Nexus ND 200

I started off in another topic, but i figured i may go on a bit on this one, and i didnt want to get accused of hijacking threads!

Hi there,

I have owned and used a Nexus D70 housing for probabably in excess of 1500 dives, i had a couple of gripes about the Nexus, but overall i was a very happy consumer.

I made a very quick descision (over last weekend) that i needed to get a housing for my D200! So i looked around for feedback on the Nexus, Subal and Aquatica.

I needed one before next weekend, so availablility played a factor in my descision, but after chatting with Steve at Ocean Optics in London for an hour or so i ordered a Nexus D200 Housing yesterday.

Steve warned me that my old ports would need some adjustment to fit my new rig, as the screw threads are not set up the same.

So, its now wednesday evening and i have my new toy.

My First impressions....

The new viewfinder is a cool addition, with the ability to change optics between dives a real plus. Not sure how often i will use the super magnifying one though...

There is no lens release lever

There is no MSC switch lever

There is no matrix metering adjustment switch (full matrix / spot, center weighted)

Im pretty sure that the housing has holes premade for these controls, and for £1700 id expect to have them as standard to be honest, my D70 housing did. If i have an extra oring to fill the hole i might as well have a control....

I shoot in manual most of the time so most of these features arent a big deal, but if you pay top dollar (ish) then you probably want more features.

However, it has a lever to activate bracketing.... Does anyone actually use this feature??!?!?!??

Please reply if you ever use this on land, i doubt very much anyone uses this underwater!!

Im pretty sure the distance between the camera lens mount and the housing port aperture have changed, this means my 'nodal points' (is that the correct term?) will be different for ech housing, and thus i need to change my extension rings, and my prime lenses will probably sit differently too. EDIT - this is fine, the lenses sit at the same 'depth in the housing, was a little wonkey to start with though!!

Another thing they have added is a flash mount on the front of the housing, which has to be removed to use some dome ports.

If i have to remove this to attach my wide angle port and the paint flakes off, im going to be seriously pissed!

Thats it for now, i'll post back in a few hours with my findings!

D70 on the left, D200 on the right

This port is setup with the lens shade to be used on my D70, this rules out swapping of housings in a hurry.

D70 on the left, D200 on the right

 

 

This port is setup with the lens shade to be used on my D70, this rules out swapping of housings in a hurry.

 

All it takes to realign the dome port shade is to loosen and tighten four small set screws, which you can do in less than a minute. hardly a big deal. From your initial comments, I thought there were some major changes in thread dimentions, a la the differences between F4 and N90 housings, that would make current ports obsolete.

All it takes to realign the dome port shade is to loosen and tighten four small set screws, which you can do in less than a minute. hardly a big deal. From your initial comments, I thought there were some major changes in thread dimentions, a la the differences between F4 and N90 housings, that would make current ports obsolete.

Ahh, yes, i know, but now imagine you have the manual focus ports for your macro rig, that is 16 screws to change, and a fair bit of messing about. Im not saying i would be swapping ports between the two frequently, but for a housing manufacturer in the 'top 3' you would hope they might consider such things.

As a former dive guide, i know how little time you have between dives when filling up tanks etc, and if i was using my d70 as a rental housing it would be a bit of a headache.

This Housing still uses the master series ports

Hi,

Maybe I am just lucky but, I swap my Nexus multi-port from D200 to D70 & D70 to F100 all the time & I never had to open 16 small allen screws (if that is what you mean) on it. Yes,it may change position of manual focus dial on the port half inch or so but, it still allow me to use it as is.

With D200, I start using simple flat macro port more often as auto focusing on new cameras are getting better & better. My latest addition is

105mm VR lens with new focusing gear (it allow me to manual focus while I am on auto mode. Switch to be on AF/MF mode) & I can manual focus

just using finger(s) while I am holding the housing firmly. It uses focus knob on the housing.

I still use F4 housing as well & there is a port converters from/to F4 to/from small port (N/F90,F100,D70,D200).

Sam

Your concerns about some of the "missing" functionality of the Nexus ND200 housing are what led me to purchase a Subal housing after demo'ing the Nexus rig (thanks Ryan).

My biggist concerns with the Nexus were the lack of

MSC button and the lens release lever/button. As I often switch out to from WA to macro for my 2nd dive, I did not want to have to deal with using some type of tool to release the lens and risk getting some water in the housing.

Also the lack of a mounting saddle on Nexus, requires you to screw/unscrew and a align the camera very carefully each time you load the camera.

As I was starting from scratch (first DSLR) I did not have to factor in any legacy ports etc.

Just my thoughts.

Hi,

 

Maybe I am just lucky but, I swap my Nexus multi-port from D200 to D70 & D70 to F100 all the time & I never had to open 16 small allen screws (if that is what you mean) on it. Yes,it may change position of manual focus dial on the port half inch or so but, it still allow me to use it as is.

 

With D200, I start using simple flat macro port more often as auto focusing on new cameras are getting better & better. My latest addition is

105mm VR lens with new focusing gear (it allow me to manual focus while I am on auto mode. Switch to be on AF/MF mode) & I can manual focus

just using finger(s) while I am holding the housing firmly. It uses focus knob on the housing.

 

I still use F4 housing as well & there is a port converters from/to F4 to/from small port (N/F90,F100,D70,D200).

 

Sam

I see, thats quite interesting that the thread positions on the housings are not the same, if i leave my MP105 port set for my d70 and put it on my 200 the camera is resting on the control knobs, not bad, but not good either.

I figured they would all be made with cnc machinery and have the thread starting in the same spot for each model.

Its not a big deal, and not enough for me to sell all my nexus gear and change, but it may be important knowledge for you guys who have to buy through mail order

Your concerns about some of the "missing" functionality of the Nexus ND200 housing are what led me to purchase a Subal housing after demo'ing the Nexus rig (thanks Ryan).

 

My biggist concerns with the Nexus were the lack of

 

MSC button and the lens release lever/button. As I often switch out to from WA to macro for my 2nd dive, I did not want to have to deal with using some type of tool to release the lens and risk getting some water in the housing.

 

Also the lack of a mounting saddle on Nexus, requires you to screw/unscrew and a align the camera very carefully each time you load the camera.

 

As I was starting from scratch (first DSLR) I did not have to factor in any legacy ports etc.

 

Just my thoughts.

I agree the lack of a mounting saddle is a pain, but my camera normally lives in the housing all the time.... that is when my housing has a lens release lever. Im utterly dumbfounded as to why they down featured the D200 housing from the D70. I guess because i already had a nexus d70 i figured it would come with some the same user features and maybe some extra, not without core features you expect. I shall be on the phone moaning to ocean optics tomorrow! Running up the work phone bill Maybe i can get one fitted in the blank spaces... or take the one out of my d70 and swap it over!

I started off with subal in the film days, then switched to nexus for their digital after trying a guests d100 on a liveaboard. I actually had ports for both until a few months back, but i ebayed them! D'oh

I do love the grips on a nexus, fit my hands very well, and it is quite light weight...

(thinking positive now)

Did you consider the D80 vs D200? The D80 will fit in the D70 housing with the aid of a retrofit kit that Nexus has planned. Ports will then fit, but depending on dimensions, extension rings may be different for a given lens. The nodal point is referenced to the lens. The center of curvature of a dome port should coincide with this point. Since I have a D70 I'll looking forward to the retrofit kit. Holding off on the D80 for awhile until I get a ship date for the kit.

I like Nexus because of compact size & weight. plus, very easy to maintain & parts are available to end users. You can change sync connector without soldering(I think Subal is same way) & knobs are easy to remove without special tools.

Re lens release lever, only time I really miss this lever was when I had to remove 105mm VR lens(with manual focus ring attached) from the camera. there is no space to put finger to push the button.

Sam