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Nauticam Electrical Bulkheads: Determining the Right One for Your Equipment

By Lee Burghard January 2019

Determining the proper electrical bulkhead for your Nauticam housing can be tricky. There are a wide variety of possible combinations depending on the camera and the strobe you intend to use. The key is to identify the proper connection type for your specific strobe and camera.

In this article we will discuss the different Nauticam housing electrical bulkhead options currently available and how to determine the correct connection for your camera, strobe, and sync cables.

Nauticam Housing Electrical Bulkheads

Currently Nauticam offers several types of electrical bulkheads :

  • Nikonos 5pin style - For connecting a Nikonos 5 Pin style sync cable
  • Ikelite style - For connecting a Ikelite style sync cable
  • S6 style - For connecting a S6 Style sync cable

Each bulkhead is designed with a 14mm thread (image below on left), and includes a 16mm to 14mm step down adapter (image below on right w/ adapter attached) allowing the bulkhead to be installed in any open M16 or M14 bulkhead opening on the housing.

 

    

 

Nauticam Hotshoe Connections

Each camera model will have it’s own hotshoe connection and you’ll want to ensure you’re choosing the correct one for your camera model. Nauticam currently offers a:

  • Canon hotshoe connection - For connecting to Canon DSLR cameras
  • Universal hotshoe connection - For connecting to Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Fuji cameras
  • Nikon comes in two variations:
    • One with micro match design that plugs into the Nauticam TTL and Manual circuit boards found in the Nauticam D500, D850, and D5 housing models
    • And a 2nd designed for other Nikon models that is a simple wired design that routes and plugs directly into the camera.

Strobe Electrical Connections

Each Brand of strobe will have it’s own electrical connection type.  The most common one’s you’ll find are:

  • Sea & Sea Style - commonly found on Sea & Sea and Inon strobes
  • Ikelite Style - found exclusively on Ikelite Strobes
  • and S6 Style - found commonly on european brand strobes from companies like Seacam and One UW.  These allow a 6 wire connection for Canon E-TTL.

Electrical Sync Cables/Cords

Each brand of sync cables will typically come in two designs:

  • One that routes from a single bulkhead on the camera housing to a single strobe
  • Or another that’s a Split or Y cable that routes from a single bulkhead on the camera housing to 2x strobes.

And each brand of sync cable will offer different connections to the electrical bulkhead on the housing:

  • Nikonos 5pin style - For connecting to Nikonos 5 pin style Bulkheads
  • Ikelite style - For connecting to Ikelite style Bulkheads
  • or a S6 style - For connecting to S6 Style Bulkheads

And to the electrical connection on the strobe:

  • Sea & Sea Style - For connecting to Sea & Sea or Inon Strobes
  • Ikelite Style - For Connecting to Ikelite Strobes
  • or S6 Style - For connecting to many european brand strobes such as Seacam or One UW

You’ll want to ensure that the sync cable you choose matches both the electrical bulkhead on your housing and the bulkhead on the strobes you're using.

Installation

The nauticam housing electrical bulkheads are designed to be user installable and the process is simple and easy.  You can reference the installation guide available here for a closer look:

If you're still unsure on the proper electrical components needed for your equipment or have questions please contact us directly for assistance, we're here to help!