Seacam MKII housing ... just got mine

Sorry Keith. I know you have been patiently waiting for yours, and Liz tells me it is on its way very soon. But I had to show off my new toy. Just came in last Friday. All controls feel great. I'll take it to Tahiti next week for its sea trials.

Arg! I can't wait to get my hands on mine. Are the superdomes available yet? Last I heard they were hung up somewhere as well.

If it would all ship in the next week or two, I would be the happiest shooter on the west coast...Thanks for the pictures Steve!

Heading to Tahiti again already Steve? The Tuamotus or elsewhere?

Seb is now based in Tikehau so head there for a good shark feed.

Good luck with the sharks

Stay safe with the new hurricane coming your way.

Mike

As a 1ds shooter, what advantages do you forsee with the mkII?

Hey Kasey,

Here's a link to a thread in which Stephen posts his first impressions of shooting the MkII.

http://www.wetpixel.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic...-start-30.phtml

The first and third posts say a lot about the MkII and it's relative merits.

Tom - Thanks for the pointer to previous impressions. All that I said before about the MKII remain true, although now having used it for a while I find the TTL with topside 550 strobe much better than with EOS1Ds, AF seems quicker, and it seems better in handling noise with underexposure. On the other hand, the RAW files do need a bit more sharpening than the 1Ds, and of course are a bit smaller. The sharpening issue is well documented and discussed on forums like www.robgalbraith.com as a known characteristic of this camera.

Relating to underwater use, the new MKII housing restores functionality to review/delete/white balance options. Otherwise it feels just like the Seacam 1Ds housing. Again, the instant review on the LCD is a big advantage.

Jon - Liz says she'll be contacting you today, but your housing will be there in time for your shoot. The issue with the superdome is that Seacam's glass supplier was backordered. They are now delivering, but it will take a while to get through our backlog of orders. You'll either have your superdome for your shoot, or mine.

Mike - I'll be going to do the whales and then Bora Bora apparently. Itinerary set up by Tahiti Tourisme. Really looking forward to the trip IF I can get out of Miami International tomorrow. Hurricane Frances is huge and has the potential to impact a big part South Florida. I'll put up shutters here today in Key Largo, and then see what tomorrow brings regarding the storm. Best wishes to our friends in the Bahamas as they are likely to get hammered today.

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Jon - Liz says she'll be contacting you today, but your housing will be there in time for your shoot. The issue with the superdome is that Seacam's glass supplier was backordered.  They are now delivering, but it will take a while to get through our backlog of orders.  You'll either have your superdome for your shoot, or mine.

 

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Thanks Steve. You guys run a classy operation. Good luck with the storm down there!

Steve, thanks for the glimpse of your new housing! Yes I am still patiently waiting and hope to be the first on the West Coast to get one...ooops I mean 2nd, Jon beat me to it. Thanks to both you and Liz for answering all my pestering questions about my purchase.

I am really glad that there were not huge changes to the design of the housing from the 1Ds to Mark II - (Thanks Canon for sticking to what works and not re-inventing the wheel). Otherwise I am sure we would all be waiting much longer for a Mark II housing. Anywayt. can't wait for your report back after your trip to Tahiti. If you happen to be around this weekend in FL, be safe! Hopefully your home and office are made of concrete.

Keith

Hello Kasey,

I found a couple of advantages to Mark II for U/W imaging that may not seem aparent at first. Of course all of this boils down to personal preference and how you plan to use the tool. When the new 1Ds is announced I am sure it will have some of the features and then some of the current Mark II. For me after I get my housing, I am canceling all my photographic magazine subscriptions and will stay away from photography forums and websites. All this to keep my sanity :wink:

Some things to consider:

1). High frame rate - available light, close to the surface shots of fast moving mamals/preditors. (Could have used it while photographing a Monk seal in Hawaii a few years back)

2) 1600/3200 ISO for shooting available light where lighting a large area might be difficult ie. shipwreck or large reef area. (Could have used this while trying to photograph the geology of the Farallon Islands and Pt. Sur Bank, we actually did a timed exposure of several second with a camera mounted on a weighted tripod at 150' once with so so results - the fish and other moving objects in the water column just would not sit still)

3) Crop Factor of 1.3, this would be good while shooting macro, however this is a compromise. I would love full frame for wide angle but 1.5 crop or 1.6 crop on a 10D/20D would be too limiting for wide angle so the 1.3 crop of the Mark II seemed to fit well for both macro and wide angle.

Anyway, the Mark II is certainly not the holly grail of underwater imaging but it is a step in the right direction at this time. No doubt something more capable will come out in the future, but at some point you have to jump in.

Regards, Keith

Hi Keith - Your observations about the MKII are all right on, and if we are REALLY lucky, the replacement for the 1Ds will come in with the same body configuration as the MKII. Then we'd have ultra-high res/full frame + the speed/crop advangtages for macro covered in the same housing. Of course, you'd probably have to spend about $12,000 to get the two camera bodies, but what is that compared to getting really, really good pictures ;-)

I'm still home because they cancelled all flights out of MIA on Friday and Saturday due to Hurricane Frances. Off to Tahiti on Monday, but lost some of my whale time as a result. Still, I'm sure I'll find plenty of good stuff to shoot.

Can't wait to get that MKII housing in your hands Keith ... I'm sure we'll see lots of great images resulting.

Don't know how I missed it the first time, but just today discovered there is a whole new control on the Seacam MKII housing, this one to engage the * button.

Eric was the first Canon shooter to make us aware of how important the * button is when using AF in conjunction with custom function 4-1. Apparently photojournalists use this control all the time, and I can see where it is very handy underwater as well. But it was a bit awkward in the first iteration Seacam housing for the EOS1Ds. It required a backward motion with the thumb which was not particularly ergonomic. Now there is a whole new lever which is an easy reach with the right thumb, pushing down, the way thumbs are supposed to work. Middle finger or pointer for shutter release & thumb for *.

I just used it in the pool so far, but I think this will probably change the way I use this housing. I'll try to knock out a Field Journal while in Tahiti with more info.

Oh yeah, one more thing. It has a plug for inserting a remote shutter release for polecam work. The wiring is an accessory from Seacam, but looks like an easy installation. Now all we have to worry about is white sharks eating those expensive superdomes.

Stephen, any word out yet as to whether Seacam will have a housing for the 20D?

The reverse motion with the * button isn't too bad -- the same motion was necessary on the Sea & Sea D60 housing that Watt and I use. Stephen and Harald immediately replaced the short lever and weak(er) spring with a long lever and stronger spring after I gave them my recommendations, which I was very impressed with. Marty Snyerman had his machinist manufacturer some extensions to the long lever for himself, Chris Crumley, and me, but I have yet to give it a try. I guess Marty's thumb isn't quite as long as mine is.

In any case, the new lever is very exciting!