NiMAR - legit company?

I've been looking at a NiMAR housing for my D750.

I quite like the design of the enclosure and the cost seems reasonable.... however, the company itself... is this a legit business/can they be trusted?

Thus far:

- Website contains no manuals or documentation whatsoever; specs are missing lots of important info

- Website looks like web store from 2003 rather than that of a manufacturer

- The only way to even get a good look inside the housing is to watch several youtube videos and even then there are gaps in what one can see... why are there not detailed photos of the product, inside and out?

- Amongst the low-res images on the site showing the housing several appear to have been edited in 'Paint' to add notation.

- The photos for the D750 housing show a camera in the housing that is definitely not a D750.

- When I registered for their website to verify shipping costs they sent back the password I used to register as clear text in an email.

- unprompted email 'eStalking' from sales rep since I added a couple items to the cart on their website

So, in light of the complete 'amateur hour' presentation, I ask: is this a legit business with the capability for long term support? Will they still be around in a year? Are their products reliable?

Has anyone been dealing with them for a while or had to work with them on warranty issues?

Any insight from long term users greatly appreciated...

Hi, the industry is literally 20 kms away from my place, and I know a relative of one of the owners. They are totally reliable, and they have been around for quite some time, also increasing their products line. The website just got renewed and looks fine to me, at which one are you looking at?

Inviato dal mio ELE-L29 utilizzando Tapatalk

Being Italian I definitely can confirm that the company, even if probably not very well known in some countries, has been around for many years. They produce just polycarbonate cases.

A friend of mine uses their case for the D70 with good results and satisfaction.

I have never used any product from them instead and I have no relation with the company.

Inviato dal mio ASUS_Z017D utilizzando Tapatalk

Thanks both for your responses.

Definitely - the product looks good - but I'm hoping to establish if there's a balanced company behind it as well. Not just design/engineering but support, marketing, etc. Will it still be working in 3 years, 5 years.... if it isn't, can one get parts and service? It is good to hear that the company has been around for a while... is diving their main business?

Ibedogini - i am looking at the current website. There is absolutely no images of the interior (how it works, what the button mechanisms, gearing and control manipulators look like, etc) and there is apparently no manual for any of their products. I can't believe something like that wouldn't ship without instructions but, having just been burned by a supplier for my business in a similar manner, I have to wonder: is there a manual, or do I just guess at 'best practices' for using it.

For something where even a 'small' error is probably a $5000 mistake - I'm hoping for a bit of certainty :-)

As such - i'm reaching out with a broader question for those who have bought them hoping to establish if the preponderance of experience with the company was good or bad.

Any other owners out there?

Thanks.

I'm not an owner but planning to get a Nimar housing for my next camera. I do know 2 people who use their housings, one a very good experienced photographer and the other is a professional. It seems that they can be trusted.

Thanks all - I've just pressed the 'buy' button.  Will advise how it turns out.

Hey all,

Sharing my own experience with NiMAR, as it might be of use for other people out there. 

I dived with their NI6D (housing for Canon 6D, rating 60m) and I liked it, though it was my first housing so hard to compare. Unfortunately, it failed and flooded my equipment when I reached 20m, after my 4th dive. I contacted NiMAR's customer center who ignored my emails and phone calls for weeks, until they told me to ship my housing back. They performed testing and concluded everything was fine, so I would pay for the housing electronics damaged in the flooding. I requested to be contacted so I could at least explain the details on how the housing failed: not only they never called, but they threatened me to sue me if I wrote a bad review instead..

In the end, I will never know why my housing failed. Maybe it was due to a mistake on my end (after all, I am a new underwater shooter), maybe a problem on the equipment. But what I know is that NiMAR, on top of having a horrendous customer service, does not want to hear customer feedback - so can not possibly be serious about improving their products.

Well - I did promise I'd post back here....

I'll wait until after my next trip (next week) to Cozumel for a full write up.  But, I did have it in Bonaire for a couple weeks in September.  My feeling was the housing was well built and I did not have any flood or leak problems (I did an overnight vacuum check in most cases).  I was also mostly happy with the overall design and felt they did many things well.

That being said - during the order, shipping and after sales process (I had some questions) I did have a similarly challenging experience with their reps.  Very much a 'we're perfect it must be you' attitude despite a reasonable and valid inquiry on my part.  Their documentation is vague and they do misrepresent some features.  No deal breakers, but not a great vibe from them in general at the business level.

Anyways... more to come.  But, David, interesting to hear about your experience.

On 11/29/2019 at 3:51 AM, mwalker_mw said:

I did an overnight vacuum check in most cases

I did some checks before diving (usually 30 min in a tank) but I was wondering how relevant those tests are (As I mentioned before, I am not an experienced user so maybe I missed something): 

I see the benefit of testing equipment has not been damaged in transport, but it is impossible to test it before every dive, is it ? As the housing needs to be open to insert the camera (or turn it on) after testing, there is a risk of leak through the main panel - which is what happened in my case. 

2 hours ago, DavidPaco said:

I did some checks before diving (usually 30 min in a tank) but I was wondering how relevant those tests are (As I mentioned before, I am not an experienced user so maybe I missed something): 

I see the benefit of testing equipment has not been damaged in transport, but it is impossible to test it before every dive, is it ? As the housing needs to be open to insert the camera (or turn it on) after testing, there is a risk of leak through the main panel - which is what happened in my case. 

I also flooded my first DLSR housing when I started shooting underwater. Fortunately the housing had a flood insurance when I purchased it, and my camera and lenses were reimbursed no questions asked. It was due to an error from my part (o-ring pinched when closing the housing). Once I had reopened the housing, it was next to impossible to tell where the leak occurred. Most flooding are due to user errors such as pinched o-ring, or dirt in o-ring.

Testing before diving is a very good practice, the ideal is to have a vacuum system on the housing. Strongly recommend to install one if you don't have one.

A lot of flooding occur in shallow water or in rinse tank, when the o-ring are not under pressure.

Hello,

I have been using their Nimar D750 housing now for at least 2 years. I was hesitant at first as well. Luckily the only real issue I ever experience was due to a main o ring failure which was my fault. I still use it to this day, but to be honest, I would not buy again. I have had to replace all the ball mounts with INON mounts since the originals didn't come with any type of friction ring (like all ball mounts) and it is extremely heavy being made of such a thick plastic. I ended up buying their vacuum LED system for peace of mind, but the quality leaves something to be desired. As far as customer service, I have emailed inquiring about the price of just the main O Ring (they only sell Kits for $40) and received no reply. Not impressed, but I guess this can be chalked up to "you get what you pay for". I will be moving onto Nauticam next.

I've been using the Nimar D5300 housing and dislike it to the extent of writing a Camera Housing Donts article about how many things are wrong with it.

tl;dr: I need to bungee the clasps to the housing because they lift off below 20 metres cause the housing warps under pressure.  I'd as soon dive its rated depth as put my camera in a plastic coke bottle.  Also, none of the push buttons operate below 30 metres.  Caveat emptor!

12 hours ago, kristapsdz said:

I've been using the Nimar D5300 housing and dislike it to the extent of writing a Camera Housing Donts article about how many things are wrong with it.

Thanks for that article. I indeed think the loosening of a clasp while the camera was in the bottom of a bucket, shaken by waves, is a quite plausible explanation to the flooding of my 6D. Given how hard it is to re-sell that equipment I will probably re-dive with it, but this time with an insurance !

11 minutes ago, DavidPaco said:

Thanks for that article. I indeed think the loosening of a clasp while the camera was in the bottom of a bucket, shaken by waves, is a quite plausible explanation to the flooding of my 6D. Given how hard it is to re-sell that equipment I will probably re-dive with it, but this time with an insurance !

The bungee trick has worked for me for the last few dozen dives since it flooded.  (Wrapping it around where the clasps connect to the faceplate.)  But I'm just waiting til a good deal on another housing comes up.  Good luck!

Yes, I will wrap, tape and weld those clasps for my future dives !