What Housing for a D700?

What housing should I buy for my D700?

I've been diving for about 40 years, shooting for 10 with a Nikonos setup and am moving up to digital. After 5 years with a D70 (land use only), I've graduated myself to a D700. The D700 produces results beyond my imagination. Now I want to put it in the water.

My lenses (purchased recently after considerable lurking here and elsewhere for suitable lenses for UW and land use) include the Nikon 105 VR macro and the 17-35 zoom. So what do I put all this in?

Since I do not have unlimited funds (this is a passion but still only an avocation; I do have a day job), my research keeps bringing me back to Ikelite. It's affordable, the folks I've talked to there are very knowledgeable and helpful, and the setups offered, by and large, are all inclusive (about $2,250 for body, ports and zoom ring for the 17-35). As best I can tell, there are a lot of happy campers who own Ikelite, and their housings seem to be reliable.

By contrast, the other options that seem available start at about double the price of an Ikelite. Aquatica starts at about $4,500 for a comparable setup, Sea & Sea is at about $5,000, and Subal (housing only) is at $4,500.

What do I give up by not spending double or triple? Will there be things I can't do with an Ikelite that I will be able to do with other setups? Expandability issues?

I really am willing to spend (or save up for) stuff that makes a difference (e.g., the D700), but I' truly stumped here.

Thanks for any advice (or other threads) you can provide.

If all you can afford is an Ikelite, then there is no decision to be made. Buy the Ikelite. There is no other compelling reason to buy an Ikelite other than price.

If you can afford the Aquatica or Sea & Sea, buy one. Recent changes in Aquatica include a port lock and the beautiful 9.25" glass dome.

I currently shoot a D-200 in a Subal. The ergonomics of the Subal are wonderful. The viewfinder is out of this world. I have done somewhere between 300 and 400 dives with it. So if I paid, $3,000 extra that would be $10 per dive.

Do the better ergonomics and viewfinder let me get a extra $10 worth of pictures each dive? Sometimes I think they do. Sometimes not.

Another thing to consider is how you travel and transport the rig. I take most of my international dive trips on NWA and with their generous carry-on allowance 40lbs plus a 20lbs personal item I can carry on the housing, camera, lenses, ports, substrobes, and laptop. The Ikelite is bigger and heavier, something I carry with me now would have to go into checked luggage.

The D-200 is getting long in the tooth. Soon I will have to make all these decisions over again, hopefully with a D-700x.

I've been using my new d700 in an aquatica housing with all ports and am extremely happy with it. I highly recommend it and congratulate the Aquatica team for producing this fine housing.

Regards,

Michael Patrick O'Neill

www.mpostock.com

You get what you pay for.

Just my 2 cents - or make that 3 cents, since I paid more.

yeah, look closely at housing size and weight. aquatica, s&s and subal make form fitting aluminum housings while ikelites are more bulky and generally heavier. subals are the lightest i think. i'm also not fond of ikelites arm system, i'd go for tlc or ulcs. given that i know plenty of photogs very happy with their ikelite rigs and i hear their service is impeccable.

the other housings will have better ergonomics which i think can make a huge difference when shooting on the fly UW. they also have more expandability options, aquatica and subal both have large viewfinders (granted they cost $$$$), large 9"+ glass domes ($$$$), remotes etc.

i went through the same dilemma, and ended up opting for the aquatica as it was the cheapest form fitting aluminum housing setup, and i love it. had a bit of a QC issue initially but they took care of it for me.

also look at location, subal's in europe, i think s&s is in the US, and aquatica's in montreal, whcih is convenient for me as i live in bermuda and they're the closest to me. minimizes shipping costs for maintenance and spare parts.

hope that helps. cheers,

chris

I currently shoot a D-200 in a Subal. The ergonomics of the Subal are wonderful. The viewfinder is out of this world. I have done somewhere between 300 and 400 dives with it. So if I paid, $3,000 extra that would be $10 per dive.

 

Do the better ergonomics and viewfinder let me get a extra $10 worth of pictures each dive? Sometimes I think they do. Sometimes not.

 

Another thing to consider is how you travel and transport the rig. I take most of my international dive trips on NWA and with their generous carry-on allowance 40lbs plus a 20lbs personal item I can carry on the housing, camera, lenses, ports, substrobes, and laptop. The Ikelite is bigger and heavier, something I carry with me now would have to go into checked luggage.

 

The D-200 is getting long in the tooth. Soon I will have to make all these decisions over again, hopefully with a D-700x.

You make a good point on cost per dive. As a recreational diver, I get to dive maybe two, sometimes three weeks a year. I average two dives a day, six days a week. Thats a total of 30 dives a year (on average, max) or 150 dives over 5 years, my predicted life span of the 700 before the next New Big Thing. I have to decide whether paying $15 a dive for an Ikelite, or between $30 and $50 a dive for one of the others is worth it. Big, heavy (travel issues possibly = more money for excess baggage) and ergonomics/viewfinder issues (which I take to mean: How easy is it to get a good shot) are worth considering.

Thanks.

You get what you pay for.

 

Just my 2 cents - or make that 3 cents, since I paid more.

In your opinion, what do you get?

If it's a Civic instead of a Porsche, I might be able to live with it. If it's a Pinto instead of a Porsche, I have a different issue.

yeah, look closely at housing size and weight. aquatica, s&s and subal make form fitting aluminum housings while ikelites are more bulky and generally heavier. subals are the lightest i think. i'm also not fond of ikelites arm system, i'd go for tlc or ulcs. given that i know plenty of photogs very happy with their ikelite rigs and i hear their service is impeccable.

 

the other housings will have better ergonomics which i think can make a huge difference when shooting on the fly UW. they also have more expandability options, aquatica and subal both have large viewfinders (granted they cost $$$$), large 9"+ glass domes ($$$$), remotes etc.

 

i went through the same dilemma, and ended up opting for the aquatica as it was the cheapest form fitting aluminum housing setup, and i love it. had a bit of a QC issue initially but they took care of it for me.

 

also look at location, subal's in europe, i think s&s is in the US, and aquatica's in montreal, whcih is convenient for me as i live in bermuda and they're the closest to me. minimizes shipping costs for maintenance and spare parts.

 

hope that helps. cheers,

 

chris

That does help. In addition to ergonomics and weight, Aquatica in Montreal is very close to me in the midwest.

i think s&s is in the US,

Just to correct, Sea & Sea is a Japanese brand.

I think it matters less where the company is based, and more whether there are good dealers who support the brand you are interested near you.

I am a Subal user and have 7 down the years (including current stock). In all that time I have probably sent less than 5 emails to Subal! And of course, none of my housings have ever gone wrong and needed to be send back to the manufacturer (or dealer in this case). When/if I need help or advice I would speak to my dealer.

You make a good point on cost per dive. As a recreational diver, I get to dive maybe two, sometimes three weeks a year. I average two dives a day, six days a week. Thats a total of 30 dives a year (on average, max) or 150 dives over 5 years, my predicted life span of the 700 before the next New Big Thing. I have to decide whether paying $15 a dive for an Ikelite, or between $30 and $50 a dive for one of the others is worth it. Big, heavy (travel issues possibly = more money for excess baggage) and ergonomics/viewfinder issues (which I take to mean: How easy is it to get a good shot) are worth considering.

Given this less of usage I would expect that the Ikelite will be a good solution for you. After all it is the same camera inside.

Alex

Hugycheck!

For an expensive camera, I wouldn't do without it.

http://www.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/diver_..._hugycheck.html

Hugycheck!

 

For an expensive camera, I wouldn't do without it.

 

http://www.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/diver_..._hugycheck.html

Do you know if the Hugycheck bulkhead can be used with other housings? The Subal has a third bulkhead which could conceivably be used with the Hugycheck, also Hugyfot also apparently make a split bulkhead so that hugycheck can be used with two bulkhead housings.

Does Hugyfot have a bayonet or screw type port system? I can't see it on their site. If it's bayonet, is there a foolproof locking system for ports and extension rings?

Hugycheck!

 

For an expensive camera, I wouldn't do without it.

 

http://www.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/diver_..._hugycheck.html

I'm normally not cavalier about these things, but protecting from moisture is not high on my list, unless it's a habitual problem with a specific housing model. I have listed my equipment separately on riders on my insurance policy, and my agent tells me that if I suffer a leak, I'm covered for repair or replacement.

I sent a e-mail to Hugyfot last week about their Hugycheck system being installed in other housings. Below was the prompt reply:

"I am sorry to say that we do not have the possibility to install our Hugycheck system into other housings".

One could read that "they" don't intend to do it, not that it can't be done?

Jeff

Do you know if the Hugycheck bulkhead can be used with other housings? The Subal has a third bulkhead which could conceivably be used with the Hugycheck, also Hugyfot also apparently make a split bulkhead so that hugycheck can be used with two bulkhead housings.

Does Hugyfot have a bayonet or screw type port system? I can't see it on their site. If it's bayonet, is there a foolproof locking system for ports and extension rings?

At the moment it's Hugyfot's unique selling proposition. I have been using one of their housings with my D700. There does not seem to be any tendency for the dome port to rotate inadvertently (I hated my Subal for this) and it's a bayonet system. The housing is not a perfect tool by any means but despite what anyone believes about their insurance paying out for a flood, there will always be a lot of hassle, a lot of tears and they will never pay out to replace the cost of a trip!

It would be wonderful if other manufacturers came up with something similar but at the moment that little green LED tells me what I want to know.

I sent a e-mail to Hugyfot last week about their Hugycheck system being installed in other housings. Below was the prompt reply:

 

"I am sorry to say that we do not have the possibility to install our Hugycheck system into other housings".

 

 

 

One could read that "they" don't intend to do it, not that it can't be done?

 

Jeff

Did you ask if they will sell the bulkhead and pump by themselves? It's likely someone could adapt the bulkhead to other housing bulkheads.

No I didn't think to ask if they sell the systems by themselves. It seems like it would be a fairly straight forward installation. It also seems to be something that other manufacturers would want to come up with. I would bet it won't be long before a copy or retro-fit of the system.

Jeff

Im definitely a fan of the Hugycheck system as well. I swear by the Seal Check for my Gates video housings, and having the same piece of mind on my SLR systems makes me that much more confident everytime I get in the water. The fact that they are currently giving it away as a freebie with a housing purchase is even better!

John, you mentioned something about the tooling on your D700. I was curious what issues you have experienced with it. Also, what lenses are you shooting with it underwater?