Flip UltraHD

I have not seen or heard of that one.

We took our Flip down under Dec 2009. We purchased Flip's housing and was very disappointed. The max depth is supposed to be 30'. We had it down 15-20' and all buttons locked up. Don't know if that happened because we turned it on before leaving the surface or something else. It was a waste of $$$.

We took our Flip down under Dec 2009. We purchased Flip's housing and was very disappointed. The max depth is supposed to be 30'. We had it down 15-20' and all buttons locked up. Don't know if that happened because we turned it on before leaving the surface or something else. It was a waste of $$.

Threat reopened! =) Its warming up and I'm thinking about finally making the purchase. Its disappointing that you didn't like the cheaper housing. I was thinking I could start with that one and if I ever got into scuba I could get the ikelite and then attach a light as well.

I was thinking about the hero but I need the LCD and don't do any surfing or any of that other stuff. Is the Flip Ultra HD still a good option? I can get one pretty cheap now, the camera and housing for well under $200 now

I'm thinking about purchasing this housing/camera as well! My main concern is runtime... all of these smaller cameras seem to be restricted in some way on constant runtime.

The JVC uses interchangeable storage media, but must be charged via USB.

The Flip uses interchangeable batteries, but must be offloaded to a laptop.

Either which way, tethered to a laptop! I'd like to know I can get 3 or 4 dives in without sitting down in front of a computer, but I'm beginning to doubt that it's realistic with any of these pocket cameras. Has anyone found a way around this, such as a pocket device to offload files via USB, or an external battery pack that will charge the JVC via USB? I haven't heard of anything like this, but I figure it'd be worth a shot.

I'm trying to work in the direction of pro underwater video by filming and editing dive trips for the local dive club (I'm a professional videographer above sea level) and looking for an entry level camera at the dirt-cheap price point these sell at. But if I'm going to charge people to film them dive, running out of battery/storage would be disastrous....

Carl

Given the price, you could probably buy two! (only need one housing)

Given the price, you could probably buy two! (only need one housing)

That's a really good point! I have a feeling that'll be the solution if memory does become an issue. An update, though, the first one is on the way! Flip, Ike Housing, Pro-V8 light (and tray), and a new foam set for my Pelican 1510. The z1 is getting demoted to it's old, somewhat bigger but less seaworthy case. I'm sure I'll have some tests posted in the next few weeks.

I thought about the Ike wet wide angle, but I've heard that it's not great with all the camera setups, and I'm hoping to hear some opinions on that with this specific camera before I invest in that and an additional light down the road.

Another issue I've noticed with this setup is the need for a constant supply of C-cell batteries (8 for the light, 10 hour burn time). Any recommendations for rechargeable power for the Pro-V8 light? Seems C's are rather hard to find as rechargeables.

C-cell NIMH rechargeables are easy to find ... if you know where to look. I used them in my UK Light Cannon before I went to an HID canister.

I'm partial to MAHA cells (and chargers) from www.thomasdistributing.com

I have an Ikelite housing for sale if anybody is interested. I can include the FlipHD, too. PM me.

My wife wanted to give video a try, but decided that she preferred using her still camera.

Alright! I've gotten my first little video edited and up on youtube.

It includes the first 3 times I got the camera wet, in different situations for you to compare. No light was really used, as these were all pretty bright locations. The first was in a pool at a rec center, with a Discovery SCUBA class. Second, I went on hell-dive (all sorts of fun tech problems) at Rainbow River in central Florida. It's spring-fed, and quite a great place to shoot. I went back the next weekend with just snorkel gear, and got some more footage. I used the supplied red filter the majority of the time, though I took it off for some of the above-water to underwater transitional shots. I did some basic color correction, which didn't have too much trouble due to compression of the codec. Easy footage to work with. Enjoy!

I spent more but not a lot for My Sanyo Xacti. The entire setup including underwater case netted out at about $1000. I do find that the wide-tele zoom function is very difficult to get working in the case. I can get full motion HD h.264 from the camera.

Id really like to see that review when it comes out... i use to think i could afford a super nice 2k rig... but if i can get that type of quality out of the Flip id be amped!