Stacking the Achromatics.

$4200 US for tthe Squids...ouch....do they come in different colours

 

Get well zoon Mr snotty nose..... .

The squids also come in a 5200° Kelvin HID version. Then there is the clear glass versus the frosted glass option as well. I went for the 5200° version with clear glass. The frosted glass reduces the usefull light output.

$4200 - WOW - I paid considerably less. PM if interested in details.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I got these ones for the better Reds n Yellows at 3800k. I also opted for the Flexi III battery pack so I get the peace of mind of being able to easily cover two dank dives which are the norm for me daily here in Palau. I also went with the frosted glass. As I've already seen these, lesser potent, light heads are still very powerful and potentially not suited for Macro applications. I have the newer 250w HID version not the 30, 50 or 100 series from last year. The lights are good. I'm very happy with them and looking forward to long and happy dives with them.

Wagsy, any color you want.....so long as it's Black.

Cheers,

Mark.

Hi Peter,

I got these ones for the better Reds n Yellows at 3800k. I also opted for the Flexi III battery pack so I get the peace of mind of being able to easily cover two dank dives which are the norm for me daily here in Palau. I also went with the frosted glass. As I've already seen these, lesser potent, light heads are still very powerful and potentially not suited for Macro applications. I have the newer 250w HID version not the 30, 50 or 100 series from last year. The lights are good. I'm very happy with them and looking forward to long and happy dives with them.

 

Wagsy, any color you want.....so long as it's Black.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

Hi Mark,

I have both the Hid100 (4) and the SQUID Hid250 (2). The 250 produces twice the lumens of the HID100. Really nice for those deep wreck dives. I went for the 5200° Kelvin version because it is more compatible with the HID100 lights.

You can also get them in GREEN. The SQUID is black, but you can go for the HID250 with flood reflector. Then the color is green. But if you use the light for video only, the squid is the way to go.

Mark, did you add bouyancy compensators to balance the weight of the batteries?

Peter

Hi Peter,

I didn't add any buoyancy to the Flexi III battery packs as I carry them on my BCD. I did get the attachment bracket for them to fit underslung on the housing but it just made the whole rig way too heavy. So I took a look at how to better distribute the weight evenly around the whole diver / housing configuration and came up with bastardizing the batteries so that they would fit nicely attached in the manner of stage deco tanks for tech divers. Whilst I don't have any images of me wearing the BCD with the batteries in place the attached is to show the way I configured the clips.

I am now also in the process of filming, almost nightly, for a macro related future product. I have also now started distributing the lights way back from the camera and am having much better results from the lights by using just the periphery of the beam. See the Pipefish attched.

Cheers,

Mark.

Hi Peter,

I didn't add any buoyancy to the Flexi III battery packs as I carry them on my BCD. I did get the attachment bracket for them to fit underslung on the housing but it just made the whole rig way too heavy. So I took a look at how to better distribute the weight evenly around the whole diver / housing configuration and came up with bastardizing the batteries so that they would fit nicely attached in the manner of stage deco tanks for tech divers. Whilst I don't have any images of me wearing the BCD with the batteries in place the attached is to show the way I configured the clips.

 

I am now also in the process of filming, almost nightly, for a macro related future product. I have also now started distributing the lights way back from the camera and am having much better results from the lights by using just the periphery of the beam. See the Pipefish attched.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

I also attached the FIV battery packs to my BC and it worked. But getting into the water was slightly more difficult. And there was the extra risk of entanglement.

I'm going to finish my compensators and mounting system this weekend or early next week. I'll post some pics when it is finished.

The pipefish looks great.

Peter

Is it possible to clip the light heads to the BC and then once in the water attach them to the housing ?

Is it possible to clip the light heads to the BC and then once in the water attach them to the housing ?

When I was diving the 4 light head system, I had the heads connected via two locline connection pieces. One was connected to the light bar and one to a ring around the HID100. For a shore dive, I had the light heads attached to d-rings on my jacket. In the water, I would push them on the light bar. I drilled a small hole in the locline connectors, so the water could go out.

This will be a bit more difficult for the Squids, because the have a ball connection.

What type of light arms do you want to use?

I have Ultralight arms and connectors right now.

"You're going to love it there. Get ready for some long dives. 75 mins is the norm and we did 100 minutes once. And prefare for it to be cold. I needed 3mm hooded vest under my full length 5mm to keep warm"...

You blokes make me laugh... I've just done two dives at over an hour each in 7.8oc...

Still thats life in the cold lane for you...

Mark, I'm entering my new film into the 'Antibes' fest this year... I'll be in the 'Amateur' catagory so you need not worry... Are you going to be there..it will be good to catch up and have a or

Divesafe

DeanB

"I've just done two dives at over an hour each in 7.8oc..." - Yeah Dean, in yer Speedo's too right? "Gosh honey, was the water cold......snigger!!

Yeah, I'll probably be at Antibes if I can get this edit finished in time. The last times I stayed at the Mexicana hotel. Just a stones throw from the arena and quite cheap too considering.

Doing a macro piece for this year and have I got a surprise for some people. Without letting the cat out of the bag I filmed something so friggin weird a couple of nights ago that will freak a lot of people out. I've shown some people here and they can't believe what they saw. And these are scientist people. ALl will be revealed in due course.

Getting back to the lights though. I am looking to play around with attaching and detaching them to my BCD for entry and exit reasons, mainly exiting the water etc as getting in is no problem. Hold the rig over the side, let gravity take its course and splash, in I go.

I've now started using the periphery of light from the wide beam of the squids. This way I play a lot with angles, shadow and feel of the image. Using so far just the 3.5 Achromatic diopter, which by the way for those wondering what these are it is basically a multi element magnification lens which fits directly to the camera inside the housing. I am then at the mercy of mother nature that she doesn't throw a pair of mating whalesharks into the dive as if she did I would probably only be able to film the rolling of the female whalesharks eyes as she experiences new realms of whaleshark pleasures...... These Achromatic Diopters can be stacked, that is one placed onm top of another but making sure that the largest magnification element is placed on the camera first. They also tend to reduce, not eliminate, but greatly reduce the amount of distortion created at the edges of the image due to the high magnification aspect.

So anyway here's another little image from the +3.5 at full tilt using the edge of the light.

Cheers,

Mark.

Gee Mark

You are the Gates man thats for sure.

It's good to see the forum has the all the main video housing brands being put to good use by members and getting feedback on how they go in the field.

It's only going to help improve them as years go by.

Hi Wags,

If I was pushing around another lump of aluminum instead of the Gates I would still be giving feedback on that performance and my experiences etc. The fact that I choose to use the Gates for many potentially obvious reasons means that, yes, most of the main manufacturers are represented here in these hallowed halls of Wetpixel.

I may not have the time to be able to post as often as you, Mike or Drew but feel that my input at least allows others the chance to be able to have the luxury of understanding to make a choice. HDV as a format and for the required equipment at a semi-pro or pro level is not a cheap option when all is said and done. Informative and available truths about the equipment and the client care offered by these manufacturers will go a long way to allowing people to make their future selections for cameras and relevant equipment based on 'our' reports from the field, working summarizations and general overviews.

In my opinion, because I use it everyday, I am more than happy with my gear. My fingers have now become accustomed to the configuration of the Gates housing and I'm starting to fine tune all the rough edges with regards to getting all the ancillary equipment to work and function together. It serves me well and I want to share that with others.

Cheers,

Mark.

Looks like you're getting some very nice results there Mark. Let me know when the ND gels show up.

If there is room for 2 stacked diopters maybe there is room for Drew's old 58mm Century Optics +7 and a 72mm-58mm reducing ring? If you're zoomed in with it then it might not vignette. Take a look at the video for the Raynox MSN-202 Super Macro. Loads of vignetting at first but barely any at full zoom. And that's only a 37mm thread.

On a related topic, for those who want to get the battery packs off their camera and somewhere else...

When I used to use Custom Divers umiblical lights with my old Greenaway Seapro housing I used to mount the battery packs on my tank using pony clamps, and temporarily hang the lamp heads on my BCD D-rings. Once in the water I snapped the heads in to clamps that I made out of PVC pipe. That kind of system works well for liveaboards where your gear stays on the same tank. Admittedly those old battery packs were much bigger than these Greenforce ones, and BCD mounting was a more cumbersome option.

Nick,

Raynox also have the +11 designed especially for the FX1 / Z1U so no need to look at 37mm super macro options. I was thinking of going for this for really close stuff but to be honest when I stack these two Century diopters I get some nice results. I'll post some of those soon as until now I have really only bothered with the +3.5 except on the 'Blenny Fry Out' dive......

I'm still considering it at the moment.

Cheers,

Mark.

P.S I don't think Drew is up to selling the diopter. I kind of get the idea he likes to hold on to his gear for nostalgic purposes.

P.P.S Oops, my bad. I just re-checked the Raynox site. We are talking about the same macro lens. It will fit in the Z1 unit so I'm gonna get it. Watch out Lembeh.

Great. You'll be extremely limited for what you can shoot with that +11 but it should be great for a specific night mission to shoot pygmy seahorses. Really looking forward to some insane macro results from that. It's quite long (22mm I think). Sure it'll fit? I wonder if I could get one in my Bluefin.

Hey Nick Hope...

Happy Bday ya old git..

Great. You'll be extremely limited for what you can shoot with that +11 but it should be great for a specific night mission to shoot pygmy seahorses. Really looking forward to some insane macro results from that. It's quite long (22mm I think). Sure it'll fit? I wonder if I could get one in my Bluefin.

Yep, it's gonna be very interesting to see what comes from this lens. Seeing as the two stacked Century diopters measure in with a profile of 37mm I think I should be able to fit the Raynox in. If not I'll just remove the glass from the flat port .....

I'll let you know when the Gels get here. Looking forward to seeing some of your stuff too.

Best,

Mark.