Why you SHOULDN'T BUY the Oceanic+ Dive Housing 🙅🏻‍♂️

In today's video I'll explain why I'm returning the Oceanic+ Dive Housing.
Hear about the issues I've had with this housing:
• My first experience wi...
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Use the time code for navigation:
00:00 - Intro
03:09 - Issue #1
03:54 - Issue #2
04:54 - Issue #3
06:13 - My conclusion
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[@OceanicWorldwide]

Thank you for the feedback Matthias! Those who participated early on have been so helpful in improving today's user experience. Regarding the issue of video stabilization, Oceanic+ actually includes three types of video stabilization, just not at high resolutions (ex.4K at 60 fps) or if functionality has been disabled due to high temperature. We're very focused on making it easy for divers to capture, edit, and share their underwater adventures in a fun way-without advanced photo skills! While the pro res video logging feature is only on iPhone 15 Pro and more advanced, we are actively assessing its integration for a future update. Thank you again for the feedback and for returning the loaner sample. Please engage with us again in the future!

[@dinwa276]

I'm glad to see oceanic responding postively to this review. We are fortunate to have reviewers like Matthies; he does a great job. I hate buying something and being frustrated with the equipment. I hope you get this sorted out.

[@MatthiasLebo]

@OceanicWorldWide thank you for your comment and the explanation offered. Yes please do include the LOG recording option as probably more and more iPhone models will get this feature on the future and it really makes a big difference, maybe not to beginners, but certainly to advanced shooters and divers wanting to get the most out of their underwater videos. And please find a way to include stabilization at 4K60. No one likes to make the call between shooting in 4K60 and getting good image stabilization. If the iPhone can do it in the native camera app, your app should be matching those features in my opinion. I hope you’re able to find a way to fix these issues quickly, giving your customers the experience expected from the Oceanic+ Dive Housing. Thanks for having me review the housing and if you have anything else you want to have reviewed in the future, you’ve got my contact information. 😉

[@SeaDeepDivingFL]

Oceanic: Really appreciate the alert all of us to the limitations of your product voluntarily. Perhaps you should let us know these limitations without being called out to do so. It is the right way to do business in my opinion. Plus, these limitations are contrary to the representations concerning the functionality I thought I was purchasing. Is that right? If so, it is simply bad business to do business without full disclosure. Please do what you need to do to get this right or at least make appropriate updates in writing so we know when to anticipate improvement, or whether we should have no expectation at all. Leaving your supporters and enthusiasts in the dark, leaves a lot of unnecessary frustration. Please improve. Thank you Matthias for shedding light on this situation and being honest about it, despite our hopes for the best.

[@apexunderwaterfilm675]

I agree to 10p% with Matthias, I was lucky to test it last week here in the Philippines for a few dives, after one dive I give it already back because the biggest minus for me was the point that I can not use any macro or Wideangle lens and filters. I guess for people who just want to have some diving pictures to show the friends back home it is fine but for me as a working tool to produce our advertisement and social media content it makes not much sense. I guess I will finally go for the Divevolk this coming Boot Show.

[@SeaDeepDivingFL]

The stabilization does not work at any level on my housing. The toggle switch does not work. I have made numerous requests for assistance without any result.

[@CanonMike68]

I used this last week in Cozumel. I had a great experience with pictures and videos. The only issue i had was the app would freeze when trying to view the pictures after the dive. It would fix itself after a few crashes. Other than that, i really enjoyed my time with the unit but I’m not a professional just an avid diver.

[@MatthiasLebo]

I‘m glad to hear that you were happy with the user experience and the functions and didn’t notice any of the issues I mentioned. Maybe Oceanic has done some work behind the curtains already? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@exclusiveautocollection]

Just had a horrible experience with the dive case. My girlfriend bought it for me as my birthday gift so we could bring to our dream dive in Maldives. Here are some issues that totally ruined our dive trip. Issue 1: the app freezes when trying to open with no cellphone signal, so when we got to our dive site ( 40 mins away from shore ) there was no cellphone signal. Therefore, the app will not operate, so we couldn’t use it at all. Issue 2: the app shows iPhone overheated 10 mins into our 2nd dive, the app still open with screen on. The temperature error did not go away even at the end of our dive (40 mins later). Issue 3: the photo captured at the moment of pressing button did not match which what it showed up in photo album later. It’s has about a half second delay, so I had to hold the camera in place for 2-3 seconds each time after I press the button. I’m really bummed out. It cost over $600, Expected a lot more from Oceanic. Yes I can return the item and get full refund, but I won’t be able to recreate the moments that I wanted to capture. Thanks oceanic! Way to go! Btw, I didn’t mention, during the one of the dive my Apple Watch oceanic app ( I pay monthly subscription for ) crashed, a orange screen told me “ system crashes , please use backup” Could you guys imagine? Oceanic advertise that now you have 2 dive computer, the Apple Watch and the oceanic case. But guess what? One overheated and another 1 crashed.

[@MBOrlando1969]

I was excited when I first heard about this housing and purchased one from my dive center the day it arrived. Unfortunately, like you, I found several issues with the housing and I returned it. I do not record video nearly as much as stills so my issues were related to photography. I sent this list to the local Huish representative as they were surprised to hear I had so many issues (I never heard back from them though). Here are the issues I had: 1. Even though airplane mode is required to be on, reminders still pop up and cannot be swiped away so stays on the entire dive. Oceanic does caution that airplane mode might not turn off all notifications so divers should be informed to turn off notifications from settings, and not rely on airplane mode. 2. I was only able to use 0.5 the and 3x lenses. The 1x and 2x were out of focus. 3. The 0.5x photos show extreme warping around edges. I realize this is a camera issue inherent in wide angle lenses and a flat port, but it is unacceptable since the 1x lens would not focus. 4. Shutter lag was pretty significant. 5. Sometimes the view on the screen is choppy like skipping video. 6. An 80 min dive took my iPhone 15 Pro battery from 100% to 35%. This is a significant issue for those of us diving 4-5 dives a day or for those with longer bottom times. A future version of the house by should incorporate Qi charging so the iPhone battery doesn’t drain as quickly. 7. The app Logbook doesn’t always open the photos. I have had to force restart the app several times to get photos to work. 8. The autocorrection works very well but it has to be done on each photo individually and then exported one at a time. So you end up with two of each photo, one corrected and one original. Also, the app is terribly slow at moving through each photo to turn on the autocorrection and then export. Once exported, the photo loses the time and camera info. Losing the medatdata on date, time, and camera info is a significant issue. It would be good in a future software update to allow for batch autocorrection, but still allow it for individual photos to allow the greatest flexibility based on the needs of the user. Hopefully Oceanic will be able to fix most, if not all of these issues.

[@rebeccadarling5894]

Thank you for sharing another detailed list of issues. What a disappointment.

[@dinwa276]

Great feedback! For item 6, it would be nice if they offered a battery backup option. I wouldn't mind the additional bulk.

[@MatthiasLebo]

Thank you very much mate for sharing your experience with us and pointing out all the issues that you had with the Oceanic+ Dive housing. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed comment and also hope that Oceanic will be able to find solutions for as many of the current issues as possible. Fingers crossed. 🤞🏻

[@gldupper]

I just returned from St Martin where I used the Oceanic+ Dive housing for the first time with a brand new Apple 15 pro max. I had vertically the same experience as you all and frankly I am very disappointed and expected much better from Oceanic, which most of my other dive gear, including my dive computer made by. My dive buddy dove with my GoPro 8 and the pictures he took of the exact same things are much better. I found nearly all of the pictures to have far too much blue and needed so much post correction that they lost a lot of quality in the image, or looked fake. Luckily our next dive isn’t for about another six months, so hopefully Oceanic will updated the app and improve the user experience. If I could, I would send the housing pack and look at the SeaLife housing for the iPhone as an alternative.

[@SeaDeepDivingFL]

Agree. Unfortunate. No stabilization. Color correction does not work. Zoom only works for photos. Spent a small fortune now trying to turn this into a usable rig with lights, etc. Still remain hopeful but your comments shed light on the absurd reason the stabilization does not work. Basically, every function I bought this product for does not work or does not work properly. You are the only one so far speaking truth about this housing. Thank you for doing so. Hopefully Oceanic will quickly get their act together. But so far I’m quite skeptical.

[@MatthiasLebo]

Thank you mate for your comment. 🙏 I find it important to tell the truth about the products that I get trusted with to review. No point in sugarcoating a product so users have to find out the hard way about its flaws. I see this as a crucial role of me being a uw product reviewer. And I also really hope that Oceanic can pull it together and make it working properly in the not too distant future. 🤞🏻

[@SeaDeepDivingFL]

@@MatthiasLebo Thank you for the response. I appreciate it.

[@SeaDeepDivingFL]

Update-Good news! Updated released app. Seems to correct most of the issues. Stay tuned.

[@TheHollywoodStars]

I have only tested it on land for photos only. And, it did not capture in either HEIF or RAW. It seems like it's not actually using the lenses of the iPhone 14 Pro. Anyone else having this problem?

[@KyleBimm]

Hey @Matthias, one point I was hoping you'd touch on in this video is focus ability on the housing, given you can't touch to focus on the screen like you would on land. I tried the SeaLife SportDiver and had to return it because it was nearly impossible to focus on the right thing in the water. If you wanted to capture a shipwreck in front of you but there were some particles floating in front of you, 10% chance the phone decided to focus on the ship. I know this is a big selling point on the Divevolk as you can touch the screen. Did you struggle with this at all with the Oceanic+? If not, tips on how to ensure proper focus when you can't just tap on screen? Thanks!

[@MatthiasLebo]

Very good question mate, thanks. In fact you can't really control the focus through the Oceanic+ Dive housing. You're pretty much relying on the auto focus capabilities of your iPhone and if it decides to focus on something other than what you want to focus on, there is not really much that you can do other than reframe and hope for the best. Sorry for not being able to provide any more pleasing answer. 😞

[@user-pz6kn4ws2m]

Hi !Which type of light and arm do you use for the housing in this video (1:47)?

[@MatthiasLebo]

It't the Divevolk SL50 (bit.ly/3M9t6Kp) video light and the single handle tray (bit.ly/3CONPyP) also by Divevolk.

[@gb8164]

I noticed the same issues when using it last week off the waters of Kona. The zoom feature has a delay. Twice in smart mode the app glitched. I noticed it flashing between light and dark colors while filming underwater; why does it do that?

[@MatthiasLebo]

It's a software problem, they were meant to fix a while ago. Apparently it hasn't happened yet. Are you running the latest firmware version?

[@rippleguys]

This is why I bought the DiveVolK housing - i can shoot with any camera app I want - particularly the blackmagic cam app that lets me record in Apple Log HEVC at 60 frames per second -

[@MatthiasLebo]

My words exactly. There is nothing better in the market at the moment than the DiveVolk system if you want to use your smartphone underwater! 🤟🏻

[@Coddiwomple4x4]

Seems to me the first 2 problems are App related and could be fixed in the future (if they want to). Add-ons might also come later on, maybe even third party. We’ve bought the housing but weren’t able to use it yet. Hopefully coming summer in the Mediterranean.

[@MatthiasLebo]

I agree, all these issues are fixable, the question is simply whether or not Oceanic will put enough effort in fixing these issues quickly. I hope they do and you can make full use of the housing on your upcoming trip this summer. 🤞🏻

[@turgutvelettin6727]

Thanks for your honest reviews Happy new year Matthias wishing you good health and happiness in 2024🎉🎉🎉🤙🤙🤙

[@MatthiasLebo]

Thank you buddy and a Happy New Year to you too! 🥳

[@ganselmo1]

Thanks for your honest review! Really appreciated. I hop ethey will fix in the future but by now in my opinion Sealife and Divevolk housing are the best on the market!

[@MatthiasLebo]

You and me both buddy, you and me both…

[@juhanivaihkonenunderwater]

Is there wide conversion lens any of the other mobile phone housing manufacturers, other than Divevolk I mean?

[@MatthiasLebo]

I don’t really know of any other underwater smartphone housing that offers high quality wide angle conversion lenses. Even the Divevolk one is not ideal as it’s made from acrylic and not glass. There is a real lack of good wide angel conversion lenses for smartphones.

[@apexunderwaterfilm675]

I guess weefine has.

[@aaronpaul06]

Just used mine for the first time, and my main complaint is how bulky it is. Makes it difficult when getting on and off the boat in all of my gear.

[@odaiaboobad7662]

have tried oceanic + , and the experience was very excellent. I took very good photos and videos with my iPhone 15 Pro Max.

[@MatthiasLebo]

Very glad to hear that you had a good experience with the Oceanic+ Dive Housing. I hope this means Oceanic has fixed most of the software issues they had when I was testing it.

[@michaelaybar4244]

Hi Matthias, Thanks for the review. I had high hopes for this housing, but will be staying away until Apple can make significant improvements in the next version. I wanted to move away from my GoPro and towards using my iPhone for capturing videos and photos while diving. I'll probably be leaning towards the Divevolk as your reviews for this housing are much more promising. I just wish there was a way to test or sample the equipment before making a purchase. Thanks again

[@butimo]

Why waiting for Apple? Oceanic+ housing is not an Apple product. Oceanic is a dive gear manufacturer which just made the first dive computer logbook app for the iPhone. Apple don’t mind the dive housing or oceanic products at all

[@MatthiasLebo]

Thanks for your comment mate. I fully understand your disappointment. I was really hoping the Oceanic+ Dive Housing would be everything they were promising us. Unfortunately we know now that that is not the case. I really think that at the time being the Divevolk SeaTouch 4 Max (bit.ly/3nVqDaS) is the best underwater housing for smartphones out on the market. The best way to test out such gear before you make the purchase is to see if your local dive shop sells the product you’re looking for and ask them if you can test it before making a choice. More often than not dove shops will be willing to do that.

[@stefanlehmann_ch]

Do i have to use the App or why can i just use the internal video and photos app of iOS. Or Blackmagic App?

[@MatthiasLebo]

With this housing you need to use their app, because that’s the way how the housings buttons and connected to the iPhone (Bluetooth). That’s exactly the reason why I don’t recommend this housing but favor the DiveVolk SeaTouch 4 Max. Here is a recent review of it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH7apnagZpdpaqssi=QFhFvfA_pojPpcYr And here is a comparison to other housings on the market: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4DLZJafmL57o9Esi=qdmRdL-0ngVPF6RZ

[@stefanlehmann_ch]

@@MatthiasLebo Thank you Matthias, this is a huge downside, so many 3rd party apps can't provide full advantage of iphone hardware.. i'll check out divevolk.

[@lennarthennig5063]

Are there any good alternatives? Been disappointed that they don't allow you to use it for freediving like they do on the Watch Ultra.

[@MatthiasLebo]

Well, I guess you're not the only one being disappointed with this smartphone housing. My absolute favorite smartphone housing for underwater is still the Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max. You can check out a complete review I made about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH7apnagZpdpaqs And a comparison with other housings here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4DLZJafmL57o9E Hope this helps.

[@lennarthennig5063]

@@MatthiasLeboI already watched that review and ordered the Divevolk following your recommendation. Thanks for the great content! I'm always so puzzled when companies are so close to making a fantastic product and then make weird compromises because they think they can force the customer to behave the way THEY want. I don't want to by a watch ultra that gives up at 40m, I don't care if you think its the better setup for freediving, let me make my own decisions ffs. Keep up the great work! Looking forward to test the divevolk soon!

[@MatthiasLebo]

@@lennarthennig5063 thank you. Very much appreciate your feedback. I fully agree with you. Why not wait a few more months to eliminate those compromises and bring out a product that is really functional the way users expect. I don't think oceanic has done any good by releasing that housing prematurely. Awesome, enjoy your new Divevolk setup. I'm sure you're going to like it a lot. 😊

[@feraleweasel]

Purchased it in September, included expedited shipping to facilitate. They hadn't shipped it by Nov and provided no explanation, so I cancelled. Instead, I went for the GoPro12, which is really not a comparable product, but I wanted dive video for a trip that I was taking to the North and South Pacific. Sad to say that the GoPro 12 also fails, overheating frequently and shutting down. It does take lovely 4K video though, until it shuts down! I would very much like a camera housing that is compatible with my iPhone 15 pro, so I hope that Oceanic can sort this!

[@TheZakooba]

Thanks for your honestly review.

[@MatthiasLebo]

Always! 👍🏻

[@rrwenzel]

Thank you for this important review! the problem is also that oceanic does not explain on the homepage anything about the software, especially they do not explain which video resolutions, including HDR supported so far and which kind of stabilization! They don’t answer when you try to contact them directly. This looks as if there is the Apple arrogance behind it. Very sad as I hoped Oceanic could be a good option to use with Apple products….

[@MatthiasLebo]

Glad it was helpful! I don’t think though that this has anything to do with Apple. It’s rather Oceanic being a bit overwhelmed trying to cramp all these functionalities (dive computer, video shooting, photography, etc..) in one single app. Not a smart decision in my opinion.

[@ChrisD624]

Aren’t you sponsored by Divevolk, a competitor?

[@AquaticRod]

😅

[@MatthiasLebo]

Yes, Divevolk sponsors some videos on my channel, but they are not sponsoring me. I have always been and will be very straight forward and frank in my reviews. I will praise a product if it deserves it but I will also tell the truth if a product isn’t satisfactory to me at the time of testing. And by the way, I wasn’t always happy about the Divevolk products. Have a look at the review I made about their older smartphone housing, the SeaTouch 3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/raK6gJWsd6t_g5Ysi=J0AP5ocgSndnkIbO Over time they’ve found a way to make the touchscreen much better and yes, I’m a fan of their SeaTouch 4 Max housing. If Oceanic fixes the issues I mentioned I’m happy to reevaluate my statement and would be happy to come to a different conclusion. 😊

[@lpamiscchannel9255]

I still feel like a beta tester. I bought the housing in July 2023. Got mine in November. The software had MANY problems, but at least the case doesn’t leak. I have had so many different issues. Very disappointed with the software. I am surprised Apple wasn’t more involved to improve the product. They still have a long way to go. IMO

[@Zagitta001]

If the camera software is this terrible I can't imagine how crazy people must be to entrust their lives to the oceanic+ diving app on the apple watch ultra 😬

[@MatthiasLebo]

Well, it seems like the dive computer functions inside the app work fine (I’ve heard, I haven’t tried it myself). I think the problem is that Oceanic is trying to cramp too much into one app. I think it would be wiser to keep the dive computer functions in one app and have a separate app just for the Oceanoc+ Housing for photo and video functions with iPhone.

[@bottomtimemedia]

DiveVolk laughing all the way to the bank 😂

[@MatthiasLebo]

Well, the touchscreen is really hard to beat 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@LikBatonBoot]

Too bad WATERSHOT stopped making sturdy iphone housing

[@rebeccadarling5894]

How frustrating! 🤬

[@MatthiasLebo]

Tell me about it! Ask Adi how I felt while testing the housing on the Maldives trip. 🙈

[@sebastiankluge1176]

same here … this case … or let me specify … the software makes absolutely no sense. it freezes all the time, it is laggy and even the raw files look like abstract paintings of a 3 year old kid … don‘t buy this housing!

[@marca9955]

So a bunch of criticisms that can be addressed with: a) software updates like allowing ProRes b) minor hardware changes like an external lens bracket Pretty harsh review.

[@cevisuals]

The fact that Oceanic brought this to market in what appears to be rushed deserves the harsh criticism given. DiveVolk seems to have thought through their product design process a great deal before bringing their product to market. It's a more complete mobile device system. Oceanic appears to be banking on their name rather than brining a solid product to market. As a retired photojournalist, documentary & street photographer of over 35 years, I've seen a lot of products in my career. Moving to becoming a freedive instructor and underwater content creator, I've been intrigued by using mobile devices for content creation using iPhones. Thanks to Matthias's reviews, the DiveVolk housing gets my hard earned $$$ due to the accessories available (specifically the underwater wide angle lens adapter) as well as it not being obsolete when a newer device is released to market. Now that Apple has released their Final Cut Camera App, things are going to get even more interesting as I've not had much success with the BlackMagic Camera app due to it still being crash prone on my iPhone 14

[@mbernard2662]

P R O M O S M 😌