SwiftFF5

@Davide DB Thanks for that video. At this time, I can't really say. I wasn't really able to give it a fair test with the conditions as they were. I actually used AFS-C for most of my shots due to the current. I will update after my trip to Roatan in March, though.

Welllll, it was probably the worst dive trip that I have been on. We were originally promised three dives per day (I prefer 4 or 5 dives a day, but OK), but when we got there, we were told that in fact, we were only going to get two dives per day. Then, we got high winds out of the north, which caused small craft warnings and the harbor was closed, so we lost three of the five days of diving. We were able to convince them to dive on Friday, since our plane left late on Saturday. So, we eventually got a total of six dives. Cozumel, for me, is not terribly interesting diving since I love macro shooting and with the currents and drift dives, macro is hard. Then, coming back we had to re-route our flights due to the snow storms in Charlotte, North Carolina, and they managed to lose all of our luggage in the process. It has finally arrived, though, and everything was intact. That said, I mostly upgraded from the GH5 to the GH7 for the improved autofocus, and so far I must say that I am impressed. It really does appear to be significantly improved. I will be going to Roatan in March, where I will be able to test it on macro subjects and really give it a work out, but for now I am impressed. Thanks for asking!

FWIW, I just got back from a trip to Cozumel. We flew directly from Charlotte, NC into Cozumel and no one batted an eye at my camera gear or even mentioned it.

I love my dual flip holder.

My question is how you would use this? The cameras that I have used simply have a white balance button, and I simply reference off my white fins if I use it. Are you thinking of taking a shot of the card at the beginning of a clip and then using your post processing software on that clip? Perhaps I misunderstand your question or how you would use such a card, and I apologize if so.

Well, I went back through every setting again, and changed the HDMI output from Auto to 1080p as well as removing and re-inserting the cable - and now the monitor is working. I am not sure which change made the difference, but for now, I don't really care. I just hope that it turns on again in the morning for my next dive. Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks @Davide DB that is basically the same information that I just received from Reef Photo as well. I am strongly suspicious that I may have received a defective HDMI cable or bulkhead. Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of resources to test these until I get back home again. Thanks again for all your help.

HI @Davide DB Yes, I did check to see that the HDMI out was enabled. I tried playing around with the output resolution from 1080p to 1080i to 4K, and also "auto" with no change. The monitor worked great with my GH5 for many years, but now that I have upgraded to the GH7, it doesn't seem to recognize it. From some of the google searches that I have done, Panasonic may have removed that ability starting with the GH6

Unfortunately, it appears that my new Panasonic GH7 has a fatal flaw that I never even considered. I am Cozumel now, setting my gear up, and discovered that the GH7 doesn't do HDMI out while recording. In fact, I can't seem to get it to give an HDMI feed to my SmallHD-502 monitor at all. Perhaps there is a setting that I have missed, but all I can get is a "No HDMI Signal" error message on the monitor. If I can't use an external monitor with this camera, it will really cripple my macro shooting (not that I expect to get much macro shooting done here, with the current). Has anyone else run into this, and possibly have a solution that I am missing? Thanks

@Dave_Hicks is probably much better at designing things like this than I am, but if he gets too busy, I would be willing to play around and see if I can come up with something.

I have both SSi and PADI solo/self-sufficient diver certs, so I don't worry too much about getting separated from the group. This is especially so at CoCoView Resort since I have been there so many times. It drives some of the group crazy, but i don't worry about it too much. My wife, who is my dive buddy, also tends to wander off a bit as well. I mostly focus on macro video so I tend to stay in one spot for a while when I can. Same ocean...

Wow, that's a bucket list experience for me. You must have been stoked!

My wife and I go to CoCo View resort every spring, and will be going back for our 19th (I think trip) in March. It is not like it was 15 years ago, but it is still very nice diving with lots to see and photograph.

Yeah, like @JohnD I had just planned to boycott Mexico until this camera scam was resolved, but this trip opened up at a price I couldn't refuse (that is, all I had to pay for is airfare), so we will see.

Yeah, I too have had allen wrenches and a tiny 4 inch crescent wrench confiscated when leaving Roatan, even after flying into Roatan from the US with them in my carry on. Lately, I just try to remember to move them to my checked bag. I decided to go on the Cozumel trip, and we are flying direct from Charlotte into Cozumel, so perhaps there is hope. Thanks all.

I have been offered a trip to Cozumel in January, and I am struggling with whether to take my camera gear or just forgo it for this trip.

FWIW, I am a public safety diver, which means that we are often crawling along the bottom in zero visibility searching for various objects. I generally have 42 or more pounds of lead weight when wearing a drysuit to ensure that I stay on the bottom. Neutral buoyancy doesn't apply here, and I think that might the case for you as well. It is no fun to carry all that weight when not in the water, though.

All I have ever used is the Small HD 502 so I can't compare it to anything else, but I have been very happy with mine.

Well, that is quite a bit cheaper than the Nauticam housing that I bought, but you are right - there isn't much information on ports and lenses.

Be careful of the "tax" that is being applied to photo gear:

Well, I shoot video and so I use video lights not strobes, but it has not been a problem for me. I can orient them so that they don't interfere.

Actually, they printed up very nicely. @Dave_Hicks Thank you for the file.

Thanks! I just downloaded the file.

Well, unless someone here makes me an offer soon on the GH-5 body, I may see what either Reef Photo or B&H will offer me.

While I love CoCoView resort, your clientele might not. If you want to eat, sleep and dive, CoCoView is the place. The staff are wonderful and knowledgeable, but it isn't fancy. For me, at least, it is more of a macro dive area and doesn't have huge quantities of large fish, although we do see rays, turtles, parrotfish, toadfish etc, you aren't going to be wowed by the fish life. Squid and eels are common as well. The cabins are nice, clean and comfy but not fancy. The food is plentiful and very tasty but again, not fancy. That said, I have already booked my 19th trip there for March 2026, so it is my favorite place to dive.