Titan D200 Wet Review

I just spent 18 hours driving to and from Backscatter photo in Monteray CA. I was looking at all the housings for my Nikon D200. I have decide on the subal or the Titan. I was wondering if some of you experts might be able to provide me some insights on the Titan housing. I see several posts but none of them have had the housing underwater yet. Any insights would be helpful. I would like to make a decsion very soon.

Thanks

Wally

Can't comment on the Titian, but we purchased 2 complete Subal systems and can't be happier.

You can contact me directly with questions,

divers@sbcglobal.net

Can't comment on the Titian, but we purchased 2 complete Subal systems and can't be happier.

 

You can contact me directly with questions,

 

divers@sbcglobal.net

Hey Wally,

I had a chance to try the Titan D200 housing a couple of weeks ago in Bonaire. I used it for 2 dives shooting with the Tokina 10-17 which is the real reason I was using it. I shoot with an Ikelite housing so trying something new was fun. I liked the feel of the housing and I liked the electronic control of each strobe individually. That being said this is an electronic housing and it gets its power from the camera battery. Actually what it does is suck the life from the camera battery. My first dive was on the Hilma Hooker and as it was a little deeper my bottom time wasn't that long and since it was my first dive with the housing it took some getting used to so I didn't shoot that many frames. On the second dive I had a low fill and although I didn't plan on spending that long the camera battery died long before my tank did.

For battery life reasons alone I wouldn't consider this housing. Secondly the fact that it is electronic would keep me away.

I also had the chance to shoot the Subal D200 housing with the optional viewfinder on the trip and I would buy one in a heart beat if I had some extra cash.

Good luck shopping,

Jamie

I got the Titan D200 a couple of months ago but really got a chance to try it out in Bonaire a couple of weeks ago as well. Actually, Continental LOST my housing case so I actually got a chance to dive the Sea&Sea D200 housing as well.

First, the Sea&Sea D200 housing is a nice housing. Compact (compared to the titan), comfortable grips without gloves and not to heavy in the water. Controls are fairly easy to work and took little time getting used to. All in all a very nice housing.

As for the titan, I absolutely love it. The ability to control shutter speed, aperture, shutter release, focus lock and strobe power all with just 2 fingers is a breeze (without having to take your hand off the handles, but that may be a bit harder if you have smaller hands). As for the housing using the camera battery, I did not see an issue while doing (2) dives on a single battery charge, each dive 45-50 mins firing off an ample number of shots. I even used the same battery charge to download the 100+ RAW images to my laptop. Giving the size of the housing its pretty heavy on land and although heavy in the water..nothing a few buoyancy arms can't fix!

This is the first DSLR housing for me but I found out about a pretty nice feature due to a dome port coming off of an Aquatica housing in the rinse tank causing the loss of a D2X. On the L&M ports there is a nice little tab that helps prevent the ports from accidentally coming off. Seeing that the Aquatica's didn't have it, I took a look at the Sea&Sea and noticed its not on their housing as well.

I'm curious if Subal does or does not have this feature. Though I know its certainly not a deal breaker, I know the nice guy who lost his D2X would have liked to have it!

Have you considered a Nexus housing? I've been using one with my D70 the past 2 1/2 yrs & have been very satisfied with it. Well engineered & built.

I can tell you that I had al ot of problems with my Titan D100 housing and it finally died on me in the middle of a 14 day trip. I wouldn't purchase another electronic housing if my life depended on it.

Seeing that the Aquatica's didn't have it, I took a look at the Sea&Sea and noticed its not on their housing as well.

FWIW, particularly as it is not directly relevant to this thread, the Sea & Sea housing does have a port lock that stops the port from rotating (and hence falling off in a worst case scenario). The actuator is under the camera mounting saddle and not all that prominent when the camera is mounted, but it is there.

Well, I just received my shiney new Titan D200, Nikon 105vr and 10-17mm lens. The only problem I am still waiting for the new 9 inch port to arrive. It takes great photo on land. I hope soon to have a report on this new toy.

FWIW, particularly as it is not directly relevant to this thread, the Sea & Sea housing does have a port lock that stops the port from rotating (and hence falling off in a worst case scenario). The actuator is under the camera mounting saddle and not all that prominent when the camera is mounted, but it is there.

Just thought I'd add... with the S&S, if you use an extension, then the extension is locked to the housing but the dome is just screwed into the extension. I don't know how tight the S&S Domes are when connected to an extension but the Athena dome I have is extremely snug is sometimes a PITA to take apart! Well at least I don't have to worry about it coming loose u/w...

Have you considered a Nexus housing? I've been using one with my D70 the past 2 1/2 yrs & have been very satisfied with it. Well engineered & built.

That really surprises me. I've been using a TitanD100 for about 4 years now and it has operated flawlessly for the most part. I'd love to upgrade to a TitanD200 but the sticker price has kept me away so far. I'm in fact contemplating a switch to Subal for no other reason that cost. It's a tough call because I already own multiple ports and focus rings for the Titan.

I also would love to hear more from people who are actually using the TitanD200 underwater. It looks like a dream housing to me.

I'll echo Kelpfish's observation. I witnessed the repeated eletronics failures of a flooded T D100 on my last trip. The foolding was cause by user error IMHO. That said, the housing was a continual problem after clean up and on site maintainence. With a non eletronic housing, you can clean and dry and should be good to go (don't forget the fabric softer ;0). As neat as the Titian is, I'll stick with my Nexus.

Well I just returned from my trip to Curacao. I took my new Titan housing out for seven days of non stop use. I will say it took very little time to get use to the housing. I really love the adjustable handles and the easy to reach location for the knobs and buttons.

I was usig L&M's new 9 inch dome port and Tokin 10-17 mm lens. This new port is fantastic. I understand the concern with regard to the electronics but I found them to be easy to use and quite repsonsive. The LCD screen is clear and functional. The whole setup is a bit large and heavy when carrying it to the beach but once in the water it was slightly postive and a joy to handle. I am looking forward to the 45 degree view finder for this housing. The large port opening makes changing lens easy along with a built in lens release arm. I have had several questions that my dealer was not able to answer but a call to L&M all question were answered. I have to say that the customer service the the manufacture showed me was nothing short of spectaular. I can't say enough about this. Customer support is a very important part of any purchase lie this to me. I was not sure that the ROC's system was going to be that useful but I was was mistaken. This adjustment system for the flashes is awsome. Simple to use and used in conjuction with the shutter and aperture controls adjustments can be made quick enough to get several shots off before some of the subjects move. I have been able to get 2hours of continuse use before the battery is drained. If I managed the use by turning off the camera when I was not using it I got thru two baot dives and two baech dives. I did need to change the battery before my night dives. changeing the battery is a snap so I can't say that it is a big deal. While everyone likes there own setups my dive buddy had the same camera, flashes,and lens as I did but in a Nexus housing so I had a chance to use both. I found the Titan to be easier to adjust and adapt to. I am glad I purchased this housing.