DiveVolk Seatouch 4 housing for iPhone?

I'm a diver who sometimes likes to take photos, not an "UW photographer."  Even my Olympus TG-6 with Ikelite housing, tray, strobe, dome port are too much for me and I'll be selling them soon.  Instead I want to get  housing for my iPhone 13 Pro and call it a day.  The DIVEVOLK is of particular interest b/c one can use the touch screen of the phone - so no finicky buttons and no apps to install.   Does anyone have experience with this as compared to other iPhone housing options, Kracken, etc.   I understand some people think taking your iPhone UW is crazy, since you have so much to loose, but I'm okay with that risk.  Thanks for any advice about the DiveVolk.

I've been using the DiveVolk housings for a couple years. First the Seatouch 3 with my iPhone XR and now a Seatouch 4 MAX with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. 

It is the only housing allowing use of all iPhone functions with no battery, App via Bluetooth, etc. and even the iPhone Panorama function. It is a joy to use as all you do is frame and shoot. 4K video is astoundingly good too.

2022 trips to Fiji and then Red Sea / Egypt all I took was my iPhone 13 PRO Max for all photos.

Samples below and you really only need the Wide (standard) lens and ultrawide (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel) (weitwinkel). 

You could buy an iPhone 12 or 13 to use as a dedicated underwater camera if worried which several friends have done.

David Haas

Beautiful shots!!!  Thanks SO much for your input.  What light(s) are you using and is this what you would recommend?  Do you use a tray?  I’m thinking of getting one bright (6000 lumen) video light that I see can be mounted (with a float arm) directly to the camera.  However I watched a Good-Bad-Ugly YouTube review of the Divevolk that pointed out all the accessories are attached to ONE screw and that if you accidentally turn it the wrong way the whole rig falls apart..  Is this a problem you have noticed?

LENS: so you use the Divevolk wet wide-angle lens ?  What about the red filter?  Have you consider getting a macro lens?  It see they sell two.

Thanks again for getting back to me.  You’re the first person with a Divevolk I’ve actually talked to. 

Drshrinkwrap,

I do have the expansion clamp with arm that holds 67mm filters plus the DiveVolk .6X wide angle air lens. It adds weight but has mounting holes (both 1/4-20 and some metric maybe 6mm?) ones you could put it on a tray. I don't as I don't want any more weight to dive with but that's me.

The RED tropical filter is useful below 10' to almost 50' in bright ambient conditions. For close colorful shots I took a 2500 lumen wide beam video light plus some "normal" 1000 lumen LED flashlights.

I have the .6X DiveVolk wide lens and have only shot it in a pool with the main Wide 26mm iPhone 13 PRO lens. It gives me approximately a 90-95 degree FOV (field of view) like a 20mm land lens. Wide enough for me without any curved fisheye effect. 

Modern cell phones see in incredibly low light and the 2500 lumen LED Video light with a wide beam worked but I've since sold it. 

I used one of my 1000 lumen narrow beam flashlights simply holding it up with my left hand and got less backscatter inside the famous Thistlegorm wreck in the Red Sea last summer.

Shooting very close or under ledges in bright conditions a powerful video light up to 2' away would deliver colorful images.

Another DIveVolk buddy has a pair of powerful 4300 lumen video lights (see him in the pool  below.) Most of the time he powers them down and gets more dives per charge. They do add weight to his rig though........

One note on shooting creatures in the ocean with any video light.......

Once you turn on a bright light and try to get close many (most?) animals will flee so you have to be a little sneaky! LOL........

Hope all this info helps!

David Haas

Is the set-below similar to what you used to hold your 2500 video light without a tray?  I, like you, want to keep the weight down, and if I don’t really need a tray for stability, I don’t want  one. The light shown below is 6000 lumen,  thus is heavier and apparently requires a float.  I want a bright light especially if I only have one, but I’m a little concerned that it’s too top-heavy.  I like your idea of using a 2500 lumen video light along w/ a regular flashlight. Maybe I do that. I’m curious why you sold your video light..  You’re just using a flashlight now??

So you didn’t use your wide-angle lens on your recent trip? Do you think it was a good purchase?

And finally, have you thought about getting a macro lens?

Thanks again for the info

In general terms you use either a red filter or a light, the light being most useful up close and the red filter for wider scenes that are further away.  Iphone lenses are quite fast generally f2.8 so don't need as much light.  I agree bright lights cause a great many subjects that can to leave.

Drshrinkwrap,

As shown in your photo the DiveVolk Expansion Clamp has a Cold Shoe mount.  I and my friend with two video lights simply mounted our light(s) off that.

You can see his two 4300 lumen video lights in the pool pictures on arms off a triple ball clamp.

I own two single mounts and one is a bit taller (maybe 3"?) Either works but both position the light close to your lens. The short arm shown in kits you're looking at will get the light a bit farther away limiting backscatter. 

My friend's dual video lights make his rig heavier but I choose to only use only one light.

My former 2500 wide beam LED video light (maybe 120 degree?) inside wrecks last summer on the Red Sea trip had me struggling with backscatter. Hence on one dive I had an 80 degree  beam 1000 lumen flashlight dangling from my wrist. I turned off the larger light and simply held up the 1000 lumen flashlight to my left and slightly above. This resulted in photos I liked better.

I didn't use the DiveVolk Wide lens much but will Feb. 25-March 4th in Roatan. As in the pool shots it does seem to correct edge sharpness plus restore the loss of lens angle any lens through a flat port produce  (like our face masks that narrow the view approximately 25%.) The dome restores that angle UNDERWATER.

Chris Ross's comments are correct too as you'll basically use a filter for wide shooting then if you want color a light can help 2' or closer.

Hope this helps!

David Haas

I've mentioned the SeaReal App (available for iPhone only currently) that restores colors with one slider. It's free in the Apple App store and a modest one time PayWall fee allows removal of the lower right watermark.

I've experimented mostly with iPhone underwater images but also files on my phone from previous digital cameras. From compact 1" sensor Canon G7X II, Canon SL1 digital SLR plus older digital cameras it's pretty amazing! 

Some below were lit with a low (1000 lumen) video light but were muted color. Also don't judge sharpness as whatever happens uploading pics even when shrinking file sizes seems to degrade a bit. Not sure how / why as sometimes if I sharpen a lot it helps. On any screen, device they are in focus and all I care about......

After color adjustment the App automatically saves a copy in a SeaReal album in the Apple Photos App. Very easy to find and do further adjustments including cropping, sharpening, etc.

Migrating to almost ambient light shooting except for close / night diving photography with a video light this eliminates using a filter which is tricky depending direction you frame your image. For years I've advised people to "shot towards the blue" as in bluest background water which pretty much ensures ambient light is behind you.

Many pictures have been ruined shooting into the light or too shallow where the Red filter is too strong.  I doubt I'll use a filter for ambient light shooting on either my iPhone 13 PRO Max or Fantasea housed Canon G7X II compact ever again.

On my next big Raja Ampat trip in November I'll likely pack one small strobe and cold shoe mount. Inon's Quick Holder Set S-Z allows quick removal for hand holding a flash. No tray or arm making packing light and easy.  I shot for years from Nikonos to housed SLR with one strobe for illumination. At this stage I can live with some shadows and whatever as a trade off for traveling light

Much like the transition from film to digital changes like simple color correction will happen fast........

Over the years I watched people including Jim Watt and Chuck Nicklin embrace newer and smaller easier tools.....

I'll  follow that path but as stated before choose your own as long as you're enjoying yourself under the sea!

David Haas

Really nice photos!!  Are you using a Divevolk macro lens?   

No.......

iPhone 13 and now 14 have built in MACRO feature once you push in close.

It switches automatically to the Superwide lens and can focal amazingly close.

DH