SPP

Hi Tobbe,

Some shots as example at 2.7k Protune + Cam Raw 25 FPS
Rendered to same resolution 2,704 x 1524 at 50 mbps constant bit rate MP4, because original bit rate is 45 mbps.
Approx 1.4GB file size for 3 minutes 47 seconds of video.


2.7K to 2.7K Night Dive with 2 x 10,000 lumens light and a bit of Day Dive
http://rapidshare.co...o 3 in 2.7k.mp4

Not the best water viz but it shows this el-cheapo baby camera has great potential. US$400 ( USA price ) ready to dive at approx 100 degrees wide angle in water is SUPER CHEAP even at 1080p 60p/50p, let alone 2.7k resolution. Aliasing is not an issue at 2.7k if underwater. If water viz is 30+ meters and in good light and one hoovers at max 10 meters, install a URpro CYAN using Protune + Cam Raw, many US$2,000 to US$3,000 body only DSLR will be put to shame, because to dive them it will cost at least US$5,000+ more in lens, housing dan WA dome port or minimum US$7K total. At US$400, HD3 Black its a "disposable" camera in contrast with the big brothers out there.


1080p 50fps Day Dive, assisted with 1 x 10,000 lumens light  ( 405 MB , 1 minute 54 seconds ).
HD3 Black at 1080p 50fps is approx 35ish mbps, I rendered this video at 28 mbps CBR.
http://rapidshare.co...e + Cam Raw.mp4


Buy a few HD3 Black, say 3. Set 2 units at 1080p NARROW, add SRP 55mm filter adapter and 55mm>67mm adapter ( SRP 55mm NAKED adapter is the same as their BlurFix3 URPRO-SRP color correction filter frame/adapter ) add Inon 165 or Subsee +5 / +10 or stack them both, you get an entry level macro camera for 10-15 cm close up. Stashed these 2 cameras where you can video shy creatures. Hoover around with 1 wide angle HD3 Black. I have not tested but adding US$500 Inon H100 wide angle lens or equivalnet is very likely possible to create extreme wide angle from GoPro MEDIUM mode or perhaps 140ish degrees in water. Add LCD BacPac for all 3 of the HD3 black, still less than US$300 for 3, USA Retail. If you play shallow and get 75 minutes and a location with macro and wide angle targets, awesome savings on expensive dive trip which is now approx US$400ish a day LOB for 3 dives/day. I am going to try this 3 of HD3 Black experiment very soon for fun.


Here is some learning on HD3 from the experts.Yes land use but know-how is know-how.


Abe K, the man behind all GoPro official video

http://abekislevitz....your-new-gopro/
Read his blog, mainly its GoPro related.


David Newman, the Cineform boss and brain behind Protune

http://cineform.blog...10/protune.html

http://cineform.blog...une-always.html

http://cineform.blog...01_archive.html


Enjoy..........
.

Never tried AE on a real dive. Here is full of pro I strictly follow their advices I had several times here.

He he he, me is AUTO man..... expect more great videos from you yah.
Really enjoy it and you allowing original download at Vimeo is very good, allowed me to enjoy your video in "near" full glory and learn some.
Full glory is when you upload to CBR 28 mpbs or higher.....he he he.

Even those videos taken on two dives, 80+ meters dive is not something I would like to have as secondary  task at hand.....no Sir.
I would probably be "dumb" down there ha ha ha.

.

Do 60 fps for HD2 using 720p. Make sure enough ambient light. Do 60p for HD3 Black 1080p or 120 fps for its 720p.
Use Cineform Studio ( its free ) , transcode to Cineform AVI or MOV, ur choice depending on what editor u are using.
For the conversion MP4>>>AVI or MOV, use the setting and choose FRAME RATE 10, which is 6 times slower per second if from 60p source because 10 frames per second is what you get. Its decently smooth for a free program, even playing with 120fps of the HD2 480p, its not bad slowed down to 10 FPS, or 10 time slower.

From that Cineform MOV or AVI, you can use CineForm studio to convert to MP4 again as finished product. While at it you can play with color too ( limited ) or you can use any NLE capable of working with Cineform MOV or AVI. Cineform Studio is free and buggy sometimes.

This may help on the Cineform MOV or AVI compatibility
http://macnews.overblog.com/search/cineform%20MOV/

Good luck trying.

I see, thanks Davide.
Me AUTO EXPOSURE man ha ha ha.
Yes me also love center spot focus. Good thing my camera multi-metering auto exposure is intelligent enough to rely on and if I use multi metering mode for the same circumstances  01:11 to 01:16 , all I need to do if I want 100% success, is to raise the camera extra 10% of what your framing is. The multi metering zone will cover it.
Thansk for sharing...

Later,
SP

Nice one 121, thank u.

Whale shark meat to some fishing villages in Indonesia were food and is food ..... if and when necessary.
It is better to see the whales becoming attraction then to become whale meat sold cheap or its fins becoming a Chinese delicacy.

What Cendrawasi bay management need is like Oslob-Cebu management : ( I was at Oslob a few months ago )
- No strobes or lights whatsoever
- No touching or riding of whales,Oslob-Cebu has patrol guys on the surface to watch tourist interaction with the whales.
- No pointer or any rod or any sharp object allowed.
- Snorkler limited to 30 minutes per day per person
- Divers limited to 1 hour x 2 dives per day. I can't remember the limits per day for snokelers and divers.
- Pay to dive ? ...........depends.
The ones in blue are most important.

Some whale sharks love humans. Long time ago I as doing deco stop and a WS came. I have no camera on me.
I played with it, tag along its dorsal fin.....yep.
We were only on 300 psi, stayed as long as possible.
When we were up on the boat, it came to the boat rubbing it and seems wishing we will stay in the water. It gave us that "crying child look" and with that mouth open/close next to the boat like begging for more fun time. It stayed with us next to the boat and refused to go.

These Cendrawasi Bay whales came to the fishermen because of waste/fish dropping from the net. The same as some commercial fishing boats dumping left overs and fishes knew this and started to hang out when such vessels are dumping. Wild or not, free food is what animal love. They recognized free meals.

Anyone coming from 1st world countries may think what's going on in Oslob-Cebu and Cendrawasi Bay as a big NO-NO, but the overall picture is much better than these :

http://www.lightmedi...whale_shark.pdf
http://www.asiadives...indo-030608.php

Some areas in Indonesia, a dog meat is a delicacy........YES, Manado has small restaurants selling them. Is that wrong ? You tell me.

If the whale sharks decided to stay or come often for free meal, that is their decision. We divers only need to make sure they do not become whale meat, since we care about them.
.

I was playing with exposure lock because 121 mentioned it.
The middle of Tri-Nav control can be set to AE lock, AF/MF and 2 more features. I choose AF/MF. It is after all a Function button and can be set to suit one's need.
My use for RX100 is UW video, so AE lock I will not bother.
.

Hi Guys,

HD3 Black is the TOTALLY NEW PLATFORM >>> Get this one
HD3 silver is HD2 in new body + free wifi
HD3 white is HD1 in new body + free wifi
All get new flat lens housing
All old mounts can be used

New Touchscreen LCD BacPac supposedly can work thru plastic door and only full function if used on HD3
This is one camera we must have. At US$400 camera with 180 feet housing, how more cheap can one go for 2.7k ?
Use VLC player or Apple Quick Time to playback 2.7k or 4K, many others do not work.

30 fps   2.7k Protune HD3 Black. Take the raw file 110 MB for 19 seconds footage. 45 mbps data rate. Actual size 2704 x 1440 pixel.


15 fps 4K. Use aTube Catcher and you can download the original at 355MB for 1:35 minutes. 30ish mbps . Actual size 3840 x 2160 pixel.


Enjoy..........
.

The HD3 Black at highest resolution, probably 2.7K one at 30 fps is said to pump out 45 Mbps.
4K at 12fps does not count.

The video from GoPro is amazing. With semi manual WB setting and color correction filter, this baby can whack many 4/3, APS-C  1080p or DSLR 1080p for wide angle if we use the 2.7K and down to 1080p for final edit. Even 1080p 60p should be beautiful.
http://gopro.com/pro...n-hero3-cameras

So far what is available as demo video for underwater from GoPro,
Minutes 00:36 and 04:20 is very good. 04:20, I can't say anything but how lucky the video man is, having a whale spinning its body to welcome 3 girls is something no amount of money or practice or expertise can make this happen on demand.
04:40 the white water canoe guy looking at the sky, that is awesome dynamic range, same as 04:48 the two bikers.


A good one to compare HD2 vs HD3.
I like the photo kind of quality of its video when this camera stands still on a tripod at 01;22

The HD3 Black at such low cost, will change the way we do UW wide angle video. I can't wait to try HD3 Black.
.

Hi Guys,

Well, I do notice some Chinese factory tried to  make dive video lights if not dive torch. For land torch they been successful , example Fenix. It is about who the final distributor is and what he the distributor can influence on the final design and components used by OEM. For UW use, its another story if OEM does not have a real hardcore diver and with electrical engineering background, its tough to make a good & safe product.

I have one Taiwan made light, http://www.brightsta...ore?id=40&Cid=6
Its supposedly 700 lumens and uses big 12V battery pack of 4.4A , can do near 3 hours burn time at full power, its OK but when I ripped open the unit ......there is another "danger" about it. Its 3cm  diameter coin shape voltage regulator board is not integrated on the LED module head with cooling fins and all but is tucked away from LED module and next to the battery pack ( crazy !! ), only covered by a thin thermal fabric like shield. This kind of fabric is fireproof but the VR board being so hot at 91C when I tested it OUTSIDE the torch housing at 30C ambient temp.................is simply too careless a design where Lit-Ion battery manufacturers will consider 60C as max operating temperature ( some less ) and safety will need to kick in. The torch body being 100% plastic also can not remove heat like aluminum body can.

The claimed 10K lumens Archon brand is what I got. As someone who loves to experiment with torch, the Archon at that price is decent for collection. The Archon brand machining  is not bad, the handle is not useless if the light is to be used as a handheld light but as video light using  ball mount, it is indeed wobbly.

There is no rocket science for a battery pack. Get a Panasonic safe battery and get a very good controller board with complete safety features and have it run cool at maximum discharge/power. The 2006 Sony and major brands lit-ion laptop battery explosions nightmare have made design much safer today......if you buy the right components.


HDV,
Agree this light 10K claimed lumens must be discounted haha,  but still at USD700 it is affordable and one can buy it as toy or collection to keep. No matter what and how you mod this light, unless you add a safety vent valve and a different ON/OFF switch mechanism and re-do the battery pack, this light I still term quite "dangerous" because the battery pack is very powerful to drive such LED array and the spin-the-light-head to power ON , is not a good method for a torch this big and powerful . Why don't you show me a photo of the bottom part of the light head where the electrical contacts are and the battery pack you are using front view where it has its electrical contact for the light head. Who knows I can give you constructive input as a potential client.

If you said you will change the LED array, what brand and model will it be ? I will take a look at the manufacturer spec and see what improvement you can offer. I really don't mind paying a bit more for better performance. There is no custom LED array for anyone who can't commit to a minimum quantity. At this 100 watt power level , no dive light manufacturer/s can achieve enough sales to commit to a custom LED array design, so you will be using what is available in the market and not a custom one. So like how Intel loves to co-advertise with some PC brand "Intel Inside", is a good thing if you use a very good LED array.


Davide,
I wouldn't say this light is a time bomb. But the battery pack physical design as-is from OEM, even if safe type battery is used ( it is ) and decent battery controller board with all safety features thrown in, its physical lay out is why I said the battery pack is "dangerous". If a user is careful, it is OK but if a user is careless on the battery pack handling, it can be "dangerous". If HDV post the photo of his light head and the battery pack, I will tell you what I mean, assuming it still retain OEM physical lay out.


What I notice sometime from China made products, their product is decent based on the component used, but lacking of physical "logical" design. One simple example. A spin-to-ON light is not something we want in a powerful unit. The o-ring then becomes dynamic in its application and what ever volcanic micro sand like Lembeh or Tulamben has, may one day ruined those o-rings. Magnetic type switch is more suitable as it can turn on the light without disturbing any o-ring seating in a big dive light. One can go the mechanical switch route, say push button, but all push button switch if it is a pure mechanical switch, will also need dynamic o-ring. Some push button switch is not pure mechanical when its tip has a magnet, so the switch assy can be in a wet environment or the sea water ambient surrounding and the actual light switching is delivered by magnetic field to a more robust waterproof chamber of the light. One such switch is found on Scubapro Meridian dive computer, this is one example I know of. The reason for Scubapro design it as such is, the shell of the dive comp can be a 100% hole free, except of course for the back cover when you replace the battery. Any real physical switching action where one side is ambient sea water and the other side is a dry chamber , then o-rings must be used as seal and they do fail eventually. For a watch type dive computer, its so small space allocation will make push buttons on the watch a design challenge if waterproof integrity and reliability is to match the old legendary Uwatec Aladin  Pro grey dive computer or the newer Uwatec Galileo family.

Later guys,
SP.

Any news on your monster light?

Hi Davide,

That light has a long history since May 2011.

http://www.candlepow...ighlight=archon


You can buy it here :
http://www.easylight...light_p762.html


Google it as  :  10,000 lumens dive light

It comes under a few different brands today. Archon or Xi-Ware, same company and boss. They are not bad,  I got two of it but I do not like its battery pack design much. I consider it dangerous if user is not "electrically smart". The light power is fantastic but it is approx -900 grams in water with battery, so it is heavy. I think I saw a video somewhere in this forum where a diver uses 1 of this Archon/XinWare middle and two Keldan on the side and the housing is medium size, not full blown DLSR, I forgot who the diver is, sorry.

No safety vent valve too, any light using as big or bigger than 32650 lithium ion battery , I would want a safety vent valve for in case of flooding. Let the light be total loss, as long as not my face being a total loss ha ha ha. Even low cost iTorch Video Pro4 uses a safety vent valve, it uses 32650 lithium ion  battery. Funny enough my Sola 2000 has no safety venty valve.

ON/OFF sequence is not friendly, spin to ON. SPIN OFF>>>wait 2 seconds>>SPIN ON again and power reduce. It has 3 stages of brightness.
Value for money is very high , color temp is nice and beam spread super smooth. See my simple test.


Have fun shopping....

Hello everyone,

Macro with DSLR can be challenging!  Please tell me the things you think I could improve on.  I am always looking to improve, and only being able to do 2 dive trips a year, I try to learn as much as possible before I do a trip.  

Hope you enjoy it!

Dustin

Hi Dustin,

Nice video man !
If you want to pick up any pointers on macro using DSLR, member Escape (EunJae Im ) is a good source.


I like his style and most importantly his effort and patience. One thing I am sure which assist greatly ( aside from tripod ), you must have some sort of external LCD monitor which you can tilt all u like and you do not need to be on the same horizontal plane as camera. EunJae uses Nauticam DP-4 housing for SmallHD monitor. It has focus peaking if you need it. The big LCD screen will help to confirm focus too by a great deal. It can do so much this baby monitor.

In fact because of EunJae video that I linked, I have decided it is worth it to buy Nauticam DP-4 and so I did.
I can share all my 3 housings with a single DP-4, so no waste. Lembeh is more macro video friendly than most Indo locations if the object you shoot is on the sand and you have sandy space to lie down to view camera LCD. In some other dive areas, you can't lie down all you like , without "messing" the reef, so that is why DP-4 housing for smallHD monitor is even more important. If there is a thick enough material on your housing and a flat one, a competent machinist can drill a hole and you get the HDMI bulkhead.........assuming your housing internal can have space for HDMI cable routing, without interference to camera controls.

Have fun........and please keep posting your videos yah.
Me love those kind of macro shots from DSLR.

Later,
SP