d2x housings

[mrbubbles 0]

im looking to house a d2x. I've only had experiences with nexus. For years I used it with an n90, and then a d70. I have a chance to get a discounted aquatica system, but its still alot of money. Alot of you guys seem to be using subal. Any comments or recomendations and those or any other systems appreciated.

[buddy 7]

subal? its the best....

[mrbubbles 0]

I'm also be interested in why

[Rocha 0]

Ok, I have the Subal and really like it. Here are my top ten reasons:

 

1) Ergonomics: it feels great in my hands, and I can reach the two main command deals without removing the hands from the housing handles.

 

2) Light weight: I travel a lot, and carry the housing in a small suitcase with me, so this is important to me.

 

3) Port system: I have only two ports (fisheye and FP90) and can use a combination of 5 lenses with them by combining the ports with two extension rings.

 

4) Buoyancy: the housing is almost neutral (just slightly negative) with all my port/lens combinations and a pair of Ikelite SS200.

 

5) Easy to use: it is very easy and fast to mount the camera in the housing. No need to adjust anything, just slide the camera in and close the housing. Also, the compact flash card is removable without the need to remove the camera form the housing (just open it).

 

6) Lens release button: just remove the port to change lens, no need to open the housing and remove the camera.

 

7) Labels of controls in the housing (Seacam doesn't have this, so you have to kind of memorize where in the camera the controls are, I don't know about the others).

 

8) Precision of control knobs: You don't even need to look through the viewfinder to know how many aperture (or shutter speed) values you changed. One click in the housing knob is one aperture or shutter speed.

 

9) Magnified viewfinder: I never used it, but it is important to many people.

 

10) Did I say it was light?

 

So, I guess you could live without many of the above, but in the long run they make your life a lot easier, especially when you are shooting in less than perfect conditions. Having said that, if you don't like the price of a *discounted* Aquatica system, you will hate the price of the Subal. Here are some reviews of D2x housings that may help you with your decision:

 

Nexus for D2x

 

Seacam for D2x

 

Subal for D2x

 

There is no formal review of the Aquatica yet, but I am sure you can find user reports in the forums.

 

Aloha,

 

Luiz

[mrbubbles 0]

thanks for the help. the cost difference is TREMENDOUS, so i'll probably go for the aquatica

[giftie 0]

If I am not mistaken the Aquatica ships now with the iTTL converter?

Aquatica is reliable and bloody good value [despite my post highlighting some weaknesses].

The nikonos V sockets they use are better.

For the Fuji S2 the Aquatica had the controls better placed than the Subal.

If you buy a Subal port they usually forget to send the o-ring, ah, ah, talk about making savings...and the Subal dome ports will cost you a small fortune, if you scratch them...

[Steve Simonsen 0]

I started using the D2X on land in Dec. I fell in great appriciation for the camera and all that it does for me. I had to house it. I've used Aquatica housings for over ten years. I purchased a brand new AD2X from B&H. It is a beautiful machine. It is the best Aquatica housing I've ever seen.

 

Here are my ten reasons for choosing an Aquatica for the D2X.

 

1. Ergonomics: it feels great in my hands, and I can reach the two main command deals without removing the hands from the housing handles.

 

2. Less money than the Subal and Seacam.

 

3. Port system: I have only two ports (8' dome and flat port for the 60 mm Micro) and can use a combination of 5 lenses with them by combining the ports with two extension rings.

 

4. Buoyancy: the housing is almost perfectly neutral (just slightly negative) with nothing attached. It's slightly negative with strobes and strobe arms.

 

5. Easy to use: it is very easy and fast to mount the camera in the housing. A minor adjustment to the lens shade is neccesary when I add an extension ring to the dome port and Also, the compact flash card is removable without the need to remove the camera form the housing (just open it).

 

6. Not ALL the controls are labeled but most of them are and the others take one time to figure it out.

 

7. All the controls work perfectly with one exception and that is the metering command dial. A new part is on the way from the dealer to fix that. In the mean time it hasn't hurt me a bit.

 

8. Lens release button: just remove the port to change lens, no need to open the housing and remove the camera.

 

9. The diopter on the camera makes all the read outs easy to see, and theres a light that can be activated manually or automatically to see the read outs even better.

 

10. Did I say I saved some money that I didn't have to spend and bought a 10.5 mm Fish-eye at the time I ordered the camera. All from the same dealer and have been using it almost every day since. I still can't believe how nice everything works on it.

[Rocha 0]

Great! Glad you like your housing, and point out all the advantages of it. I would certainly get an Aquatica if it was the same weight as the Subal (it is more than 2 pounds heavier) and if it was available when I bought mine (May of last year).

 

Luiz

[mrbubbles 0]

more great info. this site is full of helpful, experienced people, who put alot of time and effort to share what they know. Whe i found it about 1.5 years ago, i was just switching to digital. It certainly has helped tremendously.

[Michael 0]

I second Steve's comments re the Aquatica D2x housing. I started with Aquatica ten years ago with the N90s and now have one for my D2x. I think this housing is a work of art, simply put. All my old ports fit (I use only the 8 inch dome port and the 60mm, along with an extension ring). The camera rides a mount and you slide it right in the camera and you're ready to go. The controls are labeled, no guessing/memorization or hassles.

 

I've used mine extensively since October 05 and just returned from three weeks in French Polynesia of heavy duty shooting with it. No problems at all. I travel with the housing in a lowepro computtreker AW and carried the housing on my back from WPB to Rangiroa/Fakarava and back with no backache. On the zodiacs there and on the day boats here in Palm Beach I keep the camera in a laundry basket to avoid wear and tear and careless feet and it looks like new.

 

Photography and photography books are my full-time business, and I can afford whatever gear I want. I stayed with Aquatica because I believe spending more than $2900 for the housing itself (not including ports) wasn't really necessary. In any market (for whatever product), there is a premium attached to certain brands. While part of the premium price factors in quality (justified) another part is just a gimmick (and profit for the seller).

 

Regards,

mpo

mpostock.com

[Poliwog 4]

If I am not mistaken the Aquatica ships now with the iTTL converter?

 

 

I have good news and bad news as far as the D2x housing is concerned.

 

First the Bad News:

 

I talked to Blake at Aquatica on Thursday, about an iTTL converter upgrade for the D2x housing. It isn’t going to happen. Strobe compatibility issues are the major concern with the iTTL converter. Not every strobe works with the iTTL converter in the same way. Some strobes will preflash, and others won’t, some will flash only once, while others will flash twice. You can see what a headache that would be for Aquatica.

 

The Good News:

 

It seems plans are in the works for a magnifying viewfinder to be incorporated into the back of the D2x housing. I was told they (at Aquatica) are working, with optical engineers, in the design stage at the moment.

 

I was also told you would not be able to upgrade your existing housing back with the new magnifying viewfinder. However, an upgrade may be offered by exchanging your existing back (and money of course!) for a new back with the viewfinder. Timeline for the new back with magnifying viewfinder is sometime this summer. I have no information on the price of the back with magnifying viewfinder.

 

It will be interesting to see how this will pan out, as I’m sure the viewfinder parameters will probably change several times before settling on a final design.

[elbuzo 8]

Mr bubbles

 

If you didn't have the D2x yet , i think that you can consider the D200/Aquatica combination ( i just posted some comments on my new housing ) .

 

With the money that you will spend on the D2x/housing , you can buy the D200 + housing + back up body and still you will have money for some ports or strobes or a diving trip .

 

I found the D200 focus performance as fast as i need it , excellent colors/ resolution , much lighter and compact than the D2x.

 

Ok you will have 2.5 less megapixels but unless you need to make really big prints i think the D200 with housing is a much better buy .

 

It's just the opinion from someone who's not a pro but shoots a lot since 10 years ago.

 

Saludos

 

JA

[Alex_Mustard 0]

I also think that a D200 is a much better buy that D2X, now both have housings available.

 

Alex

[Starbuck 0]

Hi -

 

You should be able to use some of your older nexus ports with the nexus d2x housing since it comes in two flavors.

 

Also, there was a rumor somewhere on this board about using a d200 in the nexus d2x housing...which would make a nice backup...

 

M.

[james 0]

Hi Michael,

 

According to Nexus, to use the D200 in the D2x housing, you need to purchase a "kit." At this time, the kit is a whole new back for the housing.

 

RE the digital adapter in the D2x housing - I talked to Aquatica and they've stopped doing the installation because the D2x + iTTL converter will only work with a VERY limited list of strobes. See: http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/index.htm and click on D2x or D200. It looks like Heinrichs has drastically reduced his list of compatible strobes. If you still want to proceed (say you have Hartenberger strobes) Aquatica may not install the converter in the housing, but you can send the housing to Reef Photo and Video or UW Photo Tech and they will install the converter for you.

 

Cheers

James

[Starbuck 0]

Thanks James. I was not aware that a "kit" was the whole back! That makes sense. I wonder what just the back would cost.....

 

M.

[stu1965 0]

i just want to thank you guys for continually posting stuff and answering the questions. I have been a d2x user for sometime, but have no housing for it. ive been thinking about it alot lately, and i think this thread helped me make up my mind.

 

just out of curiousity, these housings would fit my d2h seeing as its the same body, yes?

 

Best Regards,

Stu

www.stuartphotography.com

[Viz'art 24]

The D2h will fit a D2x housing, at least the Aquatica does and I fail to see why it wouldn't with the other competitor's housings, the X version is identical down to a useless button (for u/w purpose)

[pmooney 6]

Jean is aboslutely correct - the D2H fits.

 

I have both the Aquatica & the Subal and the D2H fits the both housing's perfectly.

[Tom_Kline 141]

The D2h will fit a D2x housing, at least the Aquatica does and I fail to see why it wouldn't with the other competitor's housings, the X version is identical down to a useless button (for u/w purpose)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

The D2H fits and functions perfectly in the Seacam D2 housing!

Tom

[Alex_Mustard 0]

But the D2H is rubbish. The output is well suited to newspapers - but not for the typical deliverables for UW images.

 

Alex

[Lionfish43 0]

Come on Alex, that's kind of a strong statement, the D2H is hardly rubbish. Image quality is superb as long as you're not shooting ISO1600. All - or just about all - of my topside photography is done with the D2H. Admittedly, I don't get as much commercial work as you do but we're talking about a backup here. I'd much rather have a high quality 4MP image than no image at all.

 

BTW, I hope to have the D2H underwater for the first time in Cozumel next month.

[Tom_Kline 141]

I was introduced to the D2H shortly after it came out by a friend who shot weddings with it. He showed me several large prints - 16x20 & 20x24 inch - in frames. We are talking big. Very impressive results. He prefered it over his D1X. It is a much misunderstood product. The D2X has less than double the potential resolution. Doubling the res over a D2H requires 16MP since the # of pixels on each side would have to be doubled making the # of pixels increase by 4.

 

My thinking is that the D2H is more less the equivlent of 35mm film while the D2X is more or less the equivalent of medium format. After a few intial trials at higher speeds I have not changed the ISO setting away from 200 - that is its main weakness. However, I remember High Speed Ektachrome that was 160 ASA, had the grain of golf balls, had crappy color, and the exposure latitude was non-existent. We have come long way. Even with its 'limiting' resolution, one can see optical defects already with a D2H.

Tom

[Steve Simonsen 0]

In Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D2X he backs up the reason why the D2X is more like a medium format image.

 

www.bythom.com

[Alex_Mustard 0]

Glad to hear some reassurance about the D2H. My comment was definitely OTT!

 

My local camera shop has one in at £1000. I just saw it. 6 months warrenty and in very nice condition. For comparrison in the UK a new D2X is £3000 and a D200 is £1400 (including all taxes).

 

Alex