There are double O-rings to protect it from leaks and this means it takes quite a squeeze to open or shut it after the camera drops in snugly.
One top command dial control needs to be lifted to allow you to do this easily and I noted that there is an internal matte black rubber shroud that fits around the extending lens to prevent internal reflections on the front glass. There are three other command dials that are linked to rubber covered wheels that engage precisely with the rotating dials of the camera when you hinge the housing’s back closed. It’s also a good idea to line up the markings on the outer dials with those on the camera, although it’s not essential because all is revealed on the camera’s LCD as you operate them.
I did find dropping the camera into the housing was a bit too seductively easy and on more than one occasion the bottom button that operated the main command dial made no contact, so I was careful to make sure that this works before committing myself to the water. I never really discovered why this happened but quickly reinstalling the camera if it didn’t work first time seemed to fix the problem.
Among all the controls available on the housing, there is a big zoom control but I recommend you stick with the lens at the widest position and use your fins to physically zoom closer instead. That way you’ve always got the minimum amount of water to shoot through.
Haven’t plastics come a long way in fifty years? They’re even making the latest American-built airliners out of plastic now. I noted that although this housing door is made from a heavyweight clear Perspex with black plastic fittings, everything felt precise and of high quality. The front half is matte black plastic and feels equally solid and nicely engineered too.
A lot of you may have looked at this housing and dismissed it because at first glance its front glass appears not to accept a wide-angle lens. Of course Fantasea has thought of that and it accepts the company’s own range of Big Eye ancillary lenses that are specifically designed for it. Similarly it has an accessory shoe and a standard tripod bush that will allow it to take almost any flashgun mounted. There is the facility to connect two fibre optic cables to synch off-board flashguns with the camera’s own inboard flash and should you wish to rely simply on that flash alone for lighting your subject, the connection board slides out to reveal it. There’s even a button to allow you to pop up the inboard flash should you forget but you cannot pop it down again once the camera is enclosed in the housing.
Conclusions |
