Learning Surf Photography

My Sony a6000 Water Housing – Adapting A DSLR Housing

Part 3: Using Different Lenses In Your Housing

One of the key advantages you have when adapting a surf water housing is interchangeable ports, being able to use different lenses with the same water housing is key to being able to take a variety of photo’s. I’ll list the lenses I use on my Sony a6000 for water photography and the ports that I use with each one.

If you’d like to read up on some of the basic techniques for keeping drops off the relevant port check out my Water Housing Users Guide – Part 3 – Prevent Water Drops, Wet Port Vs Dry Port.

Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f2.8 fisheye

My 8mm fisheye says Samyang on it, if you buy it in the USA it will likely say Rokinon on it, they are the same lens just branded differently.

I found, unsurprisingly, that the Samyang 8mm on my Sony a6000 had a wider field of view than my Tokina 10-17mm fisheye on my Canon 70D, this means I’m more able to get the really cool distorted fisheye effect, and that it’s easier to have vignetting at the corners of the image due to part of the dome port getting in the shot.

A shot with the Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye, the vignetting at the corners is because of the rapidly fading light more than the lens port in this case

A shot with the Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye, the vignetting at the corners is because of the rapidly fading light more than the lens port in this case

By using the PU-60 quick release plate and sliding the camera as far forward as possible I was able to minimise this, more recently I have stuck a cork to the inside of my back plate to keep the camera from twisting inside the housing, this is a temporary measure until I get around to building something a lot less ugly into the Aquatech base plate itself.

Sigma 19mm f2.8, Sigma 30mm f2.8 (and recently purchased Sigma 60mm f2.8)

These small prime lenses easily fit inside my LP-5 flat port and I’ve had no issues shooting with them using the dry port method, no adaptation was needed for these to work and I’ve got a bit of adjustment forward and back if I end up getting a longer prime or zoom lens in the future too.

Sony 55-210mm

This is where it gets a bit more challenging,I have the LP-TZ4 port which is designed for the Canon 70-200mm lens, it has a knob on the side which operates a little cog type thing on the inside which in turn engages with a collar that goes around the lens, this allows yo to zoom the lens whilst it’s in the port.

I had to increase the diameter of the lens in order to get this mechanism to work, I happened to have an old dive housing lens collar lying around which worked pretty perfectly for this, but you could easily improvise something with a piece of neoprene or anything that would go around the lens.

The blue pre-dawn light gives this shot a nice cool colour palette, the 55-210mm handled the lack of light pretty well considering it's not got the widest maximum aperture

The blue pre-dawn light gives this shot a nice cool colour palette, the Sony 55-210mm handled the lack of light pretty well considering it’s not got the widest maximum aperture.

luckily with the camera in position the lens can operate throughout the full focal length from 55mm to 210mm without any vignetting at the short end or it hitting the front element of the port at the long end, so it’s a pretty good fit.

If you compare the dimensions of the Canon 70-200mm f4 lens with the Sony 70-200mm f4 it’s fairly similar so I expect you could use this port for that lens too.

Page 1: Video & Parts List

Page 2: Positioning Your Sony a6000

Page 3: Taking A Photo

Page 4: Using Different Lenses In Your Housing

Page 5: Adding Controls & Conclusion

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Comments

32 responses to “My Sony a6000 Water Housing – Adapting A DSLR Housing”

  1. Sam Morris Avatar
    Sam Morris

    Since the A6000’s viewfinder is on the far left do the wingnuts ever poke your face when looking through it?

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Sam,

      Luckily the Aquatech housing doesn’t use wingnuts, it has recessed allen had bolts, so there’s nothing poking out that could catch on your face.

      If you’re using a housing which has wingnuts on the back I’d suggest trying to find some less hazardous nuts or just padding them out with some soft rubber or foam.

      The viewfinder is in an awkward position though, when shooting yesterday I decided to turn the viewfinder off and just use the LCD, but the sun was bright so it was difficult to see clearly, I’m working on a different system which will allow me to use the LCD better but it’s not as straightforward as I was hoping.

      Reply
  2. Session: Bantham Tuesday 17th February 2015

    […] was shooting with my Sony a6000, Sigma 60mm f2.8 lens and adapted Aquatech housing, I also had a GoPro Hero 4 Silver on top of the housing shooting video for many of the waves […]

    Reply
  3. Meikon Sony a6000 Water Housing – A Closer Look

    […] My Sony a6000 Water Housing – Adapting A DSLR Housing […]

    Reply
  4. Cesar Wright Avatar
    Cesar Wright

    Excellent video. Are you also able to activate video or only still/shutter. If you mentioned video record function I missed it.

    Thank You,

    Cesar

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Cesar,

      I haven’t looked into using the video button, I shoot stills with the a6000 and video with the GoPro on top, so I’ve never used it.

      I think you could adapt the button on the back plate to engage with the video control, but I have had no need to try this out myself.

      Reply
  5. Cesar Wright Avatar
    Cesar Wright

    Is the Go Pro mount glued on top of housing?. Do you have another rig that you would use flash on, or do you remove Go Pro mount?. Thanks
    Again.

    CW

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      The Gopro mount is attached with the standard sticky foam pad, it’s on there permanently.

      I actually attach my DIY flash housing to the same GoPro mount, it works pretty well.

      Reply
  6. Cesar Wright Avatar
    Cesar Wright

    Ah thanks, Any links or demo on DIY flash housing for your Go Pro/CR-60 set-up. I clicked one link but it said error no page.

    Reply
  7. Cesar Wright Avatar
    Cesar Wright

    Disregard last post. I found the DIY youtube video. Thanks Again.

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Cesar,
      Glad you found it on Youtube, I’ll try and fix any dead links at some point, I’ve also got a different set-up now I use the Sony a6000 instead of a Canon DSLR, so I’ll have to do a full updated post soon, I don’t have many examples with the new kit yet though.

      Reply
  8. Cesar Wright Avatar
    Cesar Wright

    “I actually attach my DIY flash housing to the same GoPro mount, it works pretty well.” brilliant, Any pix of the DIY flash housing and GoPro mount attached to each other. Haven’t found them.
    Cheers.

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Cesar,

      I’ve just published a post which has some photos and descriptions of my DIY flash surf photography set-up, you can see it here: https://www.learningsurfphotography.com/flash-surf-photography-with-the-sony-a6000-part-1/

      Reply
  9. Andrew Grose Avatar
    Andrew Grose

    Hey Ben, bit of a strange question, but I was interested in getting the sigma 60mm to use in my housing but it seems its 1mm to long. I looked at a couple photos of it and it looks like there’s a bit I can shave off. Do you think its possible or am I pushing it. Shaving it with a hack saw might be bad if I get dust inside the lens, maybe if I melt it with a soldering iron? Any suggestions?
    Cheers

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Andrew,

      I’ve had a look at the Sigma 60mm, the plastic threaded ring for the lens cap and filters could potentially be shaved down by 1mm, but you would end up with the front element of the lens very close to the port, and you might not be able to use a lens cap or filters with the lens any more.

      Depending on how snug your housing is you could try moving the camera back by a couple of mm instead of trying to remove part of the lens.

      If you really want to trim part of the plastic I’d probably mask off the lens element with tape and use a sharp knife to slowly strip off the plastic, that way there’s no dust involved at least, I wouldn’t want to heat it up with a soldering iron or anything in case it deformed the plastic enough to move the front element and affect the image.

      The Samyang/Rokinon 8mm has about 5mm of hood beyond the front of the element, so the length without the hood is about 51mm, I just did a quick measurement with a ruler so if it’s critical that it’s accurate I’d recommend getting hold of the lens yourself and making more accurate measurements.

      Reply
  10. ricky Avatar
    ricky

    hey would a 7D housing work with the a6000 and the lenses? those cameras are the same size right? 7d and 60d?

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hi Ricky,

      Size wise you’ll be fine, the 7D is a bit bigger than a 60D so there will be plenty of room for a Sony a6000.

      The main difference will be the shutter release cable, the 7D uses a different connector to the 60D, and it’s harder to find a simple adapter for it, you could use something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079WIITW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0079WIITW&linkCode=as2&tag=learningsurfphotography-20&linkId=N7YSM5MJZ6SPN7RA

      To convert the 7D remote to a regular mini jack plug, then use the adapter cable that I show in the video from there, but it’s a bit of a faff. You could always solder your own up if you have the patience, that would be the tidiest way to do it.

      Reply
      1. ricky Avatar
        ricky

        okay but with the plating system you’ve shown and dome ports i have for the 7d will the a6000 with the Sony 10-18 work?

        Reply
        1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
          Ben Pascoe

          If you’ve got the Aquatech CR7 housing then it’s the same shell as the CR-60 that I have, the plate will be a little different as it’s designed to fit the 7D not the 60D, so you might need to modify it slightly use the same plate I use.

          I don’t have the 10-18mm lens, and I don’t know which dome port you have, but it will probably work, although ideally I think you’d want a flat port with a zoom control for it as it’s not a fisheye lens.

          The closest lens I’ve used is a Sigma 10-20mm, it worked fine in my dome port at 10mm, so I expect you’ll be fine.

          If you’ve got a different housing you’d need to check it out, but there’s likely to be a way to do it.

          Reply
  11. Michael Barnett Avatar
    Michael Barnett

    Hey Ben,
    I cant find a CR60 housing anywhere. They are very hard to come by these days. I love my A6000 and all the lenses I have, is there another housing you can recommend that might be modified to work. I want to shoot in the surf. It looks like below someone was going to try a 7D but as I don’t yet own a housing maybe there is a better one to try? I don’t want to have to play to much with the shutter release cable/cables. Thanks!
    Michael

    Reply
    1. Dr Josh Lamaro Avatar
      Dr Josh Lamaro

      the base housing from aquatech works if you see below images, you need a smallrig cage or something of similar dimensions

      Reply
  12. EbolaLookin Avatar
    EbolaLookin

    Do you think ill be able to us thisnfor my sony A600?
    http://www.liquideye-whs.com/hou_detail-c1600.php

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      The a6000 will definitely fit inside the liquid eye c1600, but you’d have to pad it out really well to get it in the right place, and you’d need an adapter cable like the one I use to convert the pistol grip cable.

      If you’re considering buying new I’d contact Phillipe at Liquid Eye as I know there’s going to be a housing from Liquid Eye designed for the Sony a6000 soon. If you can get a second hand one for a good price it’s probably a fun project.
      Ben.

      Reply
      1. EbolaLookin Avatar
        EbolaLookin

        Ok, i emailed liquid eye and they said they had an A6000 housing coming out in the next month or so formaround 600-700$. So i just gonna go the safe route and get that.

        Reply
        1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
          Ben Pascoe

          Hey, thanks for replying, that sounds like a great price for an a6000 housing, I’m looking forward to seeing what Liquid Eye come up with.

          Reply
  13. Niko Soikkeli Avatar
    Niko Soikkeli

    Hi Ben, Just wanted to request about fitting the 7D into CR60. How does the backplate work, and do I need to any filing or anything to fit it in securely? Would the trigger cable adapter be the only tweak needed? Thanks
    Niko

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Hey Niko,

      I’ve used my CR-60 with a 7D, you do need to file a bit of the tray off, can’t say for sure which bit because I’d already filed mine down for a 70D.
      Other than that you just need the trigger cable adapter and you’re good, you will lose the back controls as far as I remember but you can get the top dial working.

      Reply
      1. Niko Soikkeli Avatar
        Niko Soikkeli

        Thanks for the info! Appreciate it.

        Reply
  14. Dr Josh Lamaro Avatar
    Dr Josh Lamaro

    hey ben, just a note for those using the Aquatech base housings which are a generic housing for most DLSRs where the only thing that changes per camera is the base plate and the cable release:

    i was able to perfectly fit a sony a6300 when it is in a smallrig cage. all that was needed was to file a small amount off of my canon 5Dmkii base plate to allow for the handle contour.
    it sits the camera perfectly centrated this way. you can attach through base plate and smallrig to the camera by machining a 20mm 1/4″ bolt and cutting away 15mm of the thread, or use a grub screw between the plate and smallrig, and then a normal screw between the smallrig and the a6300

    i’ll try and make a video and upkload for any users

    Reply
    1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
      Ben Pascoe

      Thanks Josh,
      I’m sure there are plenty of people who will find that useful.

      I’ve got the small rig cage for the a6500, how much space is there at the back of the camera?
      I expect the a6500 would work fine in there too as long as theres a bit of space.

      Reply
      1. Dr Josh Lamaro Avatar
        Dr Josh Lamaro

        hey mate, plenty of space at the back of the base model aquatech housing. the smallrig makes it the perfect height for being centrated in the housing port.
        i’ve attached some pictures…ive attached the base plate to the smallrig with a grub screw as i was unable to find a long screw that went all the way through both. the smallrig cage is attached as it normally would be. in the front of the smallrig i have put two M4 screws that come out hook against the front lip of the base plate to stop it rotating around the grub screw. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/25518327a23b3ff7953bea9479e53d0ca86f9e221846f5e872bf5e238bfd0b8e.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3a9c51d9199dc0549ca0aa19ded5b479e7e0ca7759e24f37853ba07e72236e34.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c76fe9a700e55e68f94df70621378806652e113139b689a5e1e59085f0ae4ae0.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/494aa6da38f984a8393a7803e7a45bf47cbefdf66cbe88b402dfd2cd84a80754.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/efc1dd56fa02d361dc9e29cb38d2b080ffdf3c727b82a063018c0b40d8c0cbc6.jpg

        Reply
        1. Ben Pascoe Avatar
          Ben Pascoe

          Thanks for the pics, those screws on the front are a great idea, and it does look like a great fit with the smallrig cage.

          I like the look of the base housings, but I’ve still got a few old L series ports, so I’m holding out for a second hand ATB housing that I can use them with.

          This will be invaluable for anyone interested in using a base housing for a Sony camera. Thanks for taking the time to write back again.

          Reply

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