Guide to the
Best Sony A6700 Underwater Housings
The Sony A6700 is a highly capable mirrorless camera, making it a perfect candidate to take underwater, when placed inside a suitable underwater housing. With its advanced features and impressive image quality, it has become a popular choice among professional and enthusiast photographers. To fully unlock its potential underwater, it's essential to choose a reliable underwater housing.
The Sony A6700 boasts significant improvements over its predecessor, the A6600. Its standout features include:
Better Sensor: The Sony A6700 is equipped with an APS-C sensor, measuring 23mm x 15.5mm, and offering a resolution of 26 megapixels. This sensor delivers exceptional image quality and allows for detailed and vibrant underwater shots.
Improved Autofocus: The A6700 features advanced autofocus technology, ensuring quick and accurate focus even in challenging underwater environments. With enhanced subject tracking and eye detection capabilities, you can capture sharp images of fast-moving marine creatures.
Superior Video and Image Stabilization: Whether you're shooting stills or videos, the A6700's built-in image stabilization system ensures smooth and shake-free footage. This feature is particularly useful in underwater photography, where stability is crucial for capturing clear and steady images.
Modern AI Image Processing: The A6700 incorporates AI-based image processing algorithms, enhancing the overall image quality and reducing noise. This technology optimizes the camera's performance, allowing you to capture breathtaking underwater scenes with exceptional clarity and detail.
To use these new and advanced features underwater, the following underwater housing manufacturers offer housings: Nauticam and Ikelite.
Sony A6700 Underwater Reviews
After spending significant amount of time underwater, shooting with the latest Sony a6700 mirrorless cameras, we are able to bring you our detailed review on how the camera fairs underwater, as well as our recommended settings for shooting underwater:
Sony A6700 Underwater Housing Options
Nauticam Sony A6700 underwater Housing
*Excellent Ergonomics, User-friendly, Durable*
When it comes to pioneering underwater housing designs, Nauticam stands out as a true industry trailblazer. Their commitment to delivering the ultimate user experience for underwater photography and video knows no bounds, and their latest gem, the Nauticam NA-A6700 underwater housing, is a testament to their ingenuity. Meticulously crafted from premium aluminum, this housing redefines ergonomics with intelligently placed controls and dials, all within effortless reach of your fingertips. Seamlessly diving up to 100 meters, its compact design makes it an ideal companion for globetrotting adventurers. Every button bears clear labeling, ensuring precision even in the depths.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Robust Construction: Machined from solid aluminum with a hard anodized finish, the housing is built to withstand the corrosive nature of saltwater and the rigors of underwater use. This ensures the longevity of your investment and the safety of your camera.
- Ergonomic Design: Featuring an integrated handle system, the NA-A6700 provides comfortable and secure handling, even with thick gloves. The placement of the shutter release and thumb lever for AE-L/AF-L button are optimized for intuitive operation.
- Vacuum Check and Leak Detection: This vacuum system provides peace of mind by constantly monitoring the housing's watertight seal. An LED indicator alerts the user to the status of the vacuum seal, and the system also detects leaks, providing both audible and visual warnings.
- Port Locking System: Nauticam's renowned port locking system ensures a secure and reliable connection between the housing and the lens port, preventing accidental detachment. Nauticam also supplies some innovative ports systems and wet lenses.
- Access to Essential Controls: The housing provides access to all essential camera controls, allowing for full creative expression underwater.
How it Stands Out:
Nauticam is known for its meticulous engineering, superior build quality, and innovative features.
The NA-A6700 embodies these qualities, offering a housing that is both robust and user-friendly. Compared to other underwater housing brands, Nauticam consistently delivers on its promise of reliability, durability, and exceptional performance, making it a preferred choice for discerning underwater photographers.
Ikelite 200DL Sony A6700 underwater Housing
*Lightweight, Polycarbonate with Great Ergonomics, User-friendly, Durable*
The Ikelite 200DL Underwater Housing for the Sony A6700 is constructed from robust polycarbonate material, offers remarkable advantages for underwater enthusiasts. Firstly, its lightweight design makes it a breeze to transport and use, ensuring you can focus on capturing stunning shots without unnecessary strain. Moreover, the polycarbonate construction grants it immunity to corrosion, making it a reliable companion for your underwater adventures.
In addition to its durability, the Ikelite 200DL housing presents a cost-effective option compared to aluminum housings, making it an excellent choice for those looking for exceptional value without compromising on quality. As a bonus, it comes equipped with a vacuum valve right out of the box, providing added peace of mind to budding underwater photographers by safeguarding against potential leaks. This vacuum system, combined with Ikelite's innovative dry lock (DL) port system and a clear back, allows you to keep a vigilant eye on your camera's safety, ensuring it remains dry even at depths of up to 200ft.
Here's a breakdown of the key features and benefits:
- Depth Rating: 200 feet (60 meters)
- Construction: Durable ABS-polycarbonate
- Controls: Provides access to all essential camera functions with larger, easy-to-use controls for gloved hands.
- Lens Port System: Uses Ikelite's DLM (Dry Lock Micro) port system, requiring a compatible lens port for waterproof operation (sold separately). This system offers a wide variety of port options for different lenses.
- Strobe Compatibility: Features a built-in Ikelite bulkhead and manual flash hot shoe for attaching an external strobe. It also offers TTL (Through-the-Lens) exposure capability with an optional converter for Ikelite DS strobes.
- Vacuum System: While not explicitly mentioned in the prompt, Ikelite housings often include or offer an optional vacuum system for leak detection, adding an extra layer of safety and peace of mind.
How Ikelite Differs
Ikelite has a long history in underwater photography and has pioneered many of the sealing mechanisms used in housings today. Here's how they generally distinguish themselves:
- Durability: Known for robust housings that withstand demanding conditions.
- Ergonomics: Focus on user-friendly controls and comfortable handling underwater.
- Made in the USA: Many Ikelite products are manufactured in the United States.
- Value: Often provide a good balance of features and price compared to some competitors.
Marelux Sony A6700 underwater Housing
*Superb Ergonomics, Durable, High-end Innovative Features*
Immerse yourself in the ultimate underwater photography experience with the Marelux A6700 underwater housing, expertly crafted from a high-grade aluminum alloy. Embodying durability and resilience, this housing surpasses all expectations, withstanding the most demanding conditions without a hitch.
Experience flawless ergonomics as all camera controls remain readily available at your fingertips, ensuring a seamless shooting experience. Its compact design boasts a small footprint, making it an ideal travel companion for adventurous photographers.
Labeled with utmost clarity, the buttons on this housing offer intuitive operation, granting you effortless access to essential functions. Additionally, assembling the housing is an absolute breeze, further enhanced by the quick release plate, facilitating swift camera installation.
The Marelux A6700 underwater housing boasts an impressive depth rating of 100m, providing you with the freedom to explore and capture the mesmerizing underwater world.
About the Sony A6700 Mirrorless Camera
Sony has announced the A6700, a brand-new APS-C interchangeable lens mirrorless camera designed for enthusiast photographers and videographers. Promising high-end, professional-grade performance, the Sony A6700 mirrorless camera incorporates an improved image sensor and dedicated AI processor.
The Sony A6700 has been a long time coming. Its predecessor, the A6600, was announced way back in August 2019. More Megapixels, Power, and AI The lengthy wait has allowed Sony to include a lot of new features in the A6700, including a new sensor. The A6700’s 26-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor appears to be the same sensor that debuted in the FX30 cinema camera Sony released last September. For reference, the Sony a6600 includes a 24.2-megapixel sensor that is not backside-illuminated. Paired with the new sensor is a powerful Bionz XR image processing engine and a dedicated AI Processing Unit. The AI Processing Unit enhances image processing and autofocus performance.
The camera’s native ISO range goes from 100 to 102,400 for still photography and is capped at ISO 32,000 for video. Sony claims that the camera delivers 14+ stops of dynamic range during movie recording. Despite not being a stacked image sensor, Sony states the 26-megapixel APS-C Exmor R sensor delivers “extremely fast” sensor readout speed. The camera can shoot up to 11 frames per second using its mechanical or electronic shutter with full AF/AE tracking.
Improved Video Performance and Modes Underpinned by Better Sensor and new AI As for video, users can record 4K video with full-pixel readout or 6K oversampled footage. Among other noteworthy video features, the camera offers 4:2:2 10-bit video, All-I, 4K/120p, FHD/240p, and S-Cinetone and S-Log3 profiles. Sony a6700 crop factors The AI processor offers numerous benefits. Beyond the expected subject recognition and tracking features for autofocus, the AI also promises smoother focusing during movie recording and can be used for an Auto Framing feature. Auto Framing automatically centers, repositions, and crops the frame to keep the subject in prominent positions within the scene.
The Sony A6700 mirrorless camera has a 759-point phase-detection AF system, with points covering 93% of the total image area. Alongside new subject detection modes such as Insects, Cars, Trains, and Planes, the Human and Animals and Birds autofocus modes promise improvement. The a6700’s Eye AF is 60% better, while Animal and Birds AF performance is more than 40% improved.
Features:
- 26MP Exmor R APS-C BSI CMOS Sensor
- 5-Axis Stabilization
- UHD 4K Video - Capable of capturing 4K video @ 120fps and FHD @240fps. No recording limit. 10-Bit 4:2:2
- 4D Focus
- Sony NP-FZ100 Battery - for longer battery life (570 shots)
THE NEXT STEPS AFTER YOU PICK YOUR HOUSING: