GH4 - Nauticam Macro Lens/Port Thoughts

http://www.newsshooter.com/2014/12/04/atomos-shogun-4k-recorder-delayed-due-to-firmware-issues/

Delaying the release until the firmware is relatively bug free is a smart move. A few weeks delay will be quickly forgotten and forgiven but a buggy launch would be remembered forever. I guess they've learned the lesson from their ex-colleagues over at Black Magic who lost a lot of credibility rushing out buggy products. I, for one, can wait patiently for a few more weeks.

Regards

Peter

Don't forget the odyssey issues and how long they had to wait for 4k! Good move from Atomos.

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Having seen a Shogun prototype at Photo Fair in Bangkok, and the pictures of the prototype Nauticam housing on the net, I sent this list of suggestions to Nauticam:

1. It would be great if you could include a hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the housing, as the Shogun can record balanced audio as well as video.

2. I wondered if it would be realistic to include a vacuum leak-alert system. USD2000 is a lot to lose in a flood!

3. Will you be supporting the dual hard drive caddy, which is fatter than the single one?

4. I would be interested to know what maximum size of battery you plan to support.

5. If you are making a "cheese plate" bracket to mount the Shogun housing with a GH4 housing, if possible please include mounting points so we can add 3 Xit404 tripod legs.

6. It would be wonderful if the bracket allows the Shogun to move vertically up and down, or swing up out of the way so we can see the camera.

Of course I realize some of these options would add significant size and expense so they may not be feasible.

Those who are using the Nauticam GH4 housing, how much flotation are you using (and with what ports/lights/tripod/monitor)?

I only using Ø60x200mm carbon fibre float arm (Buoyancy 240g) x 1ea on R/L arm for all setup (Macro/WA) now.

It's heavy but it's work for me.

Those who are using the Nauticam GH4 housing, how much flotation are you using (and with what ports/lights/tripod/monitor)?

As to question 1 Nick,

You thinking for comms? If so I've got the OTS BuddyPhone Receiver unit on my ninja2. I drilled the hole for the EO connector in to the spare M16 cap (so if needed I can replace easily) and have to attached it to the back of the ninja housing.

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Those who are using the Nauticam GH4 housing, how much flotation are you using (and with what ports/lights/tripod/monitor)?

 

I use a "neck brace" from Styx around the Dome port, just to help keep the front up and better balanced.

For macro shooting, no flotation required - a bit of negative buoyancy is good. I use the Gorillapod Focus, the biggest one they sell, I think.

Lens / Port

12-35 2.8 with Zen 170mm Dome - Medium WA and CU WA, larger macro critters

7-14 4.0 with Zen 170mm Dome - WA

14-45 PZ with flat port and +5 Subsee - CU and Macro, can also do MS

Monitor: waiting for Shogun...

I only using Ø60x200mm carbon fibre float arm (Buoyancy 240g) x 1ea on R/L arm for all setup (Macro/WA) now.

It's heavy but it's work for me.

I saw a photo of your rig with Stix floats on the arms. Have you dumped them now? And do you use just the 2 carbon float arms for both macro with tripod and for wide angle?

As to question 1 Nick,

 

You thinking for comms? If so I've got the OTS BuddyPhone Receiver unit on my ninja2. I drilled the hole for the EO connector in to the spare M16 cap (so if needed I can replace easily) and have to attached it to the back of the ninja housing.

I'm just thinking for recording underwater audio. Often that audio gets thrown away but sometimes it's useful. Seems worth doing if possible as the Shogun features high quality audio recording.

 

I use a "neck brace" from Styx around the Dome port, just to help keep the front up and better balanced....

Interesting. I would have thought the buoyancy of that dome would pull the front up anyway. I now have the equivalent Nauticam dome but not got my rig underwater yet.

 

 

1. It would be great if you could include a hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the housing, as the Shogun can record balanced audio as well as video.

 

 

Yes and no. I think that it might complicate the design of the monitor housing and/or increase its size. Even with an elbow XLR connector, a lot of space would be required to accommodate it.

I do like recording sound underwater. Occasionally you get a great sound effect - like the crack of thousands of tails as a school of jacks rapidly avoid a hunter.

But, even with a good hydrophone, the "fidelity" of the sound is not great as it transmits through water differently than sound through air.

Actually the camera housing itself might be a good hydrophone. I am looking for a tiny lavalier microphone that could plug into the mic jack on the GH4 and could then be mounted against the inside of the Nauticam housing. It'd pick up most sound as it would pass through the aluminium housing quite well. Of course it'd also record all the button presses but they can be edited out.

If it could be fitted with an elbow-jack, it would fit in the housing (there's a bit of space on that side) and there are some obvious places to mount it to the inside of the housing.

Anyone know of a tiny lavalier mic?

Regards

Peter

 

 

Interesting. I would have thought the buoyancy of that dome would pull the front up anyway. I now have the equivalent Nauticam dome but not got my rig underwater yet.

 

Nope, it's a little nose heavy. Lot of metal and glass out in front of the balance point. Maybe the Nauticam dome is lighter?

Not a big deal and manageable either way but I find that the styx neck-brace float takes the strain off the wrists.

Yes and no. I think that it might complicate the design of the monitor housing and/or increase its size. Even with an elbow XLR connector, a lot of space would be required to accommodate it.

I probably agree but I just wanted to make them at least consider it. I was surprised when I saw the Shogun's audio capability.

Anyone know of a tiny lavalier mic?

Interesting idea. Maybe a "smartphone mic" with a 90-degree elbow mini-jack like the the Audio Technica AT9902is. Or maybe the AT9901, AT9902 or AT9904.

They might need rewiring to get rid of all that cable, in which case a lower-profile jack could be fitted if necessary. It certainly looks like there would be room for a jack like the one on this extension cable.

The sound might not be much better than the internal mic though, and you'd be allowing a point of water ingress if you had a leak, although obviously you'll have that anyway if you have a Shogun plugged into the miniHDMI socket.

I've no idea what's gone wrong with that post. Good luck deciphering it!

 

The sound might not be much better than the internal mic though, and you'd be allowing a point of water ingress if you had a leak, although obviously you'll have that anyway if you have a Shogun plugged into the miniHDMI socket.

Maybe this one would work: Audio Technica AT9904; Monaural Lavalier Microphone. Cheap enough - I only need mono. Has the 90 degree 3.5mm plug. By shortening the cable, it'll fit inside the housing up on the left near the microphone socket on the GH4.

I'll check with Audio Technica in Singapore.

But my thought was not to have this mounted externally - with the subsequent leak risk - but to mount it internally with the mic head held tightly flush against the inside of the housing. A circle of Blutac could hold it in place, with the surface of the mic head touching the inside surface of the housing. Then, as the sound waves travel through water and then through the aluminium of the housing, the mic would pick up the sound off the metal, not out of the air. This is how hydrophones work - the sound passes from the water to the hydrophone without any air to muffle the sound.

I have no idea if it would work and sound good but, it if is not expensive, it might be worth a try. It should be better that the camera's internal mic.

If it doesn't work, having a Lavalier Microphone would always be handy for interviews, etc.

If it fails, I would then go back to Plan A and ask David of ScubaCam to mount a proper hydrophone on to the outside of the housing.

Regards

Peter

I didn't mean mount a mic externally. What I meant was that without a mic plugged in, and with all the rubber plugs in place, the GH4 itself has basic splashproofing that might stand a remote chance of saving it in the event of a little water sloshing around in the housing. If you have a mic plugged in then that splashproofing is obviously compromised because you have to remove the rubber plug. If you have an external monitor/recorder then the mini-HDMI cable also compromises it, although I'll likely be covering the horrible little plug in Blu-tak anyway, something that Philip Bloom does topside as a little insurance because the plug is so vulnerable. That in itself may restore some of the splashproofing.

The thing about these cheap mini-jack lavalier mics that can plug into the camera is that they're unbalanced. A balanced XLR mic running off the Shogun's phantom power would give better quality. Although possibly not that important underwater where everything is noisy and muffled anyway. If you want to do interviews, I bet you soon end up with a balanced mic that plugs into your Shogun.

Anyway I like your idea of mounting a small mic against the inside of the housing.

On another subject, do I recall that you and David were thinking about a cheeseplate for mounting the Shogun housing? I saw some pics of a rough Nauticam prototype at DEMA. It didn't have any mounting points for a tripod. If the production version still doesn't, and your version has mounting points for ball adaptors that could take Xit404 type legs etc., you'd likely have an extra order from me. The more mounting holes for stuff, the better.

I have something like a cheese plate which I just knock up for my trip next week. Its more of a slider but will work as a mounting platform. Good thing is it has three tripod balls for clamps and ball arms turning it into a tripod and slider. Fold down when not needed. I will do some test and photo write up if it works. My embarrassingly shaky extreme macro video hopefully will be less shaky. It could mount a Shogun housing in a traditional video housing fashion. Peter and I did discuss the possibility of docking the shogun directly via the back plate. I need to do some mock up first and see if that is feasible. A combined Shogun and A7s or GH4 "housing " would make a lot of sense for video shooters. Better trim and handling. Of course others prefer the monitor on the top approach. Nothing wrong with that either.

Hey Nick when are you going to visit my chop shop :0) LOL

I didn't mean mount a mic externally. What I meant was that without a mic plugged in, and with all the rubber plugs in place, the GH4 itself has basic splashproofing that might stand a remote chance of saving it in the event of a little water sloshing around in the housing. If you have a mic plugged in then that splashproofing is obviously compromised because you have to remove the rubber plug. If you have an external monitor/recorder then the mini-HDMI cable also compromises it, although I'll likely be covering the horrible little plug in Blu-tak anyway, something that Philip Bloom does topside as a little insurance because the plug is so vulnerable. That in itself may restore some of the splash-proofing.

 

Ahhhh, I understand now.

With the vacuum system, I've always assumed that, while the risk of simple leaks are largely eliminated, if a leak did occur, it would be catastrophic - beyond the capabilities of the splash-proofing.

Having said that, I'm a huge Blu-tak fan. I use it to shock-proof stuff inside the housing and to hold things in place, like packets of silica-gel.

Regards

Peter

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David, did you see the prototype Shogun and bracket made for DEMA?

Photos here, here and here (and there are more in those facebook albums).

Good luck with the slider! Will see you in Singapore as soon as I can.

Yes. Can't comment until have have one but I don't think thats final version.

That shogun housing is quite big.

cheers

David

I might just use it as a monitor during dives and load some movies on it for playback during long deco stops and boat rides