Hello there,

I got my hands on new Canon 7D. Now it is time for housing! My last camera setup was Sea&sea 40D, I sold everything except ports (it is very hard to sell this equipement in Croatia).

Now I am looking to buy housing from this manufactures: Nauticam, Sea&sea (it will arrive soon), Hugyfot!

As for the Nauticam and Hugyfot I am very happy that they have adaptors for sea&sea ports so I dont neet to buy new!

My question is can anyone answer me does lenses ( I use Tokina 10-17 and 100mm macro) have some aberations-vigneting because of this adaptors or it is same thing?

I would apreciate if you can give me your opignion whic housing you would take!

Thank you

Hi Alexx, I don't think the Tokina would vignette, we just finished our Sea & Sea port adapter and it does not vignette when used on our Aquatica for the 7D with the Tokina 10-17mm , even when at 10mm, focused at infinity and closed down to its smallest aperture, so I don't see why it would on other makes of housings.

Cheers.

Hi Alexx,

Our adapters maintain the same lens-port distance, so you should not see distortion or vignetting due to the adapter. I'm guessing most manufacturers do this as well, or keep it close.

Chris

Nice, I just might now go for the Aquatica housing. I was looking housings for 100 meters depth rate but 90 will do just fine:)

Come on guys Aquatica vs. Hugy vs. Sea&Sea vs. Nauticam:) let`s rumble.....vote!:)

I'm currently trialling an Aquatica 7D housing while I'm waiting for my Nauticam housing to be delivered. Once I've received the Nauticam and had a chance to dive it a couple of times I'll be able to give a comparison of the two from the perspective of someone who has only used Subal housings for the last 13 years.

From the few dives I've done with the Aquatica housing I've found it to be a very nice housing with good ergonomics. I only have one real problem with it and that is related to how I like to set up my camera and may not be an issue for most other people. Read this thread to see what I'm talking about:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=34970

I didnt like the idea of Allen key locks on the Hugyfot, not only do u need to carry a tool on the boat, should u need to change battery or card, but what happens if u cross thread or eventually wear it out?

So then for me, it was Aquatica vs. Nauticam... Same price... Old brand vs. New.... each has its bonuses... i like the piano key thing on the nauticam but think having picked an Aquatica up and it felt good in the hands...

1 vote for Aquatica.

Olly

p.s i havent actually bought it yet, have a wedding to pay for first!

Congrats on the new camera! Your timing is very good Alex. The new housings are just getting out into the hands of some folks like Gudge who can tell us what they think. If you can wait a month it will be a lot clearer. A bunch of us are guessing at this point based on drawings and computer art, with the marked exception of the Aquatica which came out in record time. I wouldn't agree with Olly on the old vrs. new way to think about the comparison. The Aquatica is a new design with some new features for the 7D. I got to hold one at Backscatter last week and it's very nice. Maybe proven design and company vrs. new kid on the block.

At the end of the day the only person whose opinion counts is yours. I highly recommend you figure out a way to get to some shops or a dive show and put your hands on a rig. Make sure your fingers and thumbs reach all the right places and all the controls you need are there. The housings as currently shown in the drawings have different placement of some of the controls (the rear dial is an example). It may come down to that for you. While you're at it take a good look at the Subal and Seacam(maybe, I haven't seen a 7D announced?). There is a reason they cost more money and they are clearly worth it to some.

Which ever way you go enjoy the new setup!
Steve

Steve,

I with you on that, im sure your more in the 'loop' than i am! I wasnt really fussed with a new company vs. a long established trusted one as the nauticam looks so sleek and the piano keys are obviously a first and fresh design idea. I think new companies and new designers have the ability to think outside the box and create something that soon may become the norm.

It was merely a point that some may consider (maybe after sales service or even distribution in general...)

Olly

In any case I`ll wait month or two, see what Sea&sea offers and make my decision!

Steve are you planing to put yours 7D in some housing?

Olly,

the Hugyfor allen key is a standard one you would find in any dive shop or live-aboard, should you loose/forget yours .... I seriously doubt you would ever stand a chance of crossing or wearing the threads. On top of that you should consider that the main o-ring sealing the two housing shells does not not need to be revoved and greased after each opening and this reduces the time you need to re-set your housing and the chances that your o-ring might be misplaced causing flloding. IMHO the hugyfot closing system is just the best on the market.

My vote goes to Hugyfot.

All the Best ..... Francesco

Yes, I'm just waiting a little while to decide which way I go. For me it's between the Nauticam and Aquatica at this point. The Hugy housing don't have a big distribution or support in the US that I can find.

Good luck,
Steve

That is also what I`m considering! S&S price is way too high! for that kind of money you can take Subal!

Interesting point of view for sure.

I personally do NOT like the Hugyfot closure system. You should NOT need a tool to close your housing and you should not need to decide how much torque is enough to close it. That should be preset. The other manufacturers suitcase latch system DOES lock and cannot be accidentally opened. Then you have a really nice cam-lock system by a few of the German manufacturers which is even better.

And I'm not sure I understand the point about the o-ring either. Housing o-rings are either face sealing or face seal with a groove. In either case, they should be cleaned periodically and checked visually every time. I don't use a Hugyfot housing, but I probably only take my main o-ring out and clean it once every 15 or 20 dives. So that just doesn't seem like a big difrerentiator to me.

What I DO like about the Hugy housing is the ergonomics, and the small size.

Cheers
James

Well, after owning only Subals for 11 years, I switched over to the Aquatica, and took delivery of my A7D housing 2 weeks ago (Awesome service from Dave at Backscatter!) Haven't taken it into the water yet but I like how the controls fall within easy reach. I use manual strobes so Gudge's control issue for FEL doesn't apply to me. Build quality is exceptional, my dive buddy and fellow Subal owner (for the 5D) was positively drooling over the housing. Even contemplating donning my drysuit this spring for a couple of local dives before my big trip to the Philippines in November.

My only nit is that the way the controls are set up, I won't likely be able to use my 5Dmk2 in it! I do prefer the rear cover cam locks on the Subal to the Aquatica's latches but that's probably because I've used them for over a decade.

Stu

p.s. I don't get the O-ring comment either. The Subals and Aquaticas have a groove where the oring sits and the housing back seals against the exposed surface. Easily cleaned if needed and any dust/hair/lint/sand etc is easily seen.

This is my only other issue with the Aquatica housing, is there a knack to releasing the catches without jamming your fingers between the latch and the handle? I also find them very fiddly to engage. Maybe I'm just awkward. There are some really good rear cover latching systems out there, besides the Subal rear cover cam locks that I know and love the other rear cover latches I really like are those on my wife's Seatool 400D housing.

James,

please forgive my poor english .... ;-) ..... What I was trying to say is:

1) The Hugyfot closure system cannot be accidentaly opened and the torque needed to close it is really minimal and clearly explained on the owner manual .... Personally I feel safer with this system than any other on the market.

2) The Hugyfot o-ring sit in a groove on the front shell .... Visul inspection of the o-ring and removal of dust or dirt is a must after every opening (just like any other housing) but you do not need to service the o-ring whatsoever .... This is done by the Hugyfot service team once a year (if you dive a lot) or twice a year together with the general inspection and testing of the housing .... I don't know if this would be the same with either Aquatica or Nauticam, but it for sure a plus to me !!!

3) As you stated ergonomics and size are are sure plus

All this beiing said my vote still goes hand down to Hugyfot !!!!

All the Best ..... Francesco