16 replies to this topic

[A.Y.]

I came across this housing for the NEX-5/16mm: http://www.linkdelig...-F2.8-Lens.html

This ebay item shows some photos: http://item.mobilewe...Id=180767676809

Seems to be a good solution for snorkeling!

I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT! Anyone knows?

Edited by A.Y., 07 December 2011 - 08:29 AM.

[oskar]

I came across this housing for the NEX-5/16mm: http://www.linkdelig...-F2.8-Lens.html

This ebay item shows some photos: http://item.mobilewe...Id=180767676809

Seems to be a good solution for snorkeling!

I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT! Anyone knows?

Cool! Scary-cool!

I feel a strange urge to try it out, although i think it means certain death by flooding. ;-)

Anyone with the guts to try?

Cheers
/O

[Deep6]

Cool! Scary-cool!

I feel a strange urge to try it out, although i think it means certain death by flooding. ;-)

Anyone with the guts to try?

Cheers
/O

No Oskar, you are on point
Bob

[A.Y.]

Found some owner observations for this housing. If the case really has similar build quality as the ones from Canon, I'll definitely recommend it to non-diver friends for snorkeling, white-water rafting, kayaking or beach use.

Personally, I'm still planning to get a Nauticam for my NEX-5N for scuba.

[Inge]

I came across this housing for the NEX-5/16mm: http://www.linkdelig...-F2.8-Lens.html

This ebay item shows some photos: http://item.mobilewe...Id=180767676809

Seems to be a good solution for snorkeling!

I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT! Anyone knows?

Hi!

Just had a 15 meters dive with it to day. Absolutly dry inside, everything works fine. Difficult to turn round dial at the back with gloves. I am very impressed so far at this price!

[oskar]

cool, are you a frequent diver? Keep us posted on the progress.

Can you reach all controls with that housing?

Hi!

Just had a 15 meters dive with it to day. Absolutly dry inside, everything works fine. Difficult to turn round dial at the back with gloves. I am very impressed so far at this price!

[JustinBeevor]

Hi!

Just had a 15 meters dive with it to day. Absolutly dry inside, everything works fine. Difficult to turn round dial at the back with gloves. I am very impressed so far at this price!

Cool ... especially if Inon produce wet lenses for it ...

[bobh]

Nice build, they even lowered the price, here are my comments
I believe this is the cheapest way to go into underwater photography, including bags like opteka.

http://forums.dprevi...t...8765&page=2

[A.Y.]

On page 3 of the thread "alatriste" showed photos on how he modified the NEX-5 housing to work with a 5n - the fifth post from the bottom: http://forums.dprevi...t...8765&page=3

[danny.hightower]

That's pretty exciting. I read another post that said the kit lens is very close in length the the 16mm+WA so im wondering if you could buy the longer kit lens case and use the 16+ Fisheye in it??

Is the shade on the WA & Fisheye removable?

[danny.hightower]

I've been brainstorming on this low end case...

I called a local camera store and found that WA and Fisheye lens hoods were removable but he didn't have anything in stock so i could not get a assembled height comparison between the 16+Fisheye compared to the stock lens.

If the combined height was close enough to fit in this case that might give some really compelling beginner level CFWA capabilities
This would be such a hot casual shooter setup. (someone who has to get on a plane for a minimum of 2 hours to dive or taking pics around pools or local lakes without worrying about the oops factor)

A high level comparison:
Casual / beginner - NEX 5n camera +16mm + fisheye +case = $1100.
Low/Mid Range UW - EPL-3 @ $2650 (Camera + WA lens + Zen dome + Case)
Low end DSLR - T2i / Nautica @ 4700 (T2i, 10-15 Tokina + compact zen dome)


Cons , lens wont be as good, worry about floods more, more difficult lighting setup, limited & softer macro's

Pro's, Try & don't like - return or sell on Ebay, MUCH more affordable than other options, lets you get your other foundational gear now and upgrade the case later, doesn't lock you into a system (keep your foundational gear and upgrade the body and case as this platform matures), 2x - 4x lower loss if flood or stolen

Thoughts?

** Update - I was able to get the lens specs on the SONY website and it looks like this might work. I bought both camera housings for testing and pending the results I'll keep one and sell the other. Stay tuned!!

Edited by danny.hightower, 02 February 2012 - 10:29 AM.

[A.Y.]

Amazon now carry two $130 ($140 with shipping) NEX-5 housings for the 16mm pancake and the 18-55mm kit lens. NEX 3 models are also available. With simple DIY modifications, people are able to house the 5N inside the 5 models. Users also have reported going down to 25m/80ft without leaking.

They are obviously not made for WetPixel divers who use their gear frequently. For friends and relatives who just want to use their NEX 5 or 3 cameras for snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, white-water rafting, and hiking with the possibility of being rained on, these are perfectly acceptable solutions.

Pending report from danny.hightower who is testing the 16mm/FE lens combo inside the housing for the 18-55mm kit lens, I'll decide which one to get for a kayaking and white-water rafting trip coming up. Since the camera will be used mostly above water, the flat lens shouldn't degrade the 16mm/WA lens combo edge sharpness in the similar fashion as underwater.

[Inge]

Her are some snapshots: NEX5 examples

Edited by Inge, 18 March 2012 - 12:45 PM.

[Stewart L. Sy]

I called a local camera store and found that WA and Fisheye lens hoods were removable but he didn't have anything in stock so i could not get a assembled height comparison between the 16+Fisheye compared to the stock lens.

If the combined height was close enough to fit in this case that might give some really compelling beginner level CFWA capabilities
This would be such a hot casual shooter setup. (someone who has to get on a plane for a minimum of 2 hours to dive or taking pics around pools or local lakes without worrying about the oops factor)

Don't know which camera store this is, but the lens hood of the Fisheye conversion lens from Sony is not removable. The 18-55mm kit lens is about 3/4" longer than the 16mm W/ Fisheye lens.

S.

[Inge]

Her are some snapshots: NEX5 examples

Sorry, I forgot to make tha album public, now it should be ok..

[pdabill]

I was excited to find this thread as I am a new owner of the NEX-5n and had sticker shock with the prices of the underwater housings for this camera. I ordered the 16mm version of the housing and paid a little extra for expedited shipping. Total cost for the housing and shipping was $108. It took 8 days from when I placed the order to when I received it in south Florida. I am impressed with the housing. As mentioned, it is a little difficult to open and close the housing. And the control wheel is a little difficult to use. But these issues are not that big of a deal to me. The small size and light weight of the housing are great. I took it out freediving to a max depth of about 20' and took these photos. Looking forward to using this setup again soon.

[A.Y.]

Someone found a link to the new NEX-5N versions being sold in Taiwan - many product shots are available. Can the owners of the NEX-5 housing tell from this product photo if the buttons/push rods for the "Video" and "Playback" are indeed modified? I wonder when the 5N models will show up in the US.

Edited by A.Y., 30 March 2012 - 12:14 AM.