Overview

Hi everyone! I own a Sony A7CII and have been looking for an underwater housing for it. I recently noticed that AOI released a housing for this camera maybe it’s too new, I couldn’t find a single in-depth review online—so here’s mine. This is an honest, independent review. I’m not sponsored by AOI or any dive shop, and I paid full price for the housing.

About Me

I’m a seasonal diver and underwater photography hobbyist—usually just one dive trip a year. I’m not a professional underwater photographer, but over the years I’ve tried various camera setups and housings to find what works best for me.

Here’s what I’ve owned and used:

• Olympus housing for TG-4

• Seafrogs housing for TG-6 (technically my wife’s)

• Ikelite housings for Nikon D300 & Sony RX100VA

• Nauticam housings for Sony RX100VA, Canon 5D MkIII, and Nikon D800

With that experience, I hope this review will help anyone considering the AOI UH-A7CII.

Why I Upgraded to the Sony A7CII

My Nikon D800 with a 17–35mm lens in a Nauticam housing and Zen 230mm glass dome port was a joy to shoot with. Despite being heavy, I had it perfectly neutrally buoyant, and I can always get good still pictures.

Everything changed during a recent trip to the Central Atolls of the Maldives with Mrs this January. Despite expectations of calm conditions, we encountered strong currents right from the descent. The current pushed us far from our group, and trying to swim back. However, holding a large camera that created heavy drag in one hand and a tired, slightly panicked Mrs in the other became impossible.

At that moment, I knew it was time to downsize. I needed something lighter and more manageable without sacrificing too much on image and video quality.

Why Not Other Brands?

I looked at all the main players for A7CII housings:

• Nauticam – Great build and ergonomics, but heavy and extremely expensive.

• Marelux – Similar pros and cons to Nauticam, so also ruled out.

• Ikelite – I’ve owned two; both had issues and felt overpriced.

• Seafrogs – Tempting, but their native vacuum valve can only be used on land. You must break the seal to dive again, increasing the risk of oring issues. Also, no third-party vacuum valves I could find would work underwater with their housings.

Why I Chose the AOI UH-A7CII

AOI revealed this housing at DRT Taiwan in April, and it instantly caught my attention. It comes with vacuum and wet detection system, flash trigger, standard flat port and zoom gear for 28-60mm lens. Considering the size, weight, and price—it’s an incredible value. Even better, my existing wide-angle and macro wet lenses are compatible with the standard port.

I’d already had hands-on time with AOI gear back in 2019 (Olympus EPL9/10 housing) and was impressed by the build quality, especially for the price. Knowing AOI is the OEM for Olympus housings gave me even more confidence.

The housing only started shipping in late July/early August, and mine arrived two days ago. I ordered locally, and unboxing it was exciting.

Unboxing Highlights

Overview of all included items

Housing opening – Hinge type and fail-safe latch

Double orings design

Fail safe port lock design – Port rotates to dedicated position then lock port release lever

Water detection sensor

Vacuum valve

Housing base plate – unadvertised in any description and specification

Removable cold shoe attachment – ¼” UNC Unified Coarse Thread

Zoom gear & wireless flash trigger

Camera base plate for lens release

Camera fully setup

Camera in housing

My Impressions

What I Like

1. Compact, ergonomic design – Buttons have varied heights for easier use, and the OK button is positioned sensibly.

2. Double orings – On both housing and port for added security.

3. Triple fail-safe port release – Virtually eliminates accidental port detachment.

4. One-piece rubber zoom gear – Easy to fit, grips well, and won’t scratch or break like metal/plastic versions.

5. Wireless flash trigger – Easier camera installation, supports TTL (AOI/Backscatter flashes) and HSS.

What I Dislike

1. Not full camera control – The control wheel isn’t operable underwater (mine is set to white balance on land).

2. Flash trigger limitations – Only supports AOI/Backscatter TTL protocol; my Retra Pro X with optical TTL won’t get triggered.

Neutral Points

1. Camera held by snug fit – Uses rubber feet instead of a locking base plate. It works for the small A7CII, but I’d still prefer a locking plate for security.

2. No accessory bulkhead – Not an issue for me as a hobbyist, but could limit pro setups.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a compact, feature rich housing for the Sony A7CII at a reasonable price, the AOI UH-A7CII is worth serious consideration.

Unfortunately, my next dive trip isn’t until January 2026, and I don’t dive locally in the UK (too cold for my liking), so real underwater testing will have to wait. In the meantime, I can do some dry sim and am happy to answer any questions.

 

Edited August 9Aug 9 by samchchiu

You stated that the Retra won’t work with the AOI flash trigger- but that refers only to TTL? So in manual mode it should work?

And: what port do you use? Flat with WWL1B?

Thanks for sharing!

10 hours ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

You stated that the Retra won’t work with the AOI flash trigger- but that refers only to TTL? So in manual mode it should work?

And: what port do you use? Flat with WWL1B?

Thanks for sharing!

AOI flash trigger won’t work with Retra flash in TTL mode only. Manual & HSS work fine.

I’m using the standard flat port (for Sony 28-60mm lens, the kit lens come with A7Cii), I’m now planning to go for wet lens system that I have ability to take care both wide angle and macro scenario in a single dive. I have already got 2 wide angle wet lenses they are Weefine WFL-1 and Inon UWL H100. I know that they are mainly for smaller size CMOS (M4/3 or smaller) but since I have them it’s worth to try anyway. If I can’t live with the quality probably I’ll go for AOI UWL 09 pro or WWL-1.

Thanks for the review. I have used a lot housings made by AOI (Olympus TG. Fantasea Canon G16 and EP10 housing). I like them but I wonder about the serviceability. Do you know if factory servicing is done or other third party service agents are available?

It is great to see them making these housings for Sony and expanding their port system but, whereas the small low cost housing are almost disposable, these more expensive ones hopefully are fully serviceable?

Thanks a lot for your review! Quite interested in this housing too.

You mention "The control wheel isn’t operable underwater", Do you mean the wheel to the right of the display at the back of the camera?
I use that to zoom in and out to check correct focus point / sharpness. But with custom buttons, I'll hopefully find a work around.

Do you happen to know if there is any documentation online regarding strobe compatibility of the flash trigger? Curious to know how the unit would work with Inon strobes.

And I'm a bit curious what that base plate adds to the system. Maybe it just helps the system achieve neutral buoyancy?

The flash trigger is interesting, it's a new concept the Hotshoe module has 5 electronic contacts that connect to corresponding contacts built into the housing. The battery to run the trigger and also the vacuum system is built into the housing as are the trigger LEDs. The hotshoe module includes an old style screw down ring to secure it, presumably to ensure pressing the contacts together doesn't force the trigger back and lose contact. Hopefully it will give a reliable connection, particularly as the camera just sits in the housing without any lock in tray.

As for service, I think in theory they are serviceable and some retailers will do service on them. Maybe ask your dealer before you commit? For example Olympus housings are made by AOI, but Olympus doesn't sell parts. Some retailers however will service them, mostly limited to o-rings, circlips and springs.

12 hours ago, John E said:

Thanks for the review. I have used a lot housings made by AOI (Olympus TG. Fantasea Canon G16 and EP10 housing). I like them but I wonder about the serviceability. Do you know if factory servicing is done or other third party service agents are available?

It is great to see them making these housings for Sony and expanding their port system but, whereas the small low cost housing are almost disposable, these more expensive ones hopefully are fully serviceable?

To be honest, at that selling price, I don’t think any service is worthwhile except for replacing the main O-rings. When the time comes, I’d rather purchase a new one.

Interestingly, although AOI produces decent underwater housings as an OEM and different kinds of underwater photography accessories, they don’t seem to expand their own brand, probably due to their marketing strategy. I don’t think they have distributor in many regions, and even sourcing parts from AOI is difficult (at least in the UK). For this reason, I genuinely doubt that housing servicing is something they can provide.

12 hours ago, Dutch_Diver said:

Thanks a lot for your review! Quite interested in this housing too.

You mention "The control wheel isn’t operable underwater", Do you mean the wheel to the right of the display at the back of the camera?
I use that to zoom in and out to check correct focus point / sharpness. But with custom buttons, I'll hopefully find a work around.

Do you happen to know if there is any documentation online regarding strobe compatibility of the flash trigger? Curious to know how the unit would work with Inon strobes.

And I'm a bit curious what that base plate adds to the system. Maybe it just helps the system achieve neutral buoyancy?

The control wheel I mentioned is the one around the D-pad.

For strobe compatibility I couldn’t find any official paper saying that it only supports its own P1 & Backscatter HF-1, but it is stated on UW camera store’s ad for the housing.

I believe the baseplate is designed to secure the housing to a tray, providing a stronger and more rigid connection. Before the housing arrived, I noticed that AOI’s Taiwan representative had uploaded some videos on YouTube. In one of them, he demonstrated AOI’s new modular tray with rubber feet, allowing it to sit securely on a flat surface and preventing the rig from tipping forward or backward. It also offers 3 attachment points to the housing, which I think is a great idea. Please see the screenshot.

7 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

The flash trigger is interesting, it's a new concept the Hotshoe module has 5 electronic contacts that connect to corresponding contacts built into the housing. The battery to run the trigger and also the vacuum system is built into the housing as are the trigger LEDs. The hotshoe module includes an old style screw down ring to secure it, presumably to ensure pressing the contacts together doesn't force the trigger back and lose contact. Hopefully it will give a reliable connection, particularly as the camera just sits in the housing without any lock in tray.

As for service, I think in theory they are serviceable and some retailers will do service on them. Maybe ask your dealer before you commit? For example Olympus housings are made by AOI, but Olympus doesn't sell parts. Some retailers however will service them, mostly limited to o-rings, circlips and springs.

It’s a shame that it only supports their own strobes. I know it’s marketing strategy and I can’t really blame them.

I do appreciate the wireless design of the flash trigger, it makes housing assembly much easier. However, I’m not a fan of the rechargeable battery used for both vacuum detection and flash triggering, as it only lasts about 10 hours (based on their listed specifications). While recharging the housing at the end of the day isn’t difficult, if the battery goes flat, you lose both vacuum detection AND flash triggering. Personally, I’d prefer a cell battery for the in-housing system so I could simply carry a spare and avoid the hassle of recharging.

1 hour ago, samchchiu said:

It’s a shame that it only supports their own strobes. I know it’s marketing strategy and I can’t really blame them.

I do appreciate the wireless design of the flash trigger, it makes housing assembly much easier. However, I’m not a fan of the rechargeable battery used for both vacuum detection and flash triggering, as it only lasts about 10 hours (based on their listed specifications). While recharging the housing at the end of the day isn’t difficult, if the battery goes flat, you lose both vacuum detection AND flash triggering. Personally, I’d prefer a cell battery for the in-housing system so I could simply carry a spare and avoid the hassle of recharging.

I know they only list their strobes, however if it can run their strobe in manual it should work for any strobe and likewise should work with any RC mode capable strobe and there's a few of them out now. Not sure how that works with a SOny camera though.