As smartphone cameras continue to improve, a growing number of people are using their phones in places that they'd ordinarily use stand-alone cameras. That's where the Nautismart Pro comes in, as it reportedly allows almost any phone to take photos underwater.
First of all, we have seen underwater smartphone housings before, although they've tended to be for specific makes and models of phones. Once the user upgrades to a different phone, the housing is essentially useless to them.
The Italian-made Nautismart, however, is claimed to accommodate "nearly all" iOS and Android smartphones.
Users start by placing their phone in a bracket between the housing's two hinged polycarbonate sides. They then close those sides together and lock them, thus forming a watertight seal, and sandwiching the phone inside. The phone's camera then "sees" out of a clear panel in the housing, to which third-party lenses can be attached if desired.
Three spring-loaded buttons on the back of the Nautismart allow users to access touchscreen camera-control icons on their phone, which is running an accompanying app. That app places the icons in different screen locations depending on the model of phone, so that they'll always line up with the buttons.
According to its designers, the housing remains watertight down to a depth of 50 meters (150 ft). And as an added benefit, a wrist strap keeps it from getting away.
Should you be interested, the Nautismart Pro is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of €150 (about US$165) will get you one – assuming everything works out – with the planned retail price sitting at €189 ($207). The campaign for another recently-announced "universal" underwater smartphone housing, the Xpoovv, has been cancelled by its creators.
Source: Kickstarter