get housing for current camera, or upgrade?

dogbone · Apr 3, 2020

So, currently I have a nikon d7000, I have used it a fair bit for photography above the water...but really enjoying scuba and I see these two hobbies overlapping at some point....so, when I look to take that passion under the water, should I invest in a housing for my d7000, or see about getting a new camera?

Most of my reservation on it is that the housing costs more than the camera...is that typical, or is it just because my camera isn't really high end?

thoughts, opinions?

d^2b · Apr 3, 2020

It's not that surprising for housings to cost more than cameras. Even the Olympus polycarbonate ones which are on the more affordable end are often more expensive than the corresponding bodies.
The other thing to keep in mind is to get nice-ish results, your going to need at least one strobe and a tray to mount it on, so budget for that.

Nemrod · Apr 3, 2020

dogbone:
So, currently I have a nikon d7000, I have used it a fair bit for photography above the water...but really enjoying scuba and I see these two hobbies overlapping at some point....so, when I look to take that passion under the water, should I invest in a housing for my d7000, or see about getting a new camera?

Most of my reservation on it is that the housing costs more than the camera...is that typical, or is it just because my camera isn't really high end?

thoughts, opinions?

It is very typical, especially for mirrorless and dSLR camera for the housing to cost much (MUCH) more than the camera. You have to think of the camera and housing and ports as a system and you must consider that UW camera housings for dSLR or other high(er) end cameras is a very small niche market. So, yes, the housings and components like ports are very expensive. And another factor driving that is that dSLRs are used by professional and very serious amateurs who do not balk at buckets of money for a housing or an all glass Zen dome.

You have a couple of choices, go mirrorless which will not be much, if any cheaper (Sony A6400/A6500/A6600) or Olympus M4:3. Some of the APSC and M4:3 offerings are somewhat less expensive. Or, if you want to stay with Nikon and in particular a dSLR platform, you may not fully appreciate that APSC dSLR cameras are dying away (being replaced by mirrorless) leaving only FF dSLRs. The point being if you intend to house a Nikon APSC dSLR I would update to the latest model (same with Canon) and house it with the very best Nauticam or Aquatica housing and use it forever (forever being relative).

Even if you go with an Olympus or Sony mirrorless system I would still recommend Nauticam housings. The high end aluminum housings are super durable and can be rebuilt/overhauled and serviced. They are pro-grade. They will last many years of service. And, a big point, the camera has all functions and is as EASY if not more easy to function in the housing often than in your hands bare of housing! They are very well engineered and precise and built in small quantities and that is why they cost more than the bare camera.

Regarding other components, usually dSLR and mirrorless camera housings (Nauticam and Aquatica) the handles are built into and integrated into the housing, you will not need a tray. You will need two strobes and arms and clamps.

My (three) systems, Canon S90 in an aluminum Resea/FIX housing still going strong on nine years, housing just serviced, new Nauticam NA-6400 and my GoPro:

NA6400 waiting for Covid 19 to go away and minutes from a pool dunk:

Have you priced strobes yet! It is an expensive hobby.

James

CanadaDan · Apr 3, 2020

I was in the same position a few years back. My decision on which new camera body to obtain was based on which reasonably priced housing with changeable ports I could acquire. I decided to not jump into the four figure housings until I became better able to dive often.

FWIW I started with (and still use) Meikon/Sea Frog housings but I've always been a Sony shooter so it fit the bill.

d^2b · Apr 3, 2020

Advice I got (and ignored as a "hot shot land photographer"): pick up an olympus TG-5 / TG-6 compact camera in a housing plus a Sea&Sea YS03 strobe or equivalent. Realistically it's been a few years and I'm just starting to use the controls in my mu4:3 system, so I could have probably saved a kilobuck or so.

dogbone · Apr 3, 2020

Nemrod:
It is very typical, especially for mirrorless and dSLR camera for the housing to cost much (MUCH) more than the camera. You have to think of the camera and housing and ports as a system and you must consider that UW camera housings for dSLR or other high(er) end cameras is a very small niche market. So, yes, the housings and components like ports are very expensive. And another factor driving that is that dSLRs are used by professional and very serious amateurs who do not balk at buckets of money for a housing or an all glass Zen dome.

You have a couple of choices, go mirrorless which will not be much, if any cheaper (Sony A6400/A6500/A6600) or Olympus M4:3. Some of the APSC and M4:3 offerings are somewhat less expensive. Or, if you want to stay with Nikon and in particular a dSLR platform, you may not fully appreciate that APSC dSLR cameras are dying away (being replaced by mirrorless) leaving only FF dSLRs. The point being if you intend to house a Nikon APSC dSLR I would update to the latest model (same with Canon) and house it with the very best Nauticam or Aquatica housing and use it forever (forever being relative).

Even if you go with an Olympus or Sony mirrorless system I would still recommend Nauticam housings. The high end aluminum housings are super durable and can be rebuilt/overhauled and serviced. They are pro-grade. They will last many years of service. And, a big point, the camera has all functions and is as EASY if not more easy to function in the housing often than in your hands bare of housing! They are very well engineered and precise and built in small quantities and that is why they cost more than the bare camera.

Regarding other components, usually dSLR and mirrorless camera housings (Nauticam and Aquatica) the handles are built into and integrated into the housing, you will not need a tray. You will need two strobes and arms and clamps.

My (three) systems, Canon S90 in an aluminum Resea/FIX housing still going strong on nine years, housing just serviced, new Nauticam NA-6400 and my GoPro:

View attachment 578228

NA6400 waiting for Covid 19 to go away and minutes from a pool dunk:

View attachment 578229

Have you priced strobes yet! It is an expensive hobby.

James

oof...no, I haven't priced strobes yet...figured I would start looking at housing first and see where I ended up after that lol

Thanks for all the input though everyone

I think it's probably going to be a while at this rate before I can get into underwater photography

although, I may look into that TG-5 / TG-6....see what kind of pictures it can put out...may be worth it to just get one of those and save myself the money right now till I can manage to get better...

Chris Ross · Apr 6, 2020

Look at it from a full system basis - do you already own UW-usable lenses like a fisheye or 16-35mm full frame equivalent or even a macro lens? Depending on what you want to shoot you may have to buy a full set of lenses to use UW.

Depending on what housing brand you buy ( and where) , you may find you buy the housing plus a body in m43 for less than just the housing for an APS-C DSLR. For example with housing from Bluewater photo and camera from BH Photo: Nauticam housing for D500 is $3051 and EM-1 MkII housing is $1708 plus a EM-1 II body is on sale at $1299, total $3007. In general m43 lenses are quite well priced and ports are smaller and cheaper. Price out all of the items you'll need, a port for each lens, at least one strobe etc. I would also suggest physically handling the housings if you can, the housings are quite large and bigger housings are harder to handle in water. For rectilinear wides dome port size scales with sensor size, a 16mm full frame equivalent requires a 170mm dome in m43, 200mm in APS-C and 230mm in full frame, the domes get significantly bigger and harder to travel with as you go up in size.

Nemrod · Apr 6, 2020

Uh, y'alls might want to know that the Nuaticam 15% sale is extended. I think Reef, Backscatter, the other usual suspects, are doing the sale. There has NEVER been a Nauticam sale that I can recall EVER (using my best SoCal Valley Girl upsweep on the end)!

The least expensive systems right now are the Sony A6XXX series camera and now in a 15% off Nauticam, one more week. I do not know anything about the SeaFrogs etc. I know they are popular. But if the OP is a dSLR sort and wants to house it, well, now is the time.

James

outofofficebrb · Apr 6, 2020

Nemrod:
Uh, y'alls might want to know that the Nuaticam 15% sale is extended. I think Reef, Backscatter, the other usual suspects, are doing the sale. There has NEVER been a Nauticam sale that I can recall EVER (using my best SoCal Valley Girl upsweep on the end)!

The least expensive systems right now are the Sony A6XXX series camera and now in a 15% off Nauticam, one more week. I do not know anything about the SeaFrogs etc. I know they are popular. But if the OP is a dSLR sort and wants to house it, well, now is the time.

James

Thank you for allowing me to visualize this moment so well and for giving me a good chuckle.

I think I also saw that Ultralight was having a sale so it's a good time to get hardware (arms, clamps, mounts, etc.), too.

I have a Nauticam housing for my Sony RX100 and I can speak to how great the housings are. I've had mine on nearly 300 dives and it is built extremely well...the internal engineering and components are pretty impressive for a housing.

Do get the vacuum valve!

undrwtr1 · Apr 6, 2020

I have been a lifelong SLR/DSLR photographer and have owned a few underwater systems over the years(in order): a Nikonos V+SB103 film kit; Olympus 5050 with Dual Ikelte DS50s; then a GoPro with lights and now a housed TG-6 with dual Sea & Sea strobes. A lot will depend on what you will do with your photos. For the life of me, I could not fathom purchasing a $5,000-$7,000+ underwater DSLR system only to print a few 8x10s or a random 16x20 after each trip, especially if you are mostly a vacation diver. Also, having the TG6 system with a Backscatter Wide wet lens allows macro and (semi)wide shooting on the same dive, without having to swap lenses. To me, this is the best of everything - what I arguably lose in image quality and manual control I more than make up for in convenience. My rig is pretty compact, light and easy to handle underwater. The camera is capable of producing quality prints (depending on how much you crop) up to 16 x 20 and for the few I make after each trip, it is outstanding.

If you plan on regularly making larger prints, entering competitions or your will be diving on a regular basis where you live, then your usage may require that higher cost - how you use your images and how often you will be able to use the camera should certainly be a main consideration (unless you've got $$ to burn!). Finally, as a newer diver, you should keep it simple until you really get your buoyancy dialed in - a TG6 (or similar compact) with a single strobe is a great way to test the waters and even expand with a second strobe over time. Becoming an experienced diver first is better than over-tasking yourself trying to master 2 things at once. A simple compact with strobe is a hell of a lot easier to handle in the beginning.

I just recently switched from my DSLR to mirrorless for the convenience of having a smaller bag (over 50 now - LOL) that I will be willing to take anytime vs. deciding to take my DSLR because I knew I wanted to take better shots than my compact. Despite this, it still isn't worth the upgrade to house the mirrorless rig because of how often I dive and what I plan on doing with my images.

Just my 2 cents!

My first week with the TG-6 (February 2020)