My ultimate new video housing

[Jonathan Bird]

Hey Gang,
I thought you might find this interesting.

I'm building the ultimate new housing for the Sony FX7/V1U. My little HVR-A1 is a wonderful little camera, but getting a tad long in the tooth--the low light performance is inferior to newer cameras, so I thought it was time to examine options.

First I narrowed it down to the smallest HDV camera with the features I need (easy manual white balance, access to ND filters and all manual controls), and that's the Sony FX7, which was just reduced in price by Sony to just $2K.

As you all know, I'm a huge Ikelite fan and have used their housings for 15 years. They are bulletproof, clear (so I can see the controls and the o-ring sealing) and non-electronic--meaning reliable. (No electronics to fail in far away places like certain other brands that will not be mentioned...) Unfortunately, the Ikelite FX7 (http://www.ikelite.com/web_two/sony_fx7.html) housing has no internal flip filter (a feature I would like) and the dome port size limits what optics I can put on it. Widest I can get is a .7x, which puts me at something like 78 degrees angle, which is not enough IMHO.

After searching the world unsuccessfully for a .5x lens which would fit into the largest dome Ikelite could put on the housing, I started looking for other options.

I looked at Gates because it is also a manual housing and as a bonus has an internal flip filter and the best optics in the industry made by Fathom Imaging (http://www.fathomimaging.com/). Unfortunately, the Gates FX7 housing is $4K, plus the lens/port which is another $4K, and the reviews I read say that the viewfinder is useless. So you need an external monitor. Add another $2400. Now add the camera and I have a $12,500 (!) camera system--without lights. That's not going to work on my Blue World (http://www.blueworldTV.com) budget.

I made some calls to Ikelite and talked to Glenn, their video housing guru. Then I called Fathom Imaging, which makes the lenses for Gates and others (They actually made a super wide port for Amphibico a few years ago too before Amphibico started making their own ports). So here is what I'm doing!

I bought Ikelite's FX7 housing, and I'm taking it over to Fathom Imaging. (They are an hour from me, by chance!) Paul (the owner of that company) is doing a custom mount for the SWP-44B (the same lens he sells to Gates for that camera). It's a WICKED piece of glass. Here's a spec sheet (http://www.gateshousings.com/docs/feature%20sheets/SWP44B%20Feature%20Sheet%20R3%2011-7-08.pdf).

It's 120 degrees angle of view with no vignetting, and FULL zoom through.

Paul is leaving a gap for an flip filter and is willing to guarantee no vignetting. Then I'm sending the housing back to Ikelite for a flip filter mod. Apparently they used to have flip filters back in the old days and they still have the parts for them.

In the end, I will have the bulletproof simplicity of an Ikelite, with the top-end optics of Fathom Imaging, and the internal flip filter like a Gates/Amphibico.

It's still not cheap, but a bargain compared to $12,000!

Below is a photoshop approximation of the end result. If it works out as expected, the mount for this lens may become an option from Ikelite. Meaning, there may be a limited production run of these housings for people interested in owning one.

Pretty cool.

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

Hey Gang,
I thought you might find this interesting.

I'm building the ultimate new housing for the Sony FX7/V1U. My little HVR-A1 is a wonderful little camera, but getting a tad long in the tooth--the low light performance is inferior to newer cameras, so I thought it was time to examine options.

First I narrowed it down to the smallest HDV camera with the features I need (easy manual white balance, access to ND filters and all manual controls), and that's the Sony FX7, which was just reduced in price by Sony to just $2K.

As you all know, I'm a huge Ikelite fan and have used their housings for 15 years. They are bulletproof, clear (so I can see the controls and the o-ring sealing) and non-electronic--meaning reliable. (No electronics to fail in far away places like certain other brands that will not be mentioned...) Unfortunately, the Ikelite FX7 (http://www.ikelite.com/web_two/sony_fx7.html) housing has no internal flip filter (a feature I would like) and the dome port size limits what optics I can put on it. Widest I can get is a .7x, which puts me at something like 78 degrees angle, which is not enough IMHO.

After searching the world unsuccessfully for a .5x lens which would fit into the largest dome Ikelite could put on the housing, I started looking for other options.

I looked at Gates because it is also a manual housing and as a bonus has an internal flip filter and the best optics in the industry made by Fathom Imaging (http://www.fathomimaging.com/). Unfortunately, the Gates FX7 housing is $4K, plus the lens/port which is another $4K, and the reviews I read say that the viewfinder is useless. So you need an external monitor. Add another $2400. Now add the camera and I have a $12,500 (!) camera system--without lights. That's not going to work on my Blue World (http://www.blueworldTV.com) budget.

I made some calls to Ikelite and talked to Glenn, their video housing guru. Then I called Fathom Imaging, which makes the lenses for Gates and others (They actually made a super wide port for Amphibico a few years ago too before Amphibico started making their own ports). So here is what I'm doing!

I bought Ikelite's FX7 housing, and I'm taking it over to Fathom Imaging. (They are an hour from me, by chance!) Paul (the owner of that company) is doing a custom mount for the SWP-44B (the same lens he sells to Gates for that camera). It's a WICKED piece of glass. Here's a spec sheet (http://www.gateshousings.com/docs/feature%20sheets/SWP44B%20Feature%20Sheet%20R3%2011-7-08.pdf).

It's 120 degrees angle of view with no vignetting, and FULL zoom through.

Paul is leaving a gap for an flip filter and is willing to guarantee no vignetting. Then I'm sending the housing back to Ikelite for a flip filter mod. Apparently they used to have flip filters back in the old days and they still have the parts for them.

In the end, I will have the bulletproof simplicity of an Ikelite, with the top-end optics of Fathom Imaging, and the internal flip filter like a Gates/Amphibico.

It's still not cheap, but a bargain compared to $12,000!

Below is a photoshop approximation of the end result. If it works out as expected, the mount for this lens may become an option from Ikelite. Meaning, there may be a limited production run of these housings for people interested in owning one.

Pretty cool.

Jonathan

The set looks good!

Internal flip-filter is must with UW-video

Jonathan, one thing I would like to take up is that FX7/V1 are still having problems with low light conditions...I have this V1. Minimum light is 4 lux and there is rather big difference to SD-cameras, which are repeating the colours much better in low light conditions specially to the distance more far than 2 meters.

Second thing is that the chip-set with processor is slow and with moving objects the focus have sometimes difficulties to follow.

Sony have new camera coming...Sony Z7 and that would be my choise today...minimum 1,5 lux and with new chip-set/processor.

Just my thoughts:rolleyes:

Jukka

[Ken Hawk]

Good luck ;)

[Jonathan Bird]

Hey Jukka,

The Z7 is NICE, but kinda big. I'm not sure anyone is making a housing for it yet either. Don't get me wrong, I love big, heavy, solid housings. They are easier to shoot with. But these days, getting them on the plane is another story altogether! Are you putting it in a housing??

The FX7 is definitely better in low light than my A1, though you are right, probably not as good as the newest cameras. None of the HD cameras can currently approach the low light performance of the old SD stuff. The pixels are just much smaller and there is no way around that until the technology improves. But the new CMOS stuff is getting close.

I'm not worried about auto focus...never use it (and neither should you my friend!)


Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

Hey Jukka,

The Z7 is NICE, but kinda big. I'm not sure anyone is making a housing for it yet either. Don't get me wrong, I love big, heavy, solid housings. They are easier to shoot with. But these days, getting them on the plane is another story altogether! Are you putting it in a housing??

The FX7 is definitely better in low light than my A1, though you are right, probably not as good as the newest cameras. None of the HD cameras can currently approach the low light performance of the old SD stuff. The pixels are just much smaller and there is no way around that until the technology improves. But the new CMOS stuff is getting close.

I'm not worried about auto focus...never use it (and neither should you my friend!)


Jonathan

For Z7 Amphibico have announced housing...the question about the weight I totally agree.

Low light conditions can be changed with external lights and I have good shots with V1 and I am not rushing to change it. After the time runs the technology gives us better gears.

Jukka

[sorvju-f]

Here are the specs of Z7 and Amphibico:

http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowProduct.action?product=HVR-Z7E&site=biz_en_GB&pageType=Features&imageType=Main&category=HDVCamcorders


http://www.amphibico.com/amphibico/phenomZ7LE.html

Jukka

[sorvju-f]

Hey Jukka,

I'm not worried about auto focus...never use it (and neither should you my friend!)

Jonathan

Can you specify this...I have always used autofocus...I feel that it gives more reliable result than my eyes and this monitor ( you remember, what it showed in Bahama )?

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

With wide angle lenses and the tiny imagers on video cameras, you typically have so much depth of field when shooting at anything other than macro distances, that you can preset the focus and pretty much leave it. Infinity on my HVR-A1 with the wide angle/dome port is ~.7 m. I set it to .6m and have everything in focus from about 2 feet to infinity. So I never touch the focus unless I need to go closer than 2 feet, or I have to zoom the lens in. (When you zoom in, you lose depth of field, so your focus becomes more critical). If I zoom in, I refocus (manually!) carefully at the distance I'm shooting. If I go macro, I usually pop it into autofocus, let it settle on the focus, then pop it back into manual focus. The problem with autofocus is that it tends to drift around, which is annoying.

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

With wide angle lenses and the tiny imagers on video cameras, you typically have so much depth of field when shooting at anything other than macro distances, that you can preset the focus and pretty much leave it. Infinity on my HVR-A1 with the wide angle/dome port is ~.7 m. I set it to .6m and have everything in focus from about 2 feet to infinity. So I never touch the focus unless I need to go closer than 2 feet, or I have to zoom the lens in. (When you zoom in, you lose depth of field, so your focus becomes more critical). If I zoom in, I refocus (manually!) carefully at the distance I'm shooting. If I go macro, I usually pop it into autofocus, let it settle on the focus, then pop it back into manual focus. The problem with autofocus is that it tends to drift around, which is annoying.

Jonathan

I know this autofocus drifting around subject...I have always tried to avoid zooming, but sometimes ( macro & objects little bit far like shark feeding in YAP ) it is a must.

Anyhow I think I have to make a try with manual focus/setting the focusing values...at the moment I don,t know how to set these values...but I will figure it out.

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

Jukka,
The best way to start is to figure out where infinity is. Zoom in about 1/3 and focus underwater on something about 3-4 meters away. It should be something with good contrast (reef) so the auto focus will lock well. Put it in auto, let the camera focus, then put it in manual and observe the distance that the camera reports back. Remember that this distance will have nothing to do with the actual underwater distance to the subject because the wide angle lens, port, water, and all kind of factors affect this. What the camera gives you is the distance that it thinks the subject is at with your particular optics. 3-4 m is close enough to infinity underwater. Now do the same trick, except focusing on your fin (~1 meter). These two numbers should give you a range that works for 90% of your underwater wide angle work without having to do a lot of complicated manual focusing, or having to deal with annoying "hunting" auto focus.

When I drop in the water, the first thing I do when I get to the bottom is zoom in, do a manual white balance, then zoom back out to full wide and present my focus at .6 m (which is about 2-3 m actual underwater distance for my optics). My depth of field allows me to shoot anywhere from 1 m to infinity with this as long as I don't zoom in tightly. Now I'm ready to go start shooting!

Like I said above, the only time I deviate from that is for macro, or situations where I have to zoom in a little to tighten the image. (For example, in Yap, at the cleaning station, I zoomed in to get a tighter shot of the cleaner wrasses. It required a little more careful focusing.)

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

Jukka,
The best way to start is to figure out where infinity is. Zoom in about 1/3 and focus underwater on something about 3-4 meters away. It should be something with good contrast (reef) so the auto focus will lock well. Put it in auto, let the camera focus, then put it in manual and observe the distance that the camera reports back. Remember that this distance will have nothing to do with the actual underwater distance to the subject because the wide angle lens, port, water, and all kind of factors affect this. What the camera gives you is the distance that it thinks the subject is at with your particular optics. 3-4 m is close enough to infinity underwater. Now do the same trick, except focusing on your fin (~1 meter). These two numbers should give you a range that works for 90% of your underwater wide angle work without having to do a lot of complicated manual focusing, or having to deal with annoying "hunting" auto focus.

When I drop in the water, the first thing I do when I get to the bottom is zoom in, do a manual white balance, then zoom back out to full wide and present my focus at .6 m (which is about 2-3 m actual underwater distance for my optics). My depth of field allows me to shoot anywhere from 1 m to infinity with this as long as I don't zoom in tightly. Now I'm ready to go start shooting!

Like I said above, the only time I deviate from that is for macro, or situations where I have to zoom in a little to tighten the image. (For example, in Yap, at the cleaning station, I zoomed in to get a tighter shot of the cleaner wrasses. It required a little more careful focusing.)

Jonathan

Jonathan, for sure I will practise this!

One question stayed in my mind...if the object is moving from infinity to very close to you...less than 0,6 m ( sometimes turtle swimming straigh toward your camera or tiger sharks in Bahama hiting its face to dome ) is it possible to move to momentary autofocus...or what your actions then?

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

..if the object is moving from infinity to very close to you...less than 0,6 m ( sometimes turtle swimming straigh toward your camera or tiger sharks in Bahama hiting its face to dome ) is it possible to move to momentary autofocus...or what your actions then?


Jukka,
In that case, I grab the manual focus knob and rack it in manually to follow the focus. Remember that because of the dome port, if .7 m is infinity, something very close to the dome is like .4 m, so only as tiny change in focus is needed. Honestly, most of the time, in the case of something like a tiger shark, the nose will just go soft when it hits the dome, but the eye is still far enough back to be in focus. You will usually do more to ruin the shot by messing with the focus mid-shot than if you just leave it. It requires practice with your housing to be able to change focus manually and smoothly.

Momentary auto focus is more likely to ruin the shot than save it.

Jonathan


Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

Jukka,
In that case, I grab the manual focus knob and rack it in manually to follow the focus. Remember that because of the dome port, if .7 m is infinity, something very close to the dome is like .4 m, so only as tiny change in focus is needed. Honestly, most of the time, in the case of something like a tiger shark, the nose will just go soft when it hits the dome, but the eye is still far enough back to be in focus. You will usually do more to ruin the shot by messing with the focus mid-shot than if you just leave it. It requires practice with your housing to be able to change focus manually and smoothly.

Momentary auto focus is more likely to ruin the shot than save it.

Jonathan


Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan for very usefull lesson.

Do you have this new set ready for Antarctica?

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

Do you have this new set ready for Antarctica?


I'm trying to have it ready!

[Jonathan Bird]

I'm talking to Paul about this design again today and he has done an amazing design that basically is a new front bulkhead for the housing made from aluminum with a built-in mount for the lens and a built-in flip filter. Lens alignment tolerances to the camera are kept to a couple thousandths of an inch.

We are just about ready to go in for CNC machining of the thing and I'm wondering if anyone else is interested in one? I can't give final pricing, but if you are interested, drop me a line and we can talk ballpark. You will be amazed at the images you will get from this lens/housing at a price that is unapproachable by the competition!

Jonathan

[Jonathan Bird]

Well, yesterday I met again with Paul at Fathom and went over to the machine shop he uses to go over the designs for the new faceplate/lens mount. We hope to have it finished in a month. I'll be testing in BC in May. It's going to be cool!

Of course I forgot my camera....I really wanted to take some pics of this facility. WOW!

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

Well, yesterday I met again with Paul at Fathom and went over to the machine shop he uses to go over the designs for the new faceplate/lens mount. We hope to have it finished in a month. I'll be testing in BC in May. It's going to be cool!

Of course I forgot my camera....I really wanted to take some pics of this facility. WOW!

Jonathan

This means that it is not ready for Antarctica?:(

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

This means that it is not ready for Antarctica?:(

Jukka

No, but I had no plans that it would be. Even if it was ready, I do not want to test out a new housing in that environment!!

[Jonathan Bird]

Well folks, here she is. The prototype....serial #1. I picked the system up today and Paul at Fathom and the guys in his machine shop are awesome. This is one hell of a set up. It is engineered so that when you put the cover on the front of the housing, an aluminum shroud also slips over the front of the camera. This accomplishes two things. First, it precisely lines the camera up with the lens. Paul insisted on alignment held to a few thousanths of an inch because of the precise nature of the optics. (Keep in mind this lens was designed specifically for the FX-7, and no other camera). Next, it prevents stray light from hitting the back of the lens from within the clear housing. (A clear housing has many advantages, but one of the disadvantages is that light can reflect off the back of the port and show up in the picture. In a "normal" Ikelite this is not an issue because they don't have a gap between the camera for an internal flip filter. Since this camera has a BEAUTIFUL detented and slick internal flip filter, it needs additional protection from internal light reflections.

I can fill the frame with a postage stamp at full zoom from about a foot away, then zoom out to full wide and have 100 degrees angle of view with ZERO change in focus. Absolutely astonishing optics.

The lens is large, but this housing will probably end up pretty close to neutrally buoyant in the water. It also has enough bulk to be smoooooth to shoot with. As for my excess baggage fees....ugh.

A few pics. (All that black looks like plastic...nope. All machined and anodized 6061 aluminum.)

Jonathan

P.S. I have one friend who has put in an order for Serial #2. If anyone else wants one, Ikelite has given me permission to market them--the limited edition Ikelite/Fathom FX-7 housing. I don't know exactly what the price would be yet, but figure around $5,500.00 for everything you see here except the camera itself. Which makes it about the best bargain on Earth.

Jonathan

[sorvju-f]

It looks great set...sure you will love it. What is the weight of whole set...this lens looks like rather heavy?

Jukka

[Diego A. Garcia]

Looks very cool...I envy this rig...am right now shooting with the big Amphibico Phenom-Sony z1 package with a reputation for electronics that fail. Will have to stick with it for the meantime, but kudos for your creativity and for building such good contacts with the manufacturers!
I appreciate that you are pushing them to collaborate and do more for less.

Wow.

d

[Jonathan Bird]

Hey Diego,
Actually, the Phenom has a pretty good reputation. It has excellent balance and a good viewfinder. It's only major flaw seems to be the vignetting in the wide angle lens. I know that Amphibico has a reputation for electronics issues in the handles, but these are getting to be less common I think.

Jonathan

[Carl]

All, I have the second "one off" of Jonathan's Ikelite with Fathom housing. Some observations from someone that shot SD with an Amphibico for the VX2000 prior (years !).

This set up is GREAT ! Sharp and very usable . Big and somewhat heavy, but for any big rig, that is the usual (i.e. Phenom, etc). Easy to load and unload.
Getting used to manual controls from electronics does take some work, and it is impossible to do landside in the housing unless you are the Governor of California (at least in his prime).

I have supported the Canadian economy via Amphibico for many years. I have trashed Ikelite (mildly) for years. Just like going to HD from SD, times and conditions change. As the marketplace continues to differentiate "consumer user" from "high end consumer / professional" and the costs go HUGE, it is nice to have done this 2off with the Birdman. STILL DON'T HAVE THE FINAL BILL THOUGH so I am still holding my breath !

Caaaaarrrrrllllllllllllllll

[sorvju-f]

New configuration...

http://www.anzec.org/images/gallery/gallery_photo_115.jpg

Jukka

[Jonathan Bird]

Scubagirl Natalie got me interested in these floats to make my port more neutral

http://stores.4gdphoto.com/-strse-69/FB-dsh-10-%7E-Float-Belt/Detail.bok#

I'm talking to them about a custom float for this lens.