New housings for the D90?

[Cp111]

I'm new to this housing world but it seems to be the only industry that supports a new product without handson testing.
The Nauticam appears to have some well thought out and novel ideas. Has anyone actually tested it? How long has this port system been in use? How many times has one actually been "Cycled" in the feild?
I find it strange that with cameras, cars, motorcylces,etc. we all wait for feild reviews (well, the smart ones) before buying or at least claiming that it the new best thing.
Has this industry always reacted this way to the untested?

Hi scub e,

Good question. The size of the market certainly contributes to the fact that there isn't a lot of independent testing... it's one thing to have magazines test products from a massive market such as cars (though I guess they missed those Toyota gas pedals... oh, and the Prius brakes, but quite another to test something as niche as DSLR cameras housings. I've actually been involved in testing scuba gear (bigger market than u/w DSLR photo, smaller than cars or motorcycles) for a magazine, and I can tell you that getting the magazine to fund that testing was tough.

Plus, how many times have you read reviews for cars, cameras, or motorcycles (or scuba gear) that were pure drivel? Sometimes independent testing reviews aren't worth the time to read.

Further, it isn't really fair to say this has not been tested. Edward Lai of Nauticam dove several iterations of the D90 concept for almost a year before going into production. Our first D90 housings were sent to professionals in the field who dived the system hundreds of times.

Improvements are happening continually... I've been very pleased with how responsive Edward has been in incorporating changes that we have asked for. They are small changes, indeed, fine tuning, but that's how housings get better. DSLR housings have come a long way in the past few years, and right now, I think Nauticam represents the best of what is out there.

As I said in a post on Wetpixel, clearly there is some amount of risk in going with a new housing manufacturer like this. Obviously, we are aware of that. We will continue to refine the design while standing behind our early adopters. I'm sure there will be issues that pop up, as there are with all brands. The true test is how we respond to them. My job is to be the point person for Nauticam in the western hemisphere.. and I, along with the whole Nauticam team, am prepared to set a new standard. Please feel free to contact me either here on Scubaboard, or by email, and shoot me whatever questions you might have.

Thanks for the good questions and the chance to respond.

Chris

Chris Parsons
Nauticam USA
innovation at nauticamusa
www nauticamusa com
954-489-8678

 

[Rainer]

Reasons to prefer the Nauticam over the cheaper (and proven) Aquatica housing?

 

[scuba e]

Thank you for your honest responce. I wish you luck with the product and will be following closely. I hope after time and testing that I end up with one.

 

[jbb]

Reasons to prefer the Nauticam over the cheaper (and proven) Aquatica housing?

Yes, you could get a nice macro lense for the difference in pricing...

 

[caribbeansoul]

I had been looking in to housing my D90 for quite awhile. I initially was looking in to an Aquatica setup. I had played around a little with one in the shop and it seemed to be an excellent quality housing and of course the reviews and reputation of the company were all good. I held off for whatever reason and then Nauticam came along. I have only been able to check them out in the store as well, but I have been following the reviews and discussions about their housings very closely. From the reviews from DEMA to those pro photographers and dealers who have tried it as well as the few others who have reported back about their experiences with Nauticam housings, there does not seem to be any dispute yet of the build quality. Naturally, if something goes wrong with an expensive piece of equipment like this, people are quick to comment on it. There are people on this board as well as others who have been thus far very happy. Yes, they are new and therefore it may be taking a little leap of faith in trying a new product out there. However, if people didn't try out new products, how would new companies ever make it, to what they may become? To me it was about finding something new and innovative that would fit my needs and I'm willing to take the risk in something that, after looking in to a bit, am comfortable going with. So I'm looking forward to a Nauticam system very soon.

So what was the difference for me? I liked the ergonomics of the Nauticam housing. The controls for video are easier to use than on the camera itself. You can control live view and the video on/off with one control and it's positioned behind the shutter control for easy reach with your thumb. The port system is really cool and I like the idea of not having to worry about the o-ring extruding by screwing on the port to the housing. Finally, they are one of the few manufacturers who offer fiber optic strobe connections (as well as the option to use a sync cord with the optional Nikonos bulkhead) on a D90 housing. Aquatica did not offer that on the D90, but now have it for other camera's. This was an option I was really wanting. Aquatica makes great housings, but those were the factors that made a difference to me.

Finally, in regards to pricing. The Aquatica housings are a little bit cheaper and if you have a previous housing and can still use the ports, you can save money by sticking with Aquatica (and buy that macro lens! ) However, if like me, you are starting from the ground up and have to buy all of the ports, any extensions and zoom/focus gear as well, you will find that in the end the pricing is VERY similar between both setups. Given the additional features I mentioned before, I think that makes Nauticam a better deal, at least for me.

 

[Ryan]

I'd rather not compare to any competing brand, but some benefits of Nauticam are:
-Machined Aluminum Construction
-Live View & Center Multiselector Button (video start/stop) from the right handle (only D90 housing with this feature). This mechanism is not simple, and that added complexity costs money to manufacture.
-Right Handle Access to Shutter Release, Main Command Dial, Sub Command Dial, AE-L/AF-L, Live View, and Center Multiselector Button
-Optical Strobe Connectors offer a failure proof strobe firing system, and inexpensive (but accurate) optical ttl with current Inon and Sea & Sea YS-110a strobes.
-Comfortable Rubber Overmolded Grips
-Innovative Port Locking System that requires no rotation to install lens ports, which reduces the probability of an extruded o-ring, and requires much less hand strength than threaded or bayonet ports
-Audible and Visual Leak Detector Included with Every Housing
-The industries only locking extension rings (some other options have the ability to lock the first accessory onto the housing, but are not able to lock a dome port onto an extension ring, for example)

 

[caribbeansoul]

Optical Strobe Connectors offer a failure proof strobe firing system, and inexpensive (but accurate) optical ttl with current Inon and Sea & Sea YS-110a strobes.

Hi Ryan,
You mention specifically the YS110a strobe. Is there any downside to using the older YS110 strobe? Will it not fire as accurately? My understanding was that the new strobe had a faster recycling time and was modified to work better with the Sea and Sea YS converter when used with other strobes, such as with the YS250 for example, when hard synced to the camera. Is there any difference in functionality of the older strobe compared to the alpha when used with an optical connection for manual and sTTL use?

 

[Ryan]

We've never had good luck with the original yellow YS-110 performing DS-TTL as it was advertised to do, so I wouldn't recommend that strobe optically if you want ttl. It will usually work well setting the power manually, though.

 

[caribbeansoul]

Thanks Ryan. Good to know. I usually use it in manual most of the time.

 

[AussieByron]

Does the Nauticam offer bulkheads for Ikelite strobes and also TTL like the Aquatica housing does for Nikon cameras???

I would be thinking that alot of people that are current using ikelite might look at Nauticam if they have these features available. I for one would be interested.

Regards Mark