gummybun
Contributor
supergaijin, is of course correct, and in an ideal world we would all buy the best, and if there was a $2000.00 housing, well that would be better than the Nauticam and that would be being recommended. But what about the Ikelite at less than half the cost of Nauticam, and 2.5x what you are thinking about? That is more worth comparing, if you are (I suspect) starting out. The sony will last you for years, so choose with that in mind. If you do 100 dives, that's only $2.50 per dive more and you still have re-sale value of at least half - so it costs you almost nothing more.
And you KNOW the controls will work to depth, without sticking.
I have used a Canon housing on 70 dives and it has worked well (enough). I inspect the ring every dive, I bring a loupe and inspect it with that every 6 dives and remove and grease every 12 to 18 dives. I always keep silica in the case and keep a watch out for condensation and water - had a small leak once and sent the camera to the surface on a line - 1 eyebrow hair on the ring. However, the contols do get sticky at as little as 80 feet - definitely at 110 feet ad that is really irritating. Even if it happens once in a while, you will regret your purchase, compared to a more robust option. The ergonomics and user 'interface' IS better on the more expensive units, and will get you better shots, and that is what you are there for.
That said, the Canon housing has served me well, but I would be a little apprehensive in buying a non-name brand item half the price of what I paid for the Canon - seems penny wise pound foolish. Consider buying a cheaper camera and better housing maybe. You may have issues buying replacement o-rings, and you should always have a spare on hand. EDIT, I see they are advertising here on SB - so maybe they are in it for the long term, with spares, we will need to see about that.
If you are only going down 60 feet and can do repeat testing of the unit in a pool environment before needing it (on a trip) it may well be OK for that. But you will need to put it through its' paces. I keep a spare line in case I need to send mine to the surface in a hurry (as the case is positive buoyant).
And you can not compare it to a gopro housing, as the GP housing 1- is mass produced to the manufacturers specs, 2- has a ridiculously simple interface, 3- has a tiny o-ring, and as well, it doesn't work well at that, as there is no room for silica, mine kept fogging time and again on my last trip to Thailand, and I am practiced in methods of avoiding condensation. I did love using it though.
EDIT - Looking at the site, it appears that they supply Spare rings, so I would buy them at the time of purchase. Also interesting is the inclusion of a flash diffuser, though I wish these diffusers came to the front lens ring so they would be of some use in Macro/close up work.
And you KNOW the controls will work to depth, without sticking.
I have used a Canon housing on 70 dives and it has worked well (enough). I inspect the ring every dive, I bring a loupe and inspect it with that every 6 dives and remove and grease every 12 to 18 dives. I always keep silica in the case and keep a watch out for condensation and water - had a small leak once and sent the camera to the surface on a line - 1 eyebrow hair on the ring. However, the contols do get sticky at as little as 80 feet - definitely at 110 feet ad that is really irritating. Even if it happens once in a while, you will regret your purchase, compared to a more robust option. The ergonomics and user 'interface' IS better on the more expensive units, and will get you better shots, and that is what you are there for.
That said, the Canon housing has served me well, but I would be a little apprehensive in buying a non-name brand item half the price of what I paid for the Canon - seems penny wise pound foolish. Consider buying a cheaper camera and better housing maybe. You may have issues buying replacement o-rings, and you should always have a spare on hand. EDIT, I see they are advertising here on SB - so maybe they are in it for the long term, with spares, we will need to see about that.
If you are only going down 60 feet and can do repeat testing of the unit in a pool environment before needing it (on a trip) it may well be OK for that. But you will need to put it through its' paces. I keep a spare line in case I need to send mine to the surface in a hurry (as the case is positive buoyant).
And you can not compare it to a gopro housing, as the GP housing 1- is mass produced to the manufacturers specs, 2- has a ridiculously simple interface, 3- has a tiny o-ring, and as well, it doesn't work well at that, as there is no room for silica, mine kept fogging time and again on my last trip to Thailand, and I am practiced in methods of avoiding condensation. I did love using it though.
EDIT - Looking at the site, it appears that they supply Spare rings, so I would buy them at the time of purchase. Also interesting is the inclusion of a flash diffuser, though I wish these diffusers came to the front lens ring so they would be of some use in Macro/close up work.
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