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Sony RX100 II Underwater Review w/Nauticam Housing
I had the privilege to dive with the Sony RX100 II for 18 dives during a Maldives live-aboard. There is no better place and environment to check out and review this wonderful camera.
I apologize it has taken me more than 2 months to prepare and publish this review but this has now given me the opportunity to take some fashion shots with this camera and dive with it again as well as compare it to the some of the newly announced models such as the Canon G1X II which is expected to be the RX100 II’s direct competitor.
I used the Nauticam housing and various lenses along with other equipment but I will start off by reviewing the camera itself.
Let me first outline what I liked and didn’t like in the camera:
I liked
- Very sharp images.
- Incredible low light capability, comparable to my Nikon D90 (maybe due to the cameras superb noise reduction)
- High MP that allows cropping, very useful in UW photography.
- Front and back dials, easy to use, compact size.
- Very long battery life, like a DSLR. Can go through 5 dives with no problem.
- Great LCD screen (maybe too great making photos look better than what they really are).
- Excellent Manual focus feature and one of the best AF capabilities I’ve used on a compact (only in flexible spot mode).
I did not like
- No manual flash settings. This means that flash fires with TTL at full power all the time and recycle time is about 3-4 sec.
- Could not get accurate TTL support with the Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobe.
- Image review can only be none or 2 seconds. 1 second would have been much better.
- In-camera charging prevents using it while charging, unless you get an external charger + extra battery.
- Very poor macro capabilities. 5 cm above water, much more under water, can hardly focus if zoomed to even 1/3 of the way. A macro lens is a must with this camera and that does solve the issue, a +6 diopter at least is recommended.
So now that we’ve cleared out the surprises, I can tell you a bit more about my experience.
Preparing for the Dives
I initially tried out the RX100 II at the DEMA show in Orlando. I took a leap of faith and did not take along my DSLR/flash for the product shots. You can see the results at our gallery, they were superb. The hall was very dark and I took most shots at ISO 1600 and 3200, to my big surprise, most shots were very clear and I did not see the graininess that would be very strong in most other compacts.
The camera is very easy to use. Before leaving for the Maldives I setup 2 modes, 1 Memory preset and the Manual mode. The manual mode was used for Flash photography, with 1/125 F/5.0 JPG and ISO 100. The MR mode was based on A with 1/125 F/2.8 RAW and ISO 200 and was meant for ambient light shots. In many situations I had to use a higher ISO without the flash.
My setup at the Maldives included a Nauticam housing and Sea and Sea YS-D1 strobe mounted on our custom Uni-tray package. I also had an Inon UCL-330 lens and H100 wide angle lens.
The first thing I noted was that TTL would not work with the YS-D1. I tried all the cameras settings, modes and nothing helped to get accurate exposure. That was a bit disappointing but I am well trained at shooting manual so not much of a problem. I looked everywhere in the camera to find the manual flash setting and was very surprised and somewhat crossed that such settings did not exist. This camera’s flash is TTL only and that forces the flash to almost always fire at full power. This results in a long recycle time that I found to be very annoying.
I set the flash exposure compensation to -2 but that didn’t help much. Luckily, the battery life of this camera is extraordinary and even with the flash working that way, I had 4-5 dives worth of battery.
I experienced some AF problems when shooting at DEMA but after reading a bit and setting the camera to Flexible spot, it was completely resolved and AF was fast and accurate.
I was expecting poor macro but on land it was not so bad, underwater, I was quite disappointed. A macro lens is a must with this camera.
Diving with the RX100 II and Nauticam housing
Nauticam’s housing is incredible. You feel like your camera is in your hand, all dials and buttons are soft and smooth. Dials never miss a click and half shutter is very easy to master. Opening and closing the housing, using the fiber optic connections and screwing lenses on and off are all very easy. The housing is small, lightweight and great for travel.
I do not have much to say here as the housing is just perfect. I would recommend anyone that can extend his budget to get this housing over any other from the competition.
Accessories and mounts
The Nauticam housing offers many mount options for lights and other accessories. You can use the top cold shoe mount, the Nauticam M10 ball adapter or simply mount the housing on a tray using the 2 bottom 1/4″-20 screws and mount the lights on the arms.
Optional HDMI connection – Nauticam offers another version of this housing called the NA-RX100II which for an extra $300 adds an HDMI connector for using an external monitor. The Nauticam Ninja2 Monitor is the popular choice and is mounted with a ball adapter at the top of the housing. The RX100 II shoots 60fps full hd (1080p) video and considering its sharp lens and using an external monitor very high quality videos can be shot with this setup.
Optics – The housing features a flat port with a standard 67mm thread mount which allows mounting most lenses. Popular choices are the Inon H100 Wide angle lens or the UCL-165 close-up lens. Nauticam also offer a 67-LD mount adapter which will allow mounting Inon LD mount lenses which is basically a bayonet mount on the housing and thus offering a quick snap on/off of the lens from the housing.
Nauticam’s new SMC is also supported and functions perfectly with this housing making this small package a superb macro system.
LCD Viewfinder – This one is a very nice gadget Nauticam is offering which allows a close magnified view of the LCD and makes getting accurate focus on macro shots much easier.
Moisture Alarm – The housing offers a moisture alarm which is becoming somewhat of a standard these days.
Bottom Line
The Sony RX100 II is a brilliant camera, it exceeds any expectation one has from a compact. Very sharp photos, high resolution for cropping, excellent video and and all in a small package. The lack of manual flash control is a drawback and poor macro capabilities is an issue but can easily be resolved with a diopter.
The Nauticam housing is simply perfect offering anything you would like from a housing and this bundle truly sets the bar for shooting underwater with a compact.
Some more samples of the RX100 II:
- Featured Underwater Photographer – Eren Baştanoğlu – April 16, 2024
- Flex Arms vs. Ball and Joint Arms – January 23, 2024
- Which underwater light should I get for my Olympus Tough TG-7 or TG-6? – January 9, 2024
3 comments
Hi, did you use an electrical or optical cable to fire the strobe?
Thank you!
Hi Patrick,
A fiber optic cable is used to fire the strobe with this housing, as with most compacts.
Hey Ran!
I can’t decide: rx100II or Canon g16.
Which one would you prefer? I would buy a nauticam housing and somehwen a extern flash. I would use it in dark lakes but in the tropical sea, too. I would like to take pictures of little animals and the reef as one, for example. It is not easy to find out which one would be better for me.
Thank you!!
Nadine