
Housing the D7000 users responses
#1
Posted 08 May 2012 - 12:40 PM
I am going to finally to replace my aging D200 system with a D7000 rig. I spent hours at the scuba show in Long Beach this weekend asking all kinds of questions. What i am looking for is information from the end user on the Nauticam NA-D7000V or the Aquatica AD7000 what they like and dislike. I am sure each one has it own little quarks but that is only discovered after the user has some time to play with the system in the water. I have read all the reviews on these two housings. I feel from a manufacture spec side they are similar. I plan to stick with my dual DS161 strobes and reuse my Ion 45 degree view finder to save a few bucks. Other than those items I will need to purchase all new housing and ports. I am leaning toward the mini dome, i have been shooting a 8 inch dome since I started but traveling with it is becoming a real pain.
Any insight or thoughts from those that have used either system would be helpful. Can anyone speak to the customer service of Nauticam? I know how good and responsive Jean is from Aquatica. Awesome is the first thought that comes to mind. But service is a big piece of the of the equation.I have seen very little about Nauticam. Thanks for the help.
Wally
#2
Posted 08 May 2012 - 02:57 PM
My one, and really only, complaint, is that I think the hydrophone is terribly implemented. The fit between the cable, mic jack on the D7000, and the main housing o-ring, IMO, is just too tight. On only my second dive with the housing, the hydrophone cable got snagged in the main o-ring, and wasn't visible (enough for me to notice anyway) from an external inspection and the housing flooded. [Reading various forums, it seems several others have had this exact issue.] Thankfully I had everything insured, and Jean was great getting me up and running again quickly. When I got the housing back, the first thing I did was cut out the hydrophone cable. Haven't had a problem since.
Overall, we've been pleased with our choice.
[vimeohd]36954193[/vimeohd]
[vimeohd]32901420[/vimeohd]
[vimeohd]38050067[/vimeohd]
Hello fellow UW shooters,
I am going to finally to replace my aging D200 system with a D7000 rig. I spent hours at the scuba show in Long Beach this weekend asking all kinds of questions. What i am looking for is information from the end user on the Nauticam NA-D7000V or the Aquatica AD7000 what they like and dislike. I am sure each one has it own little quarks but that is only discovered after the user has some time to play with the system in the water. I have read all the reviews on these two housings. I feel from a manufacture spec side they are similar. I plan to stick with my dual DS161 strobes and reuse my Ion 45 degree view finder to save a few bucks. Other than those items I will need to purchase all new housing and ports. I am leaning toward the mini dome, i have been shooting a 8 inch dome since I started but traveling with it is becoming a real pain.
Any insight or thoughts from those that have used either system would be helpful. Can anyone speak to the customer service of Nauticam? I know how good and responsive Jean is from Aquatica. Awesome is the first thought that comes to mind. But service is a big piece of the of the equation.I have seen very little about Nauticam. Thanks for the help.
Wally
Edited by Rainer, 08 May 2012 - 03:02 PM.
#3
Posted 08 May 2012 - 04:00 PM
I did the same thing and flooded the camera, but after 50 odd dives with it- cutting the hydrophone off immediately is great advise!
Been a lot of people do this, because they left the hydrophone jack loose in the housing as they closed camera....
I haven't used it with manual focus yet, so I can't say much about how it performs in this regard, but it isn't capable of changing the lens from manual to auto setting whilst the camera is in the housing, wouldn't imagine the nauticam does either(would love to hear more about it if it is possible).
Damon
#4
Posted 08 May 2012 - 07:26 PM
Hello fellow UW shooters,
I am going to finally to replace my aging D200 system with a D7000 rig. I spent hours at the scuba show in Long Beach this weekend asking all kinds of questions. What i am looking for is information from the end user on the Nauticam NA-D7000V or the Aquatica AD7000 what they like and dislike. I am sure each one has it own little quarks but that is only discovered after the user has some time to play with the system in the water. I have read all the reviews on these two housings. I feel from a manufacture spec side they are similar. I plan to stick with my dual DS161 strobes and reuse my Ion 45 degree view finder to save a few bucks. Other than those items I will need to purchase all new housing and ports. I am leaning toward the mini dome, i have been shooting a 8 inch dome since I started but traveling with it is becoming a real pain.
Any insight or thoughts from those that have used either system would be helpful. Can anyone speak to the customer service of Nauticam? I know how good and responsive Jean is from Aquatica. Awesome is the first thought that comes to mind. But service is a big piece of the of the equation.I have seen very little about Nauticam. Thanks for the help.
Wally
Hello Wally,
While we may not be on Wetpixel as much as Jean, I don't think you can use that as an indication of our level of customer support and commitment to our customers. While I do try to get on Wetpixel when I can, our primary mechanism for support is email to our innovation@nauticamusa.com email address. In general we try to respond within 24 hours or faster, but sometimes if there is a trade show we are supporting or we are lucky enough to go diving, it may take slightly longer. Feel free to drop us an email with any questions you might have about our products.
In regard to Jean's level of support, I will say that it is quite likely that he won't be able to respond to any Wetpixel posts in mid-June during the digital shootout, as I plan to keep him in bourbon up to his eyeballs.
Cheers,
Cp
Chris Parsons
Nauticam USA / Zen Underwater
innovation at nauticamusa
www.nauticamusa.com
954-489-8678
#5
Posted 08 May 2012 - 10:16 PM
Can not say enough good about Subals.
All camera controls available through the housing.
The Porche of housings!
- tommsyie likes this
Underwater Photography:
If it is so easy every one would be doing it!
Nikon D 500, Subal Housing, Inon Z 240 strobes.
#6
Posted 09 May 2012 - 04:53 AM
While I don't have a Subal for my D7000 I have picked up a used one for my D700 and I can't say it's any more or less ergonomic then my Ad7000. They are both good housings.
----}<))))"> ----------}<))))'>
-----------}<)))))))))*>
#7
Posted 09 May 2012 - 07:09 AM
The Nauticam is a delight; it just works. The camera fits sweetly with no messing around to get controls to work. As Alex M once said; it is "deeply impressive engineering".
I'd buy another.
#8
Posted 09 May 2012 - 07:52 AM
Hello Wally,
While we may not be on Wetpixel as much as Jean, I don't think you can use that as an indication of our level of customer support and commitment to our customers. While I do try to get on Wetpixel when I can, our primary mechanism for support is email to our innovation@nauticamusa.com email address. In general we try to respond within 24 hours or faster, but sometimes if there is a trade show we are supporting or we are lucky enough to go diving, it may take slightly longer. Feel free to drop us an email with any questions you might have about our products.
In regard to Jean's level of support, I will say that it is quite likely that he won't be able to respond to any Wetpixel posts in mid-June during the digital shootout, as I plan to keep him in bourbon up to his eyeballs.
Cheers,
Cp
Chris,
I am sure not looking to say that post on this fourm are the only way to judge customer support. But since I have seen very few post I was asking owners what thier opition of the customer support both companies provide. This commuinty is not afraid to share there thoughts both positive and negative. That is what makes this a wonderful place to gather constructive ideas and information. I meet you in Long Beach on Saturday and was very pleased with the time you took to help me understand your products.
Regards,
Wally
#9
Posted 10 May 2012 - 07:47 PM

Sorry Rainer, I forgot to mention like the vids man, thanks putting them up!
See the gas seepage, shows how wasteful/dirty/old fashioned the rigs are in this the age of technology.....
Edited by DamonA, 10 May 2012 - 07:52 PM.
#10
Posted 10 May 2012 - 09:39 PM
Those videos are great. What lens(es) did you use and how to you handle focus? While I have my D7000 in an Ikelite rig, the camera is the same and I'd love to better understand how you're doing focus.
#11
Posted 10 May 2012 - 11:11 PM
Paul
www.scubysnaps.com >)))°>
#12
Posted 11 May 2012 - 04:48 AM
I've had the Aquatica AD90 for a few years, I also bought the D7000 for a while and played with it in a Nauticam ND7000 when it came out, while its an unfair comaprison, the Nauticam felt centuries ahead, I also believe that placing the D7000 body in the Aquatica housing is very similar to the AD90 method, which isnt good IMO. I also wasnt happy with some of the Aquatica lens gear designs which seem to wear the lenses down somewhat adding unecessary stress. I still cant understand the point of adding the hydrophone to the AD7000, seems to be causing more hassle than good...what good it had in the first place I'm unsure still.
Paul, the D90 housing was meant as an entry level housing, it was fairly stripped down control wise so that the price could be made more affordable (and there is a substantial difference between the D90 and D7000 housing for the record), the D7000 is an all together different design, the ergonomic placement and layout design has been paid a lot more attention (heck recently some of our controls design have been, for all intent, imitated by some competitor recently, so my guess is that it can't be that bad

As for the Hydrophone, the housing can be shipped with a plug installed on request and the Hydrophone shipped in the box separately, some users, who dive CCR seem to appreciate this hydrophone, since they do not have to deal with the breathing noise of bubbles exhaust, and since Technical Diver are a substantial part of our users base, we also have to tend to them to.
Jean Bruneau
www.vizart.ca
Aquatica Pro Digital housings for D-800, Sigma 8mm & 15mm Fisheye, Nikon AF 14MM, AF 17-35mm, AF 20MM, AF 60MM, AF 105MM, 4x Ikelite Ds 160, and TLC arms exclusively
#13
Posted 11 May 2012 - 05:45 AM
Edited by NWDiver, 11 May 2012 - 05:49 AM.
#14
Posted 11 May 2012 - 06:48 AM
Sorry Rainer, I forgot to mention like the vids man, thanks putting them up!
See the gas seepage, shows how wasteful/dirty/old fashioned the rigs are in this the age of technology.....
Thanks! They've been fun to make (and my wife and I are still very much learning our way through this). Really just wish our local conditions would improve. Haven't had any good dives in almost two months...
The gas release on the rig was pretty impressive. Not sure what exactly was being released, but we've seen this once before.
#15
Posted 11 May 2012 - 06:51 AM
Rainer,
Those videos are great. What lens(es) did you use and how to you handle focus? While I have my D7000 in an Ikelite rig, the camera is the same and I'd love to better understand how you're doing focus.
Appreciate it! These were all shot on the Tokina 10-17mm. Topside I always shoot full manual, but underwater, I just pre-focus about 2' away, stop down the aperture slightly (f/4.5-5.6) and basically get 2' to infinity in focus. Just a matter of "set it and forget it".

#16
Posted 11 May 2012 - 08:18 AM
In case of any problems i could ship it in Europe and don't have to ship it to Canada or the States.
After bad experiences with Ikelite as the don't have any service center elsewhere in the world than Indanapolis,
i would not buy any housing where no local dealership and service center is available.
Not having a strong dealer and a local service center can lead to expensive shipping cost and probably hassles with
customs and import duties while reimporting the gear back.
Chris
Nikon D800 + Sigma 15mm + Nikon 105mm Micro VR + Hugyfot Housing + 3 Inon Z-240 strobes + 2x2 8'' ULCS arms - Panasonic LX100 + Nauticam Housing + SubSea +10 diopter
Nikon D90 + Ikelite housing + Ikelite DS125 strobe (for sale) - Nikon D7000 + Hugyfot housing (for sale)
Canon G1X + Canon OEM housing (sold) - Canon G12 + Patima aluminium housing (for sale) - - Fuji E900 + Ikelite housing (for sale)
Visit My Costa Rica Website - Visit My Italy Website
#17
Posted 12 May 2012 - 01:56 AM
www.nauticamuk.com
www.uwvisions.com
Exclusive official importer of Nauticam products into the UK and Ireland
#18
Posted 12 May 2012 - 04:26 AM
i considered Nauticam because as they several dealers in Europe, in first row, you as very active company and dealership.
I am traveling often between Germany and Italy so i can bring my Housing by my self to the Dealer or Factory for any problems,
and don't have to ship it and this comes especially handy with my scratched dome port as i will deliver it by my self in Berlin during
a travel beginning of June.
Other Europen dealership will organize the transportation to the factory, but still i prefer to buy it locally.
After several considerations, offers, reading tests and talking with users i decided or Hugyfot and i am very happy with my decision.
Chris
Nikon D800 + Sigma 15mm + Nikon 105mm Micro VR + Hugyfot Housing + 3 Inon Z-240 strobes + 2x2 8'' ULCS arms - Panasonic LX100 + Nauticam Housing + SubSea +10 diopter
Nikon D90 + Ikelite housing + Ikelite DS125 strobe (for sale) - Nikon D7000 + Hugyfot housing (for sale)
Canon G1X + Canon OEM housing (sold) - Canon G12 + Patima aluminium housing (for sale) - - Fuji E900 + Ikelite housing (for sale)
Visit My Costa Rica Website - Visit My Italy Website
#19
Posted 12 May 2012 - 06:51 AM
www.nauticamuk.com
www.uwvisions.com
Exclusive official importer of Nauticam products into the UK and Ireland
#20
Posted 12 May 2012 - 04:25 PM
I have been using a Sea&Sea NX-100 pro housing for the Nikon F-100 (film) for over 11 years, with more than 600 dives, it still works perfectly even with the original o-rings on it.
Now I'm planing on switching to digital photography and I'm very confused because many photographers are now using Nauticam Housings. What do you think?
Thank you.
Humberto Ramirez.
No problem, I'm glad you are happy with your choice.