Scratches in Equinox Color Correction Filter

[rcolman]

If they did, indeed, create this soft plastic filter, then none of them actually dive in the ocean, because anything like this is going to be scratched to **** after a few dives in any surge at all.

All my other UR-PRO filters, and I have several, are glass ???

Anyway, I am not asking for anything from Soupcan or Equinox or UR-PRO - no rants, no raves, no emotions, just reporting my experiences and thoughts.

 

[Equinox Housings]

fair enough Mr. Coleman, that day I may have been a little grumpy as well.

Let me know how the gel works, maybe we can use it to.

 

[Empty V]

fair enough Mr. Coleman, that day I may have been a little grumpy as well.

Let me know how the gel works, maybe we can use it to.

I can understand your frustration Sam especially with that one dude in that one thread, no one should have to go through that kind of heartache. The gel was my only alternative to a filter due to the W/A adapter I was using on my DVX100 setup. If you want to see how it turned out at depths around 100fsw check out this vid I shot in Hawaii this past January. It was the first time I had used a video cam UW so it was a bit of an experiment. FYI I was manual white balancing and did some really heavy color correction but having the gel saved my butt. It's also not nearly as convenient as having a filter but manageable. BTW I think I'm going to need a normal 4" port soon.

http://www.oocpromotions.com/thethi...With Titling-Hawaii Diving 2008-H.264 LAN.mov

Billy

 

[rcolman]

The nice thing about an external filter is that you can remove it underwater, if you wish to use lights and available light on the same dive.

I wonder if the get could be fitted to the outside of the port, or whether it would only be reliable inside the housing.

Having never used a gel filter, how do you arrange it to avoid optical distortion?

Rick.

 

[Empty V]

The nice thing about an external filter is that you can remove it underwater, if you wish to use lights and available light on the same dive.

I wonder if the get could be fitted to the outside of the port, or whether it would only be reliable inside the housing.

Having never used a gel filter, how do you arrange it to avoid optical distortion?

Rick.

Hey Rick here's what my camera looks like:

I cut really thin strips of electrical tape to secure the gel onto the plastic in front of the lens without any creases or imperfections.

With my setup I use White Balance, the filter and lights. I white balance without the lights and color correct the lights in post so they look natural, otherwise they are extremely red. It's a lot of work but it looks great. If you look at the shark in the pic below he/she is all red but the background (the ship's exit) looks normal. With the program I use called "Color" I was able to isolate the shark as seen in the b&w window to the right and just worked on desaturating the red. It was a lot of work but I was happy with the results.

Hope this helps!

Billy

 

[rcolman]

Looks like there is a $15 min. on the gel filter from filmtools. Any recommendations on a "green water" version of the gel filter, since I have to buy three sheets to make the minimum?

Rick.

 

[Empty V]

Looks like there is a $15 min. on the gel filter from filmtools. Any recommendations on a "green water" version of the gel filter, since I have to buy three sheets to make the minimum?

Rick.

I believe that if you find a magenta colored gel it should work for green water. Where are you diving? When I started shooting in so-cal I was told that a green water filter is will not produce optimal color so I use a blue water filter and it works great. You can try this one but I can't guarantee that it'll be perfect.

Lee Filters: Gel Sheet 113 Magenta

Billy

 

[rcolman]

I am mostly diving in SOCAL nowadays, and even make it up to Anacapa or Santa Cruz Islands once in a while. Home base is Laguna Beach.

Rick

 

[rcolman]

Regret to report that the Novus products were NOT able to remove the deep scratches, and I cannot recommend them for this purpose. However, I did notice some of the color coming off of the filter, so, this is coated plastic and scratches probably cannot be removed very effectively.

Dump the filter and start over again.

Cheers.

 

[dittohead]

I ordered the gel film and received it within a day. Amazing shipping from these guys. I ordered three sheets which is enough for a lifetime of filters. Good find, and thanks for the information. Re: repairing a scratched plastic lens, check out this site, they have some basic instructions and supplies for this. If the lens material is lexan, you are out of luck. If it is acrylic, then repairs are quite easy. PLEXIGLASS sheet - Plastics FAQ, Plexiglas Primer, Plastic Links