upgrading to inexpensive 3 chip camera/housing

Ive been shooting with a trv25 and an l&m stingray 2. We had some good times but then the system went down in the tsunami in Khao Lak Thialand. My dan H2O insurance paid off nicely and im ready to retool.( Dont leave home without it!!) No problems with the 1 chip really accept that the 3 chip footage that ive seen really does look better than the 1 chip. (sorry to all the 1 chip advocates, I love you but im moving on) The hc1000 from sony that replaced the trv950 has gotten some less than great reviews and it was recomended that I would be better off with a used trv950.

Any thoughts ?????

Are there any other great three chip (smallish) camcorders out there in the $1000- $1500. price range that are legendary for there great UW performance.

(My wife and I have been traveling the world for the last year, teaching diving and shooting UW vid and stills, and the size and wieght are Major concerns.)

Also would love feedback and advice on housings.

PS: Do you really think that the new sony HD 1 chip will perform better UW than an SD 3 chip????

(The JVC GR-HD1 single chip hd cam didnt really do it)

HC1000 Ok, but consider VX2100. I know it's bigger, but the low light performance is much better. If you prefer smaller one check up Panasonic NV-GS series. They are 3chip and the 75 modell is newest (I presume). Thats if you go with manual housing, prefering electronic one stay with Sony.

PD-170, Ikelite

You should be able to find some sweet deals on the 950 Sony these days as a lot of people are going to the HD. It is small, light and easy to travel with.

I have a gates housing for mine, its a good size. ALso Amphibico is a nice small package as well.

Have a look on ebay perhaps? Maybe on the classifieds on boards like this.

hi bruce

despite the not so great reviews at camcorderinfo.com, i went & bought the sony HC1000 and was delighted to find out that its an excellent camcorder. all the fuss about the touch screen is overblown, its actually very easy to use.

i did consider buying a used TRV950 but thinking that it will have shorter life span than the brand new housing i'm buying with it, i decided against it. So after getting the camera I ordered the Amphibico Invader & been using it since Jan 05.

happy to report that it performs brilliantly in most conditions UW. The 120 degree wide angle lens makes a mediocre coral scene into something worth watching. Imagine doing a CFWA shot on a clownfish/anemone in the foreground & diver swimming in the background against blue water.

I'll post some clips soon on my website to show some example. will update u when done.

Thanks for the responce on the HC 1000. Its good to get an actual account of UW performance.

Hows the colors and the low light performance. I dont really shoot with lights.

Bruce

hi bruce

added a clip in my website syamdive.com

as u can see the colour is brilliant & performs very well in low light conditions. the clownfish footage was shot at depth of 18m, with average viz & no lights.

syam