Page 33 - Underwater Photography (January-February 2020)
P. 33
the flash trigger, test fire the strobes port and strobes at all times when not
then seal the housing and draw the in use.
vacuum. To draw the vacuum you The Aquatica A7rIV housing
must turn on the system before closing retails in the US with any of the
the housing using the on/off switch bulkhead configurations for $2949.00.
on the electronics. Once the housing The eight inch acrylic port is around
buckles are secure the plug is removed $580.00, the 9.25 inch optical glass
from the vacuum valve and the pump port is $1760.00 and the Macro port is
is attached. Use the pump to draw $419.00. Extensions with lock begin
the vacuum until the green LED on at around $250.00.
the left rear of the housing remains a If you are seeking the very best
steady green, DO NOT OVER PUMP. in image quality and a full frame
The green light will then remain on camera with quality lenses is within
throughout the dive until the vacuum your budget the Sony Alpha A7R
is released by opening the port of the IV and Aquatica Pro A7rIV housing
pump. Don’t forget to replace the plug should be on your short list for
(which is secured to the valve by a consideration.
chain) in the vacuum valve. The pump moving from a sub-full frame system not find myself having to look away Thanks to Aquatica.ca for
supplied with my test housing was to a full frame system remember the from the viewfinder to change any providing the equipment for my
a bit flimsy and not up to Aquatica’s reduced depth of field at any given F/ of my camera settings. The bayonet review and to Pura Vida Divers
high standards. stop over sub-full frame can present mounted ports and extensions were (puravidadivers.com) for assistance
For my review I shot stills using a few issues. The shallower DOF easy to change in the field and I often during some diving operations.
four Delta 3 Technical Lighting associated with full frame cameras did lens changes from the front of the
Control eight inch strobe arms with requires more critical focus so housing without needing to remove Phil Rudin
TLC clamps. Technical Lighting taking a machine-gun approach to the camera. The extension rings for www.aquatica.ca
Control is an Aquatica owned lighting shooting may result in high numbers the type 4 port system have a unique
support company that offers arms, of poorly focused images. Also high lock on the outside of the extension
clamps, ball heads and other support megapixel cameras like the Sony which is very easy to use.
equipment. These arms integrate A7R III and especially the A7R IV This housing is compact and very
easily with the one inch ball heads on tend to highlight the flaws associated easy to carry. The housing grips are
the two Inon Z-330 strobes and two with many lenses of inferior quality, removable making the housing simple
Backscatter Mini Flash OS-1’s I used I recommend choosing wisely when to pack for carry-on or shipping. The
for this review. I really like the TLC making lens purchases. ACU flip adapter held the ACU +10
arms and clamps; they are smooth and In the water the Aquatica A7rIV close-up lens out of the way of the
very easy to move yet never droop or Pro housing is well balanced and easy
collapse while in the water. to use. All of the controls fall at your
For those of you thinking about finger tips and after a few dives I did www.instagram.com/philrudinphotography
Issue 112/33 www.uwpmag.com
