Ewa-Marine EM U-BXP100 Underwater Housing for DSLR Cameras (Clear)

I was sceptical at first and nervous to put my equipment in a "plastic bag" but I have used it for 3 pool sessions now and love it! It lays better in the water when putting weights in it. I tried to use it with different goggles but it really doesn't work that well to look through the viewfinder with goggles on and it's more a hit or miss with the pictures. So I actually don't use any goggles with it. Everything except my eyes is underwater and I push the camera and lens under the surface and take the pictures.

Ewa-Marine U-BXP100 Underwater Housing is a must have for this "all weather" shooter! There wasn't a review here, so I purchased this handy housing on company reputation and a desire to save money and not risk my equipment in the process. I've been in and on the oceans of the world and have used virtually every manner of underwater image capturing equipment since 1980. This bag is handy and takes up very little space in stowage.How I used it for this review: I placed a Nikon D700 with MB-D10 attached for added battery resources. For a strobe, I attached the Nikon SB-800 with dome diffuser and it fit with room to spare. I see no problem with fitting it with the SB-900 (but avoided using that unit as I didn't want the high heat cutout to leave me hanging at a critical moment). **I recommend always putting a diffuser on any strobe in this bag as it acts as a spacer between the flash head and bag material** Knowing that this would be a high humidity environment, silica packs come with the system... I have bags of silica packs already and if you don't have them get them... they will not only remove moisture while your gear is in standby, but will also prevent fogging when the strobe heats up the inside and water temps are cold. For a lens, I attached the NIKKOR AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED of all my lenses, this has the largest diameter front element and fits SNUG right up against the protective glass lens port. **A smaller lens would leave room for movement (something you don't want) and the possibility of the lens cover moving away from your lens during the dive. The wide angle was a perfect choice for underwater portraiture (which is the purpose of my setup).The long straps are adjustable and will dangle into the way of the viewfinder if left full length. They are well constructed and support the inside equipment in a balanced way. While submerged, I suggest pulling the straps down and out to the sides, you can also clip a tether to them if you need to release the camera to allow your hands to be free. My first dive with the unit was a tad annoying... strong positive buoyancy was a surface challenge. Of course as you descend, the bag compresses and buoyancy equalizes then goes negative. I recommend keeping the unit slightly positive so that if you lose control, at least the bag and your valuable camera equipment will just head to the surface where the bright yellow base and straps will be helpful in locating it.There is a blow up nipple in the bag which I thought was a little odd as it could easily become a leak path, but soon realized it's value as a method for removing some air (and positive reserve buoyancy) from the bag. **When loading the gear inside, I push a straw through the air nipple/spout and leave it there until the main seal is secured, then I use the straw to evacuate most of the remaining air. This method draws the bag close to the camera body and facilitates my controlling the D700 through the bag with no restrictions.One thing I did not like at all, is the little built in pocket that is designed so you can activate the shutter button (I locked the shutter release on the MB-D10 so it would not fire) the pocket has a ridgid seem and is so stiff that pushing the shutter release is difficult at best. I simply learned to push the shutter release through the bag material avoiding the little pocket. There is a circular patch constructed into the back of the bag, this is to facilitate looking through your viewfinder. Lining that up was a little tricky, I used foam inserts (provided) and other filler material to take up slack around the body so it would remain in the optimum position... once again, evacuating extra air volume helps the camera, and lens housing remain in place.For a dive mask, I switched to a low volume close fitting split face system, this allowed me to get my eye right up to the camera for looking through the viewfinder. A regular face mask may create so much of a standoff that looking into the viewfinder may be frustrating. Swimming with the bag was effortless as it's very streamlined. You will want to protect it from sand and other rough surfaces when out of the water as it will soon scratch up and reduce visibility through the bag. The lens insert seems nice and durable and cleans up nicely. So, bottom line... worth the money? Absolutely.Functional... fast learning curve, easy to get used to. Room for gear? Plenty for my D700, D3s or D4 respectively with attached SB-800 or SB-900 Leaks? NONE Always push it down in the water and watch for bubbles escaping prior to beginning your descent... if even tiny bubbles are escaping, get it back to the surface! The sealing mechanism is nice and screws are on retainers so you won't lose them. Threads are brass, so no rust. I would definitely buy it again and certainly would recommend it to other members of the photography and dive community.

Excellent