Having acquired the Seafrog underwater housing designed for Canon R series cameras, I was excited to try it and see if those more affordable housing can compete with the more expensive brands like Nauticam or Ikelite. However, my experience with this housing turned out to be far from what I had hoped for. From its cumbersome design to its lackluster performance, the Seafrog housing left me thoroughly dissatisfied. Instead of saving me money, it turned out to be a costly experience

Review of Build and Design of the Seafrog underwater housing: 2/5

The Seafrog housing’s build quality was less than impressive.  The latch system for opening and closing the housing was finicky and time-consuming The tray to attach the strobes is above the opening fixation. So to open the housing and change your batteries, you need to remove it after each dive which is cumbersome.

The vacuum pump is weirdly designed. After you have pumped the air out, you need to reopen and change the valve on the camera housing so air gets into the housing again and there is always a risk that this valve is not closed properly.

Review of the Buoyancy and Handling: 1/5

The Seafrog housing felt excessively bulky and cumbersome in my hands, making it challenging to handle while trying to focus on capturing images underwater. Its sheer size seemed to work against its purpose, as it hindered my mobility and overall ease of use

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Seafrog housing was its buoyancy. Instead of being neutrally buoyant, the housing exhibited a strong tendency to float, causing me to constantly struggle to keep it submerged. This not only hindered my ability to compose shots but also added unnecessary strain to my dives, ultimately leading to a less enjoyable experience. I initially used the housing with the dome so I thought that if I bought the port extension, it would be less buoyant. I paid another 250 Euros for the port but it still didn’t fix the problem and the housing remained too buoyant. I had to add 2 kilos to the housing to make it usable.

Review of the Built quality: 0/5

From the beginning, I was worried about the built quality. The on/off button didn’t originally work and the Seafrog team had to send me a replacement.

The strobe connection was also defective. I had to buy a strobe trigger for an extra fee. The issue with this strobe trigger is that it has poor battery life. It needs to be recharged between each dive. And as opening the housing the replacing it is cumbersome, it is time-consuming and risky to do if you are on a boat in between dives.

The flood alert also became faulty after a few weeks. It started ringing constantly even if there was no water in the housing. And after a while, it stopped working completely…

Review of the Durability and Water Resistance: 0/5

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of my experience was the housing’s lack of water resistance.

From the beginning, it seemed that the O-rings were too loose. I complained about it to Seafrog and they sent me replacement O-rings that also felt loose. ( note that every time they sent me replacement pieces, I had to pay for shipping and customs fees of about 30 Euros). They guaranteed me that it was normal so I took the housing diving. After only 10 dives, the housing flooded, damaging my camera. The double O-ring seal, which should have ensured watertight integrity, proved ineffective. Seafrog told me to try again with the housing empty to see if it would flood again. I took it for a dive yesterday after taking a lot of time making sure everything was assembled properly and it flooded again!! Fortunately, this time my camera was not in it.

Costly Consequences and Warranty Woes

While the Seafrog housing comes at a more affordable price point compared to well-known brands like Nauticam or Ikelite, my unfortunate experience underscores that cost savings can come at a high price. The housing’s failure resulted in my Canon R camera flooding, an unexpected and unwelcome outcome for a camera that was supposed to be water-resistant. Even more frustrating was the fact that my Canon R was still under warranty, yet Canon declined to honor the warranty due to the camera having been flooded. I was left with no choice but to bear the repair costs of the camera myself, a financial setback that only added to my disappointment.

Seafrog customer service was responsive and they offered to repair my housing if I would ship it back to them. That would have cost me hundreds of dollars in shipping fees and import duties. As I could not trust this housing anymore, I decided not to send it back

In light of my experience, I strongly advise against purchasing a Seafrog underwater housing if you value the well-being of your camera and your investment. While the initial cost might seem appealing, the potential risks and consequences far outweigh any potential benefits. It’s essential to prioritize the safety of your camera equipment, especially when capturing precious memories underwater.