L&M Bluefin / Sony CX550 experience

My previous video housing was a L&M Bluefin HD with a Sony HC3 and a pair of L&M HID lights. I was quite happy with this setup and it shot some great footage but it had a couple of weakness:

- Could not MWB in low light (15 metre was about the deepest, even in clear water)

- MWB very fiddly and often took a couple of attempts to get the sequence of twists and presses right

- External monitor 4:3 did not align well with 16:9 image

- External monitor too small to check focus

- HID lights start up delay

- HID lights had a short battery life (45 mins declining to 30 mins with age)

So, late last year I sold the old setup and started investigating new options. With some help from David at ScubaCam* in Singapore, I settled on the Sony CX550e in a L&M Bluefin (2010 model) and a pair of L&M Sunray 2000x LEDs. Last week, after some practice in a swimming pool and on the kitchen table, I took the new setup diving. Now that I have transferred the footage into FCS, I can make some comments about this camera.

Up front, let me say that I am suitably impressed. The results are excellent.

Firstly, this new setup solved all the problems described above. I was even able to MWB at 30 meters in natural light (on the Seven Skies wreck). MWB is a simple one-push. The new OLED monitor is a dream to use, bright enough and large enough to check focus and excellent for viewing the framing (no more accidental yellow fins in the outer corners). I can view the monitor from quite extreme angles, handy when shooting in tight places. The lights are bright, come on straight away and last for 2 or 3 dives.

The ease of MWB is important. It means that I did it more often during the dives. Which I can now see had a real pay-back in the quality of the footage.

The manual control wheel is big and easy to operate. So, for the first time ever in a small housing, I now have easy access to control focus, exposure and white balance, all essential for good UW video.

I was somewhat concerned about the impact of the AVHCD compression on the quality of the footage. But, looking at footage shot on tape on the HC3 and comparing it to the new footage shot on the CX550, I can not see any deterioration in image quality and smoothness.

One other interesting aspect of this setup. No guarantees, but it might be possible to upgrade the camera without buying a new housing. The way that the housing interacts with the camera using remote control functions rather than LANC, and that the only manual interface from the housing to the camera is built into the mounting tray indicates a reasonable possibility that the next couple of updates to the Sony range MIGHT work in the housing (with a new mounting tray). Let's see...

Trying to make this mini-review balanced, I am trying to think of some "negatives". There are no obvious ones.

The only (temporary) downside of my new setup is the flat port. At full WA, I can see some distortion on the corners, especially on some of the wreck footage (hard lines). But, as soon as it is available, I will put the Fathom 90 port on the housing and this problem should go away.

Oh, and the user manual is a bit skimpy. As I am 3-time L&M buyer, I did not have any hassles figuring out the cryptic diagrams. But a new user might find it a bit confusing.

Second little issue, my unit arrived (in its sturdy Pelican case) without the macro diopter included. L&M have agreed to send that later.

But, all-in-all, an excellent first-use experience and I look forward to shooting some good stuff with this camera.

Regards

Peter

* ScubaCam is highly recommended if you live in Southeast Asia and are interested in UW video and photo. David knows what he is doing and looks after his customers... (http://www.scubacam.com.sg/)

Thanks for posting your feedback on that system.

I have a CX550V (the NTSC model) and am leaning towards the Bluefin housing.

If you have time to answer them, I have a few questions:

The left handle is supposed to give you access to all the menu functions. Did you try:

- taking pictures (switching from movie to picture mode)

- taking pictures while recording (not available in FX mode though)

- changing some manual settings (f-number, exposure, etc)

Thanks for posting. And a video showcasing the aberrations would be interesting. You probably have noticed that there are some spherical aberrations on the edge of the FOV topisde as well. Are they accentuated underwater?

Best,

X.

Thanks for posting your feedback on that system.

I have a CX550V (the NTSC model) and am leaning towards the Bluefin housing.

If you have time to answer them, I have a few questions:

The left handle is supposed to give you access to all the menu functions. Did you try:

- taking pictures (switching from movie to picture mode)

- taking pictures while recording (not available in FX mode though)

- changing some manual settings (f-number, exposure, etc)

Thanks for posting. And a video showcasing the aberrations would be interesting. You probably have noticed that there are some spherical aberrations on the edge of the FOV topisde as well. Are they accentuated underwater?

Best,

X.

Yes, I have played around with the menu function through the left handle. Works OK. Not sure I'd want to be doing it very often underwater. Can't really see a need for it. Mainly use the left handle for switching the lights on, down and off.

For taking photos, switching from movie to picture mode, you can do that with one press of the mode button on the housing.

For taking photos while recording, I did not try this as I always shot in FX mode. Never used this feature on my previous housing. In find that I need to change mindset to switch from video to still photography.

For manual settings, these are easily accessible through the housing's manual button and control wheel, forward of the left handle. The manual control wheel can easily be switched between the various manual control options but I found it useful to leave it on exposure adjust for most shots.

The UW workflow that seemed optimal to me was:

Manual white balance often (i used a slate but, from now on, I will be using white fins)

Lock the focus for all but the most contrasty of scenes

Adjust the exposure down a notch or two, if necessary

Shoot

For the exposure I tried both full manual exposure and exposure adjust. I found that exposure adjust gave good results with minimal effort.

I don't have any examples where the aberration is so obvious, just a slight variation in the shape of objects in the corners. Next trip I am doing some wrecks so I'll get some straight lines into the corners to see how obvious it is. Hopefully, soon I'll be using the Fathom 90 port and then wont need to worry about the flat port.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the L&M housing for the 550. Best video setup I've ever used. I suggest you lean heavily towards the Bluefin - just make sure you don't fall over when you empty your wallet...

Regards

Peter

Sounds good enough to me!

Thanks,

X.

Hopefully, soon I'll be using the Fathom 90 port and then wont need to worry about the flat port.

Be careful to check for serious vignetting before you buy the Fathom 90. I tried one with my Panasonic TM700 and it is useless...and the Sony CX550 has a slightly wider lens.

This is going to be an issue with the new generation of camcorders which have much wider angle FOV on their zooms. Most, if not all, of the housing optics will vignette to the point of unusability.

Be careful to check for serious vignetting before you buy the Fathom 90. I tried one with my Panasonic TM700 and it is useless...and the Sony CX550 has a slightly wider lens.

 

This is going to be an issue with the new generation of camcorders which have much wider angle FOV on their zooms. Most, if not all, of the housing optics will vignette to the point of unusability.

HDVdiver - Your comment while being well intended is misinformed.

You should know that Light & Motion have had the Fathom 90 optics and port mount totally redesigned to suit the CX & XR 550 Series of Camera's.

I think all the housing manufacturers have had to deal with the challenge that the larger lenses have provided, and as usual each has done it in their own style.

How have you dealt with it with the Seadragon Lenses you manufacture & sell ?

Perhaps you may like to start a fresh thread and tell us how.

What I'm most interested in is how you tested a LMI Fathom 90 with a TM700 given that LMI have never built a housing for that brand of camera.

Cheers

Peter

I wasn't aware that the Fathom lens has been redesigned for the L&M housing. If that's the case, great. As I said...try it out.

I've had a Fathom WP25 (ie 90 degree FOV) for several years with my Gates housing for the Sony HC1. I assumed that the Fathom 90 was the same lens but for L&M.

Simply holding the WP25 up to the Panasonic TM700 shows how badly it vignettes...the same is true for the Amphibico 95 and the Seadragon 110 we make. In fact we've decided not to do another production run of the Seadragon for this reason. It's more than likely that cameras are going to be released with wider and wider zooms. Rather than continually trying to redesign superwide lenses to deal with this we have taken a different approach and are about to release a pro grade housing (for Sony and Panasonic) which utilizes Subal or Nexus glass dome ports. This will allow the use of high quality conversion lenses inside the housing...shooting through an optically correct dome. With the added advantage that there is no FOV loss due the the magnification of water...and it will also work with the soon to be released Sony APS-C camcorder with removable lenses.

Thanks for the clarification Peter.

Cheers

I wasn't aware that the Fathom lens has been redesigned for the L&M housing. If that's the case, great. As I said...try it out.

The only reason that I don't have a Fathom 90 on my housing now is that I am waiting for L&M to release it. They've been working with Fathom to produce a lens specifically for the Sony 550 in the Bluefin 2010 housing. Hopefully soon...

Regards

Peter

The only reason that I don't have a Fathom 90 on my housing now is that I am waiting for L&M to release it. They've been working with Fathom to produce a lens specifically for the Sony 550 in the Bluefin 2010 housing. Hopefully soon...

 

Regards

Peter

I suppose you went for the Fathom 90 based on previous experience with similar optics? What made you choose it rather than say, the wet 65 lens or the fish eye 145?

Also, I am curious to get some feedback on one of the things you said earlier about your former Bluefin housing. I happen to have tested that same model (the Bluefin for Sony's HC3) underwater last week-end and was indeed disappointed by the LCD screen (which is attached on a stalk on top of the housing). The colors were not really accurate (but that maybe due to the age of the LCD) and the resolution of the display (2.5") was kind of low. I can understand that it could be useless to focus, as you said, although I did not have time to try that...

My dilemma right now is whether to go for the Bluefin and wait some more to buy optics or choose the Stingray+ but get optics right away (and save a grand in any case!). Handling the new Bluefin in the shop, I was not overly impressed by the size of the OLED screen. In fact, at 3.2", it is a tad smaller than the CX550 LCD screen (3.5"). And my (still limited) experience at the surface is that even with the latter, it is really tricky to adjust the focus perfectly manually. I mean you have to get really close to the screen and play back and forth with the focus, have the right light conditions, etc... How worst can it get under water?

So my thinking is the following at this stage: since manual focusing is going to be delicate no matter what, I will resort to autofocus (and possibly focus lock in long scenes involving complex environments), in which case I probably won't see any difference between the Bluefin and the Stingray+.

Could you comment on that?

Thanks in advance.

What made you choose it rather than say, the wet 65 lens or the fish eye 145?

 

...in which case I probably won't see any difference between the Bluefin and the Stingray+.

Could you comment on that?

I picked the Fathom 90 for 3 main reasons:

1. It comes highly recommended by others that have used it

2. 90 seems about the right balance for a wide range of UW video. 145 is too wide - something that you'd once in a while but not for every shot on a dive. 65 is too narrow for big things.

3. In the L&M 550 with a Fathom 90 full zoom through is possible, allowing some CU shots in tight spaces

Yes, the 16:9 monitor on my new housing is way better than the old 4:3 one. I too use the autofocus-then-lock approach. But now, I can see that it has locked focus on the right place, especially important for CU shots. I think that I probably could use manual focus but I find that autofocus-then-lock works well in nearly all situations. I prefer to keep the manual dial set to exposure adjustment so I can then control all 3: focus, color and exposure very easily for all shots.

The OLED screen is great underwater. Last Sunday my buddy found a beautiful nudibranch on the ceiling of a small cave. A small coral head in front of the cave prevented me from getting my head behind the housing. I was able to hold the housing from above and look down at the OLED from a very shallow angle and still see that the nudibranch was well-placed and sharp.

There is no doubt that the gap between the Stingray and the Bluefin has narrowed in the latest models. What swung me towards the Bluefin was:

1. Optional Fathom lenses (maybe these are for Stingray too?)

2. Microphone (I like listening to bubbles - also useful for pre-dive / post-dive stuff near the water)

3. Manual exposure control

4. The viewing angle / colour / battery life of the OLED screen

5. The lovely black colour (matches my dive gear)...

Regards

Peter

Thanks for the quick, detailed and enthusiastic answer!

All Fathom (-designed) lenses are available for the Stingray Plus. The simple Stingray has no optics option, I think it has a simple window front.

I was tempted by the Bluefin, but then kind of put off by the price delta ($1,000 with the left handle). The main difference (as far as I can tell) between the two, apart from the OLED screen (and putting aside the microphone - I have got a separate camera for topside shots), is access to the physical knob for manual control of different parameters. However you do have access to these controls via the menu, and I was told by a user that this is far easier than having to handle the knob... I guess your mileage may vary. In my case, I am planning to mount a lot of lights on the housing, so the manual knob doesn't sound like a practical option.

I wished I could afford the OLED screen, but I am almost convinced now that I will be able to live without it.

Best,

X.

P.S: Singapore sounds like a great diving place!

P.S: Singapore sounds like a great diving place!

Not much diving close to Singapore although Palau Aur and a couple of good wrecks can be reached for a weekend trip.

But very convenient to get from Singapore to some of the best diving in the world: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.

Regards

Peter

Just ordered a Stingray+ Premium package with the Fathom 90 WA lens.

I'll be interested to know how you guys go with the new "Fathom 90" lens. I used their older design for a while and was happy with it. Is the new one actually made by Fathom?

I guess I'm not the only one confused by their model designations and descriptions:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showt...31171&st=60

Their website says "a brand new Fathoms designed and built full zoom through 90 degree wide angle for the Sony XR550 and CX550."

So, if you understand what I do, it is built by Fathom. I hope to get the housing sometime next week. First test in the pool next week-end, wreck dive the week-end after that... I hope the viz will be good in San Diego.

Their website says "a brand new Fathoms designed and built full zoom through 90 degree wide angle for the Sony XR550 and CX550."

So, if you understand what I do, it is built by Fathom.

Fair enough...

I was wondering because of Drew's last post in the link I quoted:

"none of the current Fathom lenses are compatible with the new crop of cameras from Canon/Sony, including the HF, XR series. Yet a few of the manufacturers using the UOM produced lenses market their lenses as compatible...."

"I think having some sort of guide on official Fathom products vs licenced manufacturers would clear up some of the confusion and also act as a guide for potential buyers."

However, that was 6 months ago and things have apparently changed...

Fair enough...

 

I was wondering because of Drew's last post in the link I quoted:

 

"none of the current Fathom lenses are compatible with the new crop of cameras from Canon/Sony, including the HF, XR series. Yet a few of the manufacturers using the UOM produced lenses market their lenses as compatible...."

 

"I think having some sort of guide on official Fathom products vs licenced manufacturers would clear up some of the confusion and also act as a guide for potential buyers."

 

However, that was 6 months ago and things have apparently changed...

Hi George,

Here is a photo that shows both the old "built under licence port" for Stingray & Bluefin up to XR520 series and the new built by Fathom Port for the XR550.

You can see clearly that they are two different ports and that the new port is marked clearly FATHOM USA and is serialised.

I hope this clears this up for you.

Hi George,

Here is a photo that shows both the old "built under licence port" for Stingray & Bluefin up to XR520 series and the new built by Fathom Port for the XR550.

You can see clearly that they are two different ports and that the new port is marked clearly FATHOM USA and is serialised.

I hope this clears this up for you.

That's great.

The reason I'm so interested is I'm mulling over getting one (if I hear some good feedback about it) and modifying a spare Amphibico EVO housing I've got to take it. Should be a straightforward job since the front of the Amphibico comes off...and it would give my old housing a new lease of life.

Now I understand why there's two very different prices when you Google "price Fathom 90".

Thanks Peter.

Cheers.

Hello, I am a new user on this site and this is my first post. Thank you for this information as I have found it to be very helpful. I have the Sonly CX550V and the 2010 L&M Stingray Plus Housing. I recently returned from a three week trip (Palau and Phillipines) on which I used this set up for the first time and I have a couple of questions about white balance and focus lock. My last system was a Sony PC 110 with a L&M Mako Housing and it did not have the capability to WB under water so this was new for me. I take video to show family and friends and consider myself quite the amateur but with my old setup very rarely had color balance issues. With this set up, it seemed like I had to white balance constantly throughout every dive even when I was at the same depth with the same natural lighting. Here are my questions:

• When you say you set WB on manual, do you mean you change the camera's white balance setting using a 'Manual' button? The setting options on my camera are 'Auto', 'Indoor', 'Outdoor', and 'One Push'. Am I correct in my thinking that 'One Push' is the manual setting?
  
• When you push the WB button on your housing handle, does it white balance instantly or do you have to wait for it to run throuh the whole WB menu options? When I hit the WB button, it ran through all of the menu options before it would balance and it seemed to take forever - is this normal? (Nothing in the manual about this).
  
• Do you WB prior to every single shot? (BTW, thanks for the tip about using white fins to WB. I used a white card and this was very cumbersome for me. The start/stop button are right next to each other on the handle and at least once a dive I'd think I was hitting the start/stop button but instead would hit the WB and vice versa - very frustrating - maybe using a fin and not having to hold the housing with one hand while I put the card in front of the port with the other will remedy this clumsiness!)
  
• Color correction filter:
  • Do you WB (and shoot) with or without the filter when you are in very shallow water?
    

In one of your posts you mentioned that you use automatice focus and then 'lock the focus'. How do I 'lock' the focus?

Overall, I think this is a great set up. When the color balance was correct, the video images were amazing when played back on a high def television. Interestingly, the L & M Stingray + does not have the microphone on the housing but in watching my video, I can hear my bubbles and even the fish crunching on the coral on the audio. The Stingray + does accept the optional Fathom lenses and I appreciate the comments about how you determined to go with the Fathom 90 rather than the 145 degree or 65 degree wet mountable lenses. (The basic Stingray does not accept other lenses)I originally ordered the package with the 90 lens but it wouldn't be available before I left for my trip so I went with the basic flat port. It is next on my list of equipment purchases so I look forward to reading about your experiences with it. I purchased the optional left handle (which is standard on the Bluefin). It provides complete access to the camera's menu and with that handle, I tend to agree, the main differences between the Bluefin and the Stingray + that I can see are the OLED monitor and the control wheel. I was extremely pleased with the monitor on the Stingray + but admit that I have not seen the Blueray's OLED monitor. I really like the black color of the Bluefin so can see why that was a contributing factor in your selection! I too am extremely pleased with the life of the monitor back. I did 3-4 dives a day in the Phillipines and never had to open the housing to change the battery on the camera or the housing until the end of the day. (On my old housing, the monitor back was powered from the camera battery so both exhausted more rapidly). I used 2700mAh rechargable batteries in the monitor back and they lasted all day.

Thanks in advance for answering all of these questions. As I said, this is forum has already been very helpful for me

I picked the Fathom 90 for 3 main reasons:

 

1. It comes highly recommended by others that have used it

2. 90 seems about the right balance for a wide range of UW video. 145 is too wide - something that you'd once in a while but not for every shot on a dive. 65 is too narrow for big things.

3. In the L&M 550 with a Fathom 90 full zoom through is possible, allowing some CU shots in tight spaces

 

Yes, the 16:9 monitor on my new housing is way better than the old 4:3 one. I too use the autofocus-then-lock approach. But now, I can see that it has locked focus on the right place, especially important for CU shots. I think that I probably could use manual focus but I find that autofocus-then-lock works well in nearly all situations. I prefer to keep the manual dial set to exposure adjustment so I can then control all 3: focus, color and exposure very easily for all shots.

 

The OLED screen is great underwater. Last Sunday my buddy found a beautiful nudibranch on the ceiling of a small cave. A small coral head in front of the cave prevented me from getting my head behind the housing. I was able to hold the housing from above and look down at the OLED from a very shallow angle and still see that the nudibranch was well-placed and sharp.

 

There is no doubt that the gap between the Stingray and the Bluefin has narrowed in the latest models. What swung me towards the Bluefin was:

 

1. Optional Fathom lenses (maybe these are for Stingray too?)

2. Microphone (I like listening to bubbles - also useful for pre-dive / post-dive stuff near the water)

3. Manual exposure control

4. The viewing angle / colour / battery life of the OLED screen

5. The lovely black colour (matches my dive gear)...

 

Regards

Peter

Just some quick answers because I am traveling at the moment.

When you say you set WB on manual, do you mean you change the camera's white balance setting using a 'Manual' button? The setting options on my camera are 'Auto', 'Indoor', 'Outdoor', and 'One Push'. Am I correct in my thinking that 'One Push' is the manual setting?

Don't need to set anything through the camera. The control on the right handle does it all. Press once quickly but firmly and the camera will go into "one push" mode. Press and hold for 1 sec and the camera will go into "auto" WB mode. Use auto WB above the surface and one-push underwater.

When you push the WB button on your housing handle, does it white balance instantly or do you have to wait for it to run throuh the whole WB menu options? When I hit the WB button, it ran through all of the menu options before it would balance and it seemed to take forever - is this normal? (Nothing in the manual about this).

It does not take forever. I've not timed it but I guess that it takes a couple of seconds to move the camera into one-push mode and then a couple more seconds to activate the actual one-push white balance. It is only during the actual last part of the last step that the camera needs to be pointing at something white. About 4 to 5 seconds in all. You can see if it has worked properly because the white slate or white fin becomes more white in the monitor.

Do you WB prior to every single shot?

No. Depends on the dive. Only need to MWB when the color of the light falling onto the subject changes. For example, on a night dive, when all light is coming from the LED lights, only one MWB is needed at the start of the dive. On a wall dive, I'd probably do a MWB at each major depth change. And again if I move from WA to CU (when the LED lights dominate).

Do you WB (and shoot) with or without the filter when you are in very shallow water?

Less than 5 meters I would take the red filter out. Deeper than that leave it in. Always do a MWB when you move the filter in ot out.

How do I 'lock' the focus?

Press the focus button on the right handle to move to "auto focus". Point the camera at the subject. Press the focus button again. Look at the monitor and see what focus distance is displayed. If reasonable, shoot. (If you are shooting a whale shark and the focus distance says 0.3M), the camera has locked focus way too close (maybe at a particle in the water).

Practice all these things on the kitchen table.

Regards

Peter