Underwatercamera: Sony RX100 VA + Nauticam housing

With the RX100 V Sony has continued to add features to this workhorse compact camera and Nauticam is keeping pace with the NA-RX100V housing. The NA-RX100V housing provides the ergonomics, build quality, and innovative feature set in a tiny, travel friendly package. Nauticam designs are always improving, and new features integrated into each new release. The ergonomic experience has been tailored for a photographer's right hand on the side of the housing, placing key controls literally at the users finger tips.

Dubbed "the Fast Five" by DPReview.com, the fifth installment in the now legendary RX100 series adds exceptional autofocus speed and a mind blowing 24 frames per second burst mode to the already well rounded and capable feature set found on RX100 IV.

The core RX100 DNA that has made this series so exceptionally popular is unchanged. These features include a large backside illuminated sensor in a compact body that can easily fit into a shirt pocket, a fast 24-70mm zoom lens, and Ultra High Definition Video.

Speed, both in focusing, and continuous shooting, catapults RX100 V to the top of the compact camera class. The DSC-RX100 V adds a 315 point phase detect af sensor array covering 65% of the frame. Phase detect focus systems can acquire focus more quickly than the contrast detect enabled competition. Hunting for focus is virtually eliminated, and the continuous and tracking focus modes are much better at tracking fast action.

The 24 fps Continuous Hi shooting mode (complete with autofocus, auto exposure, and raw capture capability) provides a completely new way of shooting behavior. Still photo strobes can't keep up with this frame rate, but with ambient light or LED video lights this high speed burst mode. Even the Continuous Mid mode is on par with the continuous shooting speeds possible with pro body DSLR cameras!

Sony Cyber-shot RX-100V Key Specifications:

• 20.1 MP 1"-type stacked CMOS Sensor
• f/1.8-2.8 24-70mm equivalent zoom lens
• Optical Image Stabilization
• 1/32,000 sec max electronic shutter speed (1/2,000 sec mechanical shutter)
• 24 fps continuous shooting
• Slow motion video recording up to 1000 fps (960 fps in NTSC mode)
• 4K (UHD) video recording with full sensor readout at 100 Mbps
• SLog2 gamma setting
• Tilting 3" 1.3m dot LCD
• Pop-up 2.36m dot OLED electronic viewfinder
• Built-in ND filter
• Wi-Fi with NFC

The NA-RX100V sets a new standard for compact camera housing design. It is the ultimate refinement of the models that came before it, and proven in the field.

Nauticam designs are always improving, and new features integrated into each new release.  The ergonomic experience has been tailored for a photographer's right hand on the side of the housing, placing key controls literally at the users finger tips. Some users, especially those wearing cold water gloves, prefer shooting from handles such as the Nauticam Flexitray and Easitray. To better support this style of shooting, a set of stainless steel handle brackets and amechanical shutter release trigger extension is included with every housing.

The RX100V housings features an industry standard 67mm threaded port mount, meaning it is easy to attach a number of different wet mount lenses. A compact camera underwater is only as good as the optics in front of it, and the growing Nauticam accessory lens lineup sets new performance standards with every release.

On the macro end, the Compact Super Macro Converter (CMC) is the ideal choice and enables a subject 35mm wide by 23mm tall to fill the frame. This is over 4x magnification provided by the stock lens (stock lens images 160mm wide, CMC 35mm wide).

All Nauticam lenses are engineered specifically for underwater imaging, not waterproof adaptations of lenses designed for use in air, resulting in superior image quality. The CMC provides visibly sharper images than competing macro lenses, especially in the corders, with noticeably less purple fringing. The lens design is also designed with autofocus systems in mind, easing the learning curve associated with high magnification imaging.

Technical specifications:

• Depth Rating 100m
• Weight 0.85kg
• Dimensions 150mm (W) × 101mm (H) × 109mm (D)
• 67mm port
• M16 accessory hole for HDMI or Vacuum system