UK-Germany Housings

Manufacturer: UK-Germany (Uwe Kiehl, Germany) Type: CNC-machined aluminum underwater housings Years active: 2001–2017+ Key people: Uwe Kiehl (founder/manufacturer), Helge Suess (associate/forum representative) Notable models: Canon D30, D60, 10D, 5D; Olympus E-300; Pentax *istDS; Sony F828; GoPro HERO

Overview

UK-Germany was a small German manufacturer of CNC-machined aluminum underwater housings, notable as arguably the first company to produce a dedicated housing for a consumer digital SLR camera. Their Canon D30 housing, available by late 2001, enabled pioneering underwater photographers — most prominently Jim Watt and Eric Cheng — to take the Canon D30 (the first affordable 3-megapixel DSLR) underwater. This made UK-Germany housings instrumental in launching the digital SLR revolution in underwater photography.

The company operated without a US distributor for most of its history, selling directly from Germany with customer service provided personally by founder Uwe Kiehl. Despite this limitation, the quality of their machining and the historical timing of their products gave UK-Germany an outsized influence on the transition from film to digital underwater photography.

The D30 Housing and Digital Dawn (2001)

UK-Germany’s Canon EOS D30 housing was among the very first purpose-built housings for a consumer digital SLR. Jim Watt of Kona, Hawaii — described by Oceans Illustrated as “one of the most successful underwater photographers in the world” — was an early adopter. In January 2002, Wetpixel published sample photographs taken by Watt using the UK-Germany D30 housing with a dome port, Sigma 14mm, and Canon 100mm macro lenses ([1]).

UK-Germany also supplied equipment for the November 2001 Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout, one of the earliest all-digital underwater photography events ([2]).

Canon D60 Compatibility (2002)

When Canon released the D60 in early 2002, Jim Watt and Eric Cheng discovered that the new camera fit the existing UK-Germany D30 housing with only minor compromises. The two cameras were nearly identical externally; the only inaccessible control was the on/off switch, which was not critical underwater. Eric Cheng began shooting with the D60 in Kona in April 2002, producing images viewable on his travel site ([3]).

By July 2002, the UK-Germany housing had become the standard for early digital SLR underwater photography. A Bahamas liveaboard trip organized by Wetpixel featured five Canon D60 DSLRs in four UK-Germany housings, alongside professional marine photographers Jim Watt, David Fleetham, and Andy Sallmon ([4]).

Canon 10D Housing (2003)

UK-Germany was first to market with a housing for the Canon EOS 10D. The first ten housings shipped in July 2003, priced at 2,495 EUR — positioning it between the more expensive Subal (2,980 EUR) and the budget Jonah (1,899 EUR) ([5]).

Andre Smith reviewed the 10D housing after 26 dives over 9 days in Fiji, concluding that the 10D image quality exceeded that of scanned 35mm slides. He reported the system produced “hundreds of keepers” and declared it would make him “a primarily digital shooter in future” ([6]).

Eric Cheng’s first SLR housing was a UK-Germany, which he “loved,” though he was eventually “unable to get parts quickly and was forced to switch manufacturers” due to the lack of a US distributor ([7], comment by Eric Cheng).

Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2004)

The UK-Germany housing achieved its most prestigious recognition when Doug Perrine won the British Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2004. His winning photograph, “Bronze whalers charging a baitball,” was shot with a Canon EOS D60 in a UK-Germany housing using a Sigma 14mm f/2.8 lens, exposed at 1/800s at f/5.6, ISO 200, lit by a Canon 550EX strobe in a UK-Germany underwater strobe housing. A second award-winning image was also shot with the same housing/camera combination, lit by two INON Z220 strobes ([8]).

Perrine noted that the digital capability was essential to his win: “Given the restraints of using film underwater it is likely I would not have achieved those images with a film camera. In the chaotic fast-moving situation in which I was working it was simply not possible to carefully compose an image, meter the light, etc. Instead I had to just keep shooting as fast as I could, while checking the feedback from the camera’s LCD” ([9]).

This was the first year digital entries were allowed in the WPY competition, making Perrine’s win a landmark moment for digital underwater photography.

Canon 5D Housing (2005–2007)

The UK-Germany housing for the Canon EOS 5D was reviewed by Mark Hoover in March 2007, based on use since December 2005. Key characteristics of the design ([10]):

Construction: CNC-machined aluminum with anodized finish, flocked interior to reduce reflections. The machining tolerance was so precise that backs could be swapped between two separately purchased housings.

Size and buoyancy: Displacing approximately 2,800 cm3, the housing was only about 200 grams negative with the Canon 14mm lens, dome port, and extension ring installed — remarkably close to neutral buoyancy.

Controls: All camera functions accessible except Direct Print, Erase, and AF Point Selection/Enlarge. Shutter speed via top dial, aperture via rear dial, shutter release via a right-side lever reachable without removing hand from handle.

Ports: Bayonet-style mount with 91mm internal diameter. Wide variety available.

Closure: Locking latch design that prevents inadvertent opening. Back-to-front registration step makes it “virtually impossible to get the latch closed unless everything is properly aligned.” O-ring uses a face seal requiring no grease.

Strobe options: Available with Nikonos V bulkheads, S6 bulkhead (for UK-Germany Ring Flash), or combinations.

Hoover concluded: “if I had to do it all over again I would go with a UK-Germany housing. The workmanship is very good and Uwe has gone out of his way to provide customer service to me since he has no US distributor” ([11]).

Other Models

Olympus E-300 Housing (2006)

The UK-D-E300 for the Olympus E-300 was reviewed by Karin Brussaard, who noted its compact size made it “pleasant to work with” and good for travel, though the small viewfinder and high price were potential deterrents ([12]).

Pentax *istDS Housing (2006)

UK-Germany produced a housing for the Pentax *istDS DSLR, reviewed on Wetpixel in October 2006. Forum user “froop” reported in 2008 that Uwe sent a full O-ring kit, instructional pictures, and two newer model handles on request — exemplifying the personalized customer service ([13], comment by froop).

Sony F828 Housing (2004)

A housing for the Sony F828 prosumer camera was announced in 2004, expected to ship within six weeks ([14]).

GoPro HERO Housing (2011)

UK-Germany produced a machined aluminum housing for the GoPro HERO rated to 100 meters (330 feet), priced at 420 EUR ($598). The housing was designed for use both above and below water without vignetting, with plans for swing-in filters and a dedicated lighting system ([15]). Wetpixel editor Adam Hanlon commented that the price was “WAY too much money” for the market.

45-Degree Viewfinder (2007)

UK-Germany developed a 45-degree viewfinder with a 40-degree angle of view at approximately 45mm from the rear lens, providing full-frame 1:1 viewing through a dive mask. The finder used a ball lock for 90-degree rotation steps and was explicitly “not restricted to UK-Germany housings” — offered to all housing manufacturers and DIY projects with custom fitting available on request. Helge Suess posted details in the Wetpixel forums ([16]).

Wireless Flash Triggering (2017)

In May 2017, UK-Germany announced the UK-WFT wireless flash triggering system designed for pool shoots. The system comprised a floating wireless transmitter connected to the housing via Nikonos sync cable and floating receivers connected to flash units, enabling complex multi-flash setups without underwater cables. Any number of flashes could be triggered from a single transmitter unit ([17]).

Limitations and Challenges

No US distributor: UK-Germany operated without an American distributor throughout its history, requiring US customers to purchase sight unseen from Germany. Eric Cheng noted concern about “how customer service will scale as more customers in the USA buy UK-Germany housings” ([18]). Parts availability was slow for international customers.

Website reliability: The company’s website was intermittently inaccessible, with forum reports of it crashing or showing errors as early as 2007 ([19], comment by Dan Schwartz).

On/off switch: Multiple reviewers noted difficulty with the on/off switch control, with some spending entire dives with the camera inadvertently turned off ([20]).

Historical Significance

UK-Germany housings hold a unique place in underwater photography history:

  1. First consumer DSLR housing: The D30 housing (2001) was among the very first dedicated housings for an affordable digital SLR, preceding or paralleling early efforts by Subal, Sea & Sea, and Ikelite
  2. Enabled the digital revolution: By housing the Canon D30 and D60 for pioneering photographers like Jim Watt, Eric Cheng, David Fleetham, Andy Sallmon, and Doug Perrine, UK-Germany directly enabled the proof-of-concept work that convinced the underwater photography community to adopt digital
  3. Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Doug Perrine’s 2004 WPY win with a UK-Germany-housed Canon D60 was a landmark validation of digital underwater photography in the first year digital entries were permitted
  4. Artisan manufacturing: The company demonstrated that a small operation with exceptional CNC machining quality could compete with established manufacturers, anticipating the later rise of boutique housing makers

Timeline

References

Sources

  1. Wetpixel article, Jan 9, 2002: Sample Canon D30 Photographs Jim Watt ↩
  2. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2001: Kona Aggressor Ii Digital Shootout Webcast ↩
  3. Wetpixel article, Apr 6, 2002: Canon D60 Digital Slr ↩
  4. Wetpixel article, Jul 21, 2002: Bahamas 2002 With D60s ↩
  5. Wetpixel article, Jul 6, 2003: Uk Germany 10d Housing Ships ↩
  6. Wetpixel article, Oct 22, 2003: Uk Germany Canon 10d Housing Review ↩
  7. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  8. Wetpixel article, Oct 25, 2004: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Doug Perrine ↩
  9. Wetpixel article, Oct 25, 2004: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Doug Perrine ↩
  10. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  11. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  12. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Review Of Uk Germany Uk D E300 Housing ↩
  13. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  14. Wetpixel article, May 4, 2004: Uk Germanys Sony F828 Housing ↩
  15. Wetpixel article, Jul 8, 2011: Uk Germany Releases Housing For Gopro Hero ↩
  16. Wetpixel article, Jan 12, 2007: Uk Germany 45 Viewfinder ↩
  17. Wetpixel article, May 18, 2017: Uk Germany Announces Wireless Flash Triggering System ↩
  18. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  19. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  20. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  21. Wetpixel article, Nov 9, 2001: Kona Aggressor Ii Digital Shootout Webcast ↩
  22. Wetpixel article, Jan 9, 2002: Sample Canon D30 Photographs Jim Watt ↩
  23. Wetpixel article, Apr 6, 2002: Canon D60 Digital Slr ↩
  24. Wetpixel article, Jul 21, 2002: Bahamas 2002 With D60s ↩
  25. Wetpixel article, Jul 6, 2003: Uk Germany 10d Housing Ships ↩
  26. Wetpixel article, Oct 22, 2003: Uk Germany Canon 10d Housing Review ↩
  27. Wetpixel article, May 4, 2004: Uk Germanys Sony F828 Housing ↩
  28. Wetpixel article, Oct 25, 2004: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Doug Perrine ↩
  29. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  30. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Review Of Uk Germany Uk D E300 Housing ↩
  31. Wetpixel article, Jan 12, 2007: Uk Germany 45 Viewfinder ↩
  32. Wetpixel article, Mar 15, 2007: Review Of Uk Germany Housing For Canon 5d ↩
  33. Wetpixel article, Jul 8, 2011: Uk Germany Releases Housing For Gopro Hero ↩
  34. Wetpixel article, May 18, 2017: Uk Germany Announces Wireless Flash Triggering System ↩
  35. Sample Canon D30 photographs (Jim Watt) (article) ↩
  36. Canon D60 Digital SLR! (article) ↩
  37. Bahamas 2002, with D60s (article) ↩
  38. UK Germany 10D Housing Ships (article) ↩
  39. UK Germany Canon 10D Housing Review (article) ↩
  40. UK Germany’s Sony F828 Housing (article) ↩
  41. Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Doug Perrine (article) ↩
  42. Review of UK-Germany UK-D-E300 housing (article) ↩
  43. UK-Germany 45° Viewfinder (article) ↩
  44. Review of UK-Germany housing for Canon 5D (article) ↩
  45. UK-Germany releases housing for GoPro HERO (article) ↩
  46. UK-Germany announces wireless flash triggering system (article) ↩
  47. Kona Aggressor II Digital Shootout Webcast (article) ↩