What is the difference between basic Seafrogs housing and more advanced Seafrogs Salted Line housing for Sony a6000 – a6500 cameras?

We know many scuba diving or surfing photographers who are looking for a great value for money underwater housing for their Sony mirrorless a6000 – a6500 cameras are often asking this question and trying to find answers on manufacturer’s website or forums.

Well, we have compiled a comprehensive overview of all the most important similarities and differences so that our customers can make their informed decisions about which housings suits their needs the best.

Starting with the similarities first.

• Both are Polycarbonate housings with optical glass standard port
• Both Seafrogs and Seafrogs Salted Line series water housings are compatible with most popular mirrorless Sony A6000 – A6500 cameras. There are swap kit parts supplied in the box to fit the housing for a6000 camera, while original housing version that comes out of factory is pre-set to accommodate for the Sony A6300, a6400 and a6500 cameras
• Both housings offer manual zoom control for Sony 10-18mm and Sony 16-50mm lenses via 2 rubber zoom rings supplied in the box
• Both housings got a cold shoe metal mount on the top panel and well as the port for fiber-optic cable
• The depth rate for both housings is 60m / 95 ft (with a Standard port setup for the Salted Line version)
• Both housings have multi coated optical glass port supplied in the box
• The built-in moisture alarm system is offered in both housing versions
• Both housings are made with two ¼” -20 threader holes to mount a dual handle tray stabilizer, for example
• Standard flat port supplied with both housings can comfortably accommodate the Sony 16-50mm lens 

Now, these are the clear advantage elements for the Salted Line housing series which many underwater photographers may find significant:

• The Salted Line series housing body is made with a double-sided metal hinge-locks while the basic Seafrogs housing has got a one-side plastic hinge

• The Salted Line housing offers interchangeable port system with bayonet docking, while the Seafrogs housing comes with a fixed standard port that cannot be replaced

• The Salted Line housing offers de-touchable pistol grip with 2-stage trigger for comfortable surf- and wave- photography

• Salted Line serios housings are coming with a dual O-Ring sealing – one O-ring on the housing body and another O-Ring on the back panel. This ensures proper water tightness better than in single O-ring version for the basic Seafrogs housing version.

• The Salted Line housing provides a dedicated port for optional Vacuum Pump System that helps to check the water-tightness of your housing once it is ready for the next dive

• High quality optical viewfinder is another feature that can be found only in the Salted Line housing series

• Standard flat port supplied with Salted Line housing in the box can work with both the Sony 16-50mm lens and with Sony 10-18mm lens

• Optional Flat Marco port with 67mm thread for Salted Line housing can work with Sony E 55-210mm lens at the depth rate 40m / 130 ft

• Optional Flat Short port with 67mm thread for Salted Line housing is fully compatible with the Sigma e-mount 16mm f1.4 DC DN lens with the opportunity to add a 67mm wet red filter

• Optional 4” Dry Dome Port and 6” Dry Dome Port for Salted Line housing can work with a variety of Sony, Sigma and Samyang fisheye, prime and zoom lenses, please check the compatibility port chart for details https://saltedlineeurope.com/pages/port-chart

• All 100% of Salted Line housings are going through a 7 ATM / 30 min pressure camera test and a series of pre-sale checks before being made available for sale, so we are sure the housing arrives fully prepared for an underwater photography session
• Salted Line housing and accessories can be purchased also from our European office in the Netherlands at saltedlineeurope.com with free regular shipping within EU and no custom duties requirement. 

We hope this overview is helpful and wish you a happy underwater photography! Let us know if you have questions or comments.