LCD problem

[sorvju-f]

During my recent trips I had terrible problem with this Ambhibico HD screen.

During bright sun light I couldn't see anything from the screen had to make about shootages, which was not fun!

Have anybody met this problem and possible solutions for that?

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

I must weigh in on this. I used Jukka's expensive new Amphibico housing for the Sony V1 HDV camera on a dive in the Bahamas and found the built-in LCD screen on the back of the camera completely useless. It looks so cool sitting on the table on the boat....a big 4" screen right on the back of the housing. In bright light underwater it looks completely black. All I could see through it was the text at the top that said "REC". Seriously. Maybe in darker conditions it looks good, but in sunny shallow water--terrible. And this housing has no optical viewfinder for the camera's viewfinder so you are stuck. I have to imagine they have just used a crappy LCD unit and a better one is available because the camera itself has an LCD screen that works in sun.

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

I must weigh in on this. I used Jukka's expensive new Amphibico housing for the Sony V1 HDV camera on a dive in the Bahamas and found the built-in LCD screen on the back of the camera completely useless. It looks so cool sitting on the table on the boat....a big 4" screen right on the back of the housing. In bright light underwater it looks completely black. All I could see through it was the text at the top that said "REC". Seriously. Maybe in darker conditions it looks good, but in sunny shallow water--terrible. And this housing has no optical viewfinder for the camera's viewfinder so you are stuck. I have to imagine they have just used a crappy LCD unit and a better one is available because the camera itself has an LCD screen that works in sun.

Jonathan

I will send serious letter to Amphibico...15 000 EUR gears are useless if it happens to be sun light.

Jukka

[David White]

The older Amphibico monitor, part #ACFM0350: http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/product.jsp?sid=48446775510556305052066904777&ctid=1000011&pdid=1000090 had a sun shade which helped in strong light situations. I encountered a similar problem with the Prism monitor (no longer available) which I still use on the Phenom housing. The new monitor for the Phenom, part #ACHDM043: http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/product.jsp?sid=48446775510556305052066904777&ctid=1000011&pdid=1000208 also has a sun shade. There is a review posted by Paul Wags here: http://www.hdvunderwater.com/monitor.html. The ACFM0350 used to sell for $1800 and is now available from Amphibico for $699. I wonder if they just took their stock of older LCD screens and mounted them into these new housings. If so, it may not even be an HD monitor. Perhaps you could fabricate a sun shade for the back of your housing but when you are purchasing the "Rolls-Royce" of underwater video housings you shouldn't need to modify it in any way. Wonder if they did all their field tests at night.

[sorvju-f]

The older Amphibico monitor, part #ACFM0350: http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/product.jsp?sid=48446775510556305052066904777&ctid=1000011&pdid=1000090 had a sun shade which helped in strong light situations. I encountered a similar problem with the Prism monitor (no longer available) which I still use on the Phenom housing. The new monitor for the Phenom, part #ACHDM043: http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/product.jsp?sid=48446775510556305052066904777&ctid=1000011&pdid=1000208 also has a sun shade. There is a review posted by Paul Wags here: http://www.hdvunderwater.com/monitor.html. The ACFM0350 used to sell for $1800 and is now available from Amphibico for $699. I wonder if they just took their stock of older LCD screens and mounted them into these new housings. If so, it may not even be an HD monitor. Perhaps you could fabricate a sun shade for the back of your housing but when you are purchasing the "Rolls-Royce" of underwater video housings you shouldn't need to modify it in any way. Wonder if they did all their field tests at night.

Thanks David for the comments!

This fixed HD-screen have the similar shade that external HD-screen, but it is not helping. Night dives it was Ok and top-side you can look your result from it...if sun light its not so clear, but you can anyhow see something...underwater nothing.

This ACFM0350 had also adjustments external and internal for the screen ( I also had it ) and it was possible to turn up to B&W. Only thing what I had problem with it was this connection to housing, somethimes it turned off by itself.

Jukka

[David White]

I had a similar problem with the ACFM0350 which could sometimes be corrected by jiggling the connection. After reading about your difficulties I am somewhat reluctant to spend more than $2000 for the ACHDM043 monitor for the Phenom. On occasion I have used my hand to shade the Prism monitor when faced with bright sunlight near the surface.

However, were you able to get some good footage even if you could not see what you were shooting? Aren't those Tigers amazing? Looking forward to more pictures and even a video clip or two.

I thought that the 44 hours it took me to return from Manado was serious jet lag. Can't even begin to imagine what 52 hours of travelling feels like.

[sorvju-f]

I had a similar problem with the ACFM0350 which could sometimes be corrected by jiggling the connection. After reading about your difficulties I am somewhat reluctant to spend more than $2000 for the ACHDM043 monitor for the Phenom. On occasion I have used my hand to shade the Prism monitor when faced with bright sunlight near the surface.

However, were you able to get some good footage even if you could not see what you were shooting? Aren't those Tigers amazing? Looking forward to more pictures and even a video clip or two.

I thought that the 44 hours it took me to return from Manado was serious jet lag. Can't even begin to imagine what 52 hours of travelling feels like.

If the situation is uncorrectable there is no idea to loose money...maybe I have to purchase this old one or jump to other screens than Amphipico...lets see what Amphibico is saying!

I thougt to make better shade cover myself...got to get first Amphibicos response1

I think I have enough material to make some 10-20 minutes show!

There is also material from Indonesia....I have stress to get everything done...and I also promised to my wife to renew the kitchen...you know I need "the points" to get permission to next divetrips;)

Tigers sharks are art by just being tiger sharks!

52 hours was not nice, specially when you most of the time dont know what is happening next....and i am already scared of our trip to Antarctica 5 or 6 days.

When air trafic is growing seems to be that more and more problems...but it is very important that we all have some flexibility in our programs, when entering to liveboards so that we are not loosing the whole trip!!!

Jukka

[Sharp]

I have stress to get everything done...and I also promised to my wife to renew the kitchen...you know I need "the points" to get permission to next divetrips;)


Jep, jep. It is very important to get enough points from wife!;)

52 hours was not nice, specially when you most of the time dont know what is happening next....and i am already scared of our trip to Antarctica 5 or 6 days.

Jukka

Antarctica!!:eek: :D Cool!!

We have now in middle of Finland about 50 centimeter thick ice on lakes. In Artarctica it would be wery difficult to make ice hole for diving? I ques that you have to find natural hole.

[Jonathan Bird]

David,
I tried using my hand to shade the monitor and it didn't help at all. This monitor just doesn't work well in bright light.

Jonathan

[David White]

Jukka,

I can empathize with the backload of clips to edit. I just finished editing the first of the Lembeh clips and we returned from that trip last October. There are still three tapes worth of material from the shark trip last March to go through as well.

My wife solved the "scoring points for permission to go on dive trips" situation. She left me years ago. The bank balance is now the only permission that is required. However, you must have a lot of "points" accumulated or a very understanding wife since, if memory serves me well, there was a trip to the Red Sea, the Raja Ampat and Lembeh trip, an excursion with Tiger sharks in the Bahamas, an upcoming trip to Yap to film the mantas as well as the Antarctica expedition, all in a very short space of time. Perhaps we should have a frequent flyer thread on this forum.

You certainly have encountered your share of difficulties with the video equipment. I will be interested to know how Amphibico responds to your dilemma. My service experiences with them in the past have always been very good. Here's hoping that you get things satisfactorily resolved.