Need help building a system :)

Thank's in advance for any and all assistance. I've looked through the few pages of threads here, but didn't really get the info I need. So, basicaly I need help building the best system I can with a budget of 5-6k US. Currently I do UW stills with my DSLR. Recently I bought a little JVC Picsio set up with a WA wet lens and 2 Sola 1200 lights. Suffice to say, after a couple trips, the quality and capabilities compared to what I'm looking for are lacking. I'd like to be able to do both WA and Macro. Here are some questions ( yes I'm a noob...hehe).

1. Are the Sola 1200's powerful enough for a decent rig?

2. I'm assuming that one button manual WB is a must?

3. What attachments are needed for WA and macro? Ports?? Wet Lenses? Diopters?

So, If you were me, and had the budget I had....what would you buy? On a unrelated topic.... does anyone know of an editing program that has a WB feature similiar to Lightrooms WB "Eye dropper"??

Again, thanks for any help you can offer!!

Greg

1. Are the Sola 1200's powerful enough for a decent rig?

 

2. I'm assuming that one button manual WB is a must?

 

3. What attachments are needed for WA and macro? Ports?? Wet Lenses? Diopters?

 

So, If you were me, and had the budget I had....what would you buy?

 

Again, thanks for any help you can offer!!

 

Greg

It looks like you are asking a similar question as i have recently done in a thread here. That thread is unfolding nicely now and i am just sitting back and taking in information posted there.

Its hard for the experienced guys here to just say you should get this model or that model without knowing what you intend on shooting.. However it is nice when they recommend a few ideas.

One touch white balance is pretty nice to have, saves going through menus to find the setting.

The sola 1200's are a pretty decent set of lights.. Again hard to say without knowing what you want to shoot..

The types of ports and diopters you will use are pretty specific to each housing..However most of the larger housing manufacturers have something to suit most peoples needs.

I'd say keep an eye on my thread where a number of systems are starting to be mentioned and then if you need any specific help ask away..

Hi Greg

If you are already shooting stills with a SLR then the question needs to be asked - why not film on one too? For your budget you probably won't get anything better quality, especially if you are familiar with shooting in manual already.

Also FWIW I almost never use lights, they really are not needed and unless you are planning a lot of night dives or deep penetrations then you are often better spending the budget on a better camera/housing or just saving the cash.

I'm sure others will disagree Hope this helps!

Cheers, Simon

If you are already shooting stills with a SLR then the question needs to be asked - why not film on one too? For your budget you probably won't get anything better quality, especially if you are familiar with shooting in manual already.

 

Also FWIW I almost never use lights, they really are not needed and unless you are planning a lot of night dives or deep penetrations then you are often better spending the budget on a better camera/housing or just saving the cash.

Thanks for the response Simon. Right now I'm shooting a Nikon D90. While it has 720 vid capabilities it's lacking in features and sensor (from what my limited knowledge of sensors is). For one, I can not for the life of me figure out how to man WB this camera while in the housing. All the tutorials I've seen tells me I need access to the top view window, which I don't have with my Aquatica housing. Also, focus is spotty at best from the few times I've used the vid feature.

It looks like you are asking a similar question as i have recently done in a thread here. That thread is unfolding nicely now and i am just sitting back and taking in information posted there.

 

Its hard for the experienced guys here to just say you should get this model or that model without knowing what you intend on shooting.. However it is nice when they recommend a few ideas.

 

One touch white balance is pretty nice to have, saves going through menus to find the setting.

 

The sola 1200's are a pretty decent set of lights.. Again hard to say without knowing what you want to shoot..

 

The types of ports and diopters you will use are pretty specific to each housing..However most of the larger housing manufacturers have something to suit most peoples needs.

 

I'd say keep an eye on my thread where a number of systems are starting to be mentioned and then if you need any specific help ask away..

Which thread Kun?? As far as "Want's" well.... I'd want WA and Macro capabilities. What that entails, I don't know?? Would it be 1 WA port, a flat port? Wet lens? I shoot a lot of WA and a lot of 60mm and 105mm macro with my DSLR. Would be awesome if both could be accomplished in the course of one dive... is that possible? I'm assuming not, at least in any real good quality.

Ah yes D90 was pretty crappy for video, but the new Nikons have come on leaps and bounds. Sounds like a win win to me!

If you are shooting for your own videos & not to sell them, then take a look at the light & motion Bluefin housing. Nothing wrong with the housing but the camera is of course a prosumer model. I have the older version to suit the Sony SR12 & absolutely love it.

It shoots great footage for my needs once you learn what the capabilities are of the camera.

L&M are advertising a special with the housing & 80degree wide lens on there website. For your budget, you will have plenty to purchase the camera & you already have the lights to suit. You will come in under budget with a great setup for personell use & it travels well also.

I have a set of sola 1200's & also a set of sola 4000's. I now use the sola 4000's 99% of the time.

Cheers Pete.

If you are shooting for your own videos & not to sell them, then take a look at the light & motion Bluefin housing. Nothing wrong with the housing but the camera is of course a prosumer model. I have the older version to suit the Sony SR12 & absolutely love it.

It shoots great footage for my needs once you learn what the capabilities are of the camera.

L&M are advertising a special with the housing & 80degree wide lens on there website. For your budget, you will have plenty to purchase the camera & you already have the lights to suit. You will come in under budget with a great setup for personell use & it travels well also.

I have a set of sola 1200's & also a set of sola 4000's. I now use the sola 4000's 99% of the time.

Cheers Pete.

Thanks Pete! That's the kind of Info I need. Do you happen to have any clips online to look at? Is it manual WB "Friendly? Thanks again!

Greg

Hi Greg,

I believe the newer versions of the bluefin have one touch white balance. I havn't used the newer versions with this so I can't comment on it.

My version, which is over 2 years old now, so old technology by today's standards doesn't have one touch white balance. I have to go through the control panel to access it but it's no big deal. Takes me 10 seconds to white balance & you just accept it.

I'm pretty sure the new models have the white balance button on the handle so you can access it from there.

You should contact l&m for more info on it though.

I would have no hesitation in upgrading my housing if a wider lens was available as I have the 110 degree lens & don't want to go any smaller.

The housings are beautiful & compact enough for travel.

So long as the camera meets your requirements then I would say go for it. I couldn't be happier with my housing.

I am very happy with the quality of my footage but it is for personal use.

I am pretty sure you can't fit a Diopter in the flip panel inside the housing so if you want to shoot really small stuff then you will have to mount the Diopter inside the housing & dedicate that dive to macro.

Keep in mind that I can shoot a small sea spider or very small nudi etc with my 110 lens on.

If I'm shooting super macro then I put the standard port back on & screw on a Diopter & I can shoot tiny animals in full focus, but the depth of field drops off with a Diopter.

Overall I am very happy with my setup.

I do have some footage that is posted in the video forums but I will put up some links for you tomorrow.

Cheers pete.

Hi Greg,

I believe the newer versions of the bluefin have one touch white balance. I havn't used the newer versions with this so I can't comment on it.

My version, which is over 2 years old now, so old technology by today's standards doesn't have one touch white balance. I have to go through the control panel to access it but it's no big deal. Takes me 10 seconds to white balance & you just accept it.

I'm pretty sure the new models have the white balance button on the handle so you can access it from there.

You should contact l&m for more info on it though.

I would have no hesitation in upgrading my housing if a wider lens was available as I have the 110 degree lens & don't want to go any smaller.

The housings are beautiful & compact enough for travel.

So long as the camera meets your requirements then I would say go for it. I couldn't be happier with my housing.

I am very happy with the quality of my footage but it is for personal use.

I am pretty sure you can't fit a Diopter in the flip panel inside the housing so if you want to shoot really small stuff then you will have to mount the Diopter inside the housing & dedicate that dive to macro.

Keep in mind that I can shoot a small sea spider or very small nudi etc with my 110 lens on.

If I'm shooting super macro then I put the standard port back on & screw on a Diopter & I can shoot tiny animals in full focus, but the depth of field drops off with a Diopter.

Overall I am very happy with my setup.

I do have some footage that is posted in the video forums but I will put up some links for you tomorrow.

Cheers pete.

Thanks Pete! So, you say you won't go smaller than 110 degree?? So, this package with the 80, Im assuming the "80" is degrees? If so that's lacking by your standard. Being a rookie, my first though was that the diopter would go on the outside of the flat port? Speaking of which, the only port I will need is the flat port that comes with the housing correct? The 110 lens is a wet lens yes? As would be the 80 or 90 yes? From what Im reading on the L&M site, the housings are for Canons, they say the newer Sony's aren't compatible. It lists that the Canon S30 is 1 touch WB, but the newer G10 is 2 touch WB. I'll have to research that more.

I'd really be interested to see any clips anyone has for either the Canon S20.S30, or S200. The couple I've seen on youtube looked pretty unremarkable

G'day Greg,

Yes the 80 is degrees. I say that i wouldn't go down in size is because i have started with the 110 degree lens so to go down in size would make me unhappy i think. If i had started with a smaller version then i wouldn't know any different.

I think 80 degrees would be a minimum i would want for video so don't let that stop you. To be honest, sometimes the 110 degree lens is to wide & i wish in certain instances i had swapped to the standard lens which is around 60 degrees i think. So 80 degrees is a big improvement.

The lens are not wet lenses. They are fitted to the housing by a latch & twist lock. Same as the diopters, they are fitted inside the housing. The housings have a flip fitting for the red filter inside the housing & some people put diopters inside there instead of the red filter.

So no you can't change the lens underwater but of course you can zoom in & out for macro & wide angle.

As for a 1 or 2 button white balance, it is not really going to make a huge difference i don't think. Mine is 4 buttons to get to the menu but i just accept that is the way it is. It is really no big deal at the end of the day. Having access to it on the handle is SO MUCH BETTER than having to scroll through the menus!

I believe the problem with the sony cameras is that they don't display the menu or something along those lines.

Your best bet is to go to a camera shop & have a play with the camera. What you see on youtube or vimeo is quite compressed so don't judge on that alone, take one for a test drive.

Here is a link to my vimeo page http://vimeo.com/user8157547/videos

As i said these sites really do compress the quality. Keep in mind that they are only HD, not full HD. I see the difference when i upload the videos from watching the original footage on my computer. Big difference.

For your budget, i think this setup is spot on if you are happy with the quality of the camera.

The other bit of advice is to buy the tripod bracket as well & grab a small tripod. I have recently purchased a gorrilla grip & for macro work it is great. You can set the camera up & hit record & swim away if you are trying to shoot some shy fish etc.

Worth its weight in gold really.

Hope that helps you.

Cheers Pete.

Ask any other questions you like.

Oh by the way. I edit with sony vegas pro 10. I havn't used any other editting programs so i can't compare but i find it pretty easy to use now. It has pretty good colour tools.

You may also wish to check out the new Subal VS1. The 110,90 and 80 degree lens adapters are nice options, but so is have to use a quality wide angle adapter BEHIND a dome port. I'd be interested to see which once give better resolution in a test.

The housings have a flip fitting for the red filter inside the housing & some people put diopters inside there instead of the red filter.

So no you can't change the lens underwater but of course you can zoom in & out for macro & wide angle.

 

Your best bet is to go to a camera shop & have a play with the camera. What you see on youtube or vimeo is quite compressed so don't judge on that alone, take one for a test drive.

Here is a link to my vimeo page http://vimeo.com/user8157547/videos

As i said these sites really do compress the quality. Keep in mind that they are only HD, not full HD. I see the difference when i upload the videos from watching the original footage on my computer. Big difference.

For your budget, i think this setup is spot on if you are happy with the quality of the camera.

The other bit of advice is to buy the tripod bracket as well & grab a small tripod. I have recently purchased a gorrilla grip & for macro work it is great. You can set the camera up & hit record & swim away if you are trying to shoot some shy fish etc.

Worth its weight in gold really.

Hope that helps you.

Cheers Pete.

Ask any other questions you like.

Oh by the way. I edit with sony vegas pro 10. I havn't used any other editting programs so i can't compare but i find it pretty easy to use now. It has pretty good colour tools.

Howdy Pete! I love the idea of the flip down diopter! I would imagine that the red filter would be kind of substandard compared to being able to MWB? I was also already thinking about the tripod mount, seems like a great idea. Some of the best clips I've seen are ones where a tripod is being used. Also checked out your Vimeo page, great stuff!! Especially the super macro clips. Also loved some of the reef shots from Fiji. I think I'll take your advice and go check out the models I'm looking at, unfortunatly, I don't know if I'll be able to find the ones for this L&M package at the local stores, due to them not being the latest models. Especially the S30, which I'm leaning towards, I'd really like to get in my hands. Reviews say the quality is awesome, but the menus and "User ability" factors are lacking. As far as editing, I've been using Adobe premier elements 9. Like you, I have no basis for comparison, but I find the color features a little tough to dial in.

Drew, is the Subal housing out yet? I googled it a bit, but couldn't find any deffinitive info. Thanks guys! All the input and help is appreciated mucho!!!

Greg

G'day Greg,

I generally use the red filter from about 5-6 metres deep. So i manually white balance with the red filter in place that is. You don't use the red filter with lights. So when i'm using my lights i use the auto white balance which i think works quite well. The lights are good for a couple of metres throw & past that the light falls off rapidly.

So i mainly use my lights for macro or when the water is very dirty. If i'm shooting wide angle then i turn off the lights, flip the red filter in place & white balance.

Keep us updated on your progress. Keep an eye on ebay or your local classifieds for a used camera that is local to you. You might be able to go check it out before you buy one.

On the plus side, this should all come in under your budget

Cheers Pete.

Hey Greg,

Check out the thread about the sola 2000 video lights. There is a video posted in there from SWink. Steve uses the same housing that you are looking at, including the 80degree lens but i'm not sure which camera he has.

There is some very nice footage there for his first time with the housing.

I am also posting another video either tonight or tomorrow. Vimeo takes ages to upload.

Cheers Pete.

Thanks a bunch too everyone for their thoughts and input in helping me choose my new system!! I went with the Canon Vixia HF S30, and the L&M Bluefin / 80 deal. Everything seems to work as advertised, 1 button man. WB!! WOOHOO! Can't wait too test drive it at the end of this month in Cozumel!!

So My next purchase will be a tripod, I looked at the gorillapods, but Im not sure which one would be needed for this set-up. The pod will be for UW only, as I have above the water tripods already. I want to go with as small as possible, but still ffunctional. Thoughts??

Thanks again!!

Greg

Thanks a bunch too everyone for their thoughts and input in helping me choose my new system!! I went with the Canon Vixia HF S30, and the L&M Bluefin / 80 deal. Everything seems to work as advertised, 1 button man. WB!! WOOHOO! Can't wait too test drive it at the end of this month in Cozumel!!

 

So My next purchase will be a tripod, I looked at the gorillapods, but Im not sure which one would be needed for this set-up. The pod will be for UW only, as I have above the water tripods already. I want to go with as small as possible, but still ffunctional. Thoughts??

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again!!

 

Greg

Greg,

I just purchased and used the XIT404 tripod. Not sure if it has the holes predrilled for your housing or not. But the tripod is awesome. I bought twist clamps. the twist clamps are worth the extra. The things I have read, and people I have talked to have all said that stability of the gorilla pod is a problem. With the XIT404, stability is pretty good. My rig is heavy, so that helps as well. I had it in Lembeh last week and had some current on some dives and it preformed great. In fact, the current was tougher to deal with as a diver than with the camera.

Dustin

Hi Greg,

I have a very similar rig to yours. I have a Canon HF-S30 in a L&M Bluefin housing; however, I only have the flat port. I am thinking of getting a MacroMate or other flip down wet diopter, but haven't done that yet. The one touch WB is really nice. I've only got one good dive trip, and several local trips on this rig, but I am quite happy so far. I'm sure that you will like it in Cozumel. Take lots of video and delete what doesn't work. Get a good memory card for it (I bought 2 64 gig cards and two 32 gig cards).

Greg,

 

I just purchased and used the XIT404 tripod. Not sure if it has the holes predrilled for your housing or not. But the tripod is awesome. I bought twist clamps. the twist clamps are worth the extra. The things I have read, and people I have talked to have all said that stability of the gorilla pod is a problem. With the XIT404, stability is pretty good. My rig is heavy, so that helps as well. I had it in Lembeh last week and had some current on some dives and it preformed great. In fact, the current was tougher to deal with as a diver than with the camera.

 

Dustin

Thanks for the heads up Dustin, If I'm reading this right, $200 for the XIT404 plate alone??? Wow... Add to that the plate is pretty big. The mount I bought with the housing has the standard hole for any tri-pod. Now, looking at the XIT404 kind of gets my creative juices flowing to see what I might be able to rig up Thanks!

Hi Greg,

 

I have a very similar rig to yours. I have a Canon HF-S30 in a L&M Bluefin housing; however, I only have the flat port. I am thinking of getting a MacroMate or other flip down wet diopter, but haven't done that yet. The one touch WB is really nice. I've only got one good dive trip, and several local trips on this rig, but I am quite happy so far. I'm sure that you will like it in Cozumel. Take lots of video and delete what doesn't work. Get a good memory card for it (I bought 2 64 gig cards and two 32 gig cards).

I'd like to hear some feedback on the macromate. Funny thing is, I was looking at that for my DSLR/Aquatica setup and the backscatter folks pretty much talked me out of it saying it wouldn't be that effective. Maybe it will in the vid application? Anyone have any experience with it? As far as memory cards I got 2 64gb SDXC cards. I also bought the float for the housing to trim it out. Out of curiosity how long do your housing display batteries last?

Greg

Just found this lil guy! http://reefphoto.com/shop/index.php?main_p...products_id=491

I already have ULCS legs So I'd just need the 3 way clamp. Or this one with the tripod head too....

http://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-p...erwater-tripod/

Greg,

The xit404 is not the cheapest thing. It's the stability that makes it good. But also the twist clamps, allow you to adjust using only 1 hand which is awesome. But those are pricey too. I believe $175 a piece. If I was more handy, I would have made the plate myself. But the width of the plate is what makes it so stable. If you used one you would see the value of the setup. If you don't plan to do much macro shooting, it might not be worth it. But if you plan to do a lot of macro shooting do it right the first time.

Dustin

Greg,

 

The xit404 is not the cheapest thing. It's the stability that makes it good. But also the twist clamps, allow you to adjust using only 1 hand which is awesome. But those are pricey too. I believe $175 a piece. If I was more handy, I would have made the plate myself. But the width of the plate is what makes it so stable. If you used one you would see the value of the setup. If you don't plan to do much macro shooting, it might not be worth it. But if you plan to do a lot of macro shooting do it right the first time.

 

Dustin

I'd still have to figure out how to mate it up too my housing. Looks like it's pretty much set up for DSLR's? Plus I think you'd need a tripod head for it. So, the base at $200, a tripod head at $189 (unless you can buy it seperate from the clamp). Or am I missing something? Do you have a tripod head on yours, to tilt and position??

Actually, here's the Light and Motion base..... http://www.backscatter.com/sku/xit-tb-lmi.lasso

same issue though, seems like you need a tripod head.

Greg