Seacam
Type: Housing manufacturer Founded: 1989 (Voitsberg, Austria) Key products: Machined aluminum underwater housings, Systemflash strobe housings, S45/S180 viewfinders
Overview
Seacam was founded by Harald Hordosch in Voitsberg, southern Austria. Hordosch received his diving license in 1972 and began housing cameras, eventually deciding he could improve on the European housings then available from Hugyfot and Subal. The first housing series was for the Yashica AF camera.
Seacam is a family-owned company with 100% European production, known for extremely high build quality and elegant design. Distinctive features include their “Seacam Silver” finish, black-flocked interior material (which absorbs water intrusion and reduces internal reflections), integrated moisture alarms, and the innovative S45 and S180 viewfinder systems.
Seacam was a key brand in the early digital era, with Stephen Frink’s 2002 field journal of the Seacam Nikon D1X housing being one of the landmark early articles on Wetpixel. The US dealer was Stephen Frink Photographic in Key Largo, Florida.
Product timeline
- 1989: Founded by Harald Hordosch in Voitsberg, Austria
- Late 1990s: Housings for Nikon F5, F100
- 2001-01: Prototype Nikon D1 housing shown at DEMA 2001 in New Orleans ([1])
- 2002-01: First D1X housing arrives in US; Stephen Frink handles US distribution via Stephen Frink Photographic ([2])
- 2002-03: Stephen Frink publishes Seacam D1X field journal on Wetpixel ([3])
- 2002: Shown at DEMA 2002 ([4])
- 2003: Premium housings for Canon 1D, Canon 1Ds, Nikon D100, and Fuji S2 Pro with S-180/S-45 viewfinders; US sales through Stephen Frink ([5])
- 2004-01: Eloxal Silver coating; Canon 1D/1Ds and Nikon D100 housings; Fuji S2 Pro housing ([6], [7])
- 2004: Canon 1D Mk II and Canon 1Ds Mk II housings; Nikon D70 housing; working on D2X housing ([8], [9])
- 2004-11: Shown at Antibes Festival 2004 ([10])
- 2005: Nikon D2X housing reviewed; field report published ([11], [12])
- 2005-11: Seaflash 250 digital strobe introduced at Antibes Festival ([13])
- 2005-11: Wet diopter lenses announced ([14])
References
- Seacam History
- [15] — editorial, primary source
- [16] — editorial
- [17] — editorial
- [18] — editorial
- [19] — editorial
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Jan 14, 2001: Dema 2001 Gallery ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 22, 2002: Seacam D1x Field Journal By Stephen Frink ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 22, 2002: Seacam D1x Field Journal By Stephen Frink ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 22, 2002: Dema 2002 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2003: Dema 2003 Show Coverage1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 11, 2004: Seacam Fuji S2 Pro Housing Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 10, 2004: Seacam D100 Housing Field Journal ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 22, 2004: Canon 1ds Mk Ii 167 Megapixels ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 15, 2004: Dema Show 2004 Report ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 1, 2004: Antibes Festival 2004 Report1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 17, 2005: Seacam D2x Spotted In The Forums ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 20, 2005: Seacam Nikon D2x Housing Field Report And Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 2, 2005: Seacams Seaflash 250 Digital Strobe ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 3, 2005: Seacam Wet Diopter ↩
- Seacam D1X Field Journal (article) ↩
- DEMA 2001 Gallery (article) ↩
- DEMA 2004 report (article) ↩
- Seacam D2X review (article) ↩
- Seaflash 250 (article) ↩