Aquatica Housing for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Review

January 14th, 2015

Review: Aquatica Housing for

Olympus OM-D E-M1

by Kelli Dickinson

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera has become one of the most popular choice for underwater photography. The small size makes it perfect for traveling, and the large micro four-thirds sensor produces excellent images with great detail. Recently Nauticam has dominated the housing market but there is another fantastic housing option that you might not know about.

Aquatica, the Canadian underwater housing manufacturer has long been renowned for producing high quality, rugged aluminum dSLR housings that stand up to rigorous use and rough ocean conditions. Recently they branched out into the mirrors market and the results are excellent.

Aquatica EM-1 Controls:

I got the chance to use the Aquatica housing for the OM-D E-M1 in the Philippines recently and was very impressed. The housing construction is excellent. The finished aluminum housing is anodized and painted with a rough matte black finish designed to stand up to salt water use over time. I noticed the spring tension in the buttons and controls feels strong. All the controls worked great and the camera was easy to install in the housing with a tray that slides onto two rails and locks in place.

Aquatica includes high quality molded grips the feel great and are positioned well from the housing. On a side note these grips are also easy to remove which makes packing for travel a breeze! Similar to other aluminum housings they have moved the control for the AEL/AFL button from the back of the housing to the side and made that control a lever vs a standard button. This makes it ideal to use for splitting out the focus lock, a popular camera set up for macro.

The shutter lever is large and sensitive, making it easy to lock focus using the half shutter press method. The two main dials - typically used for shutter speed and aperture control are easy to turn making settings changes a breeze. All camera functions are accessible and fiber optic cables easily plug directly into the holes on the top of the housing. On the left of the housing the zoom control knob is large and easy to manipulate allowing for quick and smooth zooming.

Aquatica EM-1 Ports:

In addition to the housing Aquatica offers a full range of ports for the micro four-thirds lenses. These ports are well made and very easy to install on the housing. Port connection is a simple bayonet - simply push the port into the housing and twist. Port locks on the housing and extension rings snap closed and keep the ports securely in place.

In addition to flat ports for the 60mm Macro, 14-42mm and 12-50mm lenses from Olympus, Aquatica offers two dome ports. A tiny "mini" dome perfect for the Panasonic 8mm Fisheye lens and the larger SW8 dome. This larger dome is unique because it is cut from the same acrylic dome used for the dSLR 8" dome ports. This gives it the proper curvature for excellent optics. The dome is cut smaller since the full 8" size it not needed, resulting in a 6" dome port. This is a perfect size for shooting with the Olympus 12-50mm behind a dome, the 9-18mm and the Panasonic 7-14mm wide angle. Various extension rings and zoom or focus gears are also available to complete your package.

Vacuum Security:

The Aquatica E-M1 also includes the electronics for the popular vacuum system found across many different housings these days. This system adds extra security to your underwater set up, allowing you to pull a vacuum on the housing effectively putting it under pressure. Electronics in the housing signal if the pressure changes or if water enters the housing with a change in color of the LED on the back of the housing and with an audible alarm for water intrusion.

Final Thoughts:

I really like this housing. The only issue I had to start was that the housing is a bit heavier than what I had previously been used to using, however with a minor change in my buoyancy compensation (Stix Floats) I was able to balance it out perfectly and continue to enjoy my dives. It was easy to use, easy to assemble and disassemble. I really like the easy to remove molded grips which made packing multiple housings into my carryon possible since it is much smaller without the grips. The housing looks great and is designed extremely well - I would highly recommend the Aquatica for anyone looking to purchase an Olympus OM-D E-M1 for underwater use.