Nexus (Anthis)

Type: Housing manufacturer
Founded: 1991 (Japan)
Parent company: ANTHIS Co., Ltd. (founded by Toshikazu Kozawa)
President (2008): Furusawa (^[1] — community)
Key products: Compact machined aluminum underwater DSLR housings, glass dome ports, lens-specific port systems
Distribution (US): Marine Camera Distributors (Lee Peterson, primary); Nexus America (Woody Mayhew); Reef Photo (Ryan Canon, importer); Marine Visions (Joe Holley)
Distribution (Asia): AnthisNexus (Taiwan); DiverVision
Website: anthis.co.jp (Japan), usanexus.com (USA)
Port mount systems: M5 (legacy, through ~2008), M6 (newer housings from ~2009), with M6-to-M5 adapter available

Overview

Nexus housings are produced by ANTHIS Co., Ltd., a Japanese company founded by Toshikazu Kozawa in 1991. All housings are marketed under the NEXUS brand name. The company built its reputation on supremely compact housings machined from a specially formulated marine-grade aluminum casting that resists corrosion in salt water, with precision control mechanisms and meticulous engineering (^[2] — editorial).

Nexus housings are famously the housing of choice for David Doubilet and other distinguished professional underwater photographers. Their compact size relative to the cameras they house made them a benchmark for portability. The Nexus D100 housing was described as “incredibly small and lightweight” when compared to competitors like the Sea & Sea DX100 (^[3] — editorial). Ken Knezick, reviewing the D2X housing, noted that “once buckled into the Nexus housing, the D2x system seems compact and efficient” and “only minutely negatively buoyant, weighing but a few ounces” (^[4] — editorial).

However, the company was notably enigmatic in its business practices. As Eric Cheng observed at DEMA 2008: “NEXUS is sort of a mystery to many of us. It’s pretty clear that they would be able to sell many more housings than they actually produce, but there doesn’t seem to be any effort to ramp up production” (^[5] — editorial). Community members also noted the difficulty of finding comprehensive product information and documentation in English, with one user lamenting that “Nexus housings are really great but information so that users can make informed purchases is horrible” (^[6] — community).

Design Philosophy

Nexus housings were distinguished by several signature design features:

• Compact form factor: Nexus consistently produced the smallest aluminum housings available for a given camera body. The Nexus D70 housing measured just 5” x 6.75” x 12.5” with handles and weighed 4 lbs 7 oz dry (^[7] — editorial). The Canon 1Ds Mk II housing weighed only 6 lbs dry, or 9.25 lbs with camera and battery (^[8] — editorial).

• Lens-specific dome ports: Rather than using oversized dome ports, Nexus designed small glass dome ports matched to specific lenses. The 4.75” diameter coated glass dome for the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye was described as keeping “the camera housing manageable underwater and very small for travel” (^[9] — editorial). The FP120-7 dome for the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye was “only 4 inches in diameter” and described as “the smallest dome in the world for this lens” (^[10] — editorial).

• Screw-in port mount system: Nexus used a positive threaded port closure rather than bayonet mounts, which they considered “the most secure and rigid mounting for lens ports” (^[11] — editorial). The port mount sizes evolved from M5 (used on the Master, D100, D70, and early D200) to M6 (from ~2009 onward), with adapters available for backward compatibility (^[12] — community).

• Adjustable ergonomics: Handles were contoured and adjustable inward or outward to fit bare hands or gloved hands. Handle tops featured threaded holes for strobe arm mounting at any desired angle (^[13] — editorial).

• Dual sync and spare ports: All housings came standard with dual Nikonos-type sync sockets and two spare pass-through ports for remote shutter release, external battery packs, or video output (^[14] — editorial).

• Corrosion-resistant aluminum: The housings used a “special formulated aluminum casting” that resisted corrosion in salt water, depth rated to 250 feet (^[15] — editorial).

Ergonomics Criticism

Despite the excellence of their build quality and compactness, Nexus housings received recurring criticism for ergonomic shortcomings, particularly on Canon bodies. Eric Cheng noted at DEMA 2006 that the 5D housing had “no convenient access to the rear dial, and the * button is hard to reach when hands are grasping handles” (^[16] — editorial). At DEMA 2007, he was more pointed: “the ergonomics for the Canon housings were not very good. While many other manufacturers have figured out how to get both dials underneath one’s fingertips, the Nexus housings for Canon all required large hand movements to get to one dial” (^[17] — editorial). He added: “If your housing doesn’t offer convenient access to all necessary controls, it had better offer something else enticing — like ridiculously low prices.”

Craig Jones concurred: “Nexus needs to figure out how to do the rear dial on a Canon. They do it better on other bodies” (^[18] — community). Community users also noted the lack of AF mode switch access on the D200 housing (^[19] — community; ^[20] — community).

On the Nikon side, the D2X housing’s focus lock button was positioned so that it could not be reached “while operating the shutter” from shooting position, though Ken Knezick noted the camera’s excellent autofocus made this “not a major drawback” (^[21] — editorial).

US Distribution Network

Nexus products reached US customers through a multi-layered distribution network centered on Marine Camera Distributors (MCD) in San Diego, which served as the primary US distributor and Wetpixel sponsor:

• Marine Camera Distributors (MCD): Run by Lee Peterson and Tom Harman, MCD was the longest-standing US Nexus dealer and consistently provided product photos and announcements to Wetpixel (^[22] — editorial; ^[23] — editorial).

• Nexus America: Operated by Woody Mayhew, who ran the usanexus.com website and was himself an accomplished underwater photographer. He was a Nikon shooter who used Nexus D2X gear and won the Wildlife Category of the NatureScapes.net 2007 Images of the Year awards (^[24] — editorial). Community members noted Woody was “very knowledgeable” (^[25] — community).

• Reef Photo: Ryan Canon imported Nexus housings directly, which created some tension with the official Nexus USA organization, resulting in a “grey market alert” posted on the Nexus USA website (^[26] — community). Community members defended the practice, noting Ryan’s excellent service.

• Marine Visions: Joe Holley represented Nexus at trade shows alongside Lee Peterson (^[27] — editorial).

Product Timeline

Pre-Digital Era

• 1991: ANTHIS Co., Ltd. founded by Toshikazu Kozawa in Japan
• Pre-2000: Nexus produced housings for Nikon film SLRs including the F90 (Nexus Master) and F5 (^[28] — community)

Nikon D1 Era (2000)

• 2000-01: Nexus planned a Nikon D1 housing upon completion of their F5 housing, mentioned at DEMA 2000 in Las Vegas (^[29] — editorial)

Nikon D100 Era (2002-2003)

• 2002-07: Nexus D100 housing displayed at DEMA 2002 at the MCD booth. Described as strikingly lightweight (^[30] — editorial)
• 2003-01: MCD sold out of their first batch of Nexus D100 housings (^[31] — editorial)
• 2003-05: Woody Mayhew of Nexus America displayed Nexus D100 housings at Seaspace 2003 in Houston (^[32] — editorial)
• 2003-06: Craig Jones published a detailed comparison of the Nexus D100 housing against the Sea & Sea DX100, noting it was “incredibly small and lightweight” with good ergonomics, superior magnifying eyepiece, and two bulkhead mounts. The housing offered focus lock control (which the DX100 lacked), indexed function knob, and locking exposure compensation control (^[33] — editorial)
• 2003-06: Craig Jones published a formal review of the Nexus D100 housing (^[34] — editorial)
• 2003-10: Nexus D100 housing with Inon optical converter shown at DEMA 2003, alongside a Nexus strobe/modeling light holder on the port (^[35] — editorial)

Nikon D70 Era (2004)

• 2004-02: Nexus announced the D70 housing with a special dome port for the Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens and another for the Sigma 15mm. The D70 housing was to be introduced in Japan on March 19 and to the US market by end of March. Craig Jones noted the Sigma 15mm dome provided “130+ degrees and very close focus in a very compact package” (^[36] — editorial)
• 2004-04: Prototype photos published showing D70 housing with more controls than the D100, new handle designs, and a new 8mm thick glass multi-coated dome port just under 8” in diameter. Expected ship date: mid-May (^[37] — editorial; ^[38] — editorial)
• 2004-05: First production D70 housings delivered, shown at the Long Beach Show. Full specifications published: 4 more controls than the D100, dry weight 4 lbs 7 oz, suggested price $2,552 (^[39] — editorial; ^[40] — editorial)
• 2004-10: Nexus D70 housings displayed at DEMA 2004 in Houston via MCD booth, alongside Epoque and Hugyfot products (^[41] — editorial)

Professional Bodies Era (2005-2006)

• 2005-01: Pre-production photos of Nexus D2X housing published, with availability expected late March (^[42] — editorial)
• 2005-02: D2X housing announced in two port-size flavors: one with “Master” port size and one with F4 housing port size, providing upgrade paths for existing Nexus owners. Rumors of a Canon 1Ds Mk II housing also surfaced (^[43] — editorial)
• 2005-03: Nexus and Seacam “noticeably absent” from Beneath the Sea 2005 show (^[44] — editorial)
• 2005-05: D2X housings reached US dealers. Specifications: 6 lbs dry (9 lbs with camera), 12.75” wide with handles x 9” high x 5.25” deep, 5 stainless latches, optical finder, depth rated 250 feet. Complete access to all camera controls including on/off, mode, exposure compensation, bracket, flash, lock, preview, ISO, quality, white balance, metering pattern, shutter release, aperture/shutter speed, focus mode, and servo control (^[45] — editorial)
• 2005-10: Prototype Canon EOS-1Ds Mk II housing shown with an optional angled magnifying viewfinder (wet-mount bayonet type, addable/removable underwater). Nexus also designing a Canon EOS 5D housing (^[46] — editorial)
• 2005-10: Ken Knezick published an extensive review of the D2X in a Nexus housing after 10 days at Wakatobi Resort, praising the compact form, well-balanced grips, smooth controls, and large viewfinder. Shot all in manual mode with excellent results (^[47] — editorial)
• 2006-01: Patima housing for Canon 350D noted as using the “100mm screw method (same as Nexus port)” — evidence of Nexus influencing port standards (^[48] — editorial)
• 2006-04: Nexus D200 housing announced. Manufacturer described it as “the lightest and most compact of any underwater housing for the Nikon D200 digital SLR camera.” Featured solid hot shoe mount with external port for focusing light control, stainless rocker/dial/push controls, and new removable viewfinder optics (^[49] — editorial)
• 2006-04: Canon 1D/1Ds Mk II housing photos published. Eric Cheng noted the compact size and light weight but questioned the ergonomic placement of rear dial and * button for Canon bodies (^[50] — editorial)
• 2006-09: Fiber optic sync ports with TTL announced for the Nikon D80, D200, and Canon 5D, utilizing the cameras’ built-in pop-up flash to trigger external strobes via fiber optic cable. Also announced the INON 45-degree viewfinder as a special order option, custom-fitted for D200, D2X, D80, Canon 5D, and 1Ds Mark II housings (^[51] — editorial)
• 2006-10: Nexus D80 housing previewed. Same size as the D70 housing, dual sync ports, all D80 controls accessible. Priced at $2,795 or $3,695 with optional 45-degree viewfinder (^[52] — editorial)
• 2006-11: At DEMA 2006, Lee Peterson and Tom Harman showed the D80 prototype (with one fiber optic and one wired bulkhead), plus housings for Canon 5D, Canon 1D/1Ds Mk II, Nikon D70s, D200, and D2X. INON angled viewfinder demonstrated on D200 housing (^[53] — editorial)

Canon 1D Mark III and Expansion Era (2007-2008)

• 2007-02: 4.75” coated glass dome port for Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom lens announced, continuing the lens-specific port philosophy (^[54] — editorial)
• 2007-07: Nexus, Seacam, and Subal announced support for the Canon EOS-1D Mark III (^[55] — editorial)
• 2007-09: Community member Sam Chae demonstrated the Nikon D300 fitting into a Nexus D200 housing (^[56] — editorial)
• 2007-11: At DEMA 2007, Nexus USA (booth #1373) showed housings for Fuji S5 Pro, Canon 1D Mk III, Olympus E-3 (prototype), Canon 30D (40D expected similar), Canon Digital Rebel XTi, plus existing Nikon lineup. Also showed new multiport for Canon 16-35mm lens with zoom capability (^[57] — editorial)
• 2008-02: Woody Mayhew of Nexus America won the Wildlife Category of NatureScapes.net 2007 Images of the Year with a shot of Periclimenes tosaensis shrimp, taken with a Nikon D2X in a Nexus housing (^[58] — editorial)
• 2008-03: At the PIE trade show in Tokyo, Anthis president Furusawa displayed housings for Canon 1Ds Mk III, Canon 40D, Nikon D3, Nikon D300, and Nikon D60 (all prototypes), plus the Olympus E-3. INON Straight Viewfinder adoption announced, with Anthis also developing an in-house straight viewfinder (^[59] — community)
• 2008-08: Sam Chae took his Nikon D700 underwater in a Nexus D200 housing, posting wide-angle and macro samples from Anilao, Philippines. The 16mm lens samples were “impressively sharp in the corners,” demonstrating the housing’s backward compatibility (^[60] — editorial)
• 2008-10: At DEMA 2008, Nexus USA had a booth (#3045) but no one was present to man it. Joe Holley of Marine Visions set up a cardboard display to represent the company (^[61] — editorial)

Port System Change and Later Products (2009-2014)

• ~2009: Nexus transitioned from M5 to M6 port mount size on newer housings (D90, D300, 5D Mk II), offering an M6-to-M5 adapter ring for backward compatibility with existing port systems. This caused some confusion and at least one flood incident involving incompatible dome port/adapter combinations (^[62] — community; ^[63] — community)
• 2009: Nexus D90 housing released with M6 port mount. Nexus D300 housing also shipped with M6 mount and included an M6-to-M5 adapter ring (^[64] — community; ^[65] — community)
• 2009: White Nexus D700 housing “Special Edition” produced (^[66] — community)
• 2012: Nexus D7000 housing available, with a conversion kit also offered to configure D90 housings for the D7000 (^[67] — community)
• 2014-09: Nexus took pre-orders for a D810 housing, announced alongside Subal and Seacam D810 housings (^[68] — editorial)

Notable Users

• David Doubilet: Legendary National Geographic underwater photographer, famously used Nexus housings
• Ken Knezick: Island Dreams Travel operator, wrote extensive Nexus D2X review for Wetpixel (^[69] — editorial)
• Craig Jones: Wetpixel moderator and early Nexus D100 adopter/reviewer, also used Sigma 15mm dome (^[70] — editorial)
• Woody Mayhew: Nexus America operator, underwater photographer since 1977, award-winning shooter (^[71] — editorial)
• Sam Chae (shchae): Prolific Wetpixel member and long-time Nexus user, demonstrated D300 and D700 compatibility with D200 housing (^[72] — editorial; ^[73] — editorial)
• K. Saroj Chutharatkul (nat): Long-time Nexus user since 1996 (from the Nexus F90 through the Master, D70, D200, and 5D Mk II), based in Thailand (^[74] — community)
• Phil Rudin: Used Nexus E-3 housing, active forum contributor on Nexus topics (^[75] — community)

Community Discussion

Nexus housings generated extensive forum discussion on Wetpixel, with over 90 threads specifically about Nexus products. Key community themes included:

• Size comparisons: Nexus was frequently compared to Nauticam as one of the most compact DSLR housing options (^[76] — community)
• Port compatibility: The M5/M6 transition generated significant discussion about adapter compatibility and port system planning (^[77] — community; ^[78] — community)
• Housing comparisons: Community frequently debated Nexus vs. Aquatica, Subal, and Sea & Sea for various Nikon bodies (^[79] — community; ^[80] — community; ^[81] — community)
• TTL and strobe integration: Discussions about optical TTL via fiber optic cables, INON strobe compatibility, and the transition from wired to optical sync (^[82] — community)
• Support challenges: Users noted the difficulty of finding documentation and the limited after-sales infrastructure outside Japan (^[83] — community)

Trade Show Presence

Nexus maintained a consistent presence at major dive industry shows, primarily through their US distributors:

Legacy

Nexus occupied a distinctive niche in the underwater housing market: the boutique manufacturer that prioritized compactness and build quality over volume production or ergonomic refinement. Their approach — lens-specific glass dome ports, screw-mount port systems, and supremely small housings — influenced the industry, with competitors like Patima adopting the “100mm screw method (same as Nexus port)” for their own designs (^[93] — editorial). The rise of Nauticam in the late 2000s, which combined compact form factors with superior ergonomics and aggressive production volume, eventually displaced Nexus as the preferred housing for photographers who valued small size. By 2014, Nexus was still producing housings (taking D810 pre-orders) but had become an increasingly niche player in a market dominated by Nauticam’s rapid product cycles.

References