Aquatica Pro digital housing for Nikon D2x £2,400
8 inch (20cm) dome port £315

IF YOU want to enter the league of the professional underwater photographer, for my money you have to go for the Nikon D2x or Canon 1Ds MkII. At the top end of underwater photography, it isn't just pixel count that's important, it's about a whole array of electronic wizardry, software and performance that you just simply don't get with the cheaper models. As I already owned quite a few Nikon lenses, the choice was relatively straightforward and I chose the D2x. To explain all the gizmos on the camera and what they can do specifically for the underwater snapper is for another time, but believe me, more is definitely more!

The choice to be made was what housing to go for. I opted for the Canadian aluminium-machined Aquatica housing. One year on, here's my assessment of how it has performed. It certainly appears to be well manufactured: after 300 or so dives there are only a few minor scratches on the housing's coating. Inside the housing the camera sits on a tray and is locked securely into place with a rotating metal disc. Externally, the three retaining clips require quite a force to close but firmly secure the backplate against an O-ring. In terms of controls, all the buttons, dials and levers are clearly labelled and intuitive to get to grips with. The main adjustment wheels and shutter release are suitably large for use with gloved hands - particularly important for us UK divers. The on/off and focus area select levers are a dream to use - extremely smooth. The spring resistance on all the push buttons is what I would call over-positive, requiring a firm action. This confirms this housing can probably withstand its claimed 90m depth rating.

The attention to detail is impressive. Even the housing's push buttons have been drilled to make a tiny drain for any water trapped around the O-rings. This is to help prevent salt build-up and aid rinsing with fresh water. Another feature that confirms how well the engineers have designed this housing is the three small anodes that are screwed into the base of the housing. These are manufactured from zinc and designed to protect the aluminium against corrosion. The generous screen size of the D2x is accommodated well, using a clear glass port at the rear of the housing. I chose to have the optional leak detector fitted, which comes in the form of a flashing LED (light emitting diode) that is also displayed in this window. It's a pity that the LED is on the average side of brightness and I think a super-bright LED could have been fitted. Another niggle is that the housing was initially not supplied with any flash arm shoes, so be sure to specify that you require these and the type of fitting when you order.

In the water the housing is a delight to use. I would say it is by far the most intuitive housing I've come across. It does suffer from the ever-so-common 'the-dome-is-light-and-rotates-the-housing-dome-upwards' syndrome. Why don't these superb housing designers dive? They would then design a port that doesn't do this! I corrected this by subsequently ordering a port shade, which I have modified to take a counterbalancing weight. That said, this is a superb housing of high build quality. And, for well under £3,000 including the eight inch (20cm) dome port, it provides relatively good value for money.

Controls at a glance

On/off/light
Front wheel (normally aperture/ command)
Rear wheel (normally shutter speed and function changes)
AF/AE lock
Metering system
Exposure compensation
Light meter area
Bracketing
Command lock
Flash mode
Manual focus/zoom
Focus mode
Lens release
Playback
Delete
Menu
Thumbnail
Image file protection
Enter/playback zoom
ISO
File quality/size
White balance
Four multi-select buttons
Auto focus style/predictive focus

Verdict

Strong housing that is packed with features
Value: 9/10
Performance: 9/10

Contact: Cameras Underwater 01404 812277
Website: www.camerasunderwater.co.uk