Maybe I should read this whole thread to ensure I am not repeating what has already been said. Then again maybe no one reads this thread any more.
Anyway, my favorite housing is the HD Amphibicam. While no housing is perfect this one is darn near close. The fine controls for focus and iris, offset handles (there are four handles but the two I mainly use during a dive are offset), size (not great to fly with but allows for some really steady pans and other maneuvers), the ability to use a zoom lens, and the superb optics make for one high-quality quick shooting system that allows you to adjust on the fly from an extreme wide of a humpback to a tight shot of its eye. As you all know sometimes fumbling for a control that is otherwise not at your fingertips or having to make big turns on a control to get the proper exposure/focus can cost you a shot. Yes it is an electronic housing and yes electronics fail. But in the hundreds of dives I have made with the housing in the last six years I have never had a real failure. Possibly I am just lucky. Early on the biggest problem I had was with the cable that went from the monitor to the housing, they flooded. Thankfully we always carry spares and the back up cables we sealed with tons of electrical tape and silicone glue. Thankfully that problem was fixed by Amphibico and I never had the problem again (though we still carry spares). Every housing has its quirks and the HD Amphibicam is no different but a proper pre-dive check system eliminates most if not all of them with this housing.
The original monitor that came with the housing was a housed 2" Black and white CRT. I may be alone in this but I wish all housings came with a CRT option. I find them easier to focus but more importantly when the monitor is set up right I find it a much better way to judge exposure. Sure bigger is better and LCDs definitely give you that option without creating a monstrosity you have to look over or around. But to me LCDs loose the gradation of exposure in important highlights, even the good ones.
Just my two.
