Thanks for the advice Schorsch but the problem is there is only an up button for the multi controller. You can press the info button, but then you can only move the multi controller up and not across. Plus the info button doesn't allow access to any of the controls for white balance and ISO. Now if there were a menu button on the housing, then I would be able to work through all the menus but sadly there isn't.
I appreciate your help though.
Hi all - I'm just catching this thread in an airport and have to reply via iPhone. Please excuse brevity for now and probable typos, but as north American distributor for SEACAM I wanted to weigh in promptly to your concerns.
Harald Hordosch, owner/designer of SEACAM, and I have had many philosophical discussions about the Prelude concept. His desire was to create a minimalist "less is more" design that would invite user perhaps new to SEACAM in the hopes they would be lifelong enthusiasts. I don't think he meant prelude to replace or equal SEACAM Silver housings, but I'll leave it to him to explain specific intentions for the Prelude line.
From my point of view, we have delivered several housings now. Some clients have been disappointed as they were expecting more controls on the rear of the housing, but others have been very positive as well. I'm not familiar with D7000 as I shoot Canon, but one of our clients has taken considerable time with camera and housing and shared with me his preferences.
For iso he sets it at 200. Apparently you can navigate to 2 preset iso settings with the housing. With 3 available iso settings, he feels comfortable in his options. As for navigating the zone of autofocus, he uses the 3d setting, which is apparently quite accurate, and then may tweak with focus lock. He also has a focus gear for his 60 and 105 micro Nikkor (new style) so he is very satisfied with the housing for fish and macro. Wide angle with his 10-17 is likewise easy with 3D AF.
The housing comes standard with the pro viewfinder, but also accepts s180 and s45 viewfinders. Anyone doubting SEACAM quality should pit their facemadk to one of these viewfinders for a revelation in optical quality.
Please don't misunderstand me. I can certainly relate to the desire for full functionality. The Prelude is meant to be an affordable entree to the SEACAM system. It may not suit everyone with very specific housing needs, but it may also introduce Shooters to the inherent advantages to the SEACAM system that might otherwise be denied access.
Hope all this makes sense. They are now boarding the plane. Got to go.