Housing for Sony HC3. Gates or Amphibico?

Hello there,

I have the Sony HC3 and I am ready to buy an UW housing. I am thinking of either Dive Buddy EVO HC with the monitor in the back or GATES HC3.Do you have any suggestions? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Is it a lot better to look in the monitor (amphibico) than the back port of Gates?

Hi

I can't comment on the Amphibico but I faced a similar decision between the Gates and Light and Motion Bluefin HC3

I went with the LIght and Motion in the end for the following reasons. They make sense to me but may not be right for you

The Gates housing had no access to MWB (although WB adjustment was available through the assignable button and roller). I believe for the HC7 Gates now offer access to MWB but I'm not sure if they can retrofit for the HC3.

I like to be able to switch from wide angle to macro on the same dive. In order to do this with the Gates I would have needed the Fathom Super Wide port at about £2000, which also looked pretty big against the housing. The other ports were either wide angle with little or no zoom through or flat ports for macro. With the L&M the standard port allows a reasonable wide angle and also allows full zoom through including the tele macro facility on the HC3 (I also got a L&M wide angle port as part of the package that I will probably use on wreck dives where I can be reasonably sure that I only want Wide Angle)

I wanted a very compact light system. Most of my videoing is done in warm clear water (Red Sea, Indian Ocean etc) and I only really use lights for inside wrecks or small caves, filming something under an overhang where the natural light is insufficient, sometimes for macro and the occasional night dive.

I found the L&M lights integrated so nicely with the housing that it would be no chore to have the lights fitted on the offchance that I need them. The lights that seemed to be readily available for reviewing on the Gates housing (at least in the UK) seemed to add quite a bit of bulk and drag and I felt I would probably end up not taking them on dives for this reason.

On the downside for the L&M I had to buy an external monitor which adds some bulk to the top of the housing (and some cost to the package) whereas on the Gates I could have viewed the cameras screen through the rear window. However, with the L&M I also have access to the viewfinder if the monitor packs up (not sure how this works with the Amphibico monitor back). I also, in many ways, like the idea of the manual controls on the Gates (having previosuly used an Ikelite housing) but I felt there was sufficient redundancy and security on the L&M so I didn't see this as a major down side.

Did I make the right choice? I hope so, at least for what I want to do. I've only had a chance to take the camera on one dive (freshwater) to try out the balance etc but I'm looking forward to getting 24+ dives in with it in the Red Sea in July

I hope this helps if only in giving you some ideas on the questions you might want to ask

I wouldn't buy an HC3 housing that didn't access the manual button on the left side of the camera, ruling out Amphibico.

Of the brands I'm familiar with, that leaves Light & Motion, Seatool, Ikelite, and Gates. Seatool & Ikelite use a mirror for viewing the lcd, LMI the 2.5" monitor, and Gates the flipped out monitor.

The Gates housing had no access to MWB (although WB adjustment was available through the assignable button and roller). I believe for the HC7 Gates now offer access to MWB but I'm not sure if they can retrofit for the HC3.

They retrofit MWB for the HC3 housing

I wouldn't buy an HC3 housing that didn't access the manual button on the left side of the camera, ruling out Amphibico.

 

Of the brands I'm familiar with, that leaves Light & Motion, Seatool, Ikelite, and Gates. Seatool & Ikelite use a mirror for viewing the lcd, LMI the 2.5" monitor, and Gates the flipped out monitor.

Hi Ryan,

When you say manual button on the left side of the camera you mean the cam CTRL roller? Why is this important if you have manual focus and WB as in the Amphibico HC3 housing?

Hi Dougaldiver,

What made you to choose the Bluefin and not the Amphibico housing? Does it have more manual controls, better ports & lenses or does it come with a standard monitor in the back?( the L&M site did not gave me a clear picture about that). I ask you that because they have a dramatic difference in cost(3000$ for Bluefin

and 1600$ for Dive Buddy Evo!!!)

Hi Dougaldiver,

 

What made you to choose the Bluefin and not the Amphibico housing? Does it have more manual controls, better ports & lenses or does it come with a standard monitor in the back?( the L&M site did not gave me a clear picture about that). I ask you that because they have a dramatic difference in cost(3000$ for Bluefin

and 1600$ for Dive Buddy Evo!!!)

Hi Kiri

At the time I was looking I struggled to find anyone in the UK who could show me the Amphibico housing 'in the flesh' so to speak and I really wanted to be able to spend some time looking things over and talking to someone about it beore I spent my money. I may have tried harder to find someone but my initial research also showed that MWB was not possible with the Amphibico and it is with the L&M.

The Light and Motion Bluefin HC3 does not come with a monitor back. The standard back allows access to the viewfinder but if you want a monitor then you have to have the external compact monitor (which adds a lot more to the cost). I did like the idea that, if the monitor fails, I can use the viewfinder as a backup.

Kiri,

Amphibico doesn't access wb in any shape or form. They do have an electronic control for AF-MF switching, but no way to rack focus in and out manually. Their target here is first time users who don't desire advanced controls.