Need new rig... can you help?

Hello,

I've got a lot of experience with underwater photography, so was able to BS my way into a videography job. I'll be shooting divers 2 dives per day, every day, for 6 months.

I'll be going to America next week, so I want to buy my gear there (waaaaaaay cheaper than in asia). I've been doing some research, but it's difficult to find underwater reviews of camcorders.

Here's the deal:

1200$ max budget (hey, we don't make much here <_< )

Prefer Ikelite (used several before)

30 deg. celsius water

25-50 meters visibility

Here's what I've got so far, but i dunno if the white balance is adjustable in water...

Housing

Camera

Please help, oh wise ones...

Sorry, meant to say that I'm LOOKING at that camera and housing, I don't have them yet...

Thanks!

Hi and welcome.

The trick to doing dailies is shoot the day as it happens (no mistakes) and when you get really good at it you don't even have to do any editing to it at the end of the day. Just suck it in add the start and end graphics with music and encode out to a DVD. It's easy now days with computers but before computers thats how you had to do it. On a good day here we can have 9 DVD's made in one hour and that includes the time it took to suck it into the computer .

With a plastic housing you are going to have to be careful as they are not as robust as an aluminum one and you cannot leave them in the sun.

Good luck and I'm sure once you get into it you will quickly want to upgrade to something abit better.

Here's what I've got so far, but i dunno if the white balance is adjustable in water...

From Ikelite's site: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/vcanzr500.html

Joy Stick Controls: Focus, White Balance, Image Effect, Program AE, Digital Effect & Function

Seems like it is:

From Ikelite's site: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/vcanzr500.html

Nice, thanks. I'd read that page a million times, but had missed that bit.

Hello,

 

I've got a lot of experience with underwater photography, so was able to BS my way into a videography job. I'll be shooting divers 2 dives per day, every day, for 6 months.

 

I'll be going to America next week, so I want to buy my gear there (waaaaaaay cheaper than in asia). I've been doing some research, but it's difficult to find underwater reviews of camcorders.

 

Here's the deal:

 

1200$ max budget (hey, we don't make much here <_< )

Prefer Ikelite (used several before)

30 deg. celsius water

25-50 meters visibility

 

Here's what I've got so far, but i dunno if the white balance is adjustable in water...

 

Housing

Camera

 

Please help, oh wise ones...

If you are going to New York you could get a good deal at B&H photo video but you can get it cheaper at corner electronic stores but that would mean really searching from shop to shop.Singapore has some good deals on camera's in that price range if you going via Singapore to the States.

I take it you going to be shooting in Thailand where conditions are forgiving to new videographers.I do alot of shooting in Thailand with a PD170 which is a broadcast camera.Even with such a good camera in such good conditions without white balance underwater the video is washed out blue and not really nice.Camera's and housings in that range of that price dont really come with manual white balance.So to have decent pictures to give to customers you could,along with a colour correcting filter on your housing or camera,use an editing program like Premier Pro,Edius,FCP(maybe expensive)Sony Vegas.You can colour correct your images on this program very easy and encode to DVD because you just not gonna be able to getaway with that monochrome blue look.I have a small Sony PC 105 digital that is stunning and would be perfect for what you want to do but they dont make it anymore.

I know its frustrating to have budget constraints.There are many setups that i can only dream of(HVX 200 in a Gates housing ).However you can make the most of what you got and can upgrade again as you learn more about video.Sony CX7 $799,Panasonic GS320 3CCD camera at $529.They are abit expensive but they are i think the minimum in terms of quality.Since people are going to be pay for your video's i take it?Ikelite or any housing made of hard plastic or glass filled nylon is gonna be your bet.They are the cheapest.

So in your quest to find your kit i wish good luck.

Travy