Introduction

The first time I saw the new Seacam housing for the Fuji S2pro was at DEMA in Sept. 2003. Fortunately, a fellow HUPS member Shan Hodges bought the housing and pro viewfinder, and graciously lent it to me for this review. Stephen Frink of Seacamusa.com also sent me the S-180 viewfinder, macroport, small dome, and the appropriate extension rings and gears to try out the 105, 12-24DX, and the 16mm fisheye.

Size and Construction

The Seacam and Aquatica housings,showing the size. Both units are set up for shooting the 60mm Micro.

The Seacam is the smallest and lightest housing for the S2 that I have handled yet. It is larger than the Seacam housing for the Nikon D100 but is a bit smaller than the D1X housing. The following photograph shows the back of the Seacam compared to my Aquatica housing. You can also see in this photo that the handles on the Seacam are contoured and are not made to accept strobe arm mounts.

Pictured here is the Seacam S2 housing, as compared to the Aquatica. Note the Pro viewfinder on the Seacam

The Seacam S2 housing is constructed of cast and machined aluminum which is contoured to fit the camera like a glove. The inside is flocked with a moisture absorbent black material designed to control small droplets of water than can enter housings either after a small flood or when the housing is open and water drips in.

One of the more novel features of Seacam housing is the special Eloxal Process external coating called Seacam Silver. This is an electroplating process for aluminum which uses an oxalic acid bath to deposit a super-hard coating on the aluminum surface. The coating finish is silver and slightly rough to the touch. Seacam users report that the Eloxal coating is so tough that the housing can be dragged across reef rock without scratching