bghazzal

The tray piece looks good, let us know how it goes. I can't help with this my own experiments with transfering some of the buoyancy under the housing were not conclusive. When i was playing with this, having a compensating force pushing up on such a small housing felt much less stable and more "intrusive" than what a main horizontal bar close to the top the housing gives - I love it like this for wide and, it turns out, macro. But i also didn't have a flat tray float-piece like what Davide suggested, which might have a totally different feel. It's tricky - compact housings are bricks, much more so than bigger camera housings, and for video you really want to find something that works and feels good for you. As a counter-example when I added more vertical buoyancy when trying out the "wolf" set up mentioned above, I went from a "neutral" feeling (you don't feel the buoyancy compensation, the rig feels like one single mass) to feeling a pull up (even if the rig itself was negative) when manoeuvering the camera. - this is difficult to describe, It's like a "delay" or lag, a push or pull, depending on float placement, which makes you aware of the buoyancy compensation. What I really like now is that my rig with a main jumbo float a few inches on top feels like one single, near neutral block, and this is a base from which i can tweak things - but maybe a +400g flat piece on the bottom can work in the same way and not feel like it's pushing up, since it would fuse with the housing. Also, I'm also not going for fast elaborate camera movements, rather slow and steady - I think for that kind of camerawork you would want the rig to be a neutral as possible and maybe a pivotable Stix arm with nothing on it (like ze underwater steadycam already mentioned). Maybe you could put this arm on the NALX10's M10 mount? (this central screw in mount is what I use for my single MW4300 btw, not the cold shoe)) which would give you the possiblity of locking in a camera angle to better match the movement/angle of your shots. But if your rig is truly neutral you might find that you won't need an adjustable float and will actually be looking for more stability instead. cheers b

the SUPE / scubalamp.com website is still up, no mention of rebranding that I can see there anyway: https://scubalamp.com/pages/about-us-1

Looks good, but not sure the Stix floats provide enough buoyancy in this case. My primary horizontal float is a +900g carbon float, for instance. And yes, for the adjustable float I think the squarish shape of the Stix is the problem here as the floats can't roll on one another, like with smooth round carbon fiber float. My "moveable float" (good title for a novel?) just rolls around this main float. For the lights, it's really nice that you have two MW4300 - i would definitely stick with this as it will give a lot of shooting options, but maybe what you could try is invest one large carbon fiber float to mount horizontally across the housing like you already do (you can/could get some pretty cheap ones on ebay or similar, look into the Puluz brand for instance). Looking into my purchase history, I'd bought my main 900g float when I was in Thailand, and it's this model here: https://www.puluz.com/p/PU3026/PULUZ-10.8-inch-27.5cm-Length-80mm-Diameter-Dual-Balls-Carbon-Fiber-Floating-Arm-Ball-Diameter-25mm-Buoyancy-900g.htm This, or and equivalent would give you a good working base, as it would cancel out most of the housing's negative buoyancy, and you could figure out if you need more floats than what you have already. For the lights you could get two 60mm diameter carbon float, maybe around 10cm length, and use these as a base for the lights on each sides - compare the buoyancy with the Sitx, but I think the carbon arms would probably give more and get the rig more comfortable. Size would depend on buoyancy needed, but the MW4300 are quite negative as well -250g per light in water, so that's an extra -500g or so to compensate. But maybe with a good +900g on top the Stix foam inserts would be enough. For the extension I don't think I got one with my original NALX10 kit, not sure. Apparently it's the Nauticam Universal Right Handle Bracket ,and intended for housing / tray systems that don't have holes for attaching the required brackets of Nauticam Shutter Release Extension: If you have an older Nauticam mirrorless or compact housing that does not have threaded holes for attaching the required brackets for the Nauticam Shutter Release Extension, you can use the Nauticam Universal Right Handle Bracket. We suggest using a double ball arm w/ clamps between both handles on your Flexitray or Easitray to provide additional support for the Nauticam Universal Right Handle Bracket. https://reefphoto.com/blogs/how-to/nauticam-shutter-release-extension cheers b

oh this is interesting - situation is a little different, but I carry my 3 closeup lenses in neoprene pouches on the dive - the neoprene pouches themselves are clipped inside a large Apeks cargo pouch clipped onto my BC pocket. It's shore diving, so bike to the site, hop in out, hop out bike home and rinse. Lenses and pouches are still wet when I get home, I soak them with the camera in tap water for an hour then rinse the lenses in drinking water (Balinese tap water isn't clean and leaves residues) and then dry thoroughly. Neoprene lens pouches are rinsed turned inside out to dry. It's been all good so far but on the last two dives I started wondering if I could not leave the lens caps at home. What i was doing was carrying the lenses with caps on in the neoprene pouches, removing the caps when I got to the dive site, placing the lenses back in the pouches, storing the 6 lens caps. After the dive, I would then replace the lens caps on the lenses before returning the lenses back to their wet neoprene pouches. The lens cap transfer is quite time consuming under a baking sun, and implies shuffling the lenses in and out of the lens pouches in a parking lot, so more risk of dropping them etc. I left the lens caps home on the last dive, just going the site with the lenses in the neoprene pouches, and it was much quicker/smoother. But reading all this, and the stories of sand ( the sand here is very fine volcanic substrate), if neoprene pouches risk scratching the glass, I might go back to lens caps inside the neoprene pouches...

Wow - that's exciting news (and might mean a few more GH5s housings on the market, for the vintage inclined crowd 😎). Wonder if Nauticam's housing will finally switch to video-centric ergonomics or keep the same still-based vertical shape as the GH6's

The 2x 21700 Lithium Ion Batteries are the same as the one used in Backscatter MW4300 video light, which is a well designed product. Side questiom - will this product mean the end of the Backscatter MW4300 videolight, or will both product lines be maintained (which would be great for those of us on the moving-picture fringe who don't need the strobe function) Also, any info on the CRI of the included 5000 lumen video light? For comparison, the MW4300 light was 6000 K (calibrated) for an output of 4300 lumen, 85° beam angle and a CRI of 71.1, whereas its tighter Macro/Spot mode was 5000 K ( non calibrated) for an output of 1400 lumen and a CRI 0f 70.3 It would be interesting to know if this product's slightly more powerful video light included in the hybrid flash features a jazzed-up led module. thanks!

Haven't used the SUPE, but do use the Backscatter MW-4300. The MW4300 is s a much weaker light, with a spot mode and a wide mode, but really flexible for shooting macro video. - Wide mode is 6000 K (calibrated) for an output of 4300 lumen, 85° beam angle - the tighter Macro/Spot mode is 5000 K (so warmer, and non calibrated) for an output of 1400 lumen As such, it's a really useful tool for shooting macro video, as it has 5 power levels in macro mode (vs. 3 in wide mode) which is really practical, and the light can also take the OS-10 snoot, which is nice. On the downside, I find that the light is quite warm, even in the cooler 6000K calibrated wide mode which I sometimes also use for macro shots. The MW4300's CRI is also nothing to write home about, at CRI of 71.1 in wide mode and 70.3 in spot/macro mode, according to Backscatter. I really wish the light had been designed with a better CRI led, as this does affect colour spectrum rendition, and would be nice to have for working in post. In theory you can use two MW4300 for wide angle shots (which is why the lights are calibrated to 6000K in wide mode, to match a pair), This is something I would love to do, if I had the budget for another light, for shooting medium size mobile subjects (mimic otopuses for instance), as this would comfortably widen the covered area (this clip was shot with a single MW4300 in wide mode as the primary light source, gives an idea of the field of view with a single light). But even with two MW4300, tt would still only be around 8000 lumen in total, so not really in the same category as the SUPE, 5600K at 8000 lm for a CRI of 96 (if these values are accurate) hope this helps b

Yep - I like the fact that it could act as an integrated support for the cam. Even with holes, it would be difficult to access controls in the box though, so maybe just keeping the frame and mounting connecting points directy to top of the structure. With a quadripod mount's two ball ends on each side of the tray, it should be relatively easy to rig something up for a 4-point connection to front and back arches, which would also allow angle/immersion adjustments. It would just be a question of driling into the pipes to attach 4 ball mounts on the inside, then connecting to the housing with arms and clamps. That said, I really like the hammocraft - fascinating concept, and I can't help wondering what happens if one of the side hammock ladies decides to go for a swim? 😁

wow - no idea and hadn't really though of that. Must be nice to get shots of the man o' war jelly with the float on the surface and the tentacles dangling below. Amazing rig, but looks like it would be a nightmare to use outside pool conditions where the #$%#@$#sea line won't stand still! Or maybe the floats actually do manage to cancel the water movement by following the Y axis while keeping the dome immersed at the same level? Not sure how this craddled beast of would react in practice. I found these otherwise: https://www.filmequipmenthire.com/product/dpv-powered-surface-float-camera-system-for-rent-at-film-equipment-hire/ I'll start on the whacky DIY then... For a quick-and-dirty approach on smaller cameras, maybe some kind of foam box, like the ones used for fish, could work as a base? Or a cooler for a more durable option. Maybe combined with some kind of pool-seat like floater apparatus thing? Would be difficult to get a precise, adjustable dome immersion point as you would get with rig above though.... Maybe modifying some kind of floating hammock rig, like the hammocraft?

I would also recommend posting this on the "ID Please (Marine Creature Identification)" FB group - 42K+ members, quite a lot of specialists, you should have a definite reply in no time https://www.facebook.com/groups/396180553763159 The good folks on this group have helped me with pretty obscure worms and the like, quite impressive...

It's gotten quite bad now on all fronts from what I here - officers target pretty much anything they can - same goes for locals btw, but travelling UW image makers are an easy target, often with deeper pockets than most tourists - best advice is to stay discreet and hope for the best. The trick officers were using at one point was to consider the housing as a second-camera (look in the regulations h, import-taxed upon googled retail value... Unfair, but difficult to argue against if you end up in this situation... You've probably seen this already, but there's a thread dedicated to the subject on the zombie WP site here, and an article on X-Ray here Good luck!

Yep - instead of the legs being in the more standard position, slightly perpendicular to the tray and facing downwards, for these wide moving shots I have them at a more open angle, more parallel to the tray and almost flat - that way they don't get in the way, but I can still bring the camera down to rest on the two legs if needed. Love the gear-building vid Davide posted - you can do the same with the quadripod system if you have longer legs, simply extend the left rear leg out and hold it - I've tried filming wider shots holding on to the two back legs like handles as well, seems really stable for fly-by shots, something to look into! Yep - at the moment I'm not bringing my wide-angle lens, as I'm really not doing any reef dives, just the diopters - bigger subjects I just shoot with no lens on the port or with the Inon 165 if I need to get close (but there is a slight loss in corner sharpness) - this is what i did for the mimic clip. I just have the three macro lenses in a big Apex cargo pocket someone gave me, which is attached to the right side of my BCD, and the lenses are inside neoprene lens pouches attached inside the pocket - it would be big enough for the wide lens and a diopter as well. Thanks! The mimics were gone for a few months, then back again, but have been quite shy so far, just peeking out of their burrows. I hope I'll meet more cooperative subjects like the one in last year's vid - I didn't have my main light at the time and would like to get some more mimic action shots with it. There have been recent spottings of mototi and blue ring octopuses as well, but mostly on night dives... Amed's is changing fast otherwise, construction everywhere, but it's still a great place to dive, with a freedom to do so rarely enjoyed elsewhere. And spending quite a bit of time in the area you really get to see the seasonal changes - it's quite dynamic in terms of sea conditions, fauna and flora! The seamoths are definitely still around, spotted quite few on the plateaux last year! b

No worries, let us know how it goes. I mostly focus on macro given the subjects here in east-Bali, but can and have shot both macro and WA on the same dive with this LX10 rig - I just fold the legs up like in the pics and adjust light positioning to a more frontal position. For supermacro, I definitely shoot with some support, using the quadripod - the rig is stable enough to be used handheld even for macro, but if the subject is too small I'll need to be fully zoomed out on the LX10, which amplifies not just shakes but any vibration in the footage. If the the subject is moving around a lot (tiny crustaceans, larval fish...) I might use only the two front legs of the quadripod to follow the movement (this is how I started looking into tilts) If it's a slightly bigger subject, front-leg support to handheld, or both is ok. This spiny tiger shrimp clip is pretty much a crossover between semi-handheld and some shots on the quadripod - the subject wasn't really large (toughly 1cm for the biggest of the two shrimps) and quite mobile, but slow enough to follow with some camera movements (not in post), with front legs support. For larger macro to medium subjects like the crabs or mimic octopuses (which I'm a little obsessed with), I shoot primarily handheld, but usually with two front legs spread out - That way don't get in the way when I'm shooting handheld and moving to follow the action (which is what I was doing on this mimic vid or the crab clips), but also allow me, should the subject decide to stop moving around, to use the legs for support. It's really flexible. This is more of a supermacro related concern, but the main issue I'm having now are actually water conditions - supermacro subjects and/or their support are really affected by water movements, swell, surge and current. My rig might be nice and stable and I can be in a good position, only to have the subject swing in and out of focus, making the shot unusable... The smaller the subject, the shallower the depth of field and the more critical this becomes, as even a hydroid moving a couple of millimeters in the current will look like a tree branch swinging in a storm, bringing the tiny subject hanging onto it frustratingly in and out of focus. This is tricky, as there's not much to do (zoom out to increase depth of field, basically, which means losing magnification) - in video need at least a few seconds of the subject in our focus area, we can't just freeze one single frame like for stills. The set lens of compacts like the LX10, while certainly restrictive, offers the ability to switch from wide-angle to macro on the sane dive just by switching wet-lenses, which is precious - with only a slightly-negative rig for macro, and somewhat repositionable floats (to compensate for the change from a wide-angle lens to a macro diopter) you can certainly do both. If you're planning on shooting macro video, do look into some kind of tripod/quadripod system, ideally one that still allows you to shoot handheld (small or foldable, like those shown in the tripod thread for instance) But maybe focus on wide-angle rig buoyancy first for the Red Sea, as you'll mostly be shooting wide there. Regarding more experimental shots, also remember that you'll have the option to do quite a lot of things in editing as well (cropping, small "camera movements" - a lot of macro videos, like Dustin Adamson / Ocean Shutter's, will add movement in post on stationary subjects like nudis) cheers

Ouch - sorry to read this. We worked in LaPaz up to 2018, and it's a complex environment. Orcas are quite rare, and tricky to get into the water with if they're feeding on the mobulas (murky water, blood in the water etc) which is usually why they're around - some friends working there managed to do so later in the season, but it's quite rare, even for people working there. Schools of Munk's mobulas themselves are more accessible but still really tricky as well, since they move around fast, and peak mobula season is usually when the water is quite murky. I did see them diving a few times, but this was really lucky, as encounter usually revolve around trying to chase the ball from the panga and getting in the waters with them for a few seconds, not the easiest... Same goes for the whaleshark swims when it's whaleshark season in LaPaz - highly regulated activity (which is good, amazing work by CONANP), but green, plankton-rich waters, and a lot of time-constrained chasing feeding whalesharks on the surface in the boat's assigned area - and feeding whalesharks move quite fast (unless you're lucky to get one vertical feeding), so it's usually only a few seconds... Other sharks (like the famous hammerheads of the El Bajo seamounts...) are pretty much gone, unfortunately, and while we did get a much applauded return of the mantas at La Reina a few years back, this is highly unpredictable. Whales are also seasonal, and usually in murky green waters, and encounters regulated. They weren't at the time, but with the viz, the shop's photographer and myself never really managed to get footage (we would position ourselves ahead, but whales would just dive under us, in 5 meter visibility...) Overall I would say it's probaly best to focus on San Ignacio / Guerrero Negro lagoons for that (if you can get over the touchy-feely experience...). Otherwise definitely look into Magdalena bay, which can offer some amazing bait-ball encounters, and has been the up-and-coming area for a few years now. California sealions are amazing, but there's really no need to join an "expedition" to dive or snorkel with them at the Los Islottes / San Rafaelito colonies... Overall, I'd say that while the sea of Cortez / Gulf of California, especially the LaPaz area, can offer some amazing, one-of-a-kind encounters, it's also a bit of a hit and miss, especially on a single trip...

Sounds interesting, and I look forward to seeing results 😎 - compared to land shooting, being neutrally buoyant or close means you have a lot of options in terms of shooting angles, and a lot of freedom in this sense. But one major issue is that it's all handheld, so prone to shake and also very difficult to restrain movement so that's is slow enough to use - with no 60fps in 4K on the LX10, you might want to shoot in 1080p at 60fps (or that 120frps mode) so you have more slow-motion options for camera movements, which could help if going down that road. The other main problem you might have is that underwater subjects are generally skittish, and unless you're shooting sea lions (maybe try seals in the UK? ) who actually get bored if you don't move, cooperative nudibranchs or coral, most UW subjects won't react well too well to movement and camera moving in and out. But in terms of shooting angles, there's definitely a lot to try. For my rig sure, in addition to Davide's linked discussion (quadripod use is also discussed with pictures here) here are some pics of the moveable float. The main issue I was having is that adding heavy diopters for super macro made the rig really front heavy (I stack up to three lenses in some cases), so i was looking for a way to counteract this. I did try attaching a horizontal float under the lens port, cabled tied to the tray, but it messed up trim and balance, making handheld shots and also quadripod use tricky (it was the thin round float arm, used as a front light mount on the pictures below, rather than the pad-like float mentioned above, which looks much more practical). After a little trial and error, I found that the solution that works realy well for me is moveable float which I can roll forward onto the main float to counterbalance the lenses - buoyancy can be adjusted UW anywhere from the back, top, to front of the rig. I have these two rubber bracelet things on the main float as dampers for the contact point, but they're optional. The moveable float is attached to the main float by two (tight) cable ties, and rolls around it. I also have a clip-on collar (actually a nato small dog collar) in the middle that gives me a clip-on point, but this is also completely optional. The other main buoyancy adjustment is by acting on position of the two vertical floats holding my main MW4300 light (forward, backwards or to the sides) - there are also two other smaller video lights, which are not mounted in the picture. These two lights are just mounded the end of the locline arms seen in the pictures, and not compensated, but also help bring balance to the rig - it's a amazing how a little negative weight on both sides works underwater. With this, my light position can move from forward / top down for larger subjects, and also to the sides, or surrounding the subject in a lightbox like config (main macro light above, two other lights to the side, what some strobe-users refer to as a Princess-Leia / earmuff config). I can also do back lighting, snoot etc. The NALX10 is a little left-side heavy, since the lens is not full centre, which is something to take into account - my right locline arm is a tiny bit longer to compensate for the distance. Despite its slighty ridiculous looks, it's actually a real pleasure to use (and carry around) UW on the quadripod, and as mentioned the added bulk actually makes it really stable and comfy to shoot handheld as well. I was afraid that the vertical floats would be a problem, especially for handheld but it's fine, and actually better than what i had before for WA - go figure... I actually tried another config a couple of weeks back based on the the Wolf method, removing my moveable float and mounting it on top, as part of a triangle double float (see the pics in the articles, it'll make more sense) - but i really didn't get the same balance, comfort (the extra top buoyancy really felt like the rig was pulled up all the time) or flexibility... So really happy with this setup now, which I'll be working with until my light config changes. cheers b

Great question indeed - having the same brick-like but still so-loveable compact setup (LX10 in NA-LX10 housing), I understand where you're coming from with the floats... I'm shooting macro mostly exclusively at the moment, but playing around with the configuration has actually improved it for wide angle, and I'm super happy with how the setup feels underwater. Primary change was having two mobile vertical floats at the center of the rig holding my main macro light, which also helps counter balance the weight of the diopters - it's only slightly negative, even for macro, and almost neutral with no diopters and increasingly negative with lens stacks. But I found it's also really nice for shooting wide / wider-angle shots as well, the added bulk and adjustable (moveable) buoyancy of the front floats actually helps a lot. Back to wide-angle and your question, I would say you're definitely on the right track if the rig is already really (too) stable, and also see what you mean about resistance (but I don't use a float collar, so not sure what this throws into the mix) One thing to note is that doing tilts (or most hand-held camera movements) underwater is really difficult - LX10 stabilisation is minimal, and while you can certainly tilt you probably won't get any useable footage while tilting as it will most likely be too fast (which can be cool for a transition effect...) or shaky. I've actually been playing around with tilts in macro, using the two front legs of my quadripod, but it's super tricky. Shooting wide-angle you won't be as zoomed in, which helps with camera speed, but I really think you'll have a hard time getting a usuable fully-hand-held tilt shot. Pans are also trickier than they look, easier to shoot but they're usually always too fast to use, so resistance is actually probably a good thing in this case. All in all, having a stable rig to shoot with is probably much more important than one that allows camera movements underwater, as in most cases you will mostly be shooting straight ahead and following the action with your body positions rather than the camera. That said, where you might be having an issue is shooting in different positions - by which I mean not so much moving the camera around as the angles you can shoot in (overhead for mantas circling a cleaning station, for instance). If you find you're often having to compensate / fight flotation pull to shoot, then that is certainly a problem as it will be shaky and tiring/uncomfortable. For this, since you already have floats on cable-ties, maybe look into making them more mobile, so you can adjust the pull of buoyancy compensation to better blend with your camera angles? To give an example, I have one movable float around my main horizontal float - it's held by two cable ties and can be rolled around the main float to the back or front, hence changing the angle of the buoyancy compensation. Maybe this is something you could look into - often just a slight repositioning will do wonders... Without going as far as building a custom float like this, the basic idea in this video - adjusting buoyancy compensation angle to match shots - is really interesting: voilà, hope this helps ben

Ouch - Been there done that a few years back, unfortunately - 45 minutes into a shallow (less than 10m...) macro dive in Thailand. This was only the 3rd with the NALX10 housing, which had been vaccum-pumped and on green for 3 hours before the dive. Teaspoon of water in, camera fried, housing seviced, electronics changed - Never knew what happened, which is the scariest. I now always remove, clean/grease the single o-ring before each diving day (seems more important on this housing design), and pump the vaccum 24 hours in advance... I hope you'll source a new camera soon 🤞

ouch, sorry to hear this. if this helps your search, the LX10 is also known as the LX15 in some locales (USA) and as the LX9 in Japan. Good luck!

Yes, I'd second the Lancer dragonet (Callionymus bairdi) https://shiny-ace.com/zukan-e/nezuppoka-e/lancerdragonet-e.html

Nope, can't watch it either.

This video shows their DJI & Insta360 adapters on the TDEX stand: https://www.facebook.com/reel/7326888520771923

If you have Facebook, maybe post this on the Tulamben community group? https://www.facebook.com/groups/172276879993151 - it's not as active as the Amed one, but you might be able to get an answer. Scuba Seraya's FB page hasn't been active since 2020, which is not a good sign, but there are recent google reviews, which is odd. Otherwise heard good things about Villa Markisa, Villa Utama, Tauch Terminal. cheers

Not the best of sources (Thaiger is a repost rag), but still interesting info https://thethaiger.com/news/national/parking-the-problem-thai-national-parks-close-to-revive-coral-reefs The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) implemented indefinite closures at marine attractions in 12 national parks in Thailand to allow coral reefs to recover from bleaching. (...) To prevent further damage and allow for recovery, the DNP has closed marine attractions in 12 national parks until further notice. Human activity can disturb and hinder the coral’s recovery process. The closures affect the following national parks: Mu Koh Chang National Park (Trat) Khao Laem Ya-Samet National Park (Rayong) Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan) Hat Wanakon National Park (Prachuap Khiri Khan) Mu Koh Chumphon National Park (Chumphon) Hat Khanom-Mu Koh Thalay Tai National Park (Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani) Mu Koh Surin National Park (Phang Nga) Sirinat National Park (Phuket) Ao Phang Nga National Park (Phang Nga) Than Bok Khorani National Park (Krabi) Nopparat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park (Krabi) Mu Koh Lanta National Park (Krabi) Three additional locations are under special surveillance due to severe coral bleaching including: Koh Jan in the Hat Wanakon National Park in Prachuap Kiri Khan Koh Pling in Sirinat National Park in Phuket Mu Koh Chumphon National Park in Chumphon Koh Khram Koh Ngam Noi Koh Ngam Yai See also: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/coral-catastrophe-strikes-krabis-mu-ko-lanta-marine-park Phang Nga's Similan Islands NMP, badly hit in the 2010 bleaching event (some famous sites, like East of Eden, are closed to this day for "recovery and monitoring"). has already entered its yearly closure period. More info on the 2010 bleaching event here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286384630_Impact_of_the_2010_coral_bleaching_event_on_survival_of_juvenile_coral_colonies_in_the_Similan_Islands_on_the_Andaman_Sea_coast_of_Thailand

Aaaah, compacts 😍 - Maybe we should start a retro trend and shoot uw video on VHS-C and Hi-8 camcorders? (digitalised to 4K, of course) Woah, look at the rad overlay and generation-loss on that reef fly-by!

On my macro video compact rig, I started out super negative (-1.5kg) but are now currently only a little negative. That said, I use a quadripod, not a tripod, and the rig is really stable, even when close to being neutrally buoyant. Buoyancy varies with the diopters I use (Inon UCL165, AOI-09, CMC-1 or stacked combinations of these), but I love it like this. When i started out really negative, the legs would dig deep into the fine vocanic sand we have here in east Bali, and stir up clouds even if I only nugdged the camera alittle to reposition/focus, or when lifting the quadripod off the substrate, no way around it, even when going very slow and easy... Not fun... It was also tiring to carry underwater on the extended shallow dives I do here, and made a big difference in my own buoyancy when I no longer held the camera, not really pleasant having to adjust all the time. I started adding floats (my wide angle rig is neutral) and found out that it doesn't affect shot stability with my quadripod. Another positive I can also now do handheld shots, or semi-handheld using only two legs (which opens up tilt camera movements for instance). I actually tested neutrally buoyant macro dive a couple of days ago, trying a new float setup based on the Wolf - So two big top mounted floats setup in a triangle. Camera was even a tiny bit positive without the diopters (I use 3, and have them on me rather than on a flip mount), but was nice and comfy neutral starting with my smallest Inon diopter, to slightly negative with the others. However the Wolf based setup was cumbersome, and I didn't like having the buoyancy compensation so high up which kind of pulls up the rig, and makes trim/buoyancy adjustements difficult, so i went back to my former setup (main floats compensating 1.1 kg horizontal across the rig, then two float arms vertically in the middle holding on my main macro light, a Backscatter MW4300). I can adjust buoyancy distribution / trim with the back float horizontal float. It's cable-tied to the main horizontal float which can pivot around it, so I can easily move buoyancy closed to the front of the rig (good for front heavy lens stacks). A picture might make more sense: i think using a quadripod really helps for video, allowing us to work really only slightly (100g or so) negative - of course any strong surge or current would affect the rig more than a heavier one, but I find it also affects smaller macro / super macro subjects so much that it's very difficult to get usuable footage anyway, as they swing in an out of focus too much, so it's not much of an issue. And making it lighter really helps with camera repositioning, semi-handheld and full-handheld shots. cheers ben