Video camera, a burden?

[nshon]

I've dived with a Canon camera without a strobe so it's easy to clip it to the BC when I wish to enjoy the dive without taking photos.

I guess you can't do that with a video(Sony HC-40) with casing (Ikelite, on the way). The question is how often do you NOT bring your video camera into the water because of the size/weight and how it affects your diving?

 

[drbill]

Personally, I "always" take my video camera. But then that is the primary reason I'm diving! I Find that I barely notice the housing when I dive... after four years it has become a basic part of my "kit" and I dive instinctively knowing where it is and how I have to position it. In fact the few times I have dived without it I felt awkward!

Of course it takes time and dives to get used to its presence, but you do.

Dr. Bill

 

[meekal]

Being over here on the Gulf Coast side of Florida there are more days of 5'~10' VIZ than not. Don't bring my rig on those dives and now it feels weird withOut it.

 

[Zept]

I spent most of last year working as an underwater videographer. Prior to that I had taken photographs underwater with a small digital camera (no strobe), but I had not used a video camera. Carrying the video camera was strange at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. After a while I was able to do almost everything with one hand, or with no hands if I was filming something and needed both hands for the camera (clearing your mask with no hands is difficult, though). Probably the biggest change to my diving was that my buoyancy control improved greatly (and it was not that bad to start off with). My hand signals have not really progressed, though!

If I left the camera behind, it was usually because I wanted to look at things instead of filming them, but there were times when I didn't want to take it because we were transferring from our big boat to a small boat in rough weather and I didn't want to worry about damaging it. We never had difficult conditions underwater, but I don't think I would want to carry a video camera in a strong, turbulent current. In general, though, it was a lot more hassle on the surface than in the water.

Does that help at all?

Z

 

[nshon]

Totally! Thanks for all the reply.