Underwater camera housings just don't get any better than Seacam. I've used two different models now (Canon 1Ds MkII and MkIII), and LOVED them. In fact, I still have a 1Ds MkII Seacam. I also can't say enough positive things about Stephen Frink (U.S. distributor for Seacam) and his operation; he and Liz have been responsive, easy to deal with, and provide customer service extraordinaire (not to mention Steve's considerable testing and educational info).
Indeed, I have found precious little about Seacam to complain about...except the cost. We poor Americans, with our sick dollar (getting sicker all the time, it seems), have seen the cost of new Seacam equipment skyrocket to the point that it is downright prohibitive...at least for non-pros like me who just do this as a (very expensive) hobby.
So awhile back, at a scuba show, as I looked at all the toys at all the booths, the Aquatica booth in particular got me thinking. I looked at the build quality of their top-level housings--which was surprisingly high--and their prices--which were surprisingly low (about half that of Seacam's, in U.S. dollars)--and I began thinking seriously of changing brands when the time came for my next housing purchase. Sealing the deal was the fact that Jean (of Aquatica) said they were planning to come out with an adapter that would permit the use of Seacam ports on Aquatica housings. That was no small issue, considering the amount I have invested in Seacam ports and extension rings.
So...to make a long story short, when I bought a Canon 5D Mark II, I was one of the first to put in an order for an Aquatica housing. I received the housing a few weeks ago, just in time for a 1-week trip to Rangiroa, French Polynesia (see photos and a few very roughvideos), and here are my observations thus far:
- BUILD QUALITY is excellent. The Aquatica 5DII housing feels solid and sturdy, and every part meshes precisely. It is truly a professional-grade housing. It has a moisture alarm, and I like the way the camera mounts onto a tray, and the mounting tray slides solidly on two rods and latches in place, so there is no question of it being in place. I actually prefer this to the Seacam mount, which requires that you screw and unscrew a screw into the camera's tripod hole each time (I stripped the threads in one of my early 1D MkII bodies doing that). The only build aspect for which I still give the nod to Seacam is the "fuzz" that covers the inside of Seacam housings to absorb any bits of moisture that might find its way in. Although I never needed it because I never had a leak, anyone who has had a housing flood and seen (through a window or a clear plastic housing) a few tablespoons of salt water sloshing around (easily enough to fry the camera) can see the value of Seacam's absorbent liner.
- ERGONOMICS are also excellent. Knobs and controls are easily accessible - in a few cases slightly more so than Seacam for my particular hands, and in no cases less so. (Each person's hands are different, so it's worth getting your hands on ANY housings you're considering.) I especially appreciated the pronounced finger grooves on the handgrips, which allowed use of controls while only keeping a finger or two on the grip, and also the large white labeling of all of the major buttons, which made it easy to see which button was which underwater. My only complaint was that the top of the rear window covers the top line of info of the camera's rear screen (i.e., shutter speed, aperture, etc.) except when viewed from an extreme angle. Not a huge problem - just the only less-than-optimal thing I noticed right off. Then again, I'm not sure how they could have solved that and still had enough housing strength for the eyepiece.
- PORT ADAPTER (allowing use of Seacam ports): this ended up being far less useful than I had hoped. While it indeed allowed me to use my Seacam ports, the fact that the adapter itself is approx. 19-20mm thick meant that it significantly limited which LENSES could be used with those Seacam ports. For example, with the Seacam Superdome, I could not use my 15mmFE or 14mmII, two lenses I really like for WA photography. To use those, I will need to get an Aquatica dome port. And since having to travel with mulitiple dome ports is a pain, that diminishes the value of having an adapter in the first place.
The adapter is somewhat more useful with macro, but only as long as you shoot macro using AF. If you want to focus manually, which most of us eventually seem to, there's a problem. The MF knob on the Aquatica housing is in their port, whereas Seacam's MF knob is in the housing. IOW, none of the Seacam MF gears are any good in the Aquatica housing, and to use MF with macro lenses in the Aquatica housing, you need an Aquatica macro port and Aquatica gears.
While I was initially discouraged that my Seacam ports aren't going to be as useful with the Aquatica housing as I'd hoped, the fact is that for the cost of a new Seacam housing, I can pay for the Aquatica housing AND replace my ports, extensions and gears.
- VALUE of this housing is excellent, especially in U.S. dollars. I realize that value is subjective; a race car driver may feel his $300,000 race car is a good "value", especially if it helps him MAKE money by winning. Similarly, as I said earlier, you can't do better than a Seacam housing, and I have no doubt that Seacam will remain a staple of professional uw photographers for the foreseeable future. OTOH, if you can't quite justify spending that kind of money, I can say that Aquatica - judging by the 5DII housing at least - is putting out truly top-notch gear.
I'm not willing to say the Aquatica 5DII housing is better than Seacam's housings. But I'm not sure it isn't as good overall...and that is high praise indeed.
