155 replies to this topic

[Aussiebyron]

First dive with a cameraless housing just to make sure. But you know whats going to happen. I will have a nice new housing in my hands and eveyrthing will be posing for me but no camera.

Cheers Mark

Well I knew it was going to happen. First Dive with the housing wihtout camera inside I ended up diving for 30 minutes with a Manta which was basically in my face. Did two dives after with the camera inside but no Manta. Downloading pics now and will post some later.

Regards Mark

[Aussiebyron]

Ok. Here are a few of my first shots with the Aquatica AD7000 with Tokina 10-17mm. They havnt been edited just resized for quick upload. Vis was around the 10m mark and it was cloudy so no Sunburst. I basically left it on 1/320th to get the feeling of how it shoots.













More photos on my Flickr link below. But keep in mind that the shots arnt edited.

Geting Deedee (The Ad7000) ready again for early morning dive for Manta's.

Cheers Mark

Edited by Aussiebyron, 11 March 2011 - 08:33 AM.

[Alex_Mustard]

Hooray - in the water. All systems go for tomorrow!

Alex

p.s. Your signature needs updating...

[buceo]

Great shot

[HobieGuy]

Hi Mark: Great shots! My AD7000 should be in soon, and I was wondering what extension ring and port are you using with your 10-17. Also, how do you like the newly redesigned zoom gear?

Thanks, Ray J

[cdoyal]

My D7000 housing is supposed to be in Fiji with me in two weeks. I hope it gets here in time...

[Aussiebyron]

Hi Mark: Great shots! My AD7000 should be in soon, and I was wondering what extension ring and port are you using with your 10-17. Also, how do you like the newly redesigned zoom gear?

Thanks, Ray J

Hi Ray.

I went with the recommend port extension #18456 (there was a type 4 port/extenion chart with the housing) with the 8 inch dome. But looking at how the camera body is position more deeper inside the housing I think one could get away with using no extension ring at all (will try later in the week). My mate has my 4 inch mini dome for the fiji trip but I think it got a bit chewed by some Bull sharks so I have to see how much damage it got.

I would love to get my hands on the 9.25 inch mega dome. Maybe if Jean comes to Australia he can bring one over for me to borrow.

I didnt attach the zoom ring on the Tokina 10-17mm as I about always shoot at 10mm and it was a pain to attach and remove the lens and zoom gear on the Aquatica AD90 everytime you want to take the camera out. But I did look at the setup for the zoom gear. It looks like you can simply pull out the zoom gear knob and the internal zoom gears move out of the way. Then attach camera and lens and zoom gear already attached into housing and push the out side zoom gear knob on the housing back in to move the internal gears to marry up the the zoom gears attached to the lens.

You look inside the hosuing and see that there has been alot of thought put into it and it engineered well past anything I saw with the Ad90 Aquatica.

Regards Mark

[Aussiebyron]

My D7000 housing is supposed to be in Fiji with me in two weeks. I hope it gets here in time...

cdoyal,

You must get yourself to Beqa Lagoon. My mate that bought my Aquatica Ad90 just got back two days ago and she had over 50+ large Bull Sharks on the dives. The numbers are increasing each day. Up until now she has only borrow my camera on a few rare occasion when I have been with her. So for a total novice with a DSLR she brought back some very impressive shark photos which are outstanding. I have to get her to load up some pics to view.

Regards Mark

[Aussiebyron]

Hooray - in the water. All systems go for tomorrow!

Alex

p.s. Your signature needs updating...

All systems go Alex.

Thank you for indepth review of the Nikon D7000. Now I have to go and make use of it all.

Regards Mark

[cdoyal]

cdoyal,

You must get yourself to Beqa Lagoon. My mate that bought my Aquatica Ad90 just got back two days ago and she had over 50+ large Bull Sharks on the dives. The numbers are increasing each day. Up until now she has only borrow my camera on a few rare occasion when I have been with her. So for a total novice with a DSLR she brought back some very impressive shark photos which are outstanding. I have to get her to load up some pics to view.

Regards Mark

Yep, it's part of the trip. A week at Garden Island in Taveuni then a week at Beqa Lagoon. Hopefully, a tiger will show up!

[Aussiebyron]

Yep, it's part of the trip. A week at Garden Island in Taveuni then a week at Beqa Lagoon. Hopefully, a tiger will show up!

Here is a link to the Bull Shark action my friend Tatiana had last week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tatsam/





Not bad for someone who has only used a DSLR a handful of times.

Cheers Mark

[Aussiebyron]

Anyway after the first day of diving with a Manta for 25 minutes with a housing and no camera inside and no Manta's for the rest of the day I decided to get back out this morning:

Again bare with me as these shot are straight off the camera and not edited (just resized) and its the 3rd time I have had the Camera underwater:

[Aussiebyron]

regards Mark

[Aussiebyron]

Hi Mark: Great shots! My AD7000 should be in soon, and I was wondering what extension ring and port are you using with your 10-17. Also, how do you like the newly redesigned zoom gear?

Thanks, Ray J

Ray I tired to use the same zoom gear ring which I used on the AD90. Actually the AD90 zoom gear #18717 is too small to make contact with the gears on the AD7000. I checked the type 4 list and they have zoom gear #48717. So I have to wait until I get that new zoom gear to comment. But I like the idea you can pull out the buttons/levers from the outside of the housing and fit your camera and lens all at once. I wasnt keen on the AD90 style which meant you place the body in first and then attach the lens through the front of the body.

Cheers Mark

[pvenoutsos]

You just can’t go wrong with an Aquatica housing I have owned a few to say the least. All have worked flawlessly and are built rock solid.The port optics are also first rate. Best bang for your buck and I am not getting paid to say this although I will entertain any offers.




Peter

[Alex_Mustard]

I had a chance to get my (dry) hands on an AD7000 yesterday, the one that is en route to signor Hanlon for the Wetpixel group test, at the London dive show. You'll see photos soon in Adam's show report too.

I have to say I was hugely impressed with it. There is clearly a large amount of engineering effort gone in to it, with real attention to the ergonomics. And not that it matters, but it is also an attractive looking housing (although not as cute as Aquatica's NEX5 housing). I'll save my specific comments until after the Wetpixel review.

The last Aquatica I shot underwater was a D90 housing earlier this year, and the difference between that housing (which is really the direct predecessor) and the new AD7000 is night and day. I am looking forward to reading how Adam and his team find it in the UW tests.

Alex