New Bonica HDDV Camcorder

[rcolman]

Well, I just bought one too. I am primarily a still photographer, but I wanted to try some UW video without spending a fortune. Will try it shortly in the Bahamas.

What are people using for a tray and handle? how is the bouyancy underwater .. neutral, light or heavy?

Rick Colman

 

[mrdohc]

the camera is positive. i personally use my sony tray plate and handle which i believe is the same as the sea & sea. it works just fine. the only thing i am not use to is it is positive. i prefer if it is negative or neutural. may be i will add some weight to itthe next time.

 

[drbill]

My experience getting stills out of the Sony HC-7 is that they are very poor even when well lit. My guess is they wouldn't be any better with this set up. A friend just got one and is taking it on a trip soon so maybe he will report on it.

I keep my rigs slightly positive... just enough to float up to the surface should I lose them (never happened, but there's always a first time).

 

[rcolman]

I like to keep my rigs slightly NEGATIVE. If I lose contact, I normally have a leash on my gear, and I don't want it floating up - very annoying. If I want to put it down somewhere on a rock or on the sand, it stays put.

Imagine that you are at a 100' and lose your gear. It floats to the surface. By the time you have done a safe ascent and safety stop ;-) - say 6 mnutes - your gear has floated away on the surface current. Good luck trying to find it again.

Rick.

 

[PerroneFord]

Imagine that you are at a 100' and lose your gear. It floats to the surface. By the time you have done a safe ascent and safety stop ;-) - say 6 mnutes - your gear has floated away on the surface current. Good luck trying to find it again.

Rick.

Imagine you are at 100ft, on a wall, with the bottom at 800. You lose your gear. Who will you call to get it?

 

[rcolman]

I just got my Bonica HDDV camera and housing, and tried a few videos on land. The motion looks jerky, and I can see blurring. I wonder why this is happening when, with a frame rate of 30 fps, it should be OK. This is, BTW, with the camera on a tripod.

I am thinking about returning the whole package.

Any comments appreciated.

Rick Colman

 

[mrdohc]

may be your sd card too slow. you need a fast sd card.

 

[tridacna]

Has anyone used the new Bonica Camcorder? How is the quality of the still photos from a camcorder, can I use one instead of also buying a UW camera? Thanks

I spoke to them at BTS. They are working on one with manual WB. I would wait for that one.

 

[rcolman]

I have, alas, returned my Bonica HD rig without putting it into the water (because, then it would not have been returnable). My main problem was that motion capture was jerky and blurred. I contacted Bonica Tech Support and they were able to reproduce the problem.

That does not mean that this is a bad rig for the price ($750) because I suspect you would need to spend at least twice the money to improve the performance. But I need something that is a bit better at motion capture. After all, video is about movement, right?

Back to my stills ...

rick colman
www.colmanphoto.com

 

[rcolman]

Most underwater photographers that I know prefer to keep their rigs slightly negative. Works for me. Your experience may differ.

Rick.