Underwater Camera Systems & Housings
Point and Shoot
Cameras with Full Manual control
DLSR Camera Housings
POINT AND SHOOT
Olympus TG610 and Stylus TG 810 in the Olympus PT-051 (All photos and info here are for previous models.
The Olympus housings are the best housings made for compact digital cameras. The large shutter button is smooth and responsive, other buttons are clearly labeled and easy to manipulate. The latches are reliable and the flood rate is virtually zero, barring user error, like forgetting the O-ring. (Don't worry, JB, I won't divulge your name, and I made up those initials, too, so you are fully protected.)
The cost for the TG610 and housing is only $540.00 and the TG810 and housing is $640.00
They are light-weight, compact for easy travel, and fit in your hand for easy, one-hand use. The threaded port allows addition of threaded lens accessories or you can use the Inon bayonet mount adaptors. The clear plastic and side mounted built-in flash allows the easy addition of external flashes. The Sealife Digital Pro Flash and the Sea&Sea YS17 are great external flashes that you might want to consider; you can click here to check them out.
Sealife DC1400 now in stock. For only $830.00, you get a complete system.
PROS
Lowest cost for a complete system with strobe and arm
14 MP
HD video
Easy to use
Allows some manual exposure control
Strobe is depth tested to 200 feet (61 m)
(Camera is good to 300' (91.5m)
Includes four digital color correction filters
When lighting with the expanded (longer) strobe arm, you can shoot as close as 1 inch (5cm)
CONS
Strobe arm is not flexible enough to light the closest subjects, unless you purchase the new upgraded longer arm.
No TTL -- but some people find that the Auto setting get good results. Strobe power is easy to adjust.
Only 2 apertures available-not full manual exposure control
The new wide angle lens is not available yet.
CAMERAS WITH FULL MANUAL CONTROL
Olympus E-PL2 in the Olympus PT-EP03 housing
(E-PL3 housing coming soon -- but Cathy still prefers the EPL2 over the EPL-3.)
When you are ready to move beyond point and shoot, we have a great choice -- the PT-EP02 for the Olympus PEN E-PL2. This camera allows full manual control, has a sensor that is 8x larger than any of the compact cameras, and allows full TTL control. (Cameras like the Canon G11/12 series or S90/95 series, for example, do not offer TTL when you are on manual exposure mode). See Cathy's complete review and sample photos here
The EPL-2 is a great camera, and so is the EPL-3. However, we are currently ignoring the EPL-3 for underwater use as the housing is not to my liking and the price increase is for several features that are not of great benefit to the diver. I bought up as many housed EPL-2 systems as I could and will continue to recommend them for divers until I have to give in to the EPL-3. All of the Pen cameras do an incredible amount of good things, easily, completely, and with a very low cost. The EPL-2, with 14 - 42 mm lens, Olympus housing with standard port, UFL2 strobe, full Ultralight arm is ONLY $2075.00!!! This is a fraction of the cost of a minimal set-up with an SLR camera.
No other camera in the world will allow you full f-stops to f22 AND the use of all shutter speeds up to 1/4000th of a second WITH strobe. (This works only with the Olympus UFL-2 strobe which we include in our package.)
• The large micro 4/3rds 12 MP sensor produces SHARP, clear images. They are rated above all of the smaller sensors of all compact digitals , but obviously not as good as the larger sensors of SLRS such as a Nikon D7000, etc. but the cost of the PEN is MUCH lower than the cost of putting a Nikon SLR in a housing!!
• It shoots faster than a compact digital.
• It operates easily on all auto and manual settings.
• The point of focus is easily moved.
• With the standard 14 - 42 mm lens (35mm equivalent to 28 to 84 mm) you can focus down to a subject size about three inches across. With the zoom control you can easily shoot fish or divers. There is a wet close-up lens that gets you even closer.
Sea&Sea DX2G Fantastic sale price!!!!!!! Call for details and incredible sale price of only $1500 for entire pro package with Pelican case!
PROS
Complete system with full controlsRemovable wide-angle lens
Easy to use
CONS
Screen can be too darkAwkward strobe arm
Priced a little high for only average image quality
Although RAW is available, reading/writing speed is too slow
HOUSINGS FOR DSLR CAMERAS
Our favorite underwater housing combination is the Aquatica housing for the Nikon D7000.
Aquatica DSLR Housings for Nikon
We will carry the Aquatica Nikon DSLR Housing for the Nikon D7000 as well as all ports and accessories. Other housings are available on order before your trip to Cayman or shipped directly to you in the US and Canada.
I am very impressed with their products.
• The controls are more accessible than many other brands of housing.
• The aluminum housings are hollowed out nicely for better buoyancy in the water.
• I like the port-locking system, and the door latch mechanism is much easier on my hands than the Subal latches.
• The Aquatica Aqua viewfinder is on par with the terrific GS180 viewfinder on the Subal systems. We will stock the housings with this viewfinder.
• Dual fiber optic connections to allow low-cost TTL strobe use; bulkheads for hard-wired connection can be special-ordered if you like (of course they will come standard for cameras without on-board flash such as the D3).
• You can use ports made by other manufacturers in addition to those from Aquatica! If you are looking to upgrade your camera system, be sure to check out Aquatica.
Subal DSLR Housings for Nikon available by special order
before you come to Cayman.
With all Subal housings, the camera is mounted on a saddle for precise positioning inside the housing. Ergonomic placement of all important controls provides convenient and comfortable handling of the camera functions. A 4 mm main O-ring and a QuickLock latching system make it virtually impossible to close the lid if the O-ring is not lying correctly in its groove. The materials and workmanship are just plain beautiful. It is a durable, reliable, fabulous way to take your favorite camera underwater.
Three different viewfinder systems are available: the standard viewfinder (which I think is a great way to waste a big investment in a wonderful system because now you won't be able to see all of your picture area and viewfinder information easily); my favorite magnifying GS180° viewfinder that, although it costs over $1100.00, allows you to see your entire picture area and is like watching television -- bright and clear; and an angled magnifying WS45° viewfinder which I (and most of my students) find annoying and difficult to use. This viewfinder sits at a 45º angle so that you have to look downward to shoot level. While there are a few specialty times when this viewfinder is a valuable tool, such as when shooting above/under photos, it is a detriment the other 98% of the time when you have trouble tracking a fast fish or shooting a macro photo straight down.
All of the Subal/Nikon camera combinations are heavy in the water and will require a custom combination of Ultralight Buoyancy arms to make them feather light in the water.
It is easy to add TTL to the system. We can install a HeinrichsWeikamp TTL converter for use with your Nikon camera and Inon Z240 strobes.
Subal ND3 Housing for Nikon D3x
The Subal housing for the Nikon D3 (12 MP) and the D3x (a whopping 24 MP) provides an incredible tool for stunning underwater photography. Although the housing is large and quite heavy, it is easy to work with in the water. The full-frame sensor of the D3/D3x produces a better range of details in both shadow and highlight areas and colors that will stun even the most experienced photographer.
This is top of the line. The large viewfinder makes aiming and composing easier than with the smaller viewfinders of the other SLRs. Also, the full frame 12MP cmos sensor allows us to return to using the 60mm micro Nikkor at its full width. I missed this feature on the previous D2x where the 60mm lens "becomes" a 90mm lens and I have to shoot further away from my subjects. The downside, of course, is the cost for the camera and housing. If cost is an issue, the new Nikon D700 is a fine choice.
The newest D3x is a stunning 24.5 MP, and should still use the same housing. We are just now looking into the differences. At a suggested retail of only $8000.00 it will be a great tool for the serious photographer. (I say only because a few years ago this many megapixels was over $30,000.00.)
Sea & Sea DSLR Housings for Nikon
We can order most Sea & Sea Nikon DSLR Housing as well as all ports and accessories.
Sea and Sea housings are easy to hold and handle, with over-sized controls readily accessible to your fingers while holding the housing with one hand. The systems are less expensive than the Subal housings. Both synch ports are on the same side and there is one for use with a dual cord and manual strobe control, and one for use with the Sea and Sea TTL converter. This converter allows TTL with the Nikon cameras and Sea and Sea strobes. There is a full line of ports and accessories, allowing you a wide choice of lenses.
Revised January 4, 2012