Hi,
I'm looking to get my first video kit. The kit will be used in blue water to record my own dives but I'd like it to be capable enough to film day trips once I have the skills.
My budget would allow a camera such as the Sony HC9 and I've found an Equinox HD6 housing with 2.5"LCD and wide angle lense for £350 (US$ 560). The housing is 1yr old.
How do people rate this housing? And does it make a difference having the wide angle lense on the camera inside the housing rather than on the housing itself?
Also, how necessary is manual white balance? I ask because this housing doesn't allow that control. I believe that Equinox can add extra controls but don't know what sort of cost that would incur.
Thanks,
Ed
I would check with Equinox as I don't see how you would do MWB with that setup. You can check with their rep, Erik Giannunzio at sales@equinoxhousings.com
With the HC9 MWB is done by touching the screen and I believe it's a two step process to get to the MWB menu, then press the appropriate button. This would be done on that camera in that housing by folding out the camera LCD screen and then flipping it back flat against the camera body. Since the Equinox is a solid body, I don't see how you would be able to see it to press it. Most housings that let you do that with the HC9, Gates and Ocean Images, have you flip the lcd screen out perpendicular to the camera body and press it from a control through the back port of their extended width housing - with the Equinox the monitor on the back is in the way.
The monitor is just a composite monitor that gets a signal from the composite output of the camcorder. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think it displays the camera controls. So I don't see how you'd know it worked even if you were able to press the button "blind". Unless you could see the MWB change on the monitor. But I'm guessing they don't even offer the option.
Does this make sense? Here's a link to the Gates website showing the extended width of their housing done to accommodate this, there's a small picture below it that shows their MWB control. http://www.gateshousings.com/HC7.html
L&M does allow you to do MWB with the LCD flat against the camera body, but they do it by having a small window on the side of their housing so that you can see what to push. Ikelite is similar but since their housing is already clear, it's a non-issue. Looking at the side view of the HD6 on the Equinox website, it seems that their handle mount would interfere with placement of a window.
