Nikon Housings

Hi all!

My name is Brett Hochmuth and I am a Colorado-based landscape/adventure photographer. I am an avid whitewater kayaker and raft guide, and I shoot for many paddling magazines including Paddler, Canoe & Kayak, etc. I am running the grand canyon in July, and want to shoot WHILE rowing through some of the bigger rapids, but cant worry about either 1) getting my camera soaked by a splash or 2) the possibility of the raft flipping and my gear getting trashed.

im looking, then for a housing that will work for a Nikon D200 or a D2x...but i dont want to drop a ton of moo-lah on it. i have found a few older models of housing units on ebay, which were made for film cameras...onviously they dont allow you to see the lcd screen- but that isnt important to me- i just literally need to be able to

a) keep the camera and lens dry

B) depress my shutter release.

i dont want to use one of the "bag systems" as it seems silly to sink so much money into good glass on lenses, and then shoot through a plastic bag!!

has anyone either used any of the old N90 or other systems for a D200 or D2x...OR retro-fitted one? if NOT, can you suggest somewhere that i might be able to RENT a current D200 or D2x housing unit??

if you can help, please email me at bhochmuth@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!!

brett hochmuth

www.eagleeyephotos.com

Since you don´t want to spend a lot in a "real" housing, this one lets you shoot through optical glass (read the filter diameter note):

http://www.ewa-marine.com/english/cameras/e-ubxp.htm

and enjoy the ride!!

Maybe, something like this?

http://www.custom-surf-wake-photography-un...p?housing=lunar

Take Care,

ChrisS

Hi all!

My name is Brett Hochmuth and I am a Colorado-based landscape/adventure photographer. I am an avid whitewater kayaker and raft guide, and I shoot for many paddling magazines including Paddler, Canoe & Kayak, etc. I am running the grand canyon in July, and want to shoot WHILE rowing through some of the bigger rapids, but cant worry about either 1) getting my camera soaked by a splash or 2) the possibility of the raft flipping and my gear getting trashed.

First thoughts are "forget the D200/D2x" I've looked at my D200 and tried to stuff it into my old N90x housing, you would have to 'gut' the housing befor even attempting to get the camera in. Comparing the camera body size of the N90x and the D200, the D200 is approx 5mm deeper so I seriously doubt that the back plate of the N90x housing would close at all with a D200 inside.

Even if you overcame these initial problems, a DSLR and underwater housing is a heavy and unwealdy lump, look at the acres of posts in wetpixel concerned with trying to get a camera rig "neutrally bouyant" underwater. You have to try very hard to get a decent picture above the water, standing still, and on solid ground without pulling a muscle.

Sorry to be so negative about your idea, but I really think it's a non-starter.

But, have a look at the smaller, and lighter "point and shoot" cameras. Plenty of them have underwater housings, go for a high pixel output one, stick it on max resolution and stuff the largest memory card you can into it. Once the rig is set up and tested for water tightness I would suggest you wrap it in a lot of cushening material, like waterpipe insulating foam, leaving just the lens and the shoot button accessable this will protect the camera and housing from any "bumps" against rocks, and canoes, and stuff and protect you from getting hit in the face with the camera on what I'm sure will be a pretty wild ride. Also, look at rigging up a lens hood to extend further than the front of the housings lens to give that some extra protection too.

If DSLR is the only way to go, then look again at the "plastic bag." But then add lots of protection as detailed above, it will be a lot lighter and easier to handle and will be a lot cheaper than buying even a secondhand housing.

Hope this helps and lots of luck.

To follow up on what Stefin mentioned, you may want to take a look at this thread discussing an Olympus point and shoot - waterproof to 33 feet and designed to take a beating it looks like

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...mp;#entry116661

how much are these suckers, and who sells them?

how much are these suckers, and who sells them?

They list for $379 and I think they are to be released next month sometime

sorry, i was referring to these "suckers"

http://www.ewa-marine.com/english/cameras/e-ubxp.htm

For about $500 you can get an Olympus 350 and a factory housing.

Also consider an older Nikonos V or III.

Here they have them:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...&Submit.y=5