A1/HC3/FX1 Questions from a Beginner

... I am very happy with my choice to go with the Bluefin HD housing. You should however upgrade the lens from the flat port to either the 80 degree wide angle or the upcoming UWA lens to give the camera and housing full justice...

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I'm all confused now. I thought the 80 degree lens was the standard lens and no flat port existed

So the 80-degree lens is an upgrade on top of the standard housing or travel pack? If so, does the flip macro work with both?

Nick, I think the 80 degree lens costs $1900 ontop of the housing.

$4999 Special Housing Price.

$1900 For 80 degree lens.

$6900 US all up.

I may be wrong though.

Hey Nick,

The Bluefin FX1 / Z1 comes standard with the flat port and flip macro element.

If you use the optional 80 degree port a different flip can be fitted that will give you full zoom through to macro capability.

These are the ports that are currently shipping - still waiting for shipping dates on the multi element 100 degree port.

I'm all confused now. I thought the 80 degree lens was the standard lens and no flat port existed 

 

So the 80-degree lens is an upgrade on top of the standard housing or travel pack? If so, does the flip macro work with both?

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Hi Nick,

Yes, as the others mentioned, the 80 degree wide angle lens is extra. The housing comes with a glass flat port and a flip down macro lens. That one only works with the flat port though, so I have temporarily removed the glass in it and installed an Expodisc a la VideoDan. The extra flip down macro lens I had to purchase ($500) to get full macro ability with the 80 degree lens, I have removed in favor of the Expodisc.

That means that I have "lost" the true macro ability with this lens, but since I discovered that the 80 degree lens gives really good close-up shots (that cover my needs) on its own it is no big deal. It is also a very easy switch should I decide to shoot real macro on a particular dive.

I wish the 80 degree lens came standard with the housing since I personally do not have as much use of the flat port, but even so it is well worth its price. It is a really good lens.

Anders

I already mentioned this, but as someone looking to make the jump to the bluefin, can anyone give me an idea of the difference in imaging between the flat port lens and the 80'? What do the shots look like and why the need for a lens other than what L&M ships it with? It would seem a little rediculous to offer a housing for a 1080i camera that DOESN'T have a lens that works well with it.

The flat port is only one glass element and works well especially for macro shooting. It also comes with the flip down macro lens. It does not give bad quality UW-video, but not as good as a better lens can perform. For a higher quality and a wider shooting angle, a multi element optical glass lens is better. The 80 degree wide angle lens has three (3) optical glass elements, and the upcoming UWA has five (5).

Having five glass elements makes it full zoom through, and having only three makes it partial zoom through. At least that is how I have understood it.

It all depends on your UW-video needs and the wallet...

I found that the 80 degree lens is very sharp and it brings in more light compared to the flat port. There is no vignetting with this lens either. Using this housing and camera, I personally think that the 80 degree really should be the standard optics. It makes quite a bit of difference.

Anders

Hello everyone,

I have been following the Wetpixel video forum since Nov 2005 and this is my first entry.  I noticed that a lot of you pro's were following the HVR-A1U setup with baited breath at first to see how best to set up/configure it for UW use.  I have a fully manual/one touch white balance Ikelite housing and would appreciate if we could have a consensus or for users to put in their two cents worth on how they have found the best results with their present set up?  I have not seen an entry for quite awhile on how people have decided to set up the A1U.  I am very interested because I will be taking mine for the first time to Grand Cayman to experiment with in 3 weeks and then onto PNG on Sept. 25 and I would like to be prepared.  Please and thank you.  Vormark

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Hi Vormark

There's a good chance that I'm going to be hiring an A1 and Ike housing for a couple of days diving at the beginning of August. By the sound of it you may have already got yours wet by then in the Caymans, but I'll try to post my thoughts on it once I've had a go. I'll be using it in murky water though, so it may not give you a good idea as to what you'll find when you use it on your trips.

Cheers, Simon

Ah, yes....the crossroads of needs and wallet......

In terms of an all-purpose lens, though, Anders, what do you think of the flat port?

It also sounds like you're getting decent macro stuff with the 80', which would make sense because in Bonaire and Tobago this year I got really great macro with L&M's wide angle lens for my Stungray II housing.

I personally am of the opinion that the 80 degree is the all purpose lens and the flat port good for macro only dives.

The 80 degree gives you a very useful wide angle (albeit not a super wide angle) and with the flip down macro lens you also have good macro ability, both of two worlds.

With the UWA you loose the macro ability but gain a wider angle and full zoom through.

With the flat port you gain full macro ability but loose the quality of a multi optical glass element wide angle lens, and get a narrower FOV which might create some vignetting.

Anders

So am I to understand that we're looking at a $2400 upgrade to use the 80' and a macro flip?

UGH.

So am I to understand that we're looking at a $2400 upgrade to use the 80' and a macro flip?

UGH.

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Yes, but you might find a slightly better price. Check with Reef Photo Video in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They will probably be able to give you a brighter view of things...

http://reefphotovideo.com/

L&M has a reduced pricing right now on the housing until the end of July, a $1000 discount which is pretty phenomenal for those that had not recently already bought the housing.

That should reduce the upgrade costs a bit.

All in all though, going HD/HDV of this caliber is not an inexpensive option, that is for sure, but it is nothing compared to the big HD brothers on the market. That does not mean that it doesn't deflate your wallet pretty fast when you look at quality options for a video setup of this kind.

Anders

The Light and Motion people are just wonderful, I use their HID lights and the service, when I needed it, was timely and more than efficient. Both the L & M housings and the Gates housings are great, it is just a matter of preference. However, when you contact someone like Chuck, you must realize that anyone being sponsored by any housing manufacturer is, of course, going to have nothing but great to say. It is always best to contact people who are using various housings who have nothing to gain and who have paid for their products in order to get an honest opinion of strengths and weaknesses.

Steve B)

I guess I should tell everybody why we shipped the macro standard and sold the wide angle lens seperately.

We wanted to ship two wide angled options with the FX1. A medium wide (80ish degrees) and a ultra wide (weitwinkel) (100ish degrees) We wanted the medium wide to be "economical" which meant a reduction in the number elements. By relieving the lens of zooming by itself we could optimize around weight and wide angle performance.

We wanted the super wide to be "uncompromising" (full zoom through at 12 inches, $5000ish, minimum of 100 degrees wide, all the while optimizing around size and minimum distortion.)

We also wanted to ship a flip macro system which a allowed for a 1.5x magnification at 6 inches.

What we didn't want was to make one of the wide angles standard (probably the medium wide) and then sell the super wide as an upgrade.

We could have potentially sold a housing with no port at all, but we like to pressure test the housing with the lense that ships with the housing.

I must also comment on the 100 degree since it is not shipping as of now. If things continue to go well, we should be diving the lens next Friday with small quantities shipping in August.

-Barrett

I was waiting for Barrett to weigh in here as the expert but I think we need a little clarification. We are talking two totally different animals here. The lens options for the FX and the A1 is what we are talking about. The FX has WA upgrades currently available. When I purchased my A1 I was told by the LM folks that although they show a WA lens option on the site it had issues with softening around the edges in HD and I would be better off with their "standard" lens for now. Barrett has said next year the WA for the A1 should be available. That is the 80 degree half zoom thru for $600 he referred to (remember I said send it!) The full zoom thru big money WA for the A1 would be too heavy and costs more than housing. So this is a compromise. I have heard the actual FOV on the standard is less than advertised but I'd need Barrett to give specifics. The LM site appears to be using using the same photo and specs for lenses as when I bought my first Stingray housing ages ago.( That should tell you I'm pretty happy with their housings) If I'd know the A1 lens limitations and low light problems I would have bought the FX housing and started weight lifting. Hope this helps. John

Thanks for the clarification on the Bluefin lenses everyone.

Has anyone got a pic of the Bluefin with the 80 degree lens on? Can't find one anywhere, only with the flat port on. I want to see how much the glass sticks out and how much protection the shade gives it.

Also can anyone show stills or footage shot with the standard flat lens on full wide?

cheers

Nick

Here you go.

FX1 / Bluefin - Standard Port

Thanks for the clarification on the Bluefin lenses everyone.

 

Has anyone got a pic of the Bluefin with the 80 degree lens on? Can't find one anywhere, only with the flat port on. I want to see how much the glass sticks out and how much protection the shade gives it.

 

Also can anyone show stills or footage shot with the standard flat lens on full wide?

 

cheers

 

Nick

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Hi Nick,

I took some photos for you of my housing. I placed the flat port (the smaller of the two) next to the 80 degree lens so you can see the size difference. Also added is a picture of the 80-degree lens with the Expodisc installed.

Sincerely

Anders

If you look at Light & Motion's gallery page at http://www.uwimaging.com/gallery/gallery.htm and click on "Wide Dance." That clip was all shot with the 80.

The Nicklin stuff was all shot with a HC1 Zoom Macro Lens. The Topolovac videos were mixed b/t the macro, flat, and 80 wide angle.

FYI: The 80 is plano concave which means it has a curve on the inside and is flat on the outside so looking from the outside it's a little hard to tell the difference b/t the 80 and flat port.

-Barrett

Thats what good about this forum, we can all share our thoughts, ideas, gear, tips and experiences to people from all over the world.

Barrent I went and had a look at those clips on your site as well, very nice and what a great place for critters.....Inspired me to go and shoot some stuff with the lights and macro now.....

We all know that L&M, Gates and Amphibico make great housings and maybe one day the good points from these housings can be made into one perfect housing.

Well this is what I did today, and yes... with the new 94 degree modified lens that may still give a tiny bit of vignetting on full wide.

Uptop stuff shot with the little A1. (It really needs a wide angle)

In water shot with the Phenom all while snorkelling....enjoy cause I did shooting it...

Today 6.8 meg WMV FILE

Today 48 megs H.264 Mov FILE

And for you spec guys.. FX1 shutter on 300, fstop 7+, Gain (0). and lots of food in the water.

Wags

Very nicely done...liked the smoothness of the transition between the 2 mantas, one going away left and the other coming in. All nice and steady.

Steve B)