Nauticam vs Isotta Housing

[The Chairman]

I hope to make the California Dive Show this year, if I can get my back fixed. They always show and have awesome deals. It's a great show, and Catalina is only a ferry ride away. Diving off of Casino Point should be on your bucket list.

 

[bvanant]

Come dive in LA. If you are thinking OM-1, I would look at the AOI as well. I shot Nauticam for years then got an Isotta for the OMD-EM1 III. When I switched to the OM-1 I wanted Isotta but they didn't announce the OM-1 housing til just recently so I got the AOI. Awesome, built in LED trigger and Vacuum, ports for all the lenses I use including the 90 macro port that lets you switch modes underwater. I know it is plastic but so far (400+ dives) everything is dry and it just works. Not as cool looking as the Isotta, way easier to service than the Nauticam.
Bill

 

[noserider]

Thanks Bill, you may have just saved me £1000 plus, or allowed me to buy a macro lens as well as wide angle at the outset, so if I go that route I owe you a real IPA.

Our friends on water pixels pushed back about acrylic housings and almost all were refunding nauticam and a metal case was stated as a must. Hence I moved to preferring Isotta and loved the design, but great to hear real world experience of one. I have a TG-6 in Olympus housing which is manufactured by AOI and its down 200+ dives with no issues

 

[bvanant]

At the end of the day (or days, we just got back from Komodo) the bottom line is that there were no photos that I think I could have gotten with the Isotta or Nauticam that I couldn't get with the AOI. One thing about it; despite its plastic construction, it is quite negative underwater, but it does what it is supposed to do, it keeps the camera dry. Haven't had it much below 40 meters but to 40 it works fine.

Also, RC mode (built in) with AOI or other RC mode strobes (Marelux, Backscatter) worked brilliantly on black water dives.

 

[noserider]

At the end of the day (or days, we just got back from Komodo) the bottom line is that there were no photos that I think I could have gotten with the Isotta or Nauticam that I couldn't get with the AOI. One thing about it; despite its plastic construction, it is quite negative underwater, but it does what it is supposed to do, it keeps the camera dry. Haven't had it much below 40 meters but to 40 it works fine.

Also, RC mode (built in) with AOI or other RC mode strobes (Marelux, Backscatter) worked brilliantly on black water dives.
View attachment 822927

View attachment 822927

These are fantastic

To be fair I will not dive below 40 metres with a camera in the foreseeable future so this is not an issue

 

[Tim Clark Diving]

I have an OM1 with an AOI housing and love it. The housing is light, easy to pack in a carry on, and has a good assortment of ports for all the Olympus lenses. Of course, I have also never owned a metal housing. I have never thought the extra expense was worth it. I change cameras about every 5 years, and that means a new housing as well. The acrylic housings do what I want and saves money for other UW toys. I did have a leak this year in the vacuum port. Just a small drop of water at the end of the dive. Backscatter said there was salt crystals in the port that kept it from sealing and advised me to make sure the cap was always snug. They replaced the port and no problem since.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Isotta Advantages / disadvantages

• Italian Engineering

Is this an advantage or a disadvantage?

 

[Mod63]

Is this an advantage or a disadvantage?

depends who you ask

 

[bvanant]

"Is this an advantage or a disadvantage?"

I think that Italian Design is a very very different thing than Italian Engineering. Italian Manufacturing is in the middle. We have an island stove that has an Italian designed and engineered down draft. Very very pretty, in actual operation not so much.
I had the Isotta housing for the OM-D EM1 Mark III, and loved it but have moved on to AOI.
Bill

 

[noserider]

Italian engineering in industry is actually very good. All those pills you pop where probably created on Italian machines, they are leaders in equipment supply to fmcg companies.