Paintwork finish on Aquatica housings

Took delivery last week of an Aquatica 5D housing but was disappointed with the paintwork (or powder coat) finish. Around the upper shoulders of the front portion were small bubbles that had collapsed in the centre, each one looking like a minature "crater" with a black centre The biggest one was perhaps 3/32ins across and they ranged down in size to extemely tiny. Some were very close to one of the control shafts. There were about 15 of them all told. They looked alarming through a loupe. Having had corrosion problems before with an Aquatica A90 housing, I wasn't too happy - especially on a bit of kit costing £1600.

I therefore returned it to the UK distributor who say that the other one they have in stock is similarly affected although not quite to the same degree. They also said that they felt it was not a problem as this was just the cosmetic finish that is affected and there is an underlying finish to obviate corrosion. They doubted that if they ordered more stock from Aquatica that it would be any better!! I have to decide whether to get my money back or risk it.

Has anybody had similar problems or can anybody provide words of wisdom about how Aquatica housings are finished off and the likely effects on longevity?

I've had a 1cm wide x 4mm wide blistering of the powder coating on my Aquatica housing too. This collapsed and peeled off, eventually. Although not aesthetically pleasing, it hasn't affected the integrity of the housing so far. There aren't any visible traces of corrosion. Can't say I've been using it much recently, though.

On my last dive trip south, I inadvertently had a chip taken out of the powder coating on my Aquatica D2x housing. It’s on one of the bottom corners and is about 2 or 3 mm in diameter. I phoned Aquatica when I got home and asked what I could do about it. Their reply was it really wasn’t repairable and that I should look for similar (colour) touch up paint at an automotive parts store. That being Canadian Tire around here.

I may drop by one of the local powder coating shops in town, next week, and see what they say. Otherwise, going by Canadian Tire won’t be so bad now that the marketing types have finally killed off the Canadian Tire Guy in their commercials. If you have ever seen their commercials, you’ll know what I mean.

I hate that Canadian tire guy!

Check this link out for paint chip repair kits.

http://www.langka.com/

Thanks folks but this is a NEW housing and the other one held by the distributor is similar. I don't feel like I should spend this sort of money and then try to sort it out.

Is this normal for Aquatica housings?

JimGreenfield

I agree Jim. It should not have defects out of the box. I would email aquatica directly and ask them about it. If you are not happy with their answer there are plenty of other manufacturers making 5D housings.

I have this same problem with my D100 housing. Berkley at Backscatter (not who I bought the housing from) suggested giving the spot a good cleaning and use clear nail polish to fill in the hole.

I asked about this when putting a deposit down on the D200 housing. I was told Aquatica has changed the way they cast the housings and have changed paint companies and this issue is "resolved". This started with Nikon D70 housings, not sure the order of Canon rollouts.

I had some peeling/chipping of the paint around the port opening on my Aquatica S2. The silver/gold metallic paint seemed to have this problem. My white Aquatica A80 exibited a few of the bubbles that you are`refering to but the paint on that housing never chipped except where it got banged around on rocks or on a boat deck. In either case I would consider them minor cosmetic blemishes.

I know when you spend a lot of money on a new housing you want it to be perfect and Aquatica should do a better job with these paint issues but I think overall, Aquatica makes an excellent product. Their price point makes them a very good value in an aluminum housing. I have now owned 3 Aquatica housings and they've preformed flawlessly at their most important function....keeping the water out.

I've got a NEW 5D housing from aquatica last week.

I'm new to aquatica, but I have been use D70 housing from Sea & Sea, the finishing of Sea & Sea is much superier than aquatica.

Some observations:

Port both Dome, Flat & Rings:

Aquatica: do NOT even have a mark to indicate whether it is on position.

Sea & Sea: have both OPEN and LOCK mark clearly.

Dome Port:

Aquatica: the dome port shape have to screw in, it just HOLD on the Dome NOT FIXED!! have to handle very carefully.

Sea & Sea: integrated design, vey strong material.

Paint:

Aquatica: some bubble on the surface, looks like DIY level.

Sea & sea: even after 100+ dives, the housing still looks great.

I'm considering send it back to my dealer.

HI,

I also think that several housing producers offer a product with a better finishing than Aquatica.

For the money you spent you must get an housing that is not only able to keep water out.

If I were you I would ask the money back and consider the purchase of a housing from an other producer.

2 weeks ago at Eudishow (the Italian biggest diving exhibition), I put my hands on the Seacam housing for the Canon 5D:

It looks like a shiny jewel, with a better ergonomic positioning of the commands than Aquatica offers on their Canon Housing, and finer technical solutions.

Try to give a look yourself.

It seems that also the price (at least in USA) is fair.

When It will be time for me to buy a new housing I will definitely try to get a Seacam.

I have an Aquatica 5D housing and don't have any of the finish problems you've described. I looked over my housing carefully and can't find any bubbles or craters - but my housing was painted black. It may be a different paint than what is used on the silver housings and is less prone to bubbling.

As far as ergonomics and finish go, I find that there are many things about the Aquatica 5D that I think are better than the Sea & Sea Dx-30/60 housing I owned. I think the Aquatica mounting mechanism is far superior. There are some finishing features on the Sea & Sea that are better, but they are trade-offs. The dome shade is one thing that you mention - I like the ability to have 2 different shades for different lenses - if I'm shooting a wide zoom (like the 17-40) I like the added protection of the larger dome shade (although I am also sticking my camera in the mouth of tiger sharks). I don't feel like it is a "flimsy" connection at all - but it depends on how you attach it. The lack of marks to line up ports is somewhat annoying, but easily remedied (make your own marks!). That being said, if you're buying a new housing, shop around and find what meets your needs best. There are lots of good housings out there - find one that you like.

A bit offtopic.

Just wanna know if both the bulk head of the Aquatica 5D is all 3 pins?

I've got one 3 pins and one got ONLY 2 pins (still can trigger flash, and I know only 1 pin is being wired).

My 5D housing also Black painted, but also got the bubble on the surface. I'll try to post picture later.

I would agree that the Aquatica mounting is very secure, but it will take some time to align with.

I've received assurances from Aquatica that the outer, silver powder coating is purely cosmetic and that there is an underlying protective coating as well as the metal being anodised. Bearing in mind Aquatica comes in at a lot less than Subal/Seacam etc, I have therefore decided to accept the situation, particularly as my previous A90 housing NEVER EVER leaked the smallest drop. Thanks for all the advice/comments.

Jim Greenfield

The touch up paint that came with my 2002 silver Mazda Protege works quite well for touch ups.

Cheers,

Marli

If they've assured you Jim, get it in writing off them. No doubt you have already via email. It would niggle me especially when you've shelled out that much. I'm waiting for Nexus to bring out the D200 housing.

Where abouts in North Yorkshire you from? I'm also from N Yorks!

Cheers

John

The Aquatica 5D housing I have seen was well finished. And included a lot of neat design features. If I used this housing I would be more concerned by the positioning of the shutterspeed and aperture controls - neither of which are convenient for adjusting on handed while shooting - than the finish.

Alex

Alex,

I tried my friend's Seacam 1DsMKII housing, the shutter & aperture position is worth the extra $$$(double of Aquatica system). When I have to change the shutter / aperture I have to hand off from the handle, and that may miss some shots or have to reposition the camera again.

But I will need a 5D housing on early April, and heard that from my friend's experience the response from Seacam Asiapacific is far more slow than the situation in US. He finally get his housing 12 weeks after placing order.

I used both the Seacam and the Aquatica 5D housings on the Wetpixel shark trip last week. Both performed extremely well and delivered the goods. As you all know, you get what you pay for and you get an excellent value out of the Aquatica housing. You get precision, high quality, and ergonomics out of the Seacam but for almost twice the price. It's certainly a personal choice, as they both, used in combination w/ the SUPERB 5D deliver great results.

Also, comparing the finish on a plastic Sea and Sea digital housing to an anodized and painted aluminum housing doesn't make sense to me.

Cheers

James

All Aquatica housing are anodized then powder coated, this extra anodizing treatment has been a feature of their products for years (since they started aluminum and quit epoxy...). there was at one point a batch of gold paint that was troublesome, this unfortunatly surfaced (no pun intended) only after it hit the consumer, people who have returned their housing to Aquatica for this problem have received a new paint job. The problem while cosmetic is nonetheless annoying and, unfortunatly, one of these I can't see it in the crystal ball affair. the silver and black paint used now are not prone to this chipping.