Underwater Housing Case for Samsung Gear 360 Camera (2016 V1 only) - NOT 2017 Version

I've experienced a good handful of underwater cases for various cameras. The reviews here do say that the case leaks, but in my case it didn't. I used it for snorkeling in almost freezing water. (1-4* C) The image quality is extremely good and does not experience near as much distortion underwater as it does above water. The plastic seam was probably designed to no appear only after the case is submerged due to aberration/underwater light distortion/etc. In my case, I found the enclosure did not leak, however I never took it below 1M or 3 feet, as I was just snorkeling. This case even sustained a pretty hard accidental fall onto gravel! Ultimately, I was afraid the buttons were going to leak like other cases have for me, or the plastic was going to be extremely brittle and fragile. This was a non-issue. Extremely, extremely pleased and surprised. An important tip for this case: make sure you know which side of your camera is the front. The case is counter intuitive, and the deformed "inflated" side is actually the front. The display on the Gear 360 actually faces towards the rear. I messed this up the first time and as a result some of my footage underwater was incorrectly exposed as the other side of the camera was looking upwards and setting exposure looking towards the sun (mounted on a snorkeling mask). If you mount this on a snorkeling mask and get the exposure right, the effect is super cool, almost like having a cameraperson - long jib in front of you! Also, be sure to turn off the Red LED on your camera through the android app - otherwise you'll have a red glow on part of the footage. If you need an underwater case for your Gear 360 2016 model, get this; it's your only option, and will very likely not let you down. I too was apprehensive due to the mediocre reviews, but everything worked out. I wouldn't take it below 7M/20FT.

*updated 11/11/2020 I revised my rating to one star. If it were possible to make it zero, I would. I've only used this housing a handful of times and the latch is now broken. Adding that experience to the poor optics and the leaky gasket, there really isn't a single reason to purchase this. Not one. It was a complete waste of money. I would avoid this housing. I live on a lake and spend a great deal of time in and on the water. I've sacrificed more than my fair share of GoPro cameras to the lake gods while out playing. It gets old doing that so I decided to do everything I can to keep the rest of my equipment in good working order. That includes purchasing floats or enclosures. After reading many reviews I can't say I had high hopes for the Underwater Housing Case for Samsung Gear 360 Camera. After using it yesterday I fully understand the lack of enthusiasm for the product. Here's why: I carefully placed my camera inside the enclosure, mounted it on a tripod then lowered the assembly into the water adjacent to my dock. The depth was about three feet, which is considerably less than the advertised ability to withstand depths of 30'. After an hour I retrieved the camera and inspected the housing. While there wasn't enough water inside to cause damage, there was a significant amount of liquid inside. If it had been underwater much longer I think there would have been enough to short out the cam. I may try adding a semi-liquid applique to help the gasket seal a little better. My expectations were exceeded in regard to picture quality. Many had rated the enclosure poorly for diminishing the optics. Aside from a prominent seam, I think that it did okay and am content with results. I would probably buy the enclosure again with the understanding of its limitations. No dives to 30 feet or spending more than 30 minutes or so under water. With that, I wish there were a higher quality enclosure for the 360.

I took my Samsung Gear 360 tubing down the river for Tube to Work Day. It worked great! The camera was completely protected from splashes and the occasional dunking. The buttons allowed me to start and stop the camera from the outside. Before using it, I tested it by putting some paper towels in the enclosure, closing it, then leaving it submerged about 15 cm overnight. The towels were dry when it came out. One small concern I had is that the camera was slightly loose in the enclosure, and as I rocked the camera back and forth, there was some annoying clicking in the video, but I fixed this next time by padding it slightly with a paper towel to get a tighter fit.

I really liked this product....until the mount broke. I was still able to use it (hand held), but couldn't use it as intended. I also had a bit of trouble with the latch not staying closed when I was jumping into water from heights, but it never popped open to the point where it leaked. I have tried to use superglue to fix the broken mount, but am fairly certain that won't be a "forever" fix. Really wish it stayed together. I used it twice before it broke. Once in a situation where I was jumping from heights into water. The second use was snorkeling, where it performed well. It broke the third time I used it, again while snorkeling. UPDATE: One email to the seller and they sent me a new case. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but they said they improved the durability. I don't know if they did or not, but the responsiveness was enough to bring a three star review up to a four star review.

When I was doing my research for buying it, I was a bit concerned due to some of the critics I saw, although I have decided to buy and test it. It was delivered very fast, I just did 2 miles rafting filming along with 1.5 zip-lining and as the result, the quality was perfect and the product is excellent. My recommendation for those who are willing to buy it it is to pay attention on setting up the camera the right side and position. I think that could be the reason why some people had problem with cracks and other situations they are considering fragile - just my 5 cents - as I realized the plastic is thin. Botton line, I highly recommend.

The quality of the material it's not the best, so you have to be very careful and scratch very easy

I got this to protect the Gear 360 and I have a few main gripes about it: - it adds a noticeable "lens seam" to the 360 video that kills seamless stitching - it gets scratched very easily... which is very noticeable in video - the case buttons don't go down far enough very easily so you really have to push down to press the Gear 360 buttons - with it on, you can see the red light recording LED reflecting off of the inside of the case as you record - it dents VERY easily if you drop it - the image quality of video is drastically-reduced with this on It's not what I wanted to add to my footage or my recording experience, really. Some positives though: - it does protect the Gear 360 pretty well - common mounts let you use GoPro gear or any other like mounts - probably waterproof (untested) I wouldn't recommend it unless you keep this thing in pristine condition... like you would need a protector for the case... which is redundant.

This seems to be the only option to make the 2016 Gear 360 camera more water-resistant and it worked for a little while. I have owned this case for a few years and have been on a couple of trips with it. In total, I'd say I used this less than 10 times and the waterproofing worked well for me. Unfortunately, the latch broke and I do not seem to be alone facing this problem. Purchasing this case again is cheaper than buying a new camera + case for it or a new more water-resistant camera. But, it may be a good time to review what's out there, compare overall camera quality, and see what my budget may allow.

Protege la canara pero se rayara pronto creo!

The housing fits the camera perfectly, with accurate placement of the buttons making it simple to use. It's properly waterproof, but the casing was a little thinner than I expected, and being plastic it will easily get scratched. Most housings have the same issue, although once underwater any scratches pretty much disappear, so it's not really a problem

Ich hatte mir das Gehäuse zum Tauchen gekauft, leider musste ich beim Tauchen feststellen, dass sich das Gehäuse langsam aber sicher mit Wasser füllte. Naja, Kamera Hin und das Gehäuse ist jetzt nutzlos. Keine Empfehlung meinerseits!

The reason not to give a 5 star rating is that it is too costly, but due to no other option I had to get it and they are taking advantage of the situation. On the box it is written 1 year warranty from the manufacturer. Overall perfect fit but couldn't understand why on one side extra gap is given, maybe to not act as a further lens the same curved cover is made.

I bought one of these for my Samsung 360 4 years ago still works great will be buying another one for my second Samsung 360