Well I have some uw shooting which will require a 'tripod' (I've used a base from www.overxposed.com fitted with a small B&S and arca style QR) and will be fairly static. I will almost certainly use Kowalski xenons for illumination and am wondering about using a Leica R 19mm and 60mm macro as I can have custom focus and aperture gears built. Does this sound like a feasible set-up? Any suggestions? (I usually use video cameras supplied by the production companies but the idea of using good wides and macros which I can set up to my satisfaction really does appeal. - I could also use non-AF Nikkors I suppose).
Paul anything that can keep the housing still is great but I'm sure you know with video, tracking the subject is the most crucial element. Nikkor manual lenses will work too. Without know what you are going to shoot, your set up seems logical. Tracking shots will be the headache if you have to do that. Otherwise if you can get the gears made and ports to work, it should work... then you can tell me where and how. 
I think Vincent La Foret's choices, reflect some of the difficulties / limitations of using this camera for video, not just additional features available on the more expensive cameras. In fact the main clip he shows using the 5D of O'Neil on his bed does not showcase any DOF concepts, or other 5D benefits does it?
Of course I've seen fisheye's OOF, I'm simply questioning the concept here of having to use hyperfocal distance to ensure the image will be in focus throughout the clip, as this will negate the desired effect of having shallow DOF with a DSLR..
Jeff, I haven't watched every video, only the first clip but I don't need to. The 5D2 is a compact and light low light camera which I'm sure he put a fisheye on with a boom to get any overhead shots. If I had a production budget that allowed a Red One, I'd use it without hesitation as the A cam. Everything else would be B or C cam. It's the better camera. It'd better be at $50k++.
Sorry Jeff, but I don't understand what you are saying. If a housing for the 5D were available, Larry would still use the HVX for the overcrank because they want the slo mo sequences. Nothing of that short clip indicated to me that a camera without overcrank could've done nicely. Possibly in post if they shot at high shutter speed (which the 5D2 can't do anyways), but otherwise, all those shots required overcrank cameras.
If you are saying the soft background look is what you are after, then even the Red or HVX would fail on WA shots. Every shooter worth their weight in salt would use rely on DOF and MF on WA shots for fear of the AF hunting. The Red doesn't even have AF. If you want to soften the background, then pull focus in. But again with WA, the effects will be minimal. The limitations of the 5D2 are not as bleak even with only a few manual controls.
