S.U.P.E.R. Part 13: Fantasea FG7X housing for the Canon G7X
In our ongoing series S.U.P.E.R. (Scubaverse’s Underwater Photography Equipment Reviews), Scubaverse.com’s underwater photography editors Nick and Caroline Robertson Brown review new underwater photography equipment, general diving equipment, and some older favourites too.
For the thirteenth instalment of S.U.P.E.R., Nick and Caroline take a look at the Fantasea FG7X housing for the Canon G7X.
Canon compact cameras have been very popular with underwater photographers for many years now and the G7X is another big success story. The camera has a big, clear rear screen making it easy to review your images, it shoots in RAW, and has a high quality 24-100mm equivalent lens. The camera has paid heed to the success of the Sony RX 100 series by being the first competitor to introduce a similar, 1”-type sensor, which is 2.8 times larger than any other compacts on the market. This makes a huge difference to the resolution, and hence the quality of the images.
For our test, we had a single dive, in cold water, to put the camera and housing through its paces. I was wearing thick 5mm gloves. The Fantasea housing allows for the addition of the Big Eye lens which restores the original viewing range of the lens underwater. We also mounted a single INON Z-240 strobe to introduce some colour for the duration of the test.
The Fantasea housing allows you to access all the camera controls with ease. The housing has a single wheel that can be used to change aperture and shutter speed, alternating with a clearly marked and easy-to-use button on the back of the housing. The system, both camera and housing, is incredibly simple to use, even for those unfamiliar with the system and using it for the first time. Unusually, it was a bright sunny day and so the anti-glare hood on the viewing screen came in handy!
The housing comes with a leak alarm and, unusually, a particularly useful button that will pop up the flash whilst underwater if you forget to do this whilst setting up before the dive. It is depth rated to 60m and comes with a double o-ring system to decrease the risk of a flood. The housing comes with a cold shoe for mounting accessories easily.
With a RRP of only £449, this is a system that is well worth considering.
The Canon G9X and housing will also be available in the coming weeks. We hope to get a look at that soon as it also promises to be a great package at an affordable price. Watch this space.
For UK: www.blue-orb.uk/dealers
