Bluefin/Phenom LCD Shade

Shawn, thanks for the "Quadpod" idea. Might look into that. What mini-tripods did you have in mind, for only $30 each?

Also, the L&M tripod mount (the new one, for the BF HD) is not cheap (at least $100), and features two holes: a 3/8 inch threaded hole, and another one, even larger. This may be a problem when using small tripods, which usually employ a 1/4 inch connector. I guess L&M expect folks to use a big-ass tripod with this housing, hence the bigger/sturdier holes in their tripod mount.

Btw, I just got a WP Instant Msg from the guys at Ultralight Systems (who btw live very close to me), they'd like to see my housing and see if they can help with all of this. I'll keep you posted.

Also, as you may have seen, I've started a separate new thread for this 'tripod" topic, and already there seems to be enough interest. You may wanna post any reply to this on that separate thread.

Thanks again for your great feedback, as usual :-)

I like the quadpod idea, and look forward to what Ultralight can come up with. I think four legs would be much more stable than three. Tripods work fine for topside shooters, but underwater we have to deal with current, surge, and sometimes very uneven terrain. Ultimate would be something where the legs would stow flush with the bottom of the housing for streamlining while swimming, and for easy storage under a bench on a boat, without removing anything. I tried a cheap tripod with my Bluefin V900, and it was more trouble than it was worth. The Expodisc is the single best accessory for any housing, I won't shoot deeper stuff without it. This weekend I am at the Floridadiveshow.com showing HD video for my local dive shop, and I see a huge difference in the footage that was white balanced with the Expodisc. My video has drawn large crowds, and has given me many unexpected leads. Everyone wants to buy the videos, a Scuba equipment manufacturer wants me to do promotion videos for them, and a megayacht (with helicopter) crewmember recruited me to train the yacht owner in topside and underwater video. That was all from day one. Back to tripods/quadpods. There were no tripods to be seen at the show.

Dan