Assessment of Underwater Housing: Nauticam NA-D7100 for D7100 Camera Users
The Nauticam NA-D7100 housing is a professional-level underwater photography solution designed specifically for the Nikon D7100 and D7200 DSLR cameras. This housing offers rugged protection, full camera control, and system flexibility, making it an ideal choice for underwater photographers.
Key Features
- Durable Construction: The housing is made from high-quality, corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, precision CNC-machined for a robust, slim profile.
- Depth Rating: The housing is rated to 100 meters (approximately 330 feet), suitable for most recreational and advanced diving conditions.
- Ergonomic Design: The housing is designed for comfortable handling underwater, with thoughtfully placed controls and large, well-placed buttons and levers providing easy access to camera functions.
- Advanced Port System: The housing is compatible with Nauticam’s modular port system, allowing the use of wide-angle and macro lenses, and supports zoom and focus mechanisms with mechanical linkages.
- Integrated Vacuum System: The housing supports Nauticam’s vacuum leak detection system, helping to ensure the housing is sealed before dives and providing peace of mind against flooding.
- Full Camera Control: The housing provides access to all essential camera controls, including shutter, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, video record, and more, as well as support for autofocus and manual focus.
- Accessory Compatibility: The housing features multiple 1/4”-20 mounting points for attaching lighting arms, strobes, and other accessories, and is compatible with Nauticam accessories such as viewfinders, handles, and focus/zoom gears.
- Clear Viewports: The housing includes large optical glass ports for an unobstructed view of the camera LCD and controls.
- Safety Features: The housing features double O-ring seals for water-tight integrity and a safety locking mechanism on the main housing latch.
Benefits
- Protection: The housing provides rugged protection for high-value DSLRs in demanding underwater environments.
- Customization: The flexible port and accessory system adapts to different shooting preferences and lenses.
- Reliability: The vacuum leak detection and robust sealing reduce the risk of flooding, protecting your gear.
- Ease of Use: The ergonomic design and intuitive control layout make it easier to operate the camera precisely.
- Image Quality: The housing maintains full functionality of Nikon D7100 and D7200 to capture high-quality photos and video underwater.
- Versatility: The housing is suitable for a range of underwater photography types, including macro and wide-angle.
The Nauticam NA-D7100 housing is a solid option for housing the Nikon D7100 and Nikon D7200, offering many accessories for custom configurations. The housing is lightweight, has an ergonomic design, and is supported by a wide range of ports, allowing flexibility in the use of lenses for underwater still photography and video.
Brent Durand, an avid California beach diver, photographer, and writer dedicated to capturing unique underwater, ocean lifestyle, and adventure images, reviewed the housing setup titled "Blenny. Nikon D7100, Nikkor 60mm, NA-D7100 Housing with Port 87, Dual Strobes." In his review, Durand praised the housing's port lock system, which requires no twisting and no worrying about twisted o-rings, and the housing's ease of setup and operation underwater for both photo and video. However, he noted that the housing does not have a TTL converter, which means rapid-fire shooting is limited by the recycle time of the D7100’s on-board flash, and that the housing's rear back levers have red buttons that can get stuck and require extra work to get moving smoothly after each dive.
Overall, the Nauticam NA-D7100 housing enhances the underwater shooting experience for Nikon D7100 and D7200 users by combining robust protection, full camera control, and system flexibility. The housing contains features such as a simple and secure port locking latch system, a sensitive two-stage shutter release, and easy thumb focusing or thumb focus lock. Other Nauticam accessories are easy to add, including 45 and 180 degree viewfinders. The housing has a playback button lever at the left thumb for effortlessly reviewing images, and a release mode dial for quick access to shooting modes. The housing is light in the water and required 4x of the large Stix floats to balance the rig, compared to the usual 6x for macro. The Nikon D7100 & 60mm lens used in this review were provided by LensProToGo.com.
- The Nauticam NA-D7100 housing, designed for Nikon D7100 and D7200 DSLR cameras, is a professional solution for underwater photography, featuring a durable construction of high-quality corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy for rugged protection.
- This housing, rated to 100 meters, offers an ergonomic design with comfortably placed controls and large, well-positioned buttons and levers, ideal for easy access to camera functions underwater.
- With Nauticam’s advanced port system, the housing supports a variety of lenses, including wide-angle and macro, and provides mechanical linkages for zoom and focus mechanisms.
- The housing comes with an integrated vacuum system for leak detection, helping to ensure the housing is sealed before dives, and includes large optical glass viewports for an unobstructed view of the camera controls.
- Full camera control is accessible within the housing, enabling adjustments to shutter, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, video record, and more, as well as support for autofocus and manual focus.
- Additional accessory compatibility allows for attachment of lighting arms, strobes, and other gadgets, enhancing the underwater photography experience with technology such as focus/zoom gears, viewfinders, and handles.
- The Nauticam NA-D7100 housing offers versatility for various underwater photography scenarios, like macro and wide-angle, while maintaining the full functionality of Nikon D7100 and D7200 for high-quality photos and videos underwater.
