Aquatica AGH4: 33000

The Aquatica AGH4 housing is built with quality materials and craftsmanship, it is designed and machined with the Panasonic LUMIX DMC GH4 in mind from the onset. Taking full advantage of this camera extraordinary video capability was a top priority for our design team. All of the vital controls that require to be operated while shooting have been conveniently located so as not to restrict your creative flow. This housing is manufactured and carefully studied to insure that the controls are not only accessible, but also comfortable to use in all kinds of diving conditions.

Aquatica fully understands the requirements involved for shooting high quality video, with the acquisition of Amphibico, the legendary video housing manufacturer, came a wealth of expertise in the field of video capture, it is this knowledge, coupled with over 30 years of manufacturing housings ourselves, that is now distilled into this AGH4 housing. By natural necessity, a housing needs a sound, practical and ergonomic design for video, fiddling around to access controls can easily ruin your important sequence. You need intuitive and precise access these controls, so you can keep your eyes on the monitor and, importantly, the housing needs to be a well-balanced and stable setup, the Aquatica AGH4 delivers on all aspects.

On previous camera models, some form of video mode was offered, while it was genuinely considered an interesting feature to be had, it definitely lacked the awesome performance that the Panasonic DMC-GH4 now brings forth. It was therefore evident that this level of video excellence needed to be taken into account when designing this housing.

Even though the latch used on the GH4 is small and compact, we located it on the left hand side of the housing, allowing more room on the right hand side to position all of the controls, right where you want and need them. Especially the vital front dial/aperture control knob, which is located just below the extended shutter release lever, and in perfect reach of your right hand.

This view of the right hand side clearly demonstrate that, while being a compact housing, the controls do remain accessible, even when wearing thick cold water gloves. The shutter release, video record lever, aperture and shutter knobs, programmable AE/AF LOCK lever are all reachable with your right hand comfortably resting on the grip.

ISO Control:
ISO is a key control for video exposure, and our engineering team has put its access lever exactly at the right location, essentially putting it under your right thumb, this lever being at right place means you have quick access to this control, without removing your hand from the grip.

On the left side, right above and forward of the non-obstructive latch, one will find the zoom/focus control knob, it’s position allows it to be rotated with the tips of your fingers, it is setup with a silky smooth gearing ratio that will ensure a smooth transition when zooming or manually focusing a lens.

In order to contribute to the fluidity and stability required for shooting such high quality video as this camera is capable of delivering, we put all of our knowledge, experience and creativity in this AGH4 housing.

Comprehensive port system:
The AGH4 housing uses the already established 4/3 Micro series of ports and accessories; Aquatica is renowned for the quality of its optics and this is no exception to the rule, every lens supported by Aquatica is evaluated on an optical bench, and from the data gathered, we can determine the best port to use and, if required, the extension ring length that will match the optical center of the dome to that of the lens. This all important step is necessary if one wants to extract the maximum optical performance possible from a lens and port combination.

The 4/3 Micro series ports includes the dedicated 4”/100mm Fisheye dome port, the SW8 super wide angle dome port and three flat ports for macro lenses, along with port extensions, the port system will support all desirable Micro 4/3 lenses for underwater photography.

The system is further expanded with the addition of the upcoming 4/3 Micro series to DSLR port adapter. In essence, a step up adapter that will allow our regular DSLR ports to be mounted on the Aquatica 4/3 Micro series housings. Thus offering the Aquatica AGH4 the largest and finest selection of underwater ports in the industry. This port adapter also help integrate the 4/3 Micro series housing to existing DSLR system by sharing the existing ports

Viewfinder options:
The AE-M1 housing comes with our standard state of the art Galileo optic viewfinder. Our Aqua View 180 or Aqua View 45 finders can be installed, without any specialized tools, in a matter of minutes.  Both of these are recognized as the best in the industry. These finder enhance your viewing experience, providing you with a clear sharp image of your camera finder that will be easier to critically focus and compose.

Camera protection:
Given the harsh environment associated with underwater photography, impeccable protection of your sophisticated camera equipment become paramount, multiple steps have been taken by Aquatica to address this. Every AGH4 housing is assembled and adjusted by hand, once completed, it undergoes a series of functional testing, the final step being the hydrostatic test, perform in a pressure tank filled with water and compressed to a 300ft/90m equivalent, only after going through this exhaustive series of test will the housing be signed off to be delivered.

Fully aware that real life is not a controlled environment, we recently introduced the SURVEYOR moisture and vacuum sensor alarm, which comes as standard equipment on the AGH4 housing. The moisture detection feature remain on constant duty to inform you, by way of audible an visual signals, of any possible water entry, no matter how minute this one would be.

The SURVEYOR circuit integrates a vacuum sensor, if one wish to take full advantage of this vacuum pressure option, then the simple addition of the accessory vacuum pump and pressure valve (19228) to the housing is all that is needed. This option is also available as a preinstalled kit, which would tested at the factory by our own technicians prior to shipping or it can be purchased later and installed easily by the user.

The Amphibico latch:
This straightforward push, rotate and locking latch has been used on over 10,000 Amphibico and Aquatica housing for decades now, it is simply the best in the industry.

The Aquatica hand grips:
Handling the housing is done via a pair of the most comfortable hand grips in the industry, they are sturdy yet very lightweight, and offer mounting points that will handle the lighting system of your choice without the need for obstructive reinforcement brackets or supports. These grips are removable in less than a minutes with the supplied hexagonal wrench, making the storage footprint space minimal.

Housing construction:
Like all current Aquatica housing currently made, the shell is milled from a solid block of 6061 T6 aeronautical grade aluminum, black anodized to a military specification and then, for further protection, a resistant polyester electrostatic powder coating is applied and baked on. This process ensures that your investment will last you a life time.

Push buttons pins and control shafts are machined out of the finest grade of stainless steel, every component used in an Aquatica housing undergoes a series of stringent quality controls insuring that they respect our strict tolerance.