Sam Chae (shchae)

Forum username: shchae
Real name: Sam Chae
Posts: 573
Active years: 2003—2019
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Lights/Strobes/Lighting, Photo/Video Showcase
Specialization: Nikon DSLR housing modifications, camera-to-housing conversion kits, early adoption of new Nikon bodies

Community Role

Sam Chae was one of the Wetpixel community’s foremost housing modification experts, known for engineering custom conversion kits that allowed photographers to fit newer Nikon camera bodies into existing underwater housings. His work saved fellow community members thousands of dollars by extending the useful life of premium housings from manufacturers like Nexus and Subal. Active from 2003 through 2019, Sam contributed across 16 years of the community’s evolution, consistently posting in gear-focused forums with deep technical expertise.

Sam was based in Asia (with connections to Korea) and frequently dived in the Philippines, particularly Anilao. His posts are recognizable by his characteristic sign-off “Sam” and his meticulous documentation of housing modification processes, complete with photographs showing mechanical details of his work. He was widely respected for generously sharing his engineering knowledge, with fellow members calling him “a legend” and “awesome” for his conversion work.

Notable Contributions

Housing Modification Pioneer

Sam’s most significant contribution was developing and performing camera-to-housing conversion kits. His most documented project was the D200-to-D300 housing modification, which he performed on both Nexus and Subal housings. He determined that the D300 was essentially the same camera as the D200 but 3mm thicker, and engineered new base plates and control modifications that could be installed or reversed in 10-15 minutes with basic tools (^[1]). Multiple Wetpixel members had their housings converted by Sam, including Don Silcock and ehanauer, who both reported excellent results (^[2]).

Sam also pioneered fitting the Nikon D700 into a Nexus D200 housing, posting the first underwater D700 images from Anilao, Philippines in August 2008. Eric Cheng featured Sam’s achievement in a Wetpixel article, noting the impressive corner sharpness of his wide-angle shots taken with a 16mm lens behind an old 170mm dome port from the film era (^[3]).

D3/D300 Announcement Thread

Sam was first to break the news of the Nikon D3 and D300 announcements on Wetpixel, posting from Asia where the cameras were announced at Nikon’s 90th Anniversary Event at the Millennium Hilton Hotel on August 23, 2007. The thread he started drew 79 replies and became a major community discussion about the implications of these cameras for underwater photography (^[4]).

Nikon D300 in Nexus Housing — First Look

James Wiseman wrote a Wetpixel article highlighting Sam’s visit to his local Nikon office, where he tested-fit a D300 into his Nexus D200 housing and posted photographs of the result, generating significant community interest in the upgrade path (^[5]).

Sony NEX-5 / Nauticam Housing Advocacy

Sam was an early advocate for the Sony NEX-5 mirrorless system underwater, starting the 71-reply thread about the Nauticam NEX-5 housing in September 2010. He was excited about the camera’s ability to use Nikonos wet lenses via adapters, calling it a potential revival of the Nikonos concept. He ordered a housing immediately and was knowledgeable about the legacy Nikonos 15mm and Sea&Sea 12mm wet wide-angle lenses, contributing technical details about crop factors and lens compatibility (^[6]).

Sea&Sea i-TTL Converter Investigation

Sam documented a serious electrolysis problem with the Sea&Sea i-TTL converter when used with Nexus housings (which use metal camera bases) and Inon Z-220/Z-240 strobes. His detailed reporting, complete with photographs of the melting battery compartment, helped alert the community to a compatibility issue between the converter’s stainless steel connectors and aluminum bulkheads, and prompted Sea&Sea to investigate (^[7]).

Lembeh Workshop Visit

In 2016, Sam visited Adam Hanlon and Alex Mustard at the Wetpixel Macro Workshop at Lembeh Resort, described as a “long time Wetpixel member and supporter” (^[8]).

Gear History

Sam’s documented equipment progression through the forum records:

• Housings: Nexus D200 (primary), Subal D200/D20
• Cameras: Nikon D200 -> D300 -> D700 -> Sony NEX-5 (mirrorless)
• Strobes: Inon Z-220, YS-120 Duo, housed SB-800
• Lenses: Nikon 16mm fisheye, 105mm VR macro
• Ports: Nexus FP170 dome port (from film era), Subal 105mm VR port

Activity Profile

• Peak years: 2007—2010, coinciding with the Nikon D300/D700 transition era
• Threads started: 78
• Articles mentioned in: 1 (plus multiple articles citing his forum work)
• Comments left: 11
• Forum focus: Overwhelmingly gear-focused, with particular expertise in Nikon systems and housing engineering
• Diving locations: Anilao (Philippines), DEMA Show attendee (photographed at Reef Photo Video / Fisheye / Patima booth at DEMA 2008)

Timeline

• 2003-02: First appearance on Wetpixel forums
• 2007-01: Reported Sea&Sea i-TTL converter electrolysis problem with Nexus housing (^[9])
• 2007-08: First to announce Nikon D3/D300 on Wetpixel from Asia (^[10])
• 2007-09: Tested D300 fit in Nexus D200 housing at Nikon office; featured in Wetpixel article (^[11])
• 2008-01: Began D200-to-D300 housing modification project for Subal and Nexus housings (^[12])
• 2008-08: Posted first Nikon D700 underwater images from Anilao in Nexus D200 housing; featured in Wetpixel article by Eric Cheng (^[13])
• 2008-11: Photographed at DEMA 2008 with Kenji Ohmura and Ryan Canon (^[14])
• 2009-02: Performed Subal D20-to-D300 conversion for multiple community members (^[15])
• 2010-09: Advocated for Nauticam NEX-5 housing with Nikonos lens compatibility (^[16])
• 2016-10: Visited Wetpixel Macro Workshop at Lembeh Resort (^[17])
• 2019-07: Last recorded forum activity