Nauticam Housing for Sony RX-100 II

An Excellent Housing for the Popular RX-100 available September 10
By Brent Durand

Nauticam Announces Housing for Sony RX-100 II


An Excellent Housing for the Popular RX-100 available September 10

By Brent Durand, September 5, 2013

 

 

 
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Sony's RX-100 II is arguably the best compact camera for underwater photography, picking up where the popular RX-100 left off. Nauticam's new housing announcement is no surprise, and delivers excellent quality to match the RX-100. Nauticam's press release is below:

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Nauticam is pleased to announce the NA-RX100II for the new Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 II compact digital camera. Building on the phenomenal success of the Nauticam RX100 housing, the NA-RX100II once again provides professional quality engineering to the compact camera underwater world. The NA-RX100II represents a compact camera enthusiasts dream system, but also provides an easy to use and instantly rewarding experience for people just starting to explore underwater imaging.

 

About the Sony RX100 II Camera

The RX100 II builds upon the incredibly successful RX100 by adding key features to an already feature rich palette. The "II" retains all of what made the RX100 such a success... a 1" 20 Megapixel CMOS Sensor, Optical Steady Shot image stabilization for stills and video, ISO expandable to 100-25600, 10 FPS, 25 point AF, 1080 60P video and built-in 28mm-100mm equivalent optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens. The RX100 II adds a hot shoe, tilting LCD screen, and NFC enabled WiFi, plus up to 40% more sensitivity in low light thanks to a new backlit CMOS sensor.

The RX100 is credited with producing some of the best video ever seen from a compact camera, and this only gets better with the low light capability of the RX100 II. Video enthusiasts will enjoy the ability shoot in 24p in addition to the 30p and 60p from the RX100.
 
Controls on the camera remain very similar to the RX100. Of particular interest is the programmable Fn button that works in conjunction with user assigned menu options to take advantage of the most often adjusted settings – a first in this market segment. Like the RX100, the "II" features Sony’s “White Magic” LCD technology which uses four dots for every pixel instead of three for the display - this time on a tilting display. The result is a LCD that can offer twice the traditional brightness in very demanding conditions and much lower battery drain in normal use. The RX100 II is brimming with technological tools and those who have a chance to play with the focus peaking option will appreciate its use.

 

About the NA-RX100II Housing

The Nauticam housing for the RX100 is one of the bestselling housings in Nauticam history, and for good reason. Despite the difficulty of making a housing for a camera with small controls, the NA-RX100 is unrivaled in it's reliability of operation. With the RX100, Nauticam raised the bar for professional grade aluminum housings for the compact digital camera market segment. The NA-RX100II is built on that success, and similarly sports industry leading features such as the intuitive single rotating housing latch, rugged machined aluminum case, 100 meter depth rating, rear mounted o-ring, and a sculpted shutter release that give the user direct control over half press and full press of the camera shutter button.

Every button is clearly labeled and placed for ultimate ease of use. This housing is designed by photographers and engineered to capitalize on every ounce of potential from both camera and photographer alike. Front and Rear command dials are readily available to forefinger and thumb while never releasing grip. Manual aperture and shutter speed adjustment is a snap; as is white balance, ISO, drive modes, shooting modes and video recording.

The RX100 II adds a bulkhead port for optional installation of accessory bulkheads. With the new hotshoe on the RX100 II, the user who wants to add a Nikonos or Ikelite style bulkhead to manually fire strobes with electrical sync cables can now do so.

The RX100 II features a standard 67mm thread on the port positioned precisely for maximum wide-angle lens performance. Also unique in this market segment is the ability to manually focus the RX100 II  when desired through the front command dial. Macro shooters in particular should enjoy the manual focus with focus peaking option to dial in those subjects using a strong close up wet lens such as a +10 diopter. The use of Nauticam’s new 67mm Flip Lens Holder makes this type of macro work easier than ever.

Wide-angle accessory lens compatibility is crucial for underwater photography, and RX100 II provides excellent performance when paired with Inon UWL-H100 28 M67 Type 2.  This system enables images with a wide 100 degree angle of view, sharp corners, and no vignetting!  The system also benefits from Inon’s optional Dome Unit II, a 145 degree lens that focuses on the front of the lens for exceptional close focus wide-angle photography.

"We're excited that Sony has taken their already fantastic RX100 compact to the next level with the Mark II. The difference in low light performance is noticeable, but it's the new hot shoe that has us excited about taking this camera underwater. At last, the compact shooter doesn't have to rely on the camera's own flash to recycle, and can have truly instantaneous shot to shot performance when using an electronic sync connection for their strobes. We're happy to see that the new NA-RX100II housing accommodates this feature. Easily grabbing your latest underwater photos off of the camera to share with the world on Facebook and Instagram is also a welcome bonus thanks to the new WiFi feature on the RX100 II." Sterling Zumbrunn - CTO, Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo

 

Accessories and Lighting

A full line of optional accessories are available, including trays, handles, hand straps, mounting hardware for lighting. Automatic flash exposure (TTL) via external strobes is available using Nauticam fiber optic cables and popular strobes like the Inon S-2000 and the Sea&Sea YS-D1.
 

Nauticam Build Quality

Only the finest materials and cutting edge manufacturing processes are used to make Nauticam housings.  The housing body is machined from solid aircraft grade aluminum, then hard anodized making it impervious to salt water and provides an impressive 100 meter depth rating. The large acrylic LCD window is treated with an anti-reflective, scratch resistant coating.

 

The Bottom Line

The NA-RX100II is a small camera system with a big heart (ok, well, sensor). The system is easy enough that it is ideal for anyone just getting into underwater imaging, yet features the kind of image quality and performance makes it at home in the camera bags of professionals.

 

Specifications

  • Depth Rating:  100m
  • Weight: .75kg
  • Dimensions: 143mm x 113mm x 102mm

 

Model Number:  17408

USA Retail Price: $950
Estimated Shipping Date: Sept 10, 2013

More information is available from Nauticam USA at:
http://www.nauticamusa.com
 

 

Further Reading

 


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