Gates FX7/V1 Housing Review

First I would like to apologize for the delay but with the holiday season and busy schedules of WP staff, getting this report done took longer than necessary. Thanks again to John Ellerbrock, CEO of Gates.

So here is the review and updated HVR-V1U settings:

Gates FX7/V1 video housing review

Holy cow that was a thorough review. Great job.

Only thing I can add is I have the flip diopter and how I use the tripod.

I like my rig as close to neutral as possible. However, that doesn't work well when using the tripod. I place a 2-3 lb soft weight on the top of the housing for tripod shots. That held it steady for macro even in the surge. Best part of the tripod is the foldable legs which lets you setup/down very quickly.

The internal flip diopter worked great for me. My eyes are not as critical as Drew's, so the single element diopter clarity was fine. The best part of this option is the diopter is on it's own flip arm. That allowed me to shoot wide/standard angle with the filter in, no lights and then go to macro, no filter, lights on and flip in the diopter in seconds.

Ron you have the SD monitor or HD monitor? With the HD monitor and flatport, the housing was pretty much negative neutral with the tripod attached, maybe about 200g or so negative. It's a pretty bulky housing.

I think you should try the achromatic diopters first. Then you'll throw out that diopter setup. Ask Nick Hope how he felt after testing those Century Optics and coming from the L&M flip diopter setup.

I have the HD monitor.

I can see using the achromatic on night dives or dedicated macro dives. I'll keep using the flip diopter for regular dives. I like the versatility.

Drew,

An excellent review, the various positives and negatives have not changed for the Gates housings, those qualities are consistent with all their housings. As you said, you just need to get used to most of them. One thing about the Gates housings is that they are like Timex, you can drop kick them across a football field and they will continue working. While I no longer use Gates housings, I have had about 6 or 7 different Gates housings over the years, and mention of their excellent service dept is a kudo that shouldn't be overlooked.

Steve B)

Steve

While I know various staff at Gates, I haven't dealt with their service dept since the 90s when ol' Ellwyn was running the show. So it's difficult to comment on it. That's why forums thread like these are created. So the good (or bad) service stories can come out for any manufacturer.

A few people have PMed me regarding the FX7. It's already in the report that the FX7 is discontinued for sale by Sony. It is still available for sale if you look around. I only tested for the HVR-V1, which is the pro version of the FX7 and imho, the better choice between the 2.

AFAIK, the FX7 is still available for sale elsewhere in the world... esp PAL countries.

While I know various staff at Gates, I haven't dealt with their service dept since the 90s when ol' Ellwyn was running the show. So it's difficult to comment on it. That's why forums thread like these are created. So the good (or bad) service stories can come out for any manufacturer.

I ran into issues a couple of times, nothing major, when travelling and called/emailed Gates. (This was within the last year and in fact once a couple of weeks ago.) A VERY amusing story in there in fact.

But the long story short is they are quick, responsive, helpful and went above and beyond to make sure I could shoot. (Getting me parts overnighted to Mexico)

This is my 2nd Gates housing within the last 6 years. Service has been top notch and was a big reason for going with them again.

Drew, for UW use, what are the advantages of the V1 over the FX7 ?

There's just one big one... progressive scan sensors which gives resolution higher than the interlaced FX7. The little stuff like image controls in pic profiles etc. It's a better camera... if you don't look at the price.

Steve

While I know various staff at Gates, I haven't dealt with their service dept since the 90s when ol' Ellwyn was running the show. So it's difficult to comment on it. That's why forums thread like these are created. So the good (or bad) service stories can come out for any manufacturer.

Drew,

You were very fortunate to have known Elywn...he was one of the warmest guys I have ever met and went way out of his way to help someone. One of my proudest moments as a diver was when he joined a group I was leading to the Cocos Islands. Somewhere towards the end of the trip he came up to me after a fantastic dive and said, "Steve, I've been diving for over 35 years and thank you, you just gave me my first whale shark". I have told that little story to many over the years; I was just so happy to be able to give something back to him. I haven't seen him in a long time but his presence in San Diego is sorely missed by many. He was a real people person.

Steve

A few of you have PMed ( <_< when you should really post here) about a comparison between the Gates and Amphibico housing. I thought of doing that but the list of functions and pros & cons of each housing should be enough for the reader to make a decision. IF you have any specific questions, please post them in the forum.

That was a nice review Drew, very detailed and there's not a single part of it that I'd disagree with. I just got back from a week of using the Gates housing with a V1 and I loved it so much that I ended up buying it and bringing it home with me!

I found the number and the placement of the controls a little daunting at first, but it didn't take too long before I was using most of them without having to constantly look at what I was pressing. I did on occasions end up pressing the wrong one, but this got rarer with time. The housing balance in the water was nice once the monitor was positioned to compensate, but everything I filmed was WA, so I didn't get to try it out for macro at all, although it looks like it will be knockout for that.

I can't wait to get into the water with it again when I go to South Africa to play with the Tigers

Cheers, Simon

Thx Simon. There should be a review of the Sealux housing as well coming soon. Enjoy your housing.

I forgot to mention something. Although the housing is fairly large and bulky, I think Gates did that intentionally to allow more trapped air and therefore make the housing positively buoyant. It's nice being able to add lights, monitors, internal lenses, tripods and still have a neutral rig.

One of my guys is using the Gates FX7 / Wide port combo to shoot trips with and reports having no problems in terms of size or weight.

I gave him an old 52mm Sony WA lense & and a step up ring to get started with. The results are nothing short of spectactular. He fits the UrPro filter in between the camera & lense and is interestingly totally vignette free.

Kudos to Gates as they certainly got it right size / weight wise with the FX7 housing .

I have a Raynox .7x W/A lens. It works great topside and fits in the Gates dome with a URpro filter attached. I can't wait to try it out on my next trip.

I was going to try a WA lens inside the housing, but didn't get organised in time for this trip. From the look of it you'd have to get the camera into the housing with the port off, then attach the WA lens, then (re)attach the port. It's a bit messy having to remove the port and lens each time you want to take the camera out for changing tapes etc, but if it works and you have a stable environment to open up the housing then it's a hell of a lot cheaper option than the SWP44B Fathom lens. I have not looked into this in detail yet, but it would be great if any of the WA lenses out there offered full zoom through?? !

Cheers, Simon

Raynox lens is full zoom through topside, but does get soft in the corners when zoomed. If I haven't already deleted them, I post some sample pics.

Under the dome, zoom will most likely be limited to 50%. Obviously not ideal, but the Raynox costs $200 USD compared to the Fathoms at $4000+ USD and is useful topside.

I recently heard that the FX-7 has been discontinued.

Steve B)