Housing the D7000 users responses

[wally 0]

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

[Rainer 3]

I have the Aquatica AD7000 housing. I'm only shooting video with it currently. Overall, I've been quite happy with it and the service I've received from Aquatica, and in particular, Jean. My wife and I also played around with both the Aquatica and Nauticam housings topside, and we liked the ergonomics of the Aquatica better (better fit for the wife). Given it was cheaper, included a hydrophone + moisture alarm, and the customer support I'd seen on this forum, we went with the Aquatica.

 

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 May 8, 2012 by Rainer

[DamonA 7]

I am identical to Rainer here ad7000, except I use it for stills- it is ergo perfect for me, sighting with standard view port is easy- but it doesn't show all the edge of the shot(slight vignette) thru the viewfinder, unless you swivel your head a little.

 

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

[Cp 29]

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

[okuma 64]

We have two Subal housings. My third and wife's second.

Can not say enough good about Subals.

All camera controls available through the housing.

 

The Porche of housings!

[Aquapaul 26]

I can't comment on the other housings for the D7000 but I like my Ad7000. I did have some troubles with it to begin with and the support was amazing. I agree with the others above about the hydrophone. I didn't like the look of it and was pretty sure at some point it was going to get me and I knew I didn't need it so mine got cut off before it ever got wet. Later when I sent the housing in for service I had a plug installed, it might be a good idea to buy a new housing with a plug in it and not have to cut the hydrophone cable, might save a dollar or two.

 

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.

[PeteAtkinson 53]

I have a Nauticam D7000 housing, having previously owned a Seacam D200, Subeye's, home-made housings, Ikelites, Nikonos's etc.

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.

[wally 0]

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

[DamonA 7]

I wish they were a lot better priced $1000+ I'll be shaking my head for a while(underwater that is)....

 

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 May 11, 2012 by DamonA

[ATJ 1]

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.

[Scubysnaps 9]

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.

[Viz'art 24]

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 ) , and the loading procedure is totally different from the D90 housing, it also now allows the removal of the camera with the lens and zoom gear attached, which, On the the D90 required removal of the lens by the front and the camera by the back. Seriously you should stop by a dealer and check it out by yourself, it will give you better data for comparing with other brands.

 

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.

[NWDiver 42]

I see Aquatica next to Nauticam everyday. I think both make excellent housings. You cannot go wrong either way. I think the hydra phone was a good idea, but maybe, someday, could be an optional sync port or such for others. For me I find the Aquatica housing just fits my hands. I can leave my fingers resting on the shutter speed and aperture nobs comfortably while shooting in Manual, no reaching. Same when shooting video, very smooth. Both are super durable, I am on my third Aquatica housing D100, D200, now D7000 and so far so good;) Picking between the two is a great problem to have.

Edited May 11, 2012 by NWDiver

[Rainer 3]

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.

[Rainer 3]

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".

[ChrigelKarrer 52]

One of the points of the decision to get a Hugyfot housing was that Hugyfot are build in Europe.

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

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

Shame Chris because we have several strong dealers in Europe for Nauticam products, including Italy.

[ChrigelKarrer 52]

Alex,

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

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

No problem, I'm glad you are happy with your choice.

[humbertoramirez 0]

What about the Sea&Sea MDX-D7000, has anyone tried it?

 

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.

[Magrone 9]

I have the NA-D7000, not the V version, like you said, but the standard version has many of the same features. I actually bought the standard version a few months ago because it's less bulky and I never shoot video underwater. I ended up saving $500 over the "V" because a certain retailer was clearing out the "old" version.

 

Simply put, I love my housing. That being said I will point out one of the very few problems that I encounter when using the NA-d7000; I'm not sure about the new push button latches that are being implemented on all the new Nauticams. The simplicity of the design is great, however, in my experience, after the first few dives, one of the buttons sticks quite often. When it gets stuck, it takes about a minute or so to wiggle out of its hole. This is annoying because when it is stuck, the latch is not completely closed on the housing and if the latch were to be bumped the housing could potentially pop right open. I have to make sure I hear the click of the latch and test that it is secure every time I close the housing, which is not a big deal, but a little annoying. This is probably just my housing and might even be fixable if I were to send it to a Nauticam rep., I just use it quite often, and don't want to hassle with sending it in.

So if one of my latches sticks early on its life, I just wonder how the design will hold up after years of use.

 

Probably my only other complaint is the spacing of the shutter and aperture control knobs from the handle. I have smaller hands so it is a bit of stretch to comfortably control these without taking my hand off the handle. I think the V version improves this though.

[Scubysnaps 9]

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

 

I dont believe your initial comment here is correct. In what way was the AD90 different to that of say the AD300 or even the S? apart from it housing a more advanced camera at the time of design, and how did the time of availability differ to the AD90 and the AD7000? When I bought the AD90 the only other competition out there was the Ikelite & Sea and Sea. As soon as Nauticam reared its lovely head, Aquatica seemed to have upped their game to the max just to keep on the market as a competitor, the price was raised to compete with Nauticam instead of the former and a few new goodies were thrown on that seemed not to be not fully tested. I maybe wrong, but its just my feeling and impresion of how it went as I once considered housing the D7000 on how things as mentioned had changed. I've read comments on here that the camera body still has to be turned on before fitting it into the housing, that to me is not a good design, there is no good reason why this has to be done apart from overcoming a poor design.

 

Seriously you should stop by a dealer and check it out by yourself, it will give you better data for comparing with other brands.

I would but it seems nobody in the UK stocks Aquatica and their parts, its all ordered on request from Canada which I've experienced takes quite some time, or has that changed?

 

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.

I'd be curious to know how many rebreather UWP customers one gets compared to SCUBA, surely its a no brainer?

[Viz'art 24]

Glad you mentioned it:

 

The Aquatica Housing for the Fuji S2 is a sand casting technique

 

The Aquatica Housing for the Nikon D300 is a lost wax casting technique

 

The Aquatica housing for the Nikon D90 is machined from solid material on a 3 axis machine

 

The Aquatica housing for the Nikon D7000 is machined from solid material on a 5 axis machine

 

To any manufacturer out there, that would be called a huge difference, it’s a constant and substantial progression of technology, the fact my Chinese competitor happen to show up at the end cycle of the D90 and benefits from the experience and evolution made by us and our European and Japanese competitor is OK by me, I would do the same if I started a new company these day, by god! they probably saved 30 some years of R&D. So good for them! Sea & Sea, Subal, Seacam, Ikelite, Hugyphot and Aquatica to name a few have been steadily making progress for decades and it shows in their products. We all have our partisans and detractors, much like car’s manufacturers do.

 

In the film days you made housings for camera models that lasted 10 years. When Digital cameras started showing up, you were lucky to get two years out of a model, existing manufacturers needed to adapt to the rapid pace of the time, and those that pioneered what we see today in housing trend are still around. Now that camera’s are attaining a longer life cycle. It make it’s much easier to develop and implement technology for cameras that are around for longer period of time, that is called evolution.

 

The Aquatica D7000 request that the ON/OFF lever on the housing and the switch on the camera be both in the ON position, once the camera is inserted in the housing; you are free to switch it OFF or ON as you wish.

 

Paul, if you want to criticize the Aquatica AD7000, fine, but for your own sake and reputation, please take the time to handle the housing by yourself, or at least take a moment to download the instruction manual http://www.aquatica.ca/en/manuals/d7000.instructions.pdf and read it, so you actually have factual information to base your criticism.

 

You are right about the hydrophone, if you don’t shoot video, then you personally have no need for one, no argument, just order the housing without it. You know very well we are not one of those huge anonymous corporations and will handle personal request when they are reasonable.

 

I went to both the Birmingham and London dive show and did not have to bring along a D7000 housing for Demo gear as my local dealer had a AD7000 in stock, so I would double check with them if I was you.

[Scubysnaps 9]

Thanks for replying as ever Jean

[Alex_Tattersall 90]

I have the NA-D7000, not the V version, like you said, but the standard version has many of the same features. I actually bought the standard version a few months ago because it's less bulky and I never shoot video underwater. I ended up saving $500 over the "V" because a certain retailer was clearing out the "old" version.

 

Simply put, I love my housing. That being said I will point out one of the very few problems that I encounter when using the NA-d7000; I'm not sure about the new push button latches that are being implemented on all the new Nauticams. The simplicity of the design is great, however, in my experience, after the first few dives, one of the buttons sticks quite often. When it gets stuck, it takes about a minute or so to wiggle out of its hole. This is annoying because when it is stuck, the latch is not completely closed on the housing and if the latch were to be bumped the housing could potentially pop right open. I have to make sure I hear the click of the latch and test that it is secure every time I close the housing, which is not a big deal, but a little annoying. This is probably just my housing and might even be fixable if I were to send it to a Nauticam rep., I just use it quite often, and don't want to hassle with sending it in.

So if one of my latches sticks early on its life, I just wonder how the design will hold up after years of use.

 

Probably my only other complaint is the spacing of the shutter and aperture control knobs from the handle. I have smaller hands so it is a bit of stretch to comfortably control these without taking my hand off the handle. I think the V version improves this though.

 

There are handle spacers available if you have larger hands, these fit between the housing and the handle. The button would be an easy fix but recommended to return to base to repair for you.