Wetpixel

Wetpixel D7000 housing review

by Adam Hanlon Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

That's cool, then it will be complete. However I'd prefer the same review for the D800... Just joking :-)
Posted by Andrej Belic on 2012-07-19 21:13:46 I do agree that the review has not been comparative...yet! The logistics of getting this number of housings together and then diving them has proved fairly difficult and time consuming. As far as I am aware it is also unique. I do feel that any comparisons should only be drawn after the final housing is reviewed. In this case, I am currently diving the Seacam D7000, and once I have finished that will draw together some comparisons between the various models. Stay posted:)
Posted by Adam Hanlon on 2012-07-19 19:53:45 "I have the perfect solution for You. Buy 10 housings with ports, etc. make a review on Your own and afterwards sell those that You don’t need or throw them away or do whatever pleases You most. This is the most comprehensive review You’ll get in this small, but global industry :-)))" If I had a name for myself in the underwater photo world then maybe someone would let me review their housings (like they let Adam). I am not saying this isn't a good collection of reviews. But I just wouldn't name this article "A hands-on comparative review of housings for the Nikon D7000". The key word in there being... comparative... which this is not.
Posted by JKrumsick on 2012-07-19 17:05:38 Thank you Adam for taking your time and continuing the effort of bringing useful information to wetpixelers! As said with the Subal, wetpixel was also fortunate (maybe unfortunate :-p ) to have a preview of hugy D7000 in july 2011. Interested readers may find useful information there too: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42361 My D7000 housing was one of the first ones and does not have the new tray system and that allows me to take the camera in/out with any lens on. About "In general, I found the process of getting the camera in and out of the housing (which needs to be dome for battery/card changes or to exchange lenses) is a significantly more complicated process", it is not necessary to take the camera out of the housing to change cards and hugycheck IS NOT MANDATORY, it is just an option you can dive without and then you are just as safe as with any of the other housings (I use HC and alarm on my D7000 but I don´t even use the alarm on my D300 and D200 housings (too lazy to buy a battery and trustful enough)
Posted by davichin on 2012-07-19 07:49:43 I have the perfect solution for You. Buy 10 housings with ports, etc. make a review on Your own and afterwards sell those that You don't need or throw them away or do whatever pleases You most. This is the most comprehensive review You'll get in this small, but global industry :-)))
Posted by Andrej Belic on 2012-07-19 07:38:55 While I appreciate the reviews of these housings... it is much more a collection of separate reviews of housings rather than a compare and contrast... which I think is what I want to read. I really feel that the omission of comparisons between housings is painfully obvious.
Posted by JKrumsick on 2012-07-19 00:46:23 Hugyfot review should be live in the next week, Seacam likely in the next two to three!
Posted by Adam Hanlon on 2012-04-04 08:02:16 Would be good to see other significant housings reviewed too eg Hugyfot and Seacam
Posted by MichaelG on 2012-04-04 07:57:17 Oh you missed out the Seacam...what a shame :)
Posted by JACohen on 2012-04-03 11:31:14 This may give a clearer picture of some of the D7000 Ikelite controls at the back: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fttpwwwflickrcomalbert/6460621581/in/photostream
Posted by albert kok on 2011-12-05 16:08:06 Just a follow up on my last comment on the Ikelite housing review. Just to get things right! On picture 6 showing the flat backside of the housing the left and right red arrows point to the LIVE View on/of switch, and video record on/of respectively (controlled by the right thumb). On picture 7 the red arrow points to the LIVE View on/of switch (NOT the AE/AF lock switch). The AE/AF lock switch (also controlled by the right thumb) is at the right side of the main body and can be seen on picture 8. Hope I am right! Cheers
Posted by albert kok on 2011-11-30 16:20:37 Hi, bought the D7000 last week, so I changed my mind! (see my earlier somewhatsceptical comment 3). I agree with eleung (see comment 9) that in the 6th picture shown in the Ikelite review the red arrows pointing at the AE/AF lock and LV lever switches should be the other way around. The AE/AF lock switch is located at the right side of the main housing body and can controlled by the right thumb, like in the D90 housing. I assigned the AF-ON function to this switch to avoid the akward focusing with the shutter release button.
Posted by albert kok on 2011-11-29 16:11:41 good and comprehensive. Pity you were not able to review the Seacam as well...
Posted by leonandclaudia on 2011-10-27 21:54:02 Hi This comment relates to an old problem with Nikon D80 and D90 camera's fitted in the Ikelite housings. The 'bent wire' control of Ikelite does no seem to align 100% with the centre of the silvery Nikon shutter release button. The Nikon button is rather fragile (plastic?) and has the reputation to break off in Ikelite housings. The solution could be that Ikelite provides better rubber control tips for their shutter release control in their accessory package.
Posted by albert kok on 2011-10-26 15:36:36 Very nice compilation. Maybe a conclusion might be added, or even a Seacam D7000 review, if possible in near future.
Posted by Andrej Belic on 2011-10-26 08:40:37 The "Subal sync cord plugs" that were raved about in the article are a part from 10Bar in China and have been readily available for a couple of years now.
Posted by JackConnick on 2011-10-25 21:02:42 Finally Nexus release D7000 housing. Very light weight only 2.1kg on land and include AE/AF lock switch. http://www.anthisnexus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=401
Posted by cyj2371 on 2011-10-01 05:57:40 today i checked the ikelite housing for d7000. Looks like the picture shown here as 'AE/AF lock' switch is the LV lever switch. While there is a lever that can be used to access the 'AE/AF lock', which is on the main housing body
Posted by eleung on 2011-08-09 15:39:53 Adam and WP Reviewers, Thank you for taking the time to review the Sea and Sea MDX-D7000 housing. We really appreciate it and your feedback. It will help us as we constantly try to produce better products. I think the Wetpixel readers will enjoy your very candid and straight forward evaluation of our housing as well as the other mfr's. I did however want to add that I have large hands (gloves XL) and use fairly thick 5mm gloves here in California and had no trouble at all accessing controls due to clearance between the housing and controls. You are right about not being able to reach the shutter speed dial at the same time as shutter release and aperture control though. Even for me with XL hands, that's a stretch. In fast shooting situations (shark feeds, sea lions, etc.) I find that I need shutter speed control more than aperture, so when shooting wide angle with Nikons, I switch the command dial and sub command dial, so that the vertical dial on the Sea and Sea housing (easily reachable with hand on shutter release) can be controlled along with shutter release while looking through the viewfinder. This brings me to your very appropriate point about ergonomics.. ....We all do it differently! Again we at Sea and Sea appreciate you taking the time and your feedback. Almost forgot...The Sea and Sea fiber L cables are real tight in Sea and Sea housings! I guess we need to get Inon and Sea and Sea to mfr. the same diameter on the ends. LOL! if only it were that easy...:)
Posted by asallmon on 2011-08-08 19:07:34 Thanks for the great review. The new housing have really improved over previous generations.
Posted by Don in Colorado on 2011-07-22 23:08:52 love the reviews so must...can't wait to see s&s;, subal may be seacam also review soon
Posted by ckchong on 2011-07-10 08:04:15 Thanks..I already suspected that the D7000 would not fit in the D90 Ike housing (we had the same problem some years ago with the transition from D80 to D90) I think that for me the two major improvements, the higher ISO performance and having more mexapixels are not convincing enough to jump to the new system..I also feel that the lense may be more important for satisfactory results than the body..
Posted by albert kok on 2011-07-08 17:23:56 Al, no your D90 is to different to fit into a D7000 housings. the Nikon D7000 is a stunningly improved camera, granted, what is behind the mask in general, has generally more impact than the gear itself, still for someone looking for a new system of graduating from an older than D90 camera, it does make a lot more sense to move to the D7000 instead.
Posted by Viz'art on 2011-07-07 16:19:38 Hi thanks for the review For me the question with this new model is: does it guarantee much better UW pictures compared with its predecessor, the Nikon D90? I doubt it. In addition, a new camera also means a new housing. That is, I assume that the D7000 will not fit in the Ikelite D90 housing. Cheers Al
Posted by albert kok on 2011-07-07 15:41:49 On the Aquatica exposure compensation lever placement "I find that I rarely adjust the EV underwater, and hence the easily accessible EV lever is not critical" I feel that I should elaborate a bit more on Aquatica’s decision to locate the EV exposure compensation at its present accessible location, granted in still photography and with most of us operating the camera in manual mode anyhow, there is not much credit for making this accessible as it is, but given the high quality of video that this camera can deliver and the fact that EV compensation is the way to adjust the Video exposure on the Nikon D7000 camera, well, giving ready access to this ever made common sense. As a side note, let me suggest to the D7000 users a good tip (no matter what housings they uses) you should explore the following Custom Setting Menu f7 feature, this allows the user to push a button and said button will stay engaged as long as you need or press another button. So when shooting video, you press the exposure compensation lever to engage the button and then you can correct the exposure while shooting video without having to press down on the button/lever all the time. This f7 features is very handy as well for all other buttons, you don’t have to keep your finger on a button, hold the housing steady and rotate a command dial at the same time. ISO, Quality, WB and AF pattern modes are but a few of the features that would benefit from this.
Posted by Viz'art on 2011-06-28 16:22:45 Great review. Very timely considering my query on the DSLR forum. Thanks for taking the time to put good info out to us. Matt
Posted by Longimanaus on 2011-06-28 11:10:56 Good review Adam. I would like to see it updated with a review of the new Sea & Sea MDX-D7000 housing as it's a significant departure for Sea & Sea.
Posted by JackConnick on 2011-06-27 14:17:39 Great review Adam. Well done sir.
Posted by Steve Williams on 2011-06-26 23:02:46