Starter video recommendations

A scary virus has infiltrated my brain and I am thinking about doing some video, and buying a setup to take along diving as well as my still stuff. I have two requirements - compact so it can be reasonably packed with my regular dive and still gear, quality must be the best possible for compact gear. I want a camera, housing and lights. Let's start with a money not an object approach, and if I survive the shock then I can go from there.

A scary virus has infiltrated my brain and I am thinking about doing some video, and buying a setup to take along diving as well as my still stuff. I have two requirements - compact so it can be reasonably packed with my regular dive and still gear, quality must be the best possible for compact gear. I want a camera, housing and lights. Let's start with a money not an object approach, and if I survive the shock then I can go from there.

Well since Nikon does not make video cameras, you need a Canon

Kidding aside it sounds like it will be some of the smaller cams like the Sony HC 3 (old) Sony HC 7 and the Canons HV10/20 they seem to get overall good reviews and also have compact housings. SeaTool, Gates and others make smaller housings. I really like my small Gates/Sony combo for travel with my still rig. Would love to get a larger housing, but for travel just not practical for me. And the Gates ports are really nice.

Here was a recent thread on the HC7

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...2753&hl=HC7

I have not looked at all the new cameras yet from recent round, but none looked like a big jump yet. JVC had one that looked promising in a small form factor (from last year) but the reviews were marginal.

OK; now it looks like the latest Sony offering in this range is the HC9

Are there likely to be any limitations of this camera if my virus gets worse - in other words will this do everything I want to do, say up to but not including broadcast quality.

Or will I get upgrade fever 6 months after buying it?

I know nothing about video except that Eric white balances off his fins when he jumps in the water.

OK; now it looks like the latest Sony offering in this range is the HC9

Are there likely to be any limitations of this camera if my virus gets worse - in other words will this do everything I want to do, say up to but not including broadcast quality.

Or will I get upgrade fever 6 months after buying it?

I know nothing about video except that Eric white balances off his fins when he jumps in the water.

Have not seen any reviews on the HC9 yet, but it looks like Gates Housings fit it as a start. Very cool.

Yeah there will be limitations as your virus worsens, it is not much different than photography in that way. Noise will be one issue in low light (though not seeing reviews yet, have not looked, it may be better) when compared to bigger cameras. The more pro cameras offer more access to functions quicker than the consumer/prosumer ones. Another will be that it is HDV will be replaced by a better codec at some point in lower level cameras. Some of the newer cameras are using other codecs. So far reviews are mixed. HDV has some limits, but again can give very good results. The other big one will be tape vs. Compact Flash, etc. storage. The solid state storage will hopefully be here sooner in more force, but who knows. Will be easier to carry a bunch of cards instead of a bunch of tapes and dragging them to you Mac Hard Drive will be easier. Of course, just like photography, the list goes on with what can be the things you will yearn for

But that is technology for you Coupled with portability and it narrows the choices more.

That being said I have the HC-3 with the Gates Housing and it fits my needs (got the housing modified for manual WB) and it does have some limits, not as easy to make certain settings but you get used to it. Much like getting used to other things in a P&S vs dSLR. It would be a bit off to say it will do everything short of broadcast quality (anything is this range for that matter). But I get video that I am happy with given the limitations. Burn a red dye HD DVD and pop it in my Toshiba player and I really like the results.

If I lived near the water and did not have to travel, or perhaps was willing to forsake stills on trips or was willing carry an amount of gear that becomes almost impractiable, then I would consider other options. But I have not reached that point yet. With a little bit of effort I get my Gates & Aquatica 30D housing, together with a camera, some arms, a small strobe, laptop, Macro Port for the Aquatica, the WP25 port, camera body and video camera into a Pelican 1510 and a LowePro BackPack (15" laptop version) with a Laptop so I actually can carry-on a more than semi functional video and still equipment set-up. And this is with placing the cameras in the back pack and not in the housings in the Pelican. Of course some things wind up in check in though.

P.S. Just to add, only discussing HD flavored type options right now. In the past others also discuss getting 3 sensor older DV cams.

Thanks, something for me to chew on, start looking. I do have an older Sony 3 sensor camera (1000 I think) that I used to use for digital still capture in my office before tethered still cameras were available. I know it's a good camera, but the size of the housing deters me from pursuing this as an option.

The Canon HV20 picture quality is superior to anything from similar class Sonys. From resolution to progressive scan 24P, the canon is tops. The newest offering is the HV30 which is just a minor upgrade since the HV20 is pretty much that good.

However, the limitation is in housings and housing optics. AFAIK, Ikelite and Equinox make housings for the Canon. The limitation is wideangle selection. The Ikelite allows a WA converter to be installed in their dome port using a Raynox. Not the best lens in the world but good enough due to lack of choice.

If money is no object, then I'd approach Gates to do a custom job on the HV20/30. After that go to Fathoms for a custom WA lens. I did that for my housing and know a few people who did it for their various Amphibico and L&M housings.

For lights, you can read up on the various light chats here. LED packages out coming out but I'm not convinced they give the best quality light. Everything is a compromise but they do come in small packages, especially with the Li-Ion batteries. The best way to test is use a color chart and vectorscope. I've been meaning to do that but too busy to.

edited for clarity

Drew are you saying you have a Custom Gates housing for a HV20?

Scott, I have a custom Fathoms lens, NOT a Gates housing for a HV20. I'm not even sure Gates does custom housings anymore with their busy schedule. But Jeff (Loftus) said money no object, compact and best quality as criteria, so that is the way to go for an aluminum housing. Hope that clarifies everything.

What great words 'money no object'....

Would be fantastic to be in that situation.

HV20 is a great camera... you will get fantastic images from it. If you can fit a Raynox lens in there can't you fit a century one in there???? Are they that much bigger?

J

The Century lenses aren't always the best. Plus they don't have a 43mm diameter lens that fits the HV20. The Canon WDH43 is a very nice lens. Not sure if it'll fit in the Ikelite dome port though. Often size and optics quality are proportionate.