[Sony] Return of experience of the Salted Line / a6x00 housing

Hello !

I am currently looking for a housing for my alpha 6300.
I came across the Salted Line Seafrogs, but i cannot find proper review of it.

Is this solid ?

How is the build quality compared to a fantasea ?

Is there more risk of leaking than a ikelite / fantasea setup ?

What about the optical quality ?

I was thinking about getting the 6' dome with a 10-18 and the 16-50 as lens inside.

Its mainly for 80%Video underwater. I am doing around 60-100 dive a year with depth around 30m max and i would like to keep that system for few years at least and evolve around it.

If you have any advice about housing let me know.

I've had one for about a year now with maybe 60-70 dives on it; shooting it with an A6300 and 10-18mm, 16-50mm and 90mm macro lenses. No complaints about build quality, although the zoom ring for 10-18mm is somewhat finicky to set up and the fiber optic plugs are not positioned very well. The vacuum system works as advertised - on my last trip, it started flashing red before I left the Airbnb room I was staying in; I opened up the seal and found a tiny white cat hair on the main o-ring - a potentially real bad day that turned out okay. I've read reports that newer versions of this housing ship with double main o-ring, but mine has just the one.

As far as optical quality, I did some pool tests a while ago, you can see them here: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AupWSggdlFYKjtRFu-IIxyopM8fvAA

Can't speak about video, as I have only ever shot stills with it.

Hi there,

I bought a second hand, barely used, Salted Line A6xxx housing a while ago. And I have to say I am far from being satisfied with it.

I only used a few times, as it flooded in my 3rd dive with it.... I was using the dry dome 6'' port and it leaked as soon as the 40.0m line was crossed. I know the dome port is designed to 40m maximum. But how can I trust a port that couldn't handle 10cm more of water? I blame the one meter long barracudas that were under me... but anyway, life goes on.

A lot of stress on this occasion and a mishandling on the boat made a nasty scratch on the dome... what left the housing out of the water for about a month while I dealt with the scratch.

When it came back on the water, the housing leaked again. But not straight way. Only at the end of the second dive of the day, around 28m deep. Once again, when ascending, the leakage stopped. This time is was just a bit of water, it didn't wet the camera itself. But the conclusion was: I don't trust this housing anymore

After this episode, I did a full cleaning in the housing, checked o-rings, greased them and put all back in place and went for a test dive, with paper inside. When I came back from the dive there was about one full glass of water inside.. and because it was so much water, I couldn't see exactly where it came from.

Washed with fresh water, dried enough to don't have droplets inside and went for another dive. No paper this time. I would observe closely since 1m deep. And about 4m deep it started. It came from the bottom of the camera, from close to the pistol grip access. Ok, mistery solved I thought! Went back to the dive center, washed and dried it again (I don't recommend to anyone ever rinsing the insides of your camera housing... it feels horribly wrong), replaced the pistol grip plug o-ring and crossed fingers that it was just that.

Next day, I went for another test dive, empty housing. On about 4m deep water started to flow from the bottom of the housing again. On the same spot, around the pistol grip plug. But it looked that it was coming from the corner of the plastic, not from the screw itself. I suspect that water was flowing in between the housing plastic and the metal thread that hold the plug in place...

As the housing was in warranty, I sent it back to the store and received a new one about 2 weeks ago. Guess what?? Went for a test dive and it leaked! Only deeper than 35m.  It was not the housing this time, but the dome port...... I opened it all, put all pieces apart, inspected and greased the 3 o-rings that are there and went to the water again. Is leaked one more time. Now at 31m deep. The interesting thing is that it clearly leaks from the neck of the dome. Not the attachment to the housing, but where the neck and the back of the dome attach. There is a white o-ring in this connection.

So far, that's my story with Seafrogs.... I am waiting for an opportunity to test the other ports this week. To be sure that the only leakage now is the dome port. Now, looking back, I wish I had documented these processes in pictures. But if someone needs it, I can manage to get some.

Maybe is just me having very bad luck... but I am definitely apprehensive to out my little loved Sony in a Seafrogs again.

On 7/29/2019 at 11:37 AM, Barmaglot said:

I've had one for about a year now with maybe 60-70 dives on it; shooting it with an A6300 and 10-18mm, 16-50mm and 90mm macro lenses. No complaints about build quality, although the zoom ring for 10-18mm is somewhat finicky to set up and the fiber optic plugs are not positioned very well. The vacuum system works as advertised - on my last trip, it started flashing red before I left the Airbnb room I was staying in; I opened up the seal and found a tiny white cat hair on the main o-ring - a potentially real bad day that turned out okay. I've read reports that newer versions of this housing ship with double main o-ring, but mine has just the one.

As far as optical quality, I did some pool tests a while ago, you can see them here: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AupWSggdlFYKjtRFu-IIxyopM8fvAA

Can't speak about video, as I have only ever shot stills with it.

Thank you for this pictures! I supposed it was not so easy to do it and it gives a good idea of the combinations of lenses and ports! I was thinking on buying a 10-18mm lens... but now everything that is related to this housing is on hold :/

Please let me know how it goes. I will try mine for the first time this week end, will see if it doesnt make it empty than i might send it back and switch for a nauticam or so.

After 4 dives around 15 m this week end, no problem at all, i am even surprised by the quality of the whole thing.

I will still go for a nauticam when i find one for some bigger accessories that i would like to mount on it, but for now, it does the job perfectly.