This very meticulously engineered tripod is more than just a 3 legged stand. With a wider base platform, it resembles those 3 legged Martian Invaders from War of the Worlds more than the convention tripod design. I suggested calling it the Orwell stand to Gates but he didn't really bite on that one.
Besides the extendable legs (using Ultra Light Control System links) the adjustability of the legs make it useful for other things. The 2 legs in front can be a brace against a wall to shoot pygmy seahorses (of course the user has be careful where to mount them to avoid damaging coral!) and with the 3 leg extended against the diver, the fore/aft movement is virtually eliminated ( hence focus will be easier). It can also act like a tommy gun grip extension for even more stable shooting. A great accessory which is unfortunately only available for Gates housings. Hopefully enough demand will twist Gate's arms to develop adapters for other housings.
The Gates Tripod
Another product I'm fond of as an entry level camcorder is the Canon HV10, whose sensor is the ONLY 1920x1080 full resolution sensor downconverted to HDV 1440x1080. I've already ordered one which will be waiting for me at home when I return. The resolution from this little digicam is outstanding for the size and for those requiring a compact HDV camcorder, I think this is an awesome camcorder. Of course there are fewer manual controls and no one button actuation for many of the functions, but the resolution quality is significantly above the competition (ie Sony HC3) that it'd be worth the inconveniences and lack of manual controls.
Fortunately 2 housing manufacturers will support this camera, Ikelite and Seatool. I'll be posting pics of those housings in the main report. Now it's 3 am bio standard time and I'll try to force myself to get some beauty sleep.
