The Kraken Ultra 5.5" V2 keeps the same “self-contained” concept we like—no separate housing required—while adding a cleaner chassis and dual 21700 cells that finally make all-day shooting realistic. In water, the 3000-nit panel is what matters: it punches through tropical sun topside and backscatter-heavy scenes underwater, so nailing manual focus and exposure is faster and more consistent than relying on a cramped camera LCD. Image-assist tools (focus peaking, zebra, false color, histogram, anamorphic modes) are thoughtfully implemented, and lag was minimal with a proper HDMI setup. Depth rating is a solid 80 m/266 ft, which covers virtually all recreational and most technical photo/video work.

Connectivity and power are the story on the V2. You get 4K HDMI input/output (we tested clean 4K signals while keeping the camera’s HDMI output set to 1080p per Kraken’s note), plus ~4 hours of real-world runtime near max brightness with the new batteries—comfortably a two-tank morning before swapping cells. Weight/buoyancy is manageable and trims out easily with small floats; Kraken lists ~1.68 kg on land and ~260 g underwater for the unit. If you’ve ever fought glare, mis-focus on macro, or awkward body positions trying to frame low/overhead angles, this monitor meaningfully improves keeper rate and comfort.

Housing & compatibility (how you take it underwater)

You don’t need a monitor housing—the Kraken is already sealed and depth-rated. To use it with your camera housing, you’ll need an HDMI bulkhead on the housing and a matching waterproof HDMI cable between the two. The V2 supports common M16 and M24 bulkhead standards used by brands like Nauticam, Ikelite, Isotta, Aquatica, and others; Kraken sells waterproof HDMI cables in multiple lengths to suit different rigs. (We recommend measuring your routing before ordering.)

Pros

• Exceptionally bright, daylight-viewable screen that materially improves focus/exposure accuracy underwater.
• Self-contained & 80 m rated—no monitor housing needed.
• Robust toolset (peaking, zebra, false color, histogram) for both video and stills.
• Modern power system (dual 21700s) delivers practical multi-dive endurance.
• Broad housing compatibility via M16/M24 HDMI bulkheads and Kraken waterproof cables.

Cons

• Requires HDMI setup know-how (bulkhead selection, cable length/management), and you must set the camera HDMI output to 1080p, which can trip up first-time users.
• Rugged build = heft; some rigs will need floatation to achieve neutral trim.
• 80 m limit is ample for most divers but shy of older 100 m monitors favored by some tech shooters.

• Brightness: 3000 nits

• Burn Time: 150 minutes @ 100% brightness

• Depth Rating: 266 ft / 80 m

• Dimensions: 178.5 mm × 15 mm × 7 mm

• Battery: 2 × 21700 battery with USB-C charging port

• Features: Focus Assist, Zebra Exposure, False Color, 4K HDMI signal input, Histogram, Anamorphic Mode

• Weight: 1680 g on land / 260 g underwater

The Kraken HDMI Ultra Bright 7" Underwater Monitor V2 is a self-contained, bright, 7" IPS screen rated to 2200 nits in a housing-free, 80 m/266 ft body. In the water, that extra screen real estate makes framing and nailing manual focus noticeably easier versus a camera LCD—especially in glare and particulate. The assist toolkit is genuinely useful (focus peaking, false color, waveform, histogram, LUT preview), and the unit accepts a 4K HDMI signal while requiring the camera’s HDMI output to be set to 1080p—an important setup note that ensures a stable feed. Battery endurance is solid for boat days: Kraken lists ~140 minutes at 100% brightness. Native panel resolution is 1920×1200, which is appropriate for monitoring even when the incoming signal is 4K. Depth rating is 80 m, covering nearly all recreational and most technical photo/video work.

Connectivity and rigging are straightforward. The monitor ships with HDMI-IN/OUT bulkheads, an HDMI cable (60 cm), and an M16 HDMI bulkhead plus an M16→M24 adapter, so you can route signal from common housing ports used by brands like Nauticam, Ikelite, Isotta, and others. Kraken also sells dedicated waterproof HDMI cables in multiple lengths (standard 60 cm, 3 m, 5 m, 10 m) for different arm layouts or scooter/tether use. Power is via dual 21700 cells with USB-C PD charging. The whole package remains manageable underwater; Kraken lists ~1.80 kg on land and ~0.20–0.26 kg in water, so a small float or buoyancy collar will trim most rigs nicely.

Pros

• Truly daylight-readable 2200-nit screen makes composition, focus, and exposure checks far easier than on-camera LCDs.
• Self-contained, 80 m-rated body—no additional monitor housing to buy or maintain.
• Professional monitoring tools (peaking, false color, waveform, histogram, LUT) built in.
• Practical runtime from dual 21700s; clean 4K signal support with HDMI pass-through.
• Flexible integration with M16/M24 bulkheads and Kraken waterproof HDMI cables (multiple lengths).

Cons

• Setup nuance: you must set the camera’s HDMI output to 1080p—an easy miss for first-time users.

• Size/weight: larger than 5–5.5" options; some rigs may need added floatation for neutral trim.

• Battery swaps & charging add a step to travel days compared to relying solely on a camera LCD. (Power is via dual 21700 USB-C PD.) 

• Depth Rating: 266 ft / 80 m
• Brightness: 2200 nits
• Resolution: 3840 × 2160 p
• Run Time: ~140 minutes at 100% brightness
• Battery: 2 × 21700 cells with USB-C charging port
• Weight: 203 g underwater / 1795 g on land
• Dimensions: 203 mm × 147 mm × 64.5 mm

The draw of the Weefine WED-5 PRO Underwater Monitor is its compact, self-contained build with a genuinely daylight-readable screen. The 5" Full HD panel (1920×1080, 443 ppi) pushes a claimed 3,200-nit peak with auto-backlight, which made judging exposure and critical focus far easier than on a camera LCD—especially at the surface and in particulate. Monitoring tools are robust for the size: peaking, false color, waveform, histogram, frame guides, and 3D-LUT support gave us reliable, repeatable exposure in mixed lighting. On the connectivity side, it accepts HDMI 4K/60 input with pass-through, and in our tests the signal was stable once cabling was sorted. Runtime landed close to Weefine’s spec—about 90+ minutes at high brightness from the included 21700 cell—so plan a spare for longer days. The unit is rated to 100 m / 330 ft, which fully covers recreational and most technical photo/video needs in a single piece of gear.

Rigging is refreshingly straightforward. Because the monitor itself is sealed (no separate monitor housing required), all you need is an HDMI bulkhead on your camera housing and a waterproof HDMI cable run to the WED-5 Pro. Weefine includes M16 and M24 waterproof adapters plus HDMI Type A/C/D cables in the box, so it plays nicely with common bulkhead standards used by major housings (e.g., Nauticam, Ikelite, Isotta, Aquatica). In the water the monitor trimmed out nicely on a mid-size rig; Weefine/Bluewater list ~720 g on land and ~250 g underwater, which matched our feel—neutral with a small float. If you want a bright, travel-friendly monitor that meaningfully boosts your keeper rate without adding another housing to maintain, the WED-5
Pro hits a sweet spot. 

Pros

• Truly bright, daylight-viewable screen that improves focus and exposure accuracy.
• Comprehensive pro tools (peaking, false color, waveform, histogram, LUTs) in a compact body.
• Self-contained and 100 m-rated—no extra monitor housing to buy or service.
• Broad compatibility out of the box (M16/M24 adapters; HDMI A/C/D cables included).

Cons

• Battery life (~90 min) means you’ll want a second 21700 for long boat days at high brightness.
• HDMI cable management can take a little planning to avoid snags around left-side arm/handle routing. (Common user observation with heavy-duty cable glands.) 

• Display Type: LCD
• Screen Size: 5 inches
• Resolution: 1920 × 1080 pixels
• Pixel Density: 443 PPI
• Brightness: 3,200 nits (max)
• Contrast Ratio: 1500:1
• Viewing Angle: 160° all around
• Signal Input: HDMI 4K/60 fps
• Signal Output: HDMI
• Battery Type: 21700 (3.6 V 5000 mAh)
• Runtime: Approximately 90 minutes
• Waterproof Depth: 100 m / 330 ft
• Dimensions: 183.5 (L) × 104 (W) × 51.5 (H) mm
• Weight: 720 g (land) / 250 g (underwater)
• Operating Temperature: 0 °C to +40 °C
• Storage Temperature: −20 °C to +60 °C

The big win for the Fotocore UM5.5 HDR Underwater Monitor is the visibility and focus confidence from a compact 5.5" Full-HD panel: composition, peaking, and exposure checks are simply easier than on a camera LCD when you’re fighting glare or particulate. The UM5.5 HDR is positioned as a bright, HDR-class monitor with LUT/peaking/zebras and clean HDMI integration in a self-contained underwater body—no separate housing for the monitor itself—so travel kits stay lean and setups stay quick on the boat. Bluewater’s package includes two 21700 batteries and HDMI cables (A/C/D) in the box, which lined up with our field kit and helped us run multiple dives between top-offs.

On the manufacturer side, Fotocore’s MR5.5 tech sheet calls out a 1920×1080 touch display with ~2000 nits brightness, HDMI in/out, waveform/vector/RGB histogram tools, and a compact 171 × 111 × 46.5 mm body. It also describes a 37 Wh internal battery with a quoted 4–8 hr working time—useful context because some retail bundles (like Bluewater’s UM5.5 HDR kit) ship with removable 21700 cells instead. In practice, our runtime matched a solid two-tank morning at bright settings; bring extra batteries or plan a lunch-break charge for long boat days. For rigging, the monitor is designed to connect via your camera housing’s HDMI bulkhead; dealers note M16 compatibility with an M16→M24 adapter available where needed, which aligned with our experience across popular housings. 

Pros

• Daylight-readable 5.5" Full-HD screen that materially improves focus and exposure checks over a camera LCD.
• Built-in pro tools (waveform, vectorscope, LUTs, peaking, zebras) in a compact body.
• Self-contained underwater design with simple HDMI in/out rigging—no extra monitor housing to buy.
• Bundle flexibility: Bluewater kit includes 21700 batteries and multiple HDMI cable types for common camera ports.

Cons

• Spec variance by version (UM5.5 HDR vs. MR5.5): listed brightness and power architecture differ; confirm the exact kit before a trip.
• Cable management matters: you’ll need an appropriate bulkhead (M16/M24) and tidy routing to avoid snags around handles and arms.
• Travel power planning: high-brightness use still benefits from spare cells or a mid-day top-off despite optimistic runtime claims. 

• Panel Size：5.5” touch screen
• Resolution：1920 x 1080 pixels
• Dot Pitch：0.069(L)x0.069(W)(mm)
• Aspect Ratio：16:9
• Brightness ：2000cd/m²
• Contrast：1000:1
• Viewing Angle：80°/80°(L/R)80°/80°(U/D)
• Backlight：LED
• Input：HDMI
• Output：HDMI
• Power Input：Built-inbattery pack:Battery capacity37Wh(7.4V*5.0Ah) Depends on environment light，working time: 4-8hours, operating voltage5.4-8.4V.
• Input Voltage:7~24V
• Power Consumption:≤9W
• Unit Size:171L*111Hx46.5D(mm)
• Unit Weight:1140g(on land with battery)
• Mount Points:2 M6 standard quick-release screw holes(bottom,top).
• Working Temperature:-20℃~70℃
• Storage Temperature:-30℃~80℃

Build quality of the SmallHD Ultra 5 Underwater Monitor Housing is classic Nauticam: a compact aluminum housing that seals confidently, ships with a Vacuum Valve II pre-installed, and is depth-rated to 100 m/330 ft. In hand, it’s surprisingly trim for a pro monitor enclosure (238 × 150 × 115 mm; 1.64 kg in air; +0.48 kg buoyant in water), which made arm balancing straightforward with only modest floats. The housing exposes the Ultra 5’s best tricks—HDMI 1.4/2.0 and SDI support, plus cross-conversion—so we could route whatever the camera delivered and keep a clean image with proper exposure tools (waveform, EL Zone, peaking) from SmallHD’s PageOS. We also appreciated the thoughtful rigging: four 1/4-20 mounts on top and bottom and an included mounting ball made it easy to fine-tune viewing height and angle.

Where NA-Ultra 5 separates itself for high-end video is control and I/O. Nauticam offers dedicated control cable bundles that pass power/SDI/Ethernet to enable camera control for ARRI, RED, and Sony Venice II bodies—handy when you want to tweak settings without touching the housing. For connectivity, the chassis provides M28 accessory bulkheads (top and bottom) and supports both HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4 workflows with Nauticam’s modular cable system; there’s also a full SDI configuration with recommended bulkheads and even 15 m/45 m surface SDI cables for tethered shoots. The retail box includes the housing, monitor hood, M28 HDMI 2.0 adapter, and spares—so you’re ready to build a clean signal path right away. Powering the monitor is flexible, too: NA-Ultra5 supports the SmallHD Micro Battery Plate for V-Mount (tested with compact 50 Wh minis), which kept our surface intervals simple.

How you take it underwater (housing options & integration)

This product is the underwater housing for the SmallHD Ultra 5 monitor. To integrate it with your camera housing, choose the cable path that matches your rig:

• HDMI 2.0 via Nauticam’s M24/M28 adapters and designated HDMI 2.0 internal cables.
• HDMI 1.4 using the standard M16 HDMI bulkhead and 0.75 m internal lead.
• SDI using Nauticam’s SDI cable set and recommended SDI bulkhead/step-down adapters; long 15 m/45 m SDI surface cables are supported for topside monitoring.These options cover common Nauticam cinema and mirrorless housings and let you decide between HDMI or SDI based on the camera and workflow. 

Pros

• Pro-level I/O flexibility (HDMI 1.4/2.0, SDI, cross-conversion) that adapts to nearly any camera workflow.
• Ready-to-dive peace of mind with Vacuum Valve II and leak detection installed from the factory.
• Cinema camera control via optional ARRI/RED/Sony bundles—huge for serious productions.
• Thoughtful ergonomics and mounting (multiple 1/4-20 points, included mounting ball, monitor hood).
• Manageable in-water trim (+0.48 kg buoyant) that’s easy to balance on a standard double-arm rig.

Cons

• System cost/complexity: you’re buying a premium housing and running specialty HDMI/SDI cabling; setup takes planning.
• Tight tolerances on cable choice: correct M28/M24/M16 adapters and specific Nauticam cables are required—mix-and-match parts can cause fit issues.
• Heavier topside than “waterproof monitor” alternatives; travel kits should account for weight and batteries for the Ultra 5 itself. (Specs list 1.64 kg in air.) 
• Premium pricing versus conventional 10–20K-lumen lights. 

• Compatible Monitor: SmallHD Ultra 5
• Depth Rating: 100 m / 330 ft
• Construction: Hard-anodized aluminum alloy body with abrasion-resistant polycarbonate display window
• Buoyancy (in water): +0.48 kg (includes monitor, Fxlion NANO ONE 50 Wh battery, and SmallHD Micro V-Mount battery plate)
• Port Configuration: 1 × M16 port / 3 × M28 ports
• Pre-installed Accessories: #25089 M28 HDMI 2.0 Adapter; #25625 M16 Vacuum Valve II (with moisture alarm window and vacuum check system)
• Supported Battery Setup: Compatible with SmallHD Micro Battery Plate for V-Mount when used with the Fxlion NANO ONE 50 Wh 14.8 V Ultra-Compact V-Mount Battery
• Pre-installed Vacuum & Leak Detection: Yes (#25625 M16 Vacuum Valve II with LED status indicator)
• Supported Signal Interfaces: HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and SDI via Nauticam’s M16/M24/M28 modular bulkhead system
• Finish: Hard-anodized, corrosion-resistant marine-grade aluminum

The value is immediate: The Nauticam 7'' T7 HD UltraBright monitor is a truly daylight-viewable 3000-nit 7" display with 1920×1200 resolution that makes critical focus, exposure, and framing far easier than a camera LCD—especially in surface glare or particulate. Monitoring tools are deep for a field unit (peaking, zebras, false color, histogram, waveform, vectorscope, anamorphic de-squeeze, aspect presets), and the signal path is simple: HDMI input up to 4K/30 (monitoring only). We found runtime to match published guidance: with four NL2160/NL2153 21700 cells, you can expect up to ~6 hours at a mid backlight setting, which comfortably covers multi-dive days with a top-off at lunch. The system is depth-rated to 100 m, ships with a sun hood, and includes a swivel/tilt monitor mount—handy for low-angle macro or overhead reef work.

Rigging is straightforward. The T7 is a sealed, dive-ready monitor (no separate monitor housing needed). To integrate it with your camera housing, choose an HDMI 1.4 path: Nauticam lists the M16 HDMI bulkhead (25033), an M24→M16 step-down adapter (25081) if required, an 800 mm HDMI D-to-D jumper (25047) between bulkheads, and the appropriate internal HDMI 1.4 cable for your specific housing. Once cabled, the included mount makes it easy to position the screen.

Underwater “housing” options (how you take it underwater)

No separate monitor housing required—the T7 itself is the underwater monitor. To connect it to your camera housing, use Nauticam’s HDMI 1.4 chain: 25033 M16 HDMI bulkhead, optional 25081 M24→M16 step-down, 25047 800 mm HDMI D-to-D between bulkheads, and your housing’s internal HDMI 1.4 lead. This covers common Nauticam mirrorless/DSLR housings using M16/M24 ports. 

Pros

• Genuinely daylight-readable 3000-nit screen improves keeper rate for both macro and wide video.
• Rich monitoring toolkit (peaking, zebras, false color, waveform, vectorscope, anamorphic).
• Long, practical runtime with four 21700 cells; simple HDMI 4K/30 input.
• Dive-ready, 100 m-rated and includes a swivel/tilt mount and sun hood out of the box.

Cons

• HDMI-only (no SDI on the T7), so multi-monitor/tethered SDI workflows require a different solution.
• Heavier topside and slightly negative in water (-0.83 kg with mount); many rigs will need small floats to trim.
• Batteries/charger not included; plan for four 21700 cells and a 4-slot charger to hit the quoted endurance. 

• Brightness: 3000 nits
• Resolution: 1920 × 1200
• Input Signal Formats: 4K P30 with HDMI input
• HDMI/SDI Support: HDMI in only
• Recommended Batteries (Not included): 4 × Nitecore NL2160/NL2160HP 6000 mAh or 4 × NL2153/NL2153HP 5300 mAh batteries
• Recommended Battery Charger (Not included): Nitecore UMS4 Intelligent USB Four-Slot Superb Battery Charger
• Run Time: Up to 6 hours at default backlight level 5 (with 4 × new NL2160HP 6000 mAh batteries) *1
• Weight in Air: 2.5 kg (including swivel and tilt adjustable monitor mount system)
• Buoyancy in Water: Negative 0.83 kg (including swivel and tilt adjustable monitor mount system)
• Depth Rating: 100 m

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Anthony Grote is a South African-based professional photographer, widely recognized for his work in underwater, wildlife, adventure sports, and hospitality photography. His passion for the craft began in the early 1990s during his studies, where he initially focused on bird photography.

As his interest expanded into underwater photography, Anthony moved to the Cayman Islands, where he spent two years working as an underwater photo pro. He later returned to South Africa to establish his own photography business, specializing primarily in adventure sports and the hospitality industry.

Over the years, Anthony has received numerous accolades for his underwater and wildlife imagery. His work has also included contributions to the National Geographic production The Real Serengeti, filmed in the iconic Serengeti wilderness.

Today, Anthony continues to travel the globe, diving and documenting nature whenever possible. He currently serves as the Website Manager for Bluewater Photo, while still pursuing adventure sports photography in his spare time.