Housing my Nikon D7100

I am considering shooting my D7100 underwater and I'm looking at the various housings available, at this point I'm leaning toward the Ikelite brand. I was hoping to get some feedback or opinion on the Ikelite housings. Or should I consider another manufacture, so please chime in and give me your two-cents.

Brad

Hi Brad,

Welcome to Wetpixel!

There is a ton of information about housings on here. I would suggest having a search for the brands you are interested via the search function. It won give you a ton of results and some amazing advice!

Adam

Adam,

I've search the forum through the search feature, and really can not find any information on durability, function ability etc... So I was hoping to get some feedback of others.

T

Hey Brad

This is quite a tricky question to answer hence Adam's reply.

Most users have their favourite brand of housing which they stick with through a mix of familiarity, cost, contentment and investment in accessories such as ports. They are quite a personal thing. Most of the major manufacturers housings are very good and it often comes down to a very personal preference.

For example, I'm on my 5th Subal housing over the space of 15 years and think they are superb and can't imagine buying anything else. But they're expensive certainly compared to Ikelite. For me Ikelite are bulky and, managing a resort, I saw people have problems with them. But you'll find lots of Wetpixlers swear by them and their customer service. As the saying goes, you pays your money and you takes your chance.

The problem can be that it's usually very hard to actually try them out in advance and it becomes a bit of a gamble. I'd say though that you can't go too far wrong with Ikelite or, what has become very popular in the last few years, Nauticam. And then of course Subal. But doubtless others will chip in about Aquatica, Sea&Sea etc.

I don't know if you're near a underwater photo dealer - there aren't that many top ones around the world. But if possible go and visit and look at the housings. They're chunky, different and pricey. You may feel you like Ikelite. You may feel you prefer an aluminium housing (Subal, Nauticam etc}. It's a mix of personal preference and budget.

But then you could just buy a Subal..... You couldn't go wrong with that.

Cue howls of protest from fellow posters.... (and why Adam, more wisely than me, didn't give you a direct answer!)

Another thought: what would be interesting is if people gave you views on housings they would not buy again. I think that might tell you more!

I think Tim has provided excellent advice.

I would add that you should try and go to your local dealer and get his/her advice. It is strongly preferable to actually see the housings and try them in your hand. There are lots of factors that influence housing choices for an individual, but nothing can beat the actual hands-on experience of trying one "on".

I note you are US based, and the US is a big place, but if you are located or travelling near the locations of any of the excellent retailers that advertise here on Wetpixel, I would strongly recommend visiting one of them before purchasing.

Adam