Cameras Strobes and Accessories

This is the hardware that gets a camera underwater and holds it steady. It covers Marelux ports, focus gears, a vacuum valve, a fibre-optic flash trigger and port conversion rings, an AOI housing for the E-PL9 and E-PL10, Divepro lighting, trays, handles, float arms, clamps and ball mounts, and an Ammonite System video set. Fit and port matching are specific to your camera and lens, so check the manufacturer specification and ask us if you are unsure.

DSLR camera with underwater housing resting on a sofa aboard a boat at sea

Expert advice
Talk to divers who use the kit we sell.
Servicing and repairs
Regulators, cylinders, drysuits, BCDs and computer batteries.
Rutland dive centre
A real shop in Oakham, with training and pool sessions.
UK delivery
Posted across the UK. Ask about lead times on special orders.

What this collection holds

This is a rig-building collection more than a camera shop shelf. Most of what is listed here is the hardware that surrounds a camera once it goes in the water: housings and ports, focus gears and vacuum valves, trays, handles, float arms, clamps and ball mounts, and continuous lighting. The brands stocked here are AOI, Ammonite System, Divepro and Marelux. If you are looking for a particular camera body or housing that is not listed, get in touch and ask.

Housings and ports

A housing seals the camera; the port covers the lens. Ports are matched to particular lenses, so a macro port, a wide-angle dome and a fisheye dome are not interchangeable, and a housing from one maker will not normally take another maker's ports without an adapter. The Marelux ports here cover macro, wide-angle and fisheye options, and there are conversion rings for fitting Nauticam and Sea & Sea ports to a Marelux housing.

Getting the housing, port, extension and lens combination right is the part people most often get wrong. Check the manufacturer specification for each piece, and if it is not obvious, ask us before you buy.

Trays, arms and clamps

Ball-and-clamp arm systems are the standard way of holding lights away from a camera, which is what keeps backscatter out of your shots. A tray sits under the housing and carries the handles; arms run from the tray out to each light; clamps join the segments and let you set the angle. Float arms are hollow, so they add buoyancy and take some of the weight of a loaded rig out of your hands.

Ball diameters, clamp sizes and fittings vary between products, so check the individual listing, and bring your rig in if you would like us to check a part fits before you commit to it.

Lighting your shots

The continuous lighting listed here sits alongside our full Video Lights collection, along with diffusers and filters for shaping and softening what comes out of them.

Floods and leak prevention

The most expensive mistake in underwater photography is water getting where it should not. Keep o-rings and their grooves clean and free of hair, sand and grit, service and lubricate them exactly as the housing manufacturer instructs, and close the housing somewhere clean and dry rather than on a wet boat deck.

A vacuum valve lets you pull a partial vacuum before the dive, so a poor seal shows itself on the surface rather than at depth. It is a useful check rather than a substitute for careful preparation.

Care after the dive

Soak the rig in fresh water and work the buttons and dials while it is submerged, so salt does not dry inside them. Let it dry fully before you open the housing, and open it with the port facing down so any drips on the seal do not run onto the camera. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific housing.

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Frequently asked questions

This collection is mostly the hardware that goes around a camera underwater: housings and ports, focus gears and vacuum valves, trays, handles, arms, clamps and ball mounts, continuous lighting, and leak detection. What we hold in housings and bodies changes over time, so if you are after something specific please get in touch and ask.

Usually not without an adapter. Ports use different mounts and different port extensions depending on the housing, and the port also has to suit the specific lens you are putting behind it. We list conversion rings for fitting Nauticam and Sea & Sea ports to a Marelux housing. Beyond that, check the manufacturer specification for your housing, port and lens combination, and ask us if it is not clear.

It depends on how heavy your rig is and how far out you want to push the lights. Float arms are hollow, so they add buoyancy and help offset the weight of a housing and lights in the water. Sizes, ball diameters and fittings vary between products, so check the individual listing, and bring your rig in if you want us to check it fits.

Care with the seals is most of it. Keep o-rings and their grooves clean and free of hair, sand and grit, service and lubricate them exactly as the housing manufacturer instructs, and close the housing somewhere clean and dry. A vacuum valve lets you pull a partial vacuum before the dive so a poor seal shows up on the surface rather than at depth, and moisture-absorbing strips inside the housing can soak up small ingress. None of these replace careful preparation.