Hugyfoot D70 housing. Useful info & pictures!!

After searching the web and after writing long emails i have found some info about the Hugyfoot housing for the Nikon D70s and i like to share it with you.

Its look like that the Hugyfoot is a great altenativ to the subal housings.

It is very small (smaller that Subal) and ergonomic and you can use the main dials with one hand.

They are sealing with a Countersunk bolt. Maybe not very fast if you whant to open & close the housing

The ports are not very expensive, between 300 - 450 EURO

It's come with a 2 years warranty and off course they can make a customization like:

auto focus lock

Leakage warning

second flash connection

second handle with armball

They are working on a new D70 housing with DERLIN material & a new magnifier something like Subals.

BTW What are you thinking about Subals Magnifier?

The new Derlin housing will weight -500 gramm underwater - With camera!!!

From what i see the Hugyfoot housing have less controls that the Subal

The AF/MF is not available but "Jordi", a forum member, told me that we can use the AF/AE-lock lever to block the autofocus. Thanks "Jordi" for all help.

Follow a picture off the housing with all contols

I like to hear your opinions on this housing and I am happy if i could help with some info.

1. Sub-command dial

2. Power switch

3. Exposure compensation button

4. Ball-and-socket joint for mounting flash arm

5. External flash connection

6. Zoom control

7. Ball-and-socket joint for mounting flash arm

8. Ergonomic handle

9. Front shell

10. Exposure lever

11. Ergonomic grip

12. Countersunk bolt

13. Mode dial

14. Mode dial window

15. Control panel

16. Main command dial

17. LCD illuminator button/Format button

18. Multi selector

19. Countersunk bolt

20. Delete button

21. Top to bottom: Playback button/Menu button/Sensitivity & thumbnail button/White balance, protect & help button/Image quality & size, playback & enter button

22. Back shell

23. Attachment wristlet

I don't like the way the housing is closed with two screws. It seems like that will be very "clunky" to use, and what if you lose one of them? I think they should use latches instead.

Cheers

James

I have always liked Hugy housings. The ergonomics are good (apart from the opening and closing mechanism). I think that Hugy aperture control (Sub comand dial) is better placed than the subal.

I doubt it is smaller than the Subal, though.

Assuming that the LCD window is the same size on both then the Hugy looks bigger than the subal - as it is not as closely fitted round the camera.

Alex

Hello,

I'm this close to ordering the Hugy D70 housing complete with the Heinrichs iTTL chip. My main motivation is that I can use ports from my current F80 housing, also from Hugy. And, of course, the fact that it seems to be a quality housing for a reasonable amount of money.

From what I can gather from Hugy's website etc, the two hygy housings are very much alike in terms of operating etc. The only major difference seems to be that Hugy has changed the forward control wheel to a better one. The one in Atlan 80/81 is a pain, especially with thick gloves (I have not made a single dive without my drygloves in almost three years). Also, they have given up Rene's favourite feature: the combined on/off and EC/FEC control wheel. Which is actually quite OK when you get used to it. Apart from the front control wheel, I cannot fault the Atlan's ergonomics. For freediving use without flashes, the hand strap on the right could be a very nice feature. I almost never use it because I have my lighthead in my right hand and the camera in my left hand by the handle when not shooting.

The screw closure is admittedly a bit clumsy at times. On the other hand, when it is shut it will stay shut. Very comforting at times when I do not have the possibility to pamper the housing like when changing deco gasses etc. The housing just hangs from it's lanyard and if it gets bumped into somethig, I do not have to worry about the latches opening. The screws are held in place by way of o-rings and during my three and a half years with the housing I have never been even close to losing one.

Sizewise, the Hugy F80 housing is slightly smaller than the Subal D70 counterpart, but the F80 is a smaller camera than the D70. I have a friend who has the Subal for D70, so I can compare at some point when I get the new stuff.

If all goes well (i.e. I actually see the money I'm supposed to see), the order will go in next week or thereabouts. I'll try to write a review when I have a couple of dives with the new stuff. Which will be after some time, because I'm off for a couple weeks of sailing soon.

timo

http://www.ahomaki.net

here is a small review of the Hugy Nikon D70 housing with some pics and comment on the viewfinder too (from Matetes):

http://www.uwpix.net/index.php?/archives/2...en.htmlextended

just scroll down for the (original) english version.

the dome ports are small and made of acrylic glass. That's why they cost less.

regards,

Julian

Thanks for the input guys!!

Timo:

I am living in Sweden. Where in Scandinavien are ordering your Hugo housings?

I am trying to find a dealer that is not on the other side off the Globe

Julian:

Nice review. (Und Ich kan Deutch) :-)

The screw closure looks very secure and I dont think it is a big problem with the time.

Acrilic glass ports?? There we need some input about the quality off those ports.

What will be realy from intrest is the viewfinder.

Subal have one with magnifier but i dont know how mutch you need it. maybe it will be a help when you are freediving.

Anyway it will be intresting if somebody can compare the standar viewfinders of Subal & Hugyfoot.

Better viewfinder = Better Photos

Thanks for the input guys!!

 

Timo:

I am living in Sweden. Where in Scandinavien are ordering your Hugo housings?

I am trying to find a dealer that is not on the other side off the Globe

Well,

My first Hugy I ordered direct from Rene Hugenschmidt and now I'm talking with the factory in Belgium. As far as I know, the retailers closet to me are In the UK and Germany.

timo

Thanks Timo

I hav to come in contact with the company in Belgium. The grazy think is that they say that they are still working on a new D70 housing but some retailers have it ????

About the ports. They are form acrulic Glass or? How god is the quality of those hugy ports? Can we scratch acrylic glass

I see that you chose Heinrichs iTTL chip. From what i know only Sobstronice have soem strobes that work with the ittl of Nikon D70

With Heinrichs iTTL chip have you the posablility to use Inon strobes ?

Well,

from my point of view, let's just say that slight corner softness is the least of my problems when shooting underwater. Naturally, YMMV.

There has been some discussion on this forum about the quality of Ikelite ports and I cannot see why the same observations would not apply to Hugy ports as well. I will try to see if I can find some images that would demonstrate the corner sharpness or lack thereof of Hugy ports. My main issue in finding some is that I shoot the 15mm mostly with absurdly long exposures, so my images with that lens are always a bit soft anyway. And yes, you can - and will - scratch the acrylic domes. Sometimes this is a problem, sometimes not.

My strobes are Ikelite DS50 and DS125 and these should work OK with the converter. likewise the Inons I suppose, although I have not really checked.

timo

RRigghtt,

I re-scanned a couple of piccies with no crop and no editing whatsoever and stuffed them on my webserver so you can have a look with your 10x lupes. Nothing very scientific, although I do have some focus test shots done with the 15mm Sigma in a pool but my archiving being what it is, I cannot find them.

So, here we go. And oh, these are quite large files. Like 4-6M each, scanned with a Dimage ScanDual III, saved in jpg best quality.

test1.jpg

Nikon F80, Hugyfot Atlan81, small Hugy dome (good for Nikon 20mm, and 16mm, Sigma 15mm), Sigma 15mm f2.8 FE, 1/4sec, aperture not recorded but probably around f5.6. Film was Fuji RHP III (Provia 400) pressed to 800 ASA.

test2.jpg

This is shot is with same port and lens on RHP III pressed to 1600 ASA, 1/10@f4. Visibility in this picture is about 5-6 meters but depth only 14-15 meters.

Now, I do not have a focus gear for the 15mm, so I just set it to 25cm and fire away. Most of the time this works just fine. Needless to say, the F80 autofocus is useless in these light levels.

test3.jpg

This is with the Sigma 24mm/1.8 EXDG and it's dedicated port that I ordered for a specific purpose. Settings on autopilot (S-mode@125 + AF in C). Film is RDP III (Provia 100). The slightly overexposed model is my 6 month old daughter coming down a slide.

Hope these shed some light on something.

timo

Hi

I'm a (so far) happy owner of a Hugy D70 housing....

Just a few pics taken but I do not see any noticeable diference acrilic/glass (when shooting analogic, I had Nikon F-100 in Seacam housing).

Three examples, all with the 12-24, two with available light and one using a couple of Inon Z220

..and the third one....

Cheers

Matetes