firas 0 Posted March 10, 2019 Hi folks. I returned to diving after a long hiatus last year on a family vacation to the Maldives. I started using a GoPro Hero which I still use for video and love. I then bought a SeaLife DC2000 compact package with a dual tray, strobe & video light. I used this setup on a recent Liveaboard trip to Port Sudan (Red Sea). I came away from this trip with several frustrations using this setup... a) Trying to use the top shutter release button on the housing is very cumbersome especially when trying to shoot subjects from below (aiming the camera up). b) Trying to actually see what's on the lcd preview screen before & after taking the shot is also difficult. So what I'd like to get some advice on before I invest any more on this Sealife setup is the following: 1. Are there any 3rd party accessories to allow having a shutter button on the handle? This would allow shooting with both hands on the handles which is more natural and stable. I couldn't find any such accessories from Sealife themselves. 2. Are there any 3rd party accessories for a rotating or titled viewfinder for the Sealife? If the above 2 aren't possible with the Sealife then I'll have to consider swapping to another compact camera setup and cut my losses with the Sealife (considering the Canon GX7 mark II or Panasonic Lumix LX10). Would either of those 2 have accessories to address the above issues or are those options only available on DSLR housings? I do have a Canon 70D but am reluctant to spend the high investment on a housing for it at this point since I'm still relatively new to UW photography and would prefer a compact setup for lighter traveling. Eventually I would like to have dual strobes, strobe arms, a focus light, a wide angle port/wet lense and a macro one. Appreciating any advice/suggestions on this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barmaglot 250 Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) 1. Are there any 3rd party accessories to allow having a shutter button on the handle? I use this one with my SeaFrogs housing for Sony A6300, but the SeaLife tray handles use connectors that don't seem to be compatible. You could get a different tray, but then you'd also need new arms and adapters for the SeaLife light and strobe. 2. Are there any 3rd party accessories for a rotating or titled viewfinder for the Sealife? Not as far as I know, although an LCD magnifier such as this one may help. If the above 2 aren't possible with the Sealife then I'll have to consider swapping to another compact camera setup and cut my losses with the Sealife (considering the Canon GX7 mark II or Panasonic Lumix LX10). Would either of those 2 have accessories to address the above issues or are those options only available on DSLR housings? If you house your Canon G7X II in a Fantasea FG7X II housing, you can add a UMG-02 magnifier hood and get something approximating an angled viewfinder that you'd use with a DSLR. Nauticam offers a similar accessory, but their housings are much more expensive, Edited March 10, 2019 by Barmaglot 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firas 0 Posted March 11, 2019 Thank you for the tips and suggested items Barmaglot! Much appreciated My main concern is that the SeaLife uses non-standard arms, hence my thinking if I should keep investing in this system or switch to another one now. Decisions, decisions... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barmaglot 250 Posted March 11, 2019 SeaLife sells Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapters - you can use those to mount your lights on a standard arm system and use a normal tray rather than the proprietary SeaLife one; the housing mounts using standard 1/4" screws so that shouldn't be an issue. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firas 0 Posted March 11, 2019 That's great to know, thanks again Barmaglot! This way my current investment in the SeaLife Pro Duo (Strobe & Light) won't be wasted if I decide to use another camera in the future. I can also buy another SeaLife strobe without feeling that I'm locked into their system. Thank you for sharing all these different options with me. UW photography sure is quite different from land-based photography Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrHils 2 Posted December 9, 2019 On 3/11/2019 at 8:45 PM, Barmaglot said: SeaLife sells Sea Dragon Ball Joint Adapters - you can use those to mount your lights on a standard arm system and use a normal tray rather than the proprietary SeaLife one; the housing mounts using standard 1/4" screws so that shouldn't be an issue. Yup - agree. Don't consider your purchase wasted.... just get the adapters if you end up switching cameras. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firas 0 Posted December 9, 2019 1 hour ago, DrHils said: Yup - agree. Don't consider your purchase wasted.... just get the adapters if you end up switching cameras. Thanks DrHils. I ended up buying a Sony RX100 VA with a Nauticam housing and a set of Inon strobes instead. Much happier with this setup (other than the dent it left in my bank account). Managed to sell the Sealife complete package to my brother at a discounted price as he's dabbling in UW photography/videography as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrHils 2 Posted December 9, 2019 20 minutes ago, firas said: Thanks DrHils. I ended up buying a Sony RX100 VA with a Nauticam housing and a set of Inon strobes instead. Much happier with this setup (other than the dent it left in my bank account). Managed to sell the Sealife complete package to my brother at a discounted price as he's dabbling in UW photography/videography as well. very cool!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
