June 2011

From the moment I have mounted my Coolpix P7000 accommodated inside a Fantasea FP7000 Housing on a tripod attached to my kayak, I was feeling nothing but confident. The pouring rain and the 5 days of extreme kayaking waiting for us didn�t seem to bother me at all.

     

A few moments before we began kayaking, I sprayed some anti-fog liquid on the exterior of the housing lens port. The setup was perfect, and any concern I might have had regarding raindrops accumulating on the lens port have dissipated at once. The lens port area remained completely clear.

Originally, I have purchased a different waterproof HD camera for this journey, but it ended up being left behind, as it failed to withstand the low temperature and rainy environment in Whittier, where we got organized for our journey, despite its definition as “waterproof”.

 


In fact, I’ve been using waterproof cameras during the past 10 years (aside from a video housing with serious screen display issues) and the FP7000 system was the first camera & housing bundle I’ve decided to use ever since. Boy, what a difference.

     

 

The Coolpix P7000 and the FP7000 Housing were a whole different world to begin with. Since the moment I’ve opened the package, I felt very confident with the product. The O-ring seal, the lock dial mechanism and the various control buttons all looked durable, easy to use and very user friendly.

I got the chance to spend perhaps only 90 minutes all together with the camera and housing prior to arriving to Alaska. Usually I have the opportunity to spend much more time studying the system, and still find myself struggling with some features on scene. However, despite my limited experience with the


system prior to the trip, I found the housing design very comfortable and using it was nothing but intuitive. Even when the housing was mounted on a tripod and I had to stretch my arm in order to reach it, access to all controls was still easy and I could enjoy a clear display of the camera screen through the transparent back door of the housing. Being able to clearly view the image on the camera LCD screen was impossible with most housings I’ve used so far, but with the FP7000 Housing, I’ve managed to clearly see the screen even when droplets covered the area.

     

Furthermore, I managed to capture a remarkable image of an eagle crossing by without having to detach the tripod from the kayak.

Any concerns I had regarding the weight of the system have dissipated as well. From the moment I mounted the housing on the tripod with an extension pole I’ve added for my convenience, nothing affected the stability of the system. The tripod was as steady as it is when I mount small point & shoot cameras on top of it.

In rare situations, a long exposure to the sun caused the lens port to fog, despite the silica gel packs installed.

 


Applying some anti-fog liquid on the interior of the lens port would have probably eliminated the fog completely. Even without applying anti-fog liquid, submerging the housing in the cool water (4 degrees Celsius \ 39 degrees Fahrenheit) for a few seconds successfully eliminated the fog. I did also find that when capturing videos, there is hardly any fog at all.

     

 

My colleagues, Eli and Ophir Kindler, purchased the FP7000 system prior to the trip as well and together we managed to produce spectacular videos and stills while focused on kayaking .

To summarize, operating the FP7000 system is simple and easy. Although it weighs more than most simple waterproof cameras (without a housing), this system has proven to be much more durable and to produce excellent results. There are various ways to secure the housing, including two secure loops on the right, which allow for flexibility in the setup and increase your confidence in it.


Overall, I would rate this housing as excellent and the value for money is outstanding. I will surely be taking it along on all of my future journeys.

Click Here for the Alaska Kayaking Experience image gallery. Most images were taken with a Nikon Coolpix P7000 accommodated inside a Fantasea FP7000 Housing by Rony Levinson and his team.

Click Here for further information regarding the Fantasea FP7000 Housing.


Rony Levinson
Kayak4All
www.kayak4all.com