AquaTech AxisGo Underwater Sport Housing for iPhones
by Dan Wagner
AxisGO 11 Pro Max Sport Housing
Say hello to one of the coolest ways to photograph stills and video underwater with your iPhone—the AxisGO Sport Water Housing by AquaTech. With your phone safely encased in the AxisGO, you can shoot at depths of up to 33ft/10m. Cleverly crafted, the AxisGO offers full touchscreen access, photo app compatibility, and the ability to shoot selfies with your front-facing camera. AquaTech manufactures AxisGO housings for most current model iPhones, and offers the housings alone, or in an Over-Under or Action Kit form with a variety of useful accessories including a .Pistol Grip, AxisGO Dome, Dome Cover, Novus Polish and Protective Case. The AxisGO Bluetooth® Pistol GripPistol is now available offering a full wireless connection between the Pistol and AxisGO.
The AxisGO 11 Pro Max Sport Housing features a beautifully designed rugged plastic case, clear rear membrane touchscreen, stainless-steel top and bottom control buttons, lens port, side handle latch closure, and bottom mounts for attaching an optional pistol grip.
Included with the AxisGO:
Standard Lens Port
Wrist Lanyard (for calm water use)
Silicon O-Ring Grease
O-Ring Removal Tool
Quick Setup Guide
AxisGo Instruction Manual
There are eight removable rubber bumpers inside the AxisGO housing, which make it possible for users to purchase an inexpensive adapter kit for use with additional select model iPhones. For instance, thanks to the adapter kit, I was able to mount my iPhone XR in the 11 Pro Max housing.
One of my favorite features is the optional ergonomic pistol grip. Simply screw the grip into the bottom mounts of the housing, open the battery compartment to remove the protective battery terminal cover, close the compartment, and pair the pistol grip with your iPhone via the built-in Bluetooth. Once paired the pistol grip button will act as your iPhone’s minus volume button for shooting still and video images with your Camera App. Now that’s what I call cool! And in addition to the pistol grip, AquaTech offers action camera mounts, too.
AxisGo Accessories:
Sports Leash (for surf use)
Dome Cover (for older AxisGO models)
To learn more about the AxisGO ,please check out the online instruction manual.
A Few Safety Precautions (See Manual for More):
Do not let any sunscreen come into contact with the rear membrane. Wipe off and rinse any sunscreen from the AxisGO as soon as possible if contact is unavoidable
Keep sharp objects away from the AxisGO that could damage the rear membrane
Do not exceed depths of 3ft without a phone installed in the AxisGO
Always use your AxisGO with a leash or the provided Wrist Lanyard
Never store your AxisGO in direct sunlight or environments exceeding 86f/30c
After each use, remove your phone before re-closing the AxisGO and rinsing it thoroughly in fresh water
Rinse the latch mechanism and spring thoroughly after each use to ensure it retains full operation.
Dry your AxisGO before storing
Store in a cool, dry area
If traveling by air, remove the lens port from the AxisGO
If using your phone above water only, set the ‘Auto-Lock’ to 1 minute
The AxisGO allows full control over your iPhone Camera App.
After launching the app, you can swipe through capture modes, swap between front and rear cameras, review pictures, and use the shutter button. You can also capture photos by pressing either volume button. Holding the volume buttons or shutter button down will also allow you to shoot bursts of photos. The volume buttons can also be used to start/stop video recording. Placing your phone in ‘Airplane Mode’ will prevent photo or video capture from being interrupted by calls and notifications while you are shooting.
To lock focus and exposure of a subject, press and hold the touchscreen on the desired subject. You can also adjust the exposure by sliding the sun image up or down, and you can zoom the camera by pinching the screen.
To get the most from your AxisGO, be sure to read the instruction manual section on how to properly vent the excess air from the water housing before closing. Essentially, you will need to lightly press upon the rear membrane as you close the side latch. If it weren’t so cold where I live, I would have taken this AxisGo for some kayaking and snorkeling. Until spring arrives, I’ll have to content myself with looking at this beautiful water housing, and taking some practice shots.
I hope this information will make your underwater iPhone camera adventures easier and more successful. Thanks for visiting The Cranky Camera!