Nauticam 180 Viewfinder

by Todd Winner

I have to admit over the past few years I have become increasingly jealous every time somebody showed up on a boat with one of those big expensive viewfinders on their housing. So when Dave Hinkel offered me an opportunity to try out the Nauticam 180 Viewfinder on the Nauticam Canon 7D housing, I jumped at the chance.

First Impression of the Nauticam viewfinder:

It's big and it's bright! The Nauticam 180 viewfinder gives you a much larger image of the camera's viewfinder giving you a greater advantage for critical focus and composition. The 180 viewfinder features a diopter adjustment knob that is large and easy to adjust even while wearing gloves underwater.

It does require a little practice to get used to the 180 viewfinder. I found that underwater, I had to be more precise and look directly inline thru the 180 viewfinder as oppose to still being able to focus thru the standard viewfinder at slight angles.

The LCD screen is still 100% visible even with the 180 viewfinder attached so you are still able to review your images and shoot video. Although if I was specifically doing video dives, I would leave it off just to give myself a more unrestrictive view of the LCD screen.

Installing the viewfinder:

Installing the 180 viewfinder couldn't be any simpler. The standard Nauticam viewfinder is easily removed by taking off the internal o-ring and sliding it out of the back of the housing. The 180 viewfinder has 2 pins to keep it from spinning and is held in place with an internal o-ring. Nauticam makes specially designed adapters so the viewfinder can also be used on Aquatica, Ikelite, Nexus and Sea & Sea Housings.

Now that I have had the opportunity to try one out, I'm hooked. The enhance viewfinders are an expensive accessory from any of the manufacterers, but if you can afford it, in my opinion it is worth the investment.

Further Reading

More Underwater Photography Equipment Reviews

Where to Purchase

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