Aquatica vs Hugyfot

I have decided to make the jump to digital by getting my mitts on a 5D. As I require a housing that will take the knocks of tech diving and given that I already own Aquatica ports, there are only two possible manufacturers; Aquatica and Huygfot.

Both these housing seem of comparable quality yet the Hugyfot is considerably more expensive, 2500 Euro versus 1500 euro for the Aquatica (Bh photo).

From my research the only difference appears to be the viewfinder optics. As I have only used an Aquatica I can t make a judgement. Could anyone comment on the pratical benefits on the superior optics?

Are there any other significant benefits with the Hugyfoto to warrant the increase in cost?

Thannks for your thoughts.

Erol

Aquatica makes excellent housings, and I think that if you already own Aquatica ports that is a no-brainer, get an Aquatica! The Hugyfot may be more compact and ergonomic, but the Aquatica 5D is a fine piece of gear too.

while hugyfot housings do look quite sexy and compact, i'd say go for the aquatica - you already have the ports. not sure about the hugyfot viewfinder optics, but aquatica's new viewfinder is fantastic, I can't believe the difference. (they can also take the inon 45 degree viewfinder).

hugyfot housings are closed using allen screws, versus the standard latches, making opening and closing more awkward. My dad also attempted to get a D80 hugyfot but had so much trouble communicating with them, he gave up and got a subal.

consider location, hugyfot are in europe(i think...) and aquatica in eastern canada. where do u live? I've also been very impressed by aquatica's customer service in a recent housing modification of mine, thanks to Jean who's very accomodating.

that smooth & sleek hugyfot might get more attention on the boat though...

I take it you live in Europe, since you state prices in EURO? There are some good deals thank's to the weak USD.

Sounds like a too big price difference to justify... Check so that no important controls are missing on the Aquatica. Regarding ports, Hugyfot can take a number of different makes. I know they take Subal, Seacam, Athena, Sea & Sea besides their own. Not sure about Aquatica. If not, it's like Luiz said, a no-brainer - get Aquatica.

But some general input on Hugyfot housings (D200).

Regarding viewfinder, Hugyfot has a great standard one and also an optional 45° rotatable one. I have not tried the 45° wf, because I have not felt the need for a better one. However I suspect that if I tried it, I would want it. So I don't.

Regarding the allen screws, they are better than regular latches inmo, because when the housing is closed, it is closed - feels very secure. I have seen too many times people fingering and touching other peoples camera gear on dive boats... And it's just two screws, so I wouldn't describe it as awkward to open and close (personally, I try to keep it shut as much as possible. With a 4+GB memory card - I easily make 4 dives before I need to open).

I've had some correspondence with Hugyfot and feel that they are very accesible via e-mail and very service minded. When I needed a zoom ring, they promptly courired it to me in Stockholm, Sweden and had it in my hands just two days after placing the order.

They are situated in Belgium, so in Europe it's easy to just send the housing for service. Perhaps tricker from Asia or the US? But for sure it is better to have service available closer to home.

And yes, it is very sexy; and well built like a Porsche 911 from the 80's. It is also very small and you can customize it to your needs and likings regarding controls and features like moisture alarm, bulit-in HW TTL converter...

I think I paid something like EURO 2500 for my Hugyfot D200-housing, but at the time Aquatica didn't have a housing ready. Sea&Sea was about the same price (but not readily available). Seacam and Subal were too expensive.

good luck

/christian

Thanks for your thoughts. I am happy with Aquatica housing I have at present (N90). The viewer finder can sometimes make it hard to see the complete frame, but given that it has been redesigned this problem may have been addressed.

For the price difference there is really no option other than the Aquatica. Thanks again