L&M Bluefin / Sony CX550 experience

Here is it, for what it's worth:

As a long-retired instructor, your video brought back some memories.

That looks like a great pool for instruction. Nice and deep.

From the video, you can learn several lessons:

1. Always waft the bubbles off the front of the lens, once at the beginning and again if you have swam thru another diver's bubbles
   
2. Do a new MWB when you change depth - the shallow footage towards the end of the video was a touch too red (look at the bubbles)
   
3. If you plan to swing the camera up to the sun, do a MWB on the sun before starting to shoot or it'll look very pink
   
4. Better to zoom with your fins rather than the T / W controls. That instructor at 2:41s looks fuzzy because of the water between the lens and the subject.
   

Regards

Peter

XX-Large Hoodie Lens Hood Cover (Black)

I was thinking of buying the pink one in case it fell off in the water but came back to my senses before I placed my order ;-)

Thanks. Like you, I will shy away from the pink one. My daughter would commandeer it for a Barbie bed.

As a long-retired instructor, your video brought back some memories.

 

That looks like a great pool for instruction. Nice and deep.

 

From the video, you can learn several lessons:

1. Always waft the bubbles off the front of the lens, once at the beginning and again if you have swam thru another diver's bubbles
   
2. Do a new MWB when you change depth - the shallow footage towards the end of the video was a touch too red (look at the bubbles)
   
3. If you plan to swing the camera up to the sun, do a MWB on the sun before starting to shoot or it'll look very pink
   
4. Better to zoom with your fins rather than the T / W controls. That instructor at 2:41s looks fuzzy because of the water between the lens and the subject.
   

 

Regards

Peter

Your comments couldn't be truer! I "remembered" to MWB only half-way through my dive, and then, I did not do it systematically... Will need to get used to it. I bought the white Apollo fins, BTW, and I love them.

The pool is great. It's just that we got in it after a whole day of local residents invasion, so the water was far from clear.

I discovered the bubbles when editing. I guess had I have the OLED screen, maybe I could have picked them up? :-)

I kept the zoom sequence only as an illustration of the zoom range, but I agree with you, the image is fuzzy at best... As for the sun sequence, I guess that was supposed to be an artsy effect...

Thanks for the comments! Very helpful. I guess you know will now have to endure all my future videos and owe me a detailed report :-)

Hi Peter, or anyone else that uses the Bluefin Pro OLED housing,

Just wondering how you're getting on with the Bluefin Pro OLED housing after using it for a while......are you still really pleased with it?

I'm toying with the idea of upgrading to the Bluefin Pro OLED housing from my current Aditech Mangrove housing. The one touch white-balance and focus are very tempting!!!

I have a Sony XR520 that I'm really happy with, so don't think that I'd need to upgrade the camera....unless you can convince me otherwise.

Many thanks for your advice,

Jo

Hi Peter, or anyone else that uses the Bluefin Pro OLED housing,

 

Just wondering how you're getting on with the Bluefin Pro OLED housing after using it for a while......are you still really pleased with it?

 

I'm toying with the idea of upgrading to the Bluefin Pro OLED housing from my current Aditech Mangrove housing. The one touch white-balance and focus are very tempting!!!

 

I have a Sony XR520 that I'm really happy with, so don't think that I'd need to upgrade the camera....unless you can convince me otherwise.

 

Many thanks for your advice,

 

Jo

Yo Jo,

Yes, still really, really pleased with it.

I've now mastered the one-touch MWB (more a challenge from the camcorder than the housing), love the Fathom 90 lens port, and really appreciate the OLED monitor. Throw in the Sola lights and this is now the best portable UW video setup I've ever owned.

I'm getting good results on every trip and the setup is starting to earn its keep with a few commercial shoots. Because of the quality of the results and the reliability of the system, I am able to confidently negotiate deals like "free dive trip in return for a promotional video". Done 2 recently and have 3 more coming up this year. You can see some of my video at www.peterwalker.com The 3 at the top were all shot with the Bluefin Pro OLED / Sony CX550. Editing the next one now.

Not sure what the 550 offers that the 520 does not have but I doubt if it is a big enough gap to justify upgrading the camera yet. No guarantees, but L&M are expecting that this housing will also accommodate Sony's next model (unless Sony completely change the form factor). So you could use the Bluefin Pro OLED with your XR520 then upgrade to the Sony XX999 when it comes out in 2011/2012, maybe with just a change of housing tray...

Regards

Peter

Yo Jo,

 

Yes, still really, really pleased with it.

 

I've now mastered the one-touch MWB (more a challenge from the camcorder than the housing), love the Fathom 90 lens port, and really appreciate the OLED monitor. Throw in the Sola lights and this is now the best portable UW video setup I've ever owned.

 

I'm getting good results on every trip and the setup is starting to earn its keep with a few commercial shoots. Because of the quality of the results and the reliability of the system, I am able to confidently negotiate deals like "free dive trip in return for a promotional video". Done 2 recently and have 3 more coming up this year. You can see some of my video at www.peterwalker.com The 3 at the top were all shot with the Bluefin Pro OLED / Sony CX550. Editing the next one now.

 

Not sure what the 550 offers that the 520 does not have but I doubt if it is a big enough gap to justify upgrading the camera yet. No guarantees, but L&M are expecting that this housing will also accommodate Sony's next model (unless Sony completely change the form factor). So you could use the Bluefin Pro OLED with your XR520 then upgrade to the Sony XX999 when it comes out in 2011/2012, maybe with just a change of housing tray...

 

Regards

Peter

Thanks Peter. Great to hear that you're still really happy with the housing, that you're getting good results and that you're getting promotional video work from it!!

Think I need to have a serious think about it and maybe have a play with one before I part with my hard earned cash!!!

Our home Broadband is total pants at the moment, so I'm looking forward to watching your videos during my lunchtime.

Many thanks for coming back so quickly.

Take care,

Jo

Hi Peter,

I've just watched your video of Raja Ampat....looks wonderful and somewhere definitely on a long list of places I want to dive. Loved the video, very informative and the camera and housing certainly seem to work well together. the close-up of the pygmy seahorse was really nice and some lovely wide-angle shots. Colours look good with and without the lights as well, certainly quite different visability to my recent trip to Lembeh, where quite a lot of my backgrounds were green!!!

Many thanks again and I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos over my lunch times.

Bye for now,

Jo

Colours look good with and without the lights as well, certainly quite different visability to my recent trip to Lembeh, where quite a lot of my backgrounds were green!!!

Video I shot with my old Sony HC3 / L&M Bluefin HD in Lembeh in 2008 is very green.

Video I shot two weeks in Lembeh with the Sony 550 in the L&M Bluefin 550 is well-color-balanced.

That little MWB button on the housing, plus improvements in the new camcorders plus a bit more knowledge in my head made the difference...

The old L&M housing had a mechanism for MWB but it was so fiddly and hit-and-miss that I rarely used it.

Regards

Peter

Video I shot with my old Sony HC3 / L&M Bluefin HD in Lembeh in 2008 is very green.

 

Video I shot two weeks in Lembeh with the Sony 550 in the L&M Bluefin 550 is well-color-balanced.

 

That little MWB button on the housing, plus improvements in the new camcorders plus a bit more knowledge in my head made the difference...

 

The old L&M housing had a mechanism for MWB but it was so fiddly and hit-and-miss that I rarely used it.

 

Regards

Peter

Very interesting....hmmmmm getting seriously tempted with the Bluefin Pro. Have just found out that my XR520 won't work in it, so I could end up with the same set-up as you if I decide to go for it!!!

Someone's just thrown me a curve-ball and said the Sony MC50 is what they'd go for, which apparently also fits in the Bluefin Pro, but from a quick look, it doesn't look like it offers that much more than the CX550, except a better mic, which won't be any use below water anyway and is nearly double the cost!!!

Decisions, descisions!!!

Thanks again,

Jo

Someone's just thrown me a curve-ball and said the Sony MC50 is what they'd go for, which apparently also fits in the Bluefin Pro, but from a quick look, it doesn't look like it offers that much more than the CX550, except a better mic, which won't be any use below water anyway and is nearly double the cost!!!

 

Decisions, descisions!!!

 

Jo

I might be wrong but from a quick look at the specs I think that the MC50 is just a CX550 with a better mike and a lens shade, neither of which will be useful in a housing.

I might be wrong but from a quick look at the specs I think that the MC50 is just a CX550 with a better mike and a lens shade, neither of which will be useful in a housing.

Yeah, that's the conclusion that I'd come to as well!!

Have just found out that my XR520 won't work in it

Are you sure? When I bought my Stingray G2+ (now renamed Bluefin and painted black), I remember that they supported 2009 and 2010 Sony models (thus including the XR520). In fact there are specific instructions in my manual to setup the housing for the XR520/500/200. Again, I am talking about the Stingray G2+ (which has disappeared from L&M's website but has exactly the characteristics of the new Bluefin -the current Bluefin Pro used to be called "Bluefin").

I personally have a CX550V, BTW.

My 2 cts.

Are you sure? When I bought my Stingray G2+ (now renamed Bluefin and painted black), I remember that they supported 2009 and 2010 Sony models (thus including the XR520). In fact there are specific instructions in my manual to setup the housing for the XR520/500/200. Again, I am talking about the Stingray G2+ (which has disappeared from L&M's website but has exactly the characteristics of the new Bluefin -the current Bluefin Pro used to be called "Bluefin").

I personally have a CX550V, BTW.

My 2 cts.

Have checked with L&M, the XR520 won't work in the Bluefin Pro housing, but would have worked in the Stingray G2. At least that will mean I'll have my XR520 and housing to sell if I go for the upgrade, instead of just a housing that no one wants on its own.

I'm getting good results on every trip and the setup is starting to earn its keep with a few commercial shoots. Because of the quality of the results and the reliability of the system, I am able to confidently negotiate deals like "free dive trip in return for a promotional video". Done 2 recently and have 3 more coming up this year. You can see some of my video at www.peterwalker.com The 3 at the top were all shot with the Bluefin Pro OLED / Sony CX550. Editing the next one now.

Hi Peter,

I'm new to the forum and also considering upgrading to a 550 / Bluefin. Currently I have / am still learning the basics on an HC7 / Bluefin.

I had a look at your Raja Ampat video and was impressed as well. Did you use your Fathom 90 for all of the underwater shots, including the macro?

Thanks!

Rebecca

Hi Peter,

 

I'm new to the forum and also considering upgrading to a 550 / Bluefin. Currently I have / am still learning the basics on an HC7 / Bluefin.

 

I had a look at your Raja Ampat video and was impressed as well. Did you use your Fathom 90 for all of the underwater shots, including the macro?

 

Thanks!

Rebecca

Thanks Rebecca,

The Fathom 90 is a bit too wide for macro work. The flip-out macro lens does not work with the Fathom 90. You can zoom in with the Fathom 90 but it will still be wide for real macro work.

So, I tend to decide on the port to use before the dive. For night dives, I definitely use the standard flat port and then can use the flip macro lens plus camcorder zoom to get some good macro shots. For low-vis dives, I will follow the same strategy. See http://www.peterwalker.com/peterwalker.com/Seahorse.html

But, if I am expecting clear water, big creatures, or a shipwreck, that's when the Fathom 90 is perfect. So, when I have the Fathom 90 on the housing, I don't look for tiny stuff.

Of course, you could argue that having the flat port on all the time gives you the versatility for different size critters from whale sharks to tiny shrimps. But the Fathom 90 is so good at bigger vistas, that I'd miss it underwater. See http://www.peterwalker.com/peterwalker.com/WhaleShark.html

Even in my normal (not underwater) photography, I will follow the same strategy of using either a telephoto, normal or wide-angle lens for a whole shoot. I find that my mind gets into a groove with a particular focal length and that lets me see the images better.

What kind of video do you plan to shoot?

Regards

Peter

Thanks Rebecca,

 

The Fathom 90 is a bit too wide for macro work. The flip-out macro lens does not work with the Fathom 90. You can zoom in with the Fathom 90 but it will still be wide for real macro work.

 

So, I tend to decide on the port to use before the dive. For night dives, I definitely use the standard flat port and then can use the flip macro lens plus camcorder zoom to get some good macro shots. For low-vis dives, I will follow the same strategy. See http://www.peterwalker.com/peterwalker.com/Seahorse.html

 

But, if I am expecting clear water, big creatures, or a shipwreck, that's when the Fathom 90 is perfect. So, when I have the Fathom 90 on the housing, I don't look for tiny stuff.

 

Of course, you could argue that having the flat port on all the time gives you the versatility for different size critters from whale sharks to tiny shrimps. But the Fathom 90 is so good at bigger vistas, that I'd miss it underwater. See http://www.peterwalker.com/peterwalker.com/WhaleShark.html

 

Even in my normal (not underwater) photography, I will follow the same strategy of using either a telephoto, normal or wide-angle lens for a whole shoot. I find that my mind gets into a groove with a particular focal length and that lets me see the images better.

 

What kind of video do you plan to shoot?

 

Regards

Peter

Thanks Peter, this is really helpful to know.

As for my video plans, I'm going to keep learning a bit more on my HC7 setup and will use that for my upcoming trip to the deep south Sudanese Red Sea next month. It's a bit frustrating though, because I broke my remote monitor, cannot get a replacement (phased out long ago) and so now I have to look through the little spy hole on the back of my housing to get any feedback on colour, composition, focus, exposure, steadiness, etc. Not a great way to work on my skills as I have to wait until I'm out of the water to see my mistakes but guess I'll have to deal with it.

I figure I will have bought my new set-up prior to my March 2012 trip to Indonesia (Triton Bay, Misool, Halmahera), so I want to have the appropriate equipment for that sort of diving - it will be predominantly a mix of macro and reef shots and maybe some random blue water shots if any big stuff shows up.

It's going to be a huge outlay of money (for me at least) for a new housing and camera so I wanted to determine the best strategy for a lens. Apart from the big annual trips, I'll be diving locally in and around Sydney which, as you may know, is typically 10 metre visibility, relatively green water and a good bit of macro life.

From what you are saying, it sounds like I would be okay for a while with the standard port and the flip macro (though I do have dreams of seeing my first whale shark and being ready to film it). I've scheduled a trip to Socorro for Feb 2013, so I figure that I'll need a wide lens by then. I think I will definitely need a red or orange flip filter up front (can you have both a macro and a red filter in the new housing at the same time?) as I often like shooting without my lights when diving in Sydney.

Thanks Peter, this is really helpful to know.

 

As for my video plans, I'm going to keep learning a bit more on my HC7 setup and will use that for my upcoming trip to the deep south Sudanese Red Sea next month. It's a bit frustrating though, because I broke my remote monitor, cannot get a replacement (phased out long ago) and so now I have to look through the little spy hole on the back of my housing to get any feedback on colour, composition, focus, exposure, steadiness, etc. Not a great way to work on my skills as I have to wait until I'm out of the water to see my mistakes but guess I'll have to deal with it.

 

I figure I will have bought my new set-up prior to my March 2012 trip to Indonesia (Triton Bay, Misool, Halmahera), so I want to have the appropriate equipment for that sort of diving - it will be predominantly a mix of macro and reef shots and maybe some random blue water shots if any big stuff shows up.

 

It's going to be a huge outlay of money (for me at least) for a new housing and ca

mera so I wanted to determine the best strategy for a lens. Apart from the big annual trips, I'll be diving locally in and around Sydney which, as you may know, is typically 10 metre visibility, relatively green water and a good bit of macro life.

 

From what you are saying, it sounds like I would be okay for a while with the standard port and the flip macro (though I do have dreams of seeing my first whale shark and being ready to film it). I've scheduled a trip to Socorro for Feb 2013, so I figure that I'll need a wide lens by then. I think I will definitely need a red or orange flip filter up front (can you have both a macro and a red filter in the new housing at the same time?) as I often like shooting without my lights when diving in Sydney.

Couple of thoughts:

Buy your new camera housing well ahead of the "big trip" and become really familiar with how it behaves. Don't be trying to learn it's idiosyncrasies while trying to capture the "once in a lifetime" footage. I reckon it takes about 3 complete shoot/ edit cycles before you start to work well with a new rig.

One of the big advantages of the Fathom 90 is how close you can get to mid to large subjects and still fit them in the frame. This is very useful in less-than-clear conditions when you need to minimize the water between the glass and the subject. Great for the wrecks around Sydney.

Personally, I don't use the red flip filter. Don't even carry one with me anymore. Red filters don't boost red. They hold back green and blue. So less light hits the camera's sensor. So the camera tries to boost the sensitivity. The result is a graininess and, sometimes, a red fuzz. With the CX550 and the L&M Bluefin 550, the MWB button is a far better option. Takes a bit of experience to know how it works best but seems to give the best results. Need to do a new MWB when light conditions change (deeper depth, shallower depth, lights on and off, close up or WA, ambient light or inside cave / ship, etc). On a typical reef dive, I'll do a MWB about 3 to 5 times during the dive. I found white fins and slates are too white for the CX550 (red fuzzes). Brown coral, pink skin, direct sunlight, brown sand all seem to work best. With the 550 housing, doing a MWB is just one push and a 5 second wait.

Regards

Peter

Couple of thoughts:

 

Buy your new camera housing well ahead of the "big trip" and become really familiar with how it behaves. Don't be trying to learn it's idiosyncrasies while trying to capture the "once in a lifetime" footage. I reckon it takes about 3 complete shoot/ edit cycles before you start to work well with a new rig.

 

One of the big advantages of the Fathom 90 is how close you can get to mid to large subjects and still fit them in the frame. This is very useful in less-than-clear conditions when you need to minimize the water between the glass and the subject. Great for the wrecks around Sydney.

 

Personally, I don't use the red flip filter. Don't even carry one with me anymore. Red filters don't boost red. They hold back green and blue. So less light hits the camera's sensor. So the camera tries to boost the sensitivity. The result is a graininess and, sometimes, a red fuzz. With the CX550 and the L&M Bluefin 550, the MWB button is a far better option. Takes a bit of experience to know how it works best but seems to give the best results. Need to do a new MWB when light conditions change (deeper depth, shallower depth, lights on and off, close up or WA, ambient light or inside cave / ship, etc). On a typical reef dive, I'll do a MWB about 3 to 5 times during the dive. I found white fins and slates are too white for the CX550 (red fuzzes). Brown coral, pink skin, direct sunlight, brown sand all seem to work best. With the 550 housing, doing a MWB is just one push and a 5 second wait.

 

Regards

Peter

Thanks Peter - you should be more careful to not be so helpful!!! I'm tempted to ask you to come out of your instructor retirement!!! In the meantime I'll do my best to exercise restraint on asking all the questions I have about underwater videography.

If I may interject: I was reading in the AVS forum "Cx550 owner thread" that the CX550s are becoming difficult to find... Might just be a rumor, I did not try to buy another one. However, I can't find it on Sonystyle anymore (the XR550V is still here but the CX550V seems to have been replaced by a 700V with more memory and a 560V without viewfinder -which BTW is useless underwater...)

But the point is that by the time you get ready to purchase a camcorder later this year, it may not be available anymore (or secondhand only). The nice thing is that the L&M housing should be ready for it (if one trusts L&M).

Ah, the throws of being an undecided buyer! :-)

Thanks Peter - you should be more careful to not be so helpful!!!

Ask away. I'm happy to share what little I know. People on this forum helped me in my early days of UW video.

Regards

Peter