Photo / Video News & Reviews
S.U.P.E.R. Part 17: The LenzO iPhone Housing
In our ongoing series S.U.P.E.R. (Scubaverse’s Underwater Photography Equipment Reviews), Scubaverse.com’s underwater photography editors Nick and Caroline Robertson Brown review new underwater photography equipment, general diving equipment, and some older favourites too.
For the seventeenth instalment of S.U.P.E.R., Nick and Caroline take a look at the LenzO iPhone Housing from Valstech.
Whilst we were reporting for Scubaverse at DEMA late in 2016, we got the chance to meet the Valstech team, including Anthony Lenzo, who is the driving force behind this clever new iPhone housing. He offered us the chance to take away one of these great looking iPhone housings to try for ourselves, and so we took it along on our most recent diving trips.
Whilst you will normally see us with our DSLR cameras, having the ability to jump in the water with our iPhone 6s protected was very attractive. Caroline loves all things social media and so was drawn to the idea that she could post images & video onto Facebook, Twitter and Instagram straight from the dive. On our recent trip to Sharm el Sheikh, this was the case, as the dive boat, Camel Tribe, had wi-fi available. So within minutes of coming up from a dive, she had video and images posted to show the wonderful reef we had just dived.
www.facebook.com/FrogfishPhotography/videos
The LenzO housing claims to be the most advanced and safest housing for the iPhone on the market. It is certainly robust, with really good locking mechanisms for the back door and dome port, which give the user great feedback and confidence that all is securely locked down. Caroline was, at first, nervous about taking her beloved iPhone under the water, but the more we used this housing, the more confident we got. The iPhone – in our case the iPhone 6s – fits into the housing snuggly, with the retaining system holding it securely in place. We found there was also enough room to fit a sachet of Leak Insure behind the camera (just for a little added peace of mind). The housing comes in Yellow, Black and Blue, with the special edition blue version supporting the Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Futures Society.
What most impressed us was that there was no need to install any special Apps to use the iPhone in this housing. The controls mean that you can access all the camera features, including the ability to swipe between modes, so that you can shoot video, panoramas, time-lapse etc. Impressively, the dual controls also mean that you can use the screen swipe zoom function whilst the camera is in the housing, as well as access the brightness, flash and other functions. All you have to do is make sure your iPhone is unlocked before putting it in the housing. Another great feature included in the LenzO housing is the colour correction filters. Using a simple lever, you can have no filter, shallow water and deeper water red filters to help bring the natural colours back into your photos and video.
The housing looks and feels like a high quality product, unlike many of its competitors. It is depth rated to 100m, and it comes with an optically correct dome lens that gives a true images all the way to the edges. This also give the user the perfect opportunity to share dive “selfies” online before the boat has even got back to port! The dome lens also comes with a hard plastic cover to keep it safe when you are not using it. You can add a tray and lighting, or use it on a tripod.
Given that you are using the iPhone standard photo package to take your shots, you do not need to learn any new software and so is it completely natural and easy to use whilst you are underwater. With a retail price of only $295 this is an accessory that we can see many people opting for. It is great to be able to jump into the water and just grab this compact, lightweight and easy to use housing to be able to take great images and video. It will certainly be included in our camera bag on every trip we do from now on.
Great for tech divers on long deco stops, too
As an aside, a tech-diver friend messaged me on Facebook while we were writing this review. He asked if I would try and use the iBooks app whilst the iPhone was in the Lenzo housing. I moved the iBooks icon to the bottom row, opened a book, and then popped the phone in the housing. I let the phone go into standby. I found that you can wake up the phone and continue reading the book where I left off. Swiping to turn a page is no problem at all for the controls on the Lenzo. When I reported back, our friend said he was off to buy one straight away. Why? So that he can read a book whilst on a 1 hour deco stop. So whilst this housing was designed to work with the photo app, and that is what we tested it for, it seems to have other very useful applications for all types of diver.
Here’s a video of Anthony Lenzo talking to Scubaverse about the housing at DEMA 2016:
…and just in case you missed it earlier this week, here’s Jeff Goodman’s video review of the LenzO:
For more details visit www.valstech.com.
For more from Nick and Caroline, visit www.frogfishphotography.com.
An emotive photograph showing a freediver examining the aftermath of whaling sees
Alex Dawson from Sweden named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. Dawson’s
photograph ‘Whale Bones’ triumphed over 6500 underwater pictures entered by underwater
photographers from around the world.
“Whale Bones was photographed in the toughest conditions,” explains chair of judging
panel Alex Mustard, “as a breath-hold diver descends below the Greenland ice sheet to bear
witness to the carcasses. The composition invites us to consider our impact on the great
creatures of this planet. Since the rise of humans, wild animals have declined by 85%. Today,
just 4% of mammals are wildlife, the remaining 96% are humans and our livestock. Our way
needs to change to find a balance with nature.”
Photo: Rafael
Fernandez Caballero
Whales dominated the winning pictures this year with Spanish photographer Rafael
Fernandez Caballero winning two categories with his revealing photos of these ocean giants:
a close up of a grey whale’s eye and an action shot of a Bryde’s whale engulfing an entire bait
ball, both taken in Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Fernandez Caballero took ‘Grey
Whale Connection’ while drifting in a small boat, holding his camera over the side in the water
to photograph the curious whale. ‘The End Of A Baitball’ required Fernandez Caballero to dive
down and be in exactly the right place at the moment the whale lunged. “The photo shows
the high speed attack,” he said, “with the whale engulfing hundreds of kilograms of sardines
in one bite — simply unforgettable to see predation on such a scale.”
Photo: Rafael
Fernandez Caballero
Lisa Stengel from the United States was named Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image of a mahi-mahi catching a sardine, in Mexico. Stengel used both a very fast shutter speed and her hearing to catch the moment. “If you listen there’s an enormous amount of sound in the ocean,” she explained. “The action was too fast to see, so I honed in on the sound of the attacks with my camera to capture this special moment.”
“It is such an exciting time in underwater photography because photographers are capturing such amazing new images, by visiting new locations and using the latest cameras,”
commented judge Alex Mustard. “Until this year I’d hardly ever see a photo of a mahi mahi,
now Lisa has photographed one hunting, action that plays out in the blink of an eye.”
The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and Jenny Stock,
was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 for her image “Star
Attraction”, which finds beauty in species of British wildlife that are often overlooked.
Exploring the west coast of Scotland, Stock explained “in the dark green depths my torch
picked out the vivid colours of a living carpet of thousands of brittle stars, each with a
different pattern. I was happily snapping away, when I spotted this purple sea urchin and I
got really excited.”
Photo: Jenny Stock
In the same contest, Portuguese photographer, Nuno Sá, was named ‘Save Our Seas
Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2024, with his photo ‘Saving
Goliath’, taken in Portugal. Sá’s photo shows beachgoers trying to save a stranded sperm
whale. The picture gives us hope that people do care and want to help the oceans, but also
warns us that bigger changes are needed. “The whale had been struck by a ship and its fate
was sealed,” explains Sá. “An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year, and many more
injured, after being struck by ships-and few people even realise that it happens.”
Photo: Nuno Sá
More winning images can be found at www.underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com.
About Underwater Photographer of the Year
Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, and attracts entries from all around the world. The contest has 13 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. The winners were announced in an award ceremony in Mayfair, London, hosted by The Crown Estate. This year’s UPY judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Dr Alexander Mustard MBE.
Header image: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 winner Alex Dawson
The winners of the prestigious World Shootout 2023 underwater photography competition were announced at this year’s BOOT Show, captivating audiences at the world’s largest diving and water sports exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany. Hundreds of photographers from 54 countries competed across nine categories, pushing the boundaries of creativity and technical skill.
Grand Prize Winners
- Picture of the Year: Spanish photographer Eduardo Acevedo “secured” the top Honor with the prestigious prize the “boot Dusseldorf Director’s Prize, earning an Andromeda statuette and a €2,000 cash prize.
- Best 5 Images Portfolio: Luc Rooman from Belgium triumphed in this category, winning a dream 4-week diving trip for two to Papua New Guinea, valued at $18,900.
- Amateur Photographer: Alexandra Ceurvorst from the USA impressed the judges with her talent, taking home the 1,000 € cash prize award.
Celebrating Diversity and Innovation
This year’s competition saw 11,680 entries from 964 photographers, showcasing a remarkable spectrum of skills and perspectives. From the intricate wonders of Macro photography to the beauty of “Black Water”, the “Underwater Fashion” category added a touch of artistry and innovation, while the ever-important ” Environmental & Conservation” category served as a powerful reminder of the need to protect these fragile ecosystems.
Looking Ahead: AI and Ocean Conservation
World Shootout founder and producer David Pilosof unveiled an exciting addition for the 2024 competition: this year the Environmental category will be focusing on the impact of plastic on our oceans and future.
This category will embrace the potential of AI or other editing software as a tool to amplify the conservation message.
Entrants will submit campaigns of three original underwater photographs dealing with plastic pollution, along with their final AI assistance processing. This innovative approach encourages artistic expression while raising awareness about a critical environmental issue.
Explore the Stunning Collection
Discover the complete album of competition entries by clicking here.
For Low-resolution photos of finalist entries in eight categories, click here.
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