New Sony Sr12 What housing?

[Gamehunter 0]

Ok, I just purchased my new video camera after 12 years. I like the results of the videos that I am seeing and wanted to try my hand at it. I purchased Sony's new SR12 from local and am awaiting it's delivery , 1st week in March I've been told. I have been in contact with L&M for the housing and would like some opinions between the Stingray HD and the Bluefin ( told it is being made for SR12). I am steering towards the Bluefin, are the extras worth the money , also giving up the upgrade feature of the Stingray HD.

Next question would be the lighting system, Sunray Classics or 1000's?

With the costs of these housing I would just like a little feedback.

Thanks everyone

[sjspeck 3]

I've shot neither but have handled a Bluefin at a show. I've also handled a TopDawg which is based on the Stingray. Both had cameras in them so I had some sense of the heft and balance.

 

Personally I think I'd like the controls on the handles like the Bluefin instead of on the housing body like the Stingray HD. And the Bluefin offers more control options. This seems like a really good Bluefin option also:

Full Access to the Sony HC9 & HC7 Touch Screen - No features left unused. Our Bluefin housing has all of the functionality in the water that the Sony HC-Series cameras have on land!

Might also inquire about the quality of the port provided with each. Shooting HD the quality of the optics should be a larger consideration for best results. I also noticed that only the Bluefin port description has this statement:

Supports the camcorder's full zoom range.

Another important feature that the Stingray lacks is Manual White Balance - which the Bluefin has - assuming the SR12 Bluefin is delivered with the same mechanical controls/window that the HC7 housing has.

 

my .02

Edited February 26, 2008 by sjspeck

[Gamehunter 0]

Well I just received the call that the SR12 is in the warehouse and it will be on Sat truck so I can pick it up on Sat. I will be able to take it Coz next week for topside footage but will have to use an older Sony DIG8 for underwater footage. As with the housing I ordered the Bluefin from L&M. I will have to wait for it until they develop it for the SR12 and I should have it in 2 months. I opted for the new 1000's for the lighting system. I am excited about my new venture into HD video and hope I will be able to get some guidance from some members here.

Edited March 7, 2008 by Gamehunter

[LightningRod 0]

I have a few questions as I am in the market for an underwater video camera and have my eye on the SR12:

1) What is the model of the housing that you bought? I wasn't able to find an SR12 housing on the Internet.

2) Have you used the camera and housing underwater yet? If so, how did you find them in terms of quality and ease of use? Good points / bad points?

3) Did you use SR12 to take still pictures? If so, how is the quality?

4) Did you use any additional lighting? If so, what?

 

Hope you don't mind sharing. B)

[sjspeck 3]

1) What is the model of the housing that you bought? I wasn't able to find an SR12 housing on the Internet.

There's a couple available now and new ones in the works. It's a pretty new camera so the mfr's have to catch up. But since it's the same basic body as all the other HDR-HC series cameras, most of the major U.S. mfr's will likely have a housing soon.

 

Short list of available/announced housings:

 

http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/product...mp;pdid=1000237

 

http://www.uwimaging.com/support/compatabi...stingray_hd.htm

http://www.uwimaging.com/hc7/index.htm - the Bluefin referred to in this post.

 

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sonylist.html

 

I would think the Ocean Images HC-series and the USVH MiniDV model would work also. Probably the Equinox Pro6 as well. But check with the mfr's.

Edited April 8, 2008 by sjspeck

[Gamehunter 0]

I decided to go with L&M Bluefin housing for the SR12, it is suppose to be ready the first of June. It's hard having the camera and no housing, just using the time to get to know the camera. I am still on the fence between the Sunray 1000's and the 2000's. Does anyone have opinions on these 2 light systems? I figure the lights will last my lifetime and am thinking the 2000's, but I don't know if they would be overkill for lighting in the Great Lakes.

[Nick Hope 151]

If you want fill for big subjects in daylight (wrecks, pelagics, caves) then go for the 2000s. If you want to do macro and night dives with them then go for the 1000s which have 3 settings. You would still be able to some medium range lighting with them too, like divers in swimthroughs. Personally I'm looking at the 1000s as a possible replacement for my Sunray Elite halogens as those 2000s are just going to fry little critters.

[Gamehunter 0]

Well we had a customer order a Equinox housing for the SR12 and I am glad I did not go with it, it was in the running for a choice. The customer was very disappointed in the housing and we are in the process of sending it back for some modifications . I am sure that TJ will make the customer as happy as he can. The Bluefin housing I am told should start shipping the first of June baring any hold ups. I am looking forward to getting it and taking it on my trip to North Carolina in the middle of June. I have decided to invest into the 2000's for my lighting system, it will allow me to have 3 different settings,(2000,1000,500) so I am told. I figure that if I need the light it is easier to have it than not to. I am still looking into software to edit the ACHDV format with. I am leaning toward Vegas Pro 8, my son is in college and can get the student pricing for it . I was excited to see the new write up on the camera, it puts it as good a good comparable to the Cannon HF10.

 

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-...eview-34809.htm

 

Here is a link to the comparison page

 

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-...-Conclusion.htm

[johnski 0]

Hello there,

 

I was going to make a new thread but thought I would reply to this one instead.

 

I was lucky enough to get an SR11 recently. I'm going to be doing a month worth of diving soon and I'd love to get a housing for it.

 

The only underwater photo experience I have was with a basic housing for my digital still camera. No strobes, accessories or whatever. Thus..my knowledge is limited.

 

It seems that the Bluefin housing is the tops for the SR11 (from what I can tell with these responses).

 

That thing is $3500 (yikes!) versus an Ikelite housing which is $1300. What are the pros/cons? It seems like the Ikelite is larger and more cumbersome to handle. Assume that size is NOT a big deal...

 

I am more interested if there's a difference in the quality of the shots, or if it's not possible to attach strobes or whatever. thanks

[ozkarov 0]

I've shot neither but have handled a Bluefin at a show. I've also handled a TopDawg which is based on the Stingray. Both had cameras in them so I had some sense of the heft and balance.

 

Personally I think I'd like the controls on the handles like the Bluefin instead of on the housing body like the Stingray HD. And the Bluefin offers more control options. This seems like a really good Bluefin option also:

Might also inquire about the quality of the port provided with each. Shooting HD the quality of the optics should be a larger consideration for best results. I also noticed that only the Bluefin port description has this statement:

Another important feature that the Stingray lacks is Manual White Balance - which the Bluefin has - assuming the SR12 Bluefin is delivered with the same mechanical controls/window that the HC7 housing has.

 

my .02

 

White Balancing is extremely important, but you can work it out on post production....If you can handle the extra $1,500 for the Bluefin, go with it,just try to balance if it's worth it.

[ozkarov 0]

I have a few questions as I am in the market for an underwater video camera and have my eye on the SR12:

1) What is the model of the housing that you bought? I wasn't able to find an SR12 housing on the Internet.

2) Have you used the camera and housing underwater yet? If so, how did you find them in terms of quality and ease of use? Good points / bad points?

3) Did you use SR12 to take still pictures? If so, how is the quality?

4) Did you use any additional lighting? If so, what?

 

Hope you don't mind sharing. B)

 

1-After 3 months of browsing around I decided to go with the Bluefin

2-I have a SR-11 but have not yet used the housing since I'm getting it next week

3-I've done stills with the SR12 but is not so interesting asn taking pictures with an SLR, much less options.

4-Lighting depends where you dive and the depth, I live in the Caribbean and I only use lights for night dives, cave dives or taking MACROS during day light.

 

Hope it helps,

[ozkarov 0]

Hello there,

 

I was going to make a new thread but thought I would reply to this one instead.

 

I was lucky enough to get an SR11 recently. I'm going to be doing a month worth of diving soon and I'd love to get a housing for it.

 

The only underwater photo experience I have was with a basic housing for my digital still camera. No strobes, accessories or whatever. Thus..my knowledge is limited.

 

It seems that the Bluefin housing is the tops for the SR11 (from what I can tell with these responses).

 

That thing is $3500 (yikes!) versus an Ikelite housing which is $1300. What are the pros/cons? It seems like the Ikelite is larger and more cumbersome to handle. Assume that size is NOT a big deal...

 

I am more interested if there's a difference in the quality of the shots, or if it's not possible to attach strobes or whatever. thanks

 

As far as I've researched, housings out there for the SR-11 and SR-12 are:

Amphibico, Ocean Images, Bluefin, Stingra, Ikelite, and Seatool

I've been making a lot of comparisons and I appreciate the manual focus on a housing, it helps you make better compositions...the Ikelite housing does not have this option.

Another think, consider that Ikelite makes it housings out of plastic, when the hard drive is working it heats up the interior of the camera and any excess of himidity inside it turns it into a fog on the lens. Very frustrating when you are in front of a shark and all you see is blur. I get that with my current Ikelite housing and JVC camera.

 

On a metal Housing, aluminum conducts the temperature of the housing, cooling the inside and getting rid of all fog posibilities.

 

Home made solution if you are thinking on Ikelite:

1-Get some Silica bags inside

2-Open the housing and leave it open in a air conditioned room for at least 4 hours, close it inside the room, and never open it again until you are back in land and ready to download you videos.

 

Cheers!

[calypsomultimedia 0]

Well we had a customer order a Equinox housing for the SR12 and I am glad I did not go with it, it was in the running for a choice. The customer was very disappointed in the housing and we are in the process of sending it back for some modifications . I am sure that TJ will make the customer as happy as he can. The Bluefin housing I am told should start shipping the first of June baring any hold ups. I am looking forward to getting it and taking it on my trip to North Carolina in the middle of June. I have decided to invest into the 2000's for my lighting system, it will allow me to have 3 different settings,(2000,1000,500) so I am told. I figure that if I need the light it is easier to have it than not to. I am still looking into software to edit the ACHDV format with. I am leaning toward Vegas Pro 8, my son is in college and can get the student pricing for it . I was excited to see the new write up on the camera, it puts it as good a good comparable to the Cannon HF10.

 

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-...eview-34809.htm

 

Here is a link to the comparison page

 

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-...-Conclusion.htm

 

I was considering an Equinox but your post made me rethink about it. Why were you unhappy with the Equinox housing and what modifications did you need?

Edited January 6, 2009 by calypsomultimedia

[spear09 0]

I have an SR12 and am considering which housing to buy and have spoken with someone who has an Ikelite housing for their sony SR8 and they said they were very pleased with the video and the housing unit, they never mentioned fog being an issue at all? Though they did say that only occasionally they have light refracting through the housing body as it is perspex and resulted in a small ring of light appearing in the footage. This was easily fixed with some duct tape across the top, the only other thing was they would like to have the buttons and the digital set up with the big LCD on the back that some other more expensive units offer. For the difference in price, the others seem to be just a luxury item for those who can afford it, or its nessacary purely because you can't access the manual focus professionals working in the industry require, of which I'am not.

 

So any other issues that anyone has they would like to bring to my attention in regards to Ikelite? Or perhaps persuade me to think about another housing which I would be better off having rather than spending 2K on an Ikelite unit? Any useful information at all would be great, and much appreciated!

 

Thank you.

Edited January 12, 2009 by spear09

[Probie 0]

Home made solution if you are thinking on Ikelite:

1-Get some Silica bags inside

2-Open the housing and leave it open in a air conditioned room for at least 4 hours, close it inside the room, and never open it again until you are back in land and ready to download you videos.

 

I use an Ike and just hold it in front of the Air Con vent in the car for 30 seconds before i shut it. No problems then. The silica packs are next to useless in a housing as they take about 4 hrs to remove only the slightest amount of moisture. Air inside housings will always heat up and condense the moisture inside to some degree, no matter what housing u use. Try diving warmer water then the port wont get cold and attract the moisture..... Oh it would be nice... what a luxury.

Edited January 12, 2009 by Probie

[Steve Douglas 16]

Nick,

I was sent a set of the L & M 2000s and tested them on a trip to Alaska in June and Costa Rica in July. You are correct that the 2000s at full power will blow out any macro work you are doing or even in situations with a lot of backscatter and particulate in the water. This was the case in Alaska. The great thing about them tho is that you can adjust the lumen settings on the fly down to 1000 or 500 lumens so you have the best of both worlds. The 1000s also have 3 settings of 1000, 500 and 250. The original Sunray HIDs were all 950 lumens. You will have flexibility using either set of lights.

Steve

[jonny shaw 16]

Yeah I used to use am Ike housing and they are prone to fogging. I never found the silica packs to make much difference but I always did the air con thing first. That works well, also keep it out of the sun, if you are bat diving get the crew to fill a tub of water and let it slosh around in that, I also used to cover it with an old sarong. The other thing to consider is that the camera itself will generate a fair amount of heat so I would turn the camera off if there wasn't much going on.... however that's the time generally when something good swims past!

 

Overall the service from Ike was very good, the housings are a little basic and take a little getting used to but work well for the money.

 

Jon

[teddib 0]

Seatool SR11/12 Housing.

 

I have not seen any comments on the Seatool SR11/12 housing. Has anyone experience or a view on the suitability of this housing for the HDR-SR12?