Having been out of town since I wrote the review of the L&M D100 Titan I have not had an opportunity to respond to some of the comments of my review. So I will take this opportunity to do so:

1) there are a number of comments about the fact that I flooded the housing 2 times in Kona....this was the first time that I had used the housing and it was most certainly "pilot error" on my part. Readers should be happy that I flooded the housing as it totally reaffirmed my feelings about the quality of the electronics L&M is now using. Since that Kona trip I have done another 3 weeks shooting with the housing and had ZERO problems of any kind.

As with any housing, care is needed when changing ports or securing the back plate, but with its double o-ring system, the only way to flood this housing is if you screw up like I did.

There seemed to be a lot of second guessing based upon that part of my review, but the main point was that the housing more than survived the floods which is more than I can say for other housings.

2) Some people wanted to see images with various port and lens combinations. I submitted images to wetpixel but they did not choose to post any images. If you go to Underwater Photo Magazine you will see a similar review I did with images. You also can go to my website's photo gallery RHK UW Productions & Design and see images from Kona and Cayman which were all shot with the Titan.

3) Regarding ports, L&M has some of the best optical ports available for digital housings. As reported, they support the most commonly used lenses. If you wanted to use a 105 with a 2x extender you will have to use ports from one of the the 3 other housings that they support with their adapter rings. I don't think anyone can expect a housing manufacturer to support every known combination of lenses, extenders diopters etc. By choosing to support the main lenes, including the 12-24 zoom, and desinging an adapter for Sea & Sea, Subal, and Aquatica Ports, L&M has made almost any variation of lenses avaiable.

With the 2 ports, and 3 extension rings I have, I can use: 16mm, 12-24, 17-35, 60, and 105. I can use the 60 with a 2x extender if I use the 105 extension ring, but I can only use auto focus. I can use the 105 with several combinations of diopters and have focus gear control as well as auto focus.

In addition, when you buy the 12-24 gear and extension ring, L&M includes a Hoya 3 diopter set as they found that the quality of the image is improved using a #2 diopter, the extension ring, and the optical glass dome port. This says to me that they really did their homework on their optics.

Finally, there are things in every housing, digital or video, that I would change. Readers out there can always find things to complain about, so my suggestion to those who really want to nitpick, is to build your own housing.

Otherwise, the Titan is as good as it gets right now. I wouldn't trade this housing for any other on the market.

Rod Klein

Maybe yours but not mine. Yours is but a single example against a large number of failures, and the problem isn't just a reputation for electronics failures but also a reputation for never fixing them. Your housing surviving a flood doesn't reassure me in the least.

Why can't I expect a manufacturer to support all the lenses I want to use? That doesn't make any sense to me at all. All of LMI's competition, aluminum housings anyway, have broader lens support than LMI. Pick one and tell me you can't expect LMI to do at least that well. I don't understand why people insist that the LMI port line is somehow great when it is, in fact, the weakest in the industry. It's just marketing spin.

I'd like to see some test shots underwater with the 12-24 and the diopter. I'd be surprised if there wasn't noticable pincushion since the lens displays it with a diopter and no housing at all. If the dome removes the pincushion then it's liable to introduce barrel distortion on other lenses. It's nice that LMI bundles the diopter, though. What's the price?

I don't agree that the Titan is as good as it gets right now. It gets much better.

Great, stick with your nexus. Pix are on my website.

I do like the image of the yellow seahorse against blue water in Lembeh. Plus the reflections on the Doc Polson Wreck in Grand Cayman.
Alex

Rod - Are you affiliated with Light & Motion?

I've owned 2 LMI product - the E20 Titan and I still own a Mako video housing. Overall, I've been happy with them, and their service has been 1st rate. When I first got my Mako there were a few intermittent problems with camera control. I sent it back and it was repaired quickly. The Titan electronics never gave difficulty, but I did have a few problems with their handle design which was broght over to their still housings from the video line.

At DEMA, I very nearly brought home a Titan D100. In fact, if i could've taken one off the show floor I would have. When I came home and thought about it I changed my mind. The reasons revolved around the port options. Specifically, the biggest advantage of my Aquatica system is the big dome that allows me to use the 12-24 without a diopter, and now can use my DX fisheye with the same dome. I knew I wouldn't be able to do this with the Titan, but I guess I could've bought the Aquatica adapter. In all other respects, the Titan seemed to be a superior housing to my own, but if it is optically inferior, everything else is irrelevent.

I also do fear electronics failures, so I would definitely buy a backup ROC just like I now carry backup bulkheads, strobes, etc. Hopefully LMI has carried over the ability to switch handle functions so I one handle fails you can control its camera funtions with the other.

I'm also very concerned about the floods. As a former Titan E20 user, you must already be very comfortable with the door latch system - which is fantastic! That leaves me to think that the port system is difficult or problematic. Pilot error or not - a great port system makes pilot error less likely!

Finally, I think it is very important that all wetpixelians with industry involvement reveal this, and try to be as objective as possible in their posts. Stephen Frink, George and Ike have always been very objective and informative about the products that they market, and neither has made it a habit of posting review of their own products. Others (and I'm not pointing at RHK because I have no idea whether he is affiliated with LMI - I'll wait for him to answer that question) have utilized wetpixel to market their products. The scuba industry has an awful history of distorted reviews and product testing - when was the last time you read a negative review in one of the major dive mags. Every product is the latest and greatest, as the mags make sure not to tick off their advertisers. Eric and James - perhaps we should separate industry announcements and reviews from user reviews. That way we can differentiate between users that just love their housings, and industry employees that may have other motives.

Again - RHK - please don't take this as a personal attack, as it is not about you in particular. I love your photography, and I enjoy reading your reviews. My suggestions are based on the "reviews" that i've read on wetpixel over the past year, some of which have been a little to enthusiastic.

Rod is a photo and video pro who advertises LMI on his website. If you look at his client list you will see he has a professional relationship with them.

I don't think readers should be happy that an experienced pro had his first two floods while using this unit. What was the specific pilot error in each case? Future Titan owners would surely want to know so as to avoid the same mistake.

I hate to get into a "pissing contest" with readers of the forum so this will be my last word on the subject.

1) I do not advertise Light & Motion on my website. I have put up a banner and link as a courtesy. I do have a relationship with Light & Motion in that I do field testing for some of their products and have done some website work for them in exchange for gear. As a result of the web work I list them as a "client".

2) I will not say something is good or trouble free when its not. I also do not report problems that happen with field tested products in order to give L&M time to make appropriate changes. My reviews are honest and fair, and based on my experience alone. I cannot state for a fact that some person in the future will not have problems. I don't think anyone can.

3) All housings that have complex electronic parts have a greater chance of failure so this goes with the terrirtory. Early models of the Mako video housings had big problems with the electronic handels. This is common knowledge. L&M is on the cutting edge of design so these things are going to happen. I have seen these problems be addressed an fixed, although that doesn't help someone on a trip 3000 miles from home when their housing fails.....so I guess you have to take that in to consideration.

4) I do normally carry backup electronics but I am on the road 16-18 weeks a year. So far my Titan housings as worked flawelessly.....I just not going to beat the dead horse issue of the original floods, ok. That was an anomoly. If I didn't trust my housing now I would get something else, ok.

5) As far as the flooding issue goes, I'm still using the housing, OK with no problems. If I was concerned about future floods, why would I still use the housing almost 2 weeks per month. I hear a lot of crying from people who may take a couple of trips a year when I'm out there doing easily 400 dives a year. Here's the last word....I screwed up.

6) If some of you out there want more ports or accessories, then contact the manufacturer! I'm just the messenger...I state what they have and the quality of the product. What they have works for me If it doesn't work for you then go somewhere else.

I write reviews as a courtesy to wetpixel readers, not for my own pleaseure or ego. It's time consuming and I have a number of other projects that need my time.I'm not going to give false reports or inflated reviews. I report what I see and experience.

So you can take my word for what I said, or not. Buy what you feel most comfortable with. If it was my $$ it would be L&M.

I think that all that can be said in this thread has been said. I'm closing it.

If we still want to discuss the TitanD100, there is still the other thread open.

Cheers
James