing are amazing and very compact. Fantasea would be the best of the economical choices being a bit less expensive than the Aquaplazza my next choice would be a Nauticam.
 
Aquaplazza housing are amazing and very compact. Fantasea would be the best of the economical choices being a bit less expensive than the Aquaplazza my next choice would be a Nauticam.

Thanks! I am leaning towards the Aquaplazza, because the RX100IV likes to overheat in 4k. I just need to find a dealer, so far I saw it at one place only...

Turning down the Fantasea, because of its 55mm filter thread. The Aquaplazza seems to be hard to get, I just asked the manufacturer if they sell directly. Anyway, it will also be a price question, anything above 700$ shipped from overseas doesn't make sense for me, since I can get a Nauticam housing for <1k.

In case I'd go plastic, the recsea plastic housing seems to offer dual o-rings. pffh, too many choices:D.
 
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pffh, too many choices:D.

Can be a problem right? :)

I have the RX100 (mk1) and Nauticam, no complaints. Compact/travel friendly, reliable, all controls are accessible and easy to use.
Do you shoot 4k video? If not, you could also consider the older models for a much lower price than the mk4.

Personally I think for stills the mk1 is about as good as it gets for a small sensor, next move up for me would be full frame.
 
Just about an hour ago pulled the trigger and ordered the Nauticam. :D

Considering the overheating issues of the mkIV, I suppose a tight Aluminium housing is superior for longer clips. Thereafter, availability & price was the decisive factor.
My favorite Acquapazza costs minimum 92kJPY+import from Japan, which is max 30-40$ less than I am paying a local store to send me over the Nauticam that they have on stock.
The only cheaper Alu option would have been the Meikon, but that is still a brand not associated with quality... (<-even if good, lower resale value)

Can be a problem right? :)

I have the RX100 (mk1) and Nauticam, no complaints. Compact/travel friendly, reliable, all controls are accessible and easy to use.
Do you shoot 4k video? If not, you could also consider the older models for a much lower price than the mk4.

Personally I think for stills the mk1 is about as good as it gets for a small sensor, next move up for me would be full frame.

Now I can think about the rest of the system. My 2x s2000's are rather weak, and my arm system is largish - uncomfortable to swim with. The power of an Ikelite ds160 would be great, however that beast weighs a ton...
 
Ikelite has a good reputation, and has been around since film cameras were used back in the days of the TV show Sea Hunt.

Their housing still looks like the plastic cube housings seen in Sea Hunt.

In case I'd go plastic, the recsea plastic housing seems to offer dual o-rings. pffh, too many choices:D.

I read somewhere that the recsea plastic housing has plastic 67mm threads, which after a while of threading/unthreading, pretty much gets stripped.

Recsea Sony RX-100 CW Housing Reviews | Bluewater Photo & Video


Even the brand not associated with quality (Meikon), has their 67mm threads made out of metal.
 
Tamas, the Nauticam is a great choice, did you receive it yet? Now you can start thinking about the rest: strobes, video lights, arms... If you thought the decision about the housing was tough, better get ready for another round :D

BTW, I really like my ys-D1s and would get the D2s if buying a new kit. I just never need to use them at full power, they've got plenty of juice to give
 
Hi Pedro, received it of course, itching to put it in the water:) The gear must be complete before February. Realized just after the purchase, that the Nauticam housing has a clear added value above all
others: built-in vacuum detector and m14 port to accept a valve. I think a vacuum system has to be clearly promoted in case the o-ring cannot be visually inspected, a "cheap" meikon housing can end up
VERY expensive if the camera is flooded due to a piece of sand/hair/dirt/etc.

On strobes I am more or less decided, fetched a used Subtronic Nova (not that heavy as I thought:)), looking for a second used one and a pair of the inon Mega M arm segments
to deal with the weight. The only open question I see is what should I do with my prehistoric halogen video lights. Their color rendition beats every single LED/HID on the planet but the weight of the stuff is 2kg
underwater, ~5kg above!
 
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https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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