Canon 7D - A Tale of Two Housings

[HDVdiver 16]

thanks fellas...

anyone know of users who have fitted an external SD monitor?

 

 

I've tried.

 

I wanted to use my new 7D in the 5D2 housing (which has an Amphibico monitor) as a backup. The frustrating thing is that the 7D fits OK, and I can modify the controls to suit both. BUT... the USB/Video plug on the 7D is a big problem (the Canon 5D2 has a 3.5 mini plug for SD video out).

 

I tried cutting down and modifying the cable that came with the 7D (far too big for the housing)...no way.

 

I don't think anyone makes a compact right angled Canon "USB" connector that would be suitable.

Edited April 15, 2010 by HDVdiver

[PRC 2]

Great review Gudge - I enjoyed reading it and I shoot a Nikon !

 

Maybe you can do all of the housing reviews in future ?

 

Paul C

[bvanant 190]

More on the Nauticam.

We just got back from 12 days on the Damai with Mike Vietch and we all had a great time in Raja and Halmahera. I brought the Nauticam/7D and for the most part it worked flawlessly but there are some issues. Unlike Gudge, I kept getting my fingers squished with the latches in spite of there not being a safety catch but that is a minor point. On the housing that I received, there appears to be some minor QC issues. The leak detector for example was installed so that the parallel distance between the two wires was about 2.5 mm or so and the taping job was obviously done in a big hurry. I am like Gudge using Subal ports and the Subal adapter worked fine for most of my ports but a brand new Zen dome that works fine on a Subal housing needed extreme force to put together with the adapter. More troubling was the fact that the playback buttons didn't work with the camera in the housing and at any depth pressing the menu buttons simply scrolled the menus across the screen. My suspicion is that the camera back and the back of the housing are not parallel. The piano keys worked fine and maybe the whole thing simply needs some adjustments.

 

I am not a fan of the Nauticam focus ring for the Tokina 10-17 lens. A focus ring that makes you remove the rubber grip from the lens seems poorly designed to me, my Subal focus rings don't require such antics and I hope I can find the rubber ring in my gear bag. That being said, the results with the 10-17 and the 4-inch Zen dome were spectacular.

 

 

On a manufacturing point, I would suggest that in future versions the inside of the housing be made a lot less "bumpy". There are literally tons of crevices and cracks and protrusions on the inside of the housing. On one dive, as soon as I went in the water the leak alarm went off. I did my CESA to the boat and fortunately the camera/lens were fine but about 30 ml of water got in the housing. It took a long time, lots of compressed air and dozens of q-tips to get all the crevices/cracks dry. On the positive side, the leak alarm still works unlike the Subal which once it gets wet takes several weeks to turn off.

 

Other than those minor issues, the housing worked very well, video access was simple and the 180 finder is indeed magnificent.

 

I tried to use the Inon Pinocchio lens with the 7D and the 60 mm Nauticam port, but the results were quite poor, nothing in focus, not the center nor the edges. Maybe I have a bad copy of the lens.

[Steve Williams 0]

On one dive, as soon as I went in the water the leak alarm went off. I did my CESA to the boat and fortunately the camera/lens were fine but about 30 ml of water got in the housing. It took a long time, lots of compressed air and dozens of q-tips to get all the crevices/cracks dry. On the positive side, the leak alarm still works unlike the Subal which once it gets wet takes several weeks to turn off.

 

Thanks Bill,

Did you figure out what caused the leak?

 

Do you have any pictures to you can share?

 

Glad you survived 12 days on a boat with Mike.

Steve

[bvanant 190]

Thanks Bill,

Did you figure out what caused the leak?

 

Do you have any pictures to you can share?

 

Glad you survived 12 days on a boat with Mike.

Steve

Pictures will be up in a few days. My guess on the leak was that there was a bit of a poor seal on the dome port. Of course it was on the Manta dive (6 mantas for at least an hour) but at least my wife got some good video footage. Mike was great (even if I did lose his custom made snoot, who knew it floated). He is a great teacher and one of the few that actually shows some of his crappy pics to make a point. We highly recommend both Mike and the boat.

 

Bill

[Gudge 58]

Unlike Gudge, I kept getting my fingers squished with the latches in spite of there not being a safety catch but that is a minor point.

I did squish my fingers sometimes with the Nauticam, it was just that the finger squishing was worse and more often with the Aquatica. I'd like to see better latches on both housings, something like I've used on the Subal and Seatool housings I'm familiar with.

 

I am like Gudge using Subal ports and the Subal adapter worked fine for most of my ports but a brand new Zen dome that works fine on a Subal housing needed extreme force to put together with the adapter.

This is a problem with the Zen dome and has nothing to do with the housing it is being attached to. I have found my Zen dome to be very tight when installing directly into my old Subal housing, Subal extensions rings and Nauticam Subal adapter. All my Subal ports and extension rings fit the Nauticam Subal adapter perfectly.

 

I am not a fan of the Nauticam focus ring for the Tokina 10-17 lens. A focus ring that makes you remove the rubber grip from the lens seems poorly designed to me, my Subal focus rings don't require such antics and I hope I can find the rubber ring in my gear bag.

Different horses for different courses, I really liked the Nauticam zoom gear attachment method. Edited April 16, 2010 by Gudge

[bvanant 190]

I did squish my fingers sometimes with the Nauticam, it was just that the finger squishing was worse and more often with the Aquatica. I'd like to see better latches on both housings, something like I've used on the Subal and Seatool housings I'm familiar with.

 

This is a problem with the Zen dome and has nothing to do with the housing it is being attached to. I have found my Zen dome to be very tight when installing directly into my old Subal housing, Subal extensions rings and Nauticam Subal adapter. All my Subal ports and extension rings fit the Nauticam Subal adapter perfectly.

 

Different horses for different courses, I really liked the Nauticam zoom gear attachment method.

Looking at your site, you appear a lot more neat and tidy than I am and I worry about losing the ring. Once the gear was on it worked quite well, but on my Tokina at least, I am worried that the rubber ring is the only thing holding the lens together.

 

 

Overall, I am quite happy with the housing, but my version at least could have used some quality control at the factory.

Bill

[Steve Williams 0]

I worry about losing the ring.

 

Not to worry Bill, If you lose yours I'll send you mine. ( I'd have to find it first) It will probably never go back on anyway. I really like how solid the zoom ring mount is. It feels much better than some of my S&S stuff.

Cheers,

Steve

[cmarques@ono.com 0]

Hi,

Nice post. There should be more of that kind!!

Please, allow me one question. I've the canon 5D with a S&S housing and the same Nauticam housing for 7D and similar lenses, and I see you have Canon 60 & 100 macro, Tamron 2X & Kenko 1.X Teleconverters.

Can you use the canon 60 with a teleconverter? if the answer is yes, can you tell me wich one?, because I have the kenko 1,4 and it doesn't fit.

Thanks for all

[Gudge 58]

Can you use the canon 60 with a teleconverter? if the answer is yes, can you tell me wich one?, because I have the kenko 1,4 and it doesn't fit.

No, not directly. You can use the 60 macro with a teleconverter if you put an extension tube between the lens and the teleconverter. I've tried this with a Kenko 12mm extension tube and it works fine apart from the fact you can't focus all the way out to infinity anymore (and that's not a big problem if you're shooting macro).

[Weiry 0]

I often use these buttons at the same time when shooting super-macro. I set up the camera so that shutter release operates only as shutter release (ie does not carry out auto focus on half press) and re-assign the Flash Exposure Lock (FEL) to the * button. I use spot or partial metering combined with FEL to get the flash exposure by pressing the * button, I use the AF-ON button to lock focus and then move the camera to recompose the shot and get the focus sweet spot where I want it and then release the shutter.

 

I know this post was a year ago but very relevant. Thanks for the great review Gudge and the informative responses.

 

I have just received my new Nauticam NA7D. Going from compact to 500D and now to 7D steep learning curve and the above technique interests me very much. Can you suggest any links or articles/tuts so I can get more of an understanding of using FEL AF-ON technique for macro [using Canon 60mm EFS and 100mm IS USM] ?

cheers

Weiry

[Gudge 58]

Can you suggest any links or articles/tuts so I can get more of an understanding of using FEL AF-ON technique for macro [using Canon 60mm EFS and 100mm IS USM] ?

The only article I've seen on FEL is this one:

 

http://www.indopacificimages.com/articles/.../03/CLS_UWP.pdf

 

It's a different camera/housing/strobe setup to mine but the spot metering technique is similar to what I do. If I don't get the exposure I want using this technique I adjust the strobe exposure using Flash Exposure Compensation on the camera.

 

There's a good section on focusing methods in the super macro photography section of the Underwater Photographer (4th Edition) by Martin Edge. His description of Auto Focus with Auto Lock is the method I was referring to. On my Canon 7D the AF-On button is the same as the AF-L button he describes on Nikon bodies.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Gudge

[Weiry 0]

Gudge thanks for your reply, great article and book looks good will get a copy . Keen to give spot metering a shot.

 

Re Flash EC: Im using Ike161, I guess using adjustment on strobe will be easier for me than using the 7D in camera flash compensation adjustment.

 

When using the 100mm macro do you shoot AF or MF ?

[Gudge 58]

....... book looks good will get a copy

Most people would say it's the best book on UW photography there is.

 

Keen to give spot metering a shot.

 

Re Flash EC: Im using Ike161, I guess using adjustment on strobe will be easier for me than using the 7D in camera flash compensation adjustment.

Can you use this strobe shooting TTL with the 7D in a Nauticam housing? The spot metering method with FEL will only work if you are shooting with TTL control of the strobe.

 

When using the 100mm macro do you shoot AF or MF ?

AF

[pmooney 6]

Gudge thanks for your reply, great article and book looks good will get a copy . Keen to give spot metering a shot.

 

Re Flash EC: Im using Ike161, I guess using adjustment on strobe will be easier for me than using the 7D in camera flash compensation adjustment.

 

When using the 100mm macro do you shoot AF or MF ?

 

 

Its a manual world for the Ike 161 / Nauticam combination.

[Weiry 0]

Thanks for that guys... correct I am in manual world. Like I said steep learning curve didnt realise it was for TTl, still getting my head around it all.

 

Peter I love the new housing, taking it for a dive this week.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Weiry

[bodynmotion 0]

Thanks for the comparison. Solidifies my choice to get the Nauticam.

 

Mike