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Perhaps two of the most exciting pro-level cameras on the market at the moment are Sony’s a1 Mark II and a9 Mark III. The a9 III remains the only full-frame mirrorless camera with a global shutter, giving you jaw-dropping specs like blackout-free continuous shooting at 120fps with AF, no-crop 4K/120p video, and the ability to sync with flash at up to 1/80,000s. (The compromise, however, is the sensor’s relative low pixel count of 24.6MP and base ISO of 250. Meanhile, the a1 II is a different, but equally capable, beast: At 50.1MP, its stacked sensor boasts double the pixels, burst shooting is 20fps in lossless RAW, and there’s both 8K/30p and 4K/120p video recording on offer.

The kicker is that these two cameras are all but identical externally, so a single housing can accommodate either one… Enter Nauticam’s NA-α1II housing, designed to get the most out both the a1 II and a9 III. Needless to say, ergonomic control placement is foremost: There’s a dual thumb lever alongside the right hangle and a single thumb lever on the left, as well as another left-hand lever operating a customizable button. In addition to fiber-optic ports for your strobes, there’s an M14 accessory port that could be used for an electrical bulkhead if preferred. There’s also a large-bore M24 accessory port for hooking up a monitor/recorder such as the Atomos Ninja V via HDMI 2.0.

Nauticam’s housing costs $4,920 and is available from Backscatter now.
 

When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the products mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner—Backscatter.com.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

INTRODUCING NA-α1II

The Sony a1 II and a9 III Cameras

The Sony a1 II and a9 III Cameras are Sony's pro-level bodies that cover the entire gamut of imaging requirements for both still and video shooters.

Sony a1 II

The a1 II is Sony's flagship high-resolution camera body with incredible autofocus and impressive video capabilities. Built around a 50MP stacked BSI CMOS sensor and powered by the advanced BIONZ XR processor, the a1 II features upgrades pulled from the a7R V in autofocus, subject tracking, and IBIS. For scenarios demanding high resolution paired with ultra-fast and accurate autofocus and up to 8K30p video, the a1 II can deliver top tier results.

Key Sony a1 II Camera Specs

• 50MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Sensor
• 8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
• 8.5-Stop IBIS + Dynamic Stabilization
• 9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
• Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots

Sony a9 III

The a9 III fills the role of a high sensitivity sensor with a true global shutter. Capable of shooting 4K 120fps from the full sensor area, the a9 III produces very clean high frame rate video even in less than ideal lighting conditions. The a9 III's global shutter allows for shooting at incredibly high shutter speeds to maximize available strobe power and recycle time, even in strongly backlit scenes. Shooting into the sun or in high-ambient light scenarios at lower apertures opens up a world of opportunities for both wide and macro photography and also eliminates any rolling shutter effects in video.

Key Sony a9 III Camera Specs

• 24.6MP Full-Frame Global Shutter Sensor
• Flash Sync at up to 1/80,000 Sec.
• 4K 120p 10-bit Video; S-Log3 & S-Cinetone
• 759-Point Phase-Detect AF with Tracking
• 8-Stop 5-Axis In-Body Image Stabilization
• 9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
• Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots

Shared Specs

The a1 II and a9 III share a body which makes the NA-a1ii housing possible without any adapters, modifications or loss of features.  Both cameras also share the incredible 9.4M-dot electronic viewfinder from the A7RV.  

THE NA-α1II HOUSING

The NA-α1II Housing is based on the Nauticam NA-a9III housing and can accommodate both the Sony a1II and a9III camera bodies with no adapters of modifications. This truly makes this housing one of the ultimate underwater imaging tools able to capture high resolution as well as low-light stills and high resolution, low-noise and high-framerate video.

Mission Control

The driving force behind Nauticam housings is to place controls where they should be, within easy reach of the ergonomic handles for an intuitive and smooth underwater filming experience. The NA-α1II features a dual action thumb lever on near the right handle that actuates the 'AF-ON' and 'REC' buttons. Near the left handle is a thumb lever for 'PLAYBACK'. The shutter release, main and sub command dials are also all within easy reach without taking your hands off the handles.

Professional Optics

The NA-α1II housing is built around the N100 port opening allowing for a wide variety of optics solutions from extreme wide-angle to super macro. In addition to supporting traditional wide angle dome port and macro flat-port configurations, the NA-α1II can support much of Nauticam's range of Water Contact Optics from the Fisheye Conversion Port (FCP) to the Extended Macro Wide Lens (EMWL). To truly unlock the creative possibilities of these two cameras, pairing them with either the WACP-1B, WACP-C or WWL-1B gives impressive 130º rectilinear field-of-view, ~0" minimum focus distance, full zoom through capabilities and the incredible corner sharpness. If more coverage is needed, the FCP provides 170º fisheye coverage with full zoom through and close focus capabilities. Take your macro imaging to the next level with either increased 2.3X magnification with the new SMC-3 close-up lens or the wide-angle macro look of the EMWL 160º lens.

EVF Enhancement

Both the Sony α1II and α9 III feature the same ultra-high resolution 9.4M-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF).  To truly take full advantage of this underwater consider pairing it with one of the Nauticam Enhanced 0.8:1 Viewfinders.  These underwater viewfinders are designed to give full edge-to-edge magnified viewing and include a diopter that can be adjusted underwater to match your vision.

HDMI 2.0

A large bore M24 bulkhead is located at the front of the housing for use with HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 1.4 (with a step-down adapter to M16) external monitors and recorders.  An additional M10 threaded mounting position near the front center of the housing also makes using an external monitor even easier.

Vacuum Check and Leak Detection

The housing comes with electronics pre-installed for Nauticam's Vacuum Check and Leak Detection system, requiring only the optional M14 Vacuum Valve (25624). This monitoring system provides constant updates on the water tight and safe-to-dive status of the housing. A simple color coded LED lighting system lets the user know that the vacuum is solid, or that the housing is losing vacuum. Leak detection is built into the same circuit, so if there is water intrusion, an audible and visual indication will occur. The Nauticam system is temperature compensated, eliminating false alarms caused by a change in outside temperature, or from a camera heating up on an action packed dive.

Strobe Triggering

Triggering of external strobes is accomplished via the integrated fiber-optic bulkheads when using the optional Mini Flash Trigger for Sony (26302).  Electronic triggering is also available via an optional Nikonos or Ikelite Style Bulkhead.

What's In The Box:

• NA-α1II Housing
• 90120 Spare Main O-ring, o-ring remover, and lubricant
• CR-2032 Battery (for Moisture Alarm)
• Set of Allen Keys
• Instruction Manual Card
• 2x Optical Bulkhead Caps
• 2x Handles with Mounting Balls 
• Padded Housing bag and shoulder strap 

Recommended Accessories:

• 25624 M14 Vacuum Valve II (Pushbutton Release)
• 26302 Mini flash trigger for Sony
• 25218 Mounting Ball Set for tripod
• 28130 Hand Strap for 18223
• 32203 45 viewfinder (slightly vignettes)
• 32211 Nauticam Full Frame Straight Viewfinder 32 / 1:1
• 32212 Nauticam Full Frame Straight Viewfinder 40 / 0.8:1
• 32213 Nauticam Full Frame Angle Viewfinder 32 / 1:1
• 32214 Nauticam Full Frame Angle Viewfinder 40 / 0.8:1 *32212 / 32214 is preferred
• 26325 USB-C Bulkhead with USB-C Connector
• 26326 M24-M16 Adaptor for use with 26325
• 25413 27cm lanyard with 2 snap hooks

HDMI Output:

Required accessories for HDMI 2.0 Cable System

• 25086 M24 Adaptor for HDMI 2.0 Cable (incl. tightening tool)
• 25099 M24A2R20-M28A1R170 HDMI 2.0 Cable

Compatible Monitor Options:

• 17922 Nauticam Atomos Ninja V Housing for Atomos Ninja V 5'' 4kp60 4:2:2 10-bit recorder/monitor/player (excl. HDMI 2.0 Cable
• 17922S Nauticam Atomos Ninja V-S Housing for Atomos Ninja V 5'' 4kp60 4:2:2 10-bit recorder/monitor/player (excl. HDMI 2.0 Cable) with AtomX SDI Module

Required accessories for HDMI 1.4 Cable System:

• 26326 M24-M16 Adaptor
• 25100 HDMI )D-A) 1.4 Cable in 200mm length (for connection from HDMI bulkhead to camera)
• 25033 standard HDMI bulkhead with M16 thread (incl in 17923 Shinobi-H housing)

Compatible Monitor Options:

• 17923 NA-Shinobi-H Housing for Atomos Shinobi 5.2'' 4k HDMI Monitor with HDMI 1.4 input.
• 17922 Nauticam Atomos Ninja V Housing for Atomos Ninja V 5'' 4kp60 4:2:2 10-bit recorder/monitor/player (excl. HDMI 2.0 Cable
• 25082 HDMI 1.4 Canle for Ninja V housing in 0.75m length (for connection for Ninja V housing to bulkhead) *25082 v1.4 cable is required for use with 17922 monitor housing. 

Technical Specifications

• Dimensions: 347mm(W) x 171mm(H) x 127mm(D)
• Weight in Air: 2.65kg
• Buoyancy in Water: 0.48kg (incl. camera & battery)

Model Number: 17438
USA Retail Price: $4,920.00

More information is available from Nauticam at: www.nauticam.com