What HD camera sytem to invest in

[hammerhead man]

My buddy is considering upgrading to a HD camera system. He has $6-7K to invest. Whatever camera he gets, he wants it housed in a Light and Motion housing. He wants a system that has great auto focusing ability, and manual white balance. Since I'm not a video person I have not idea what capabilities the camera should have.

What are your suggestions.

 

[hammerhead man]

Ooops, made a mistake. He wants a Gates housing.

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

I would suggest going with their new Canon HF S11 housing which will start shipping this week! Gates did a fantastic job allowing access to nearly all camera features by utilizing the canon remote, which allows for easy manual white balance.

The other option is the Sony XR 520. This is an excellent camera as well. Both of these are similarly priced cameras, and housings are the same price.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions

The Canon has the best color saturation and image of all of the smaller HDs on the market right now, many compare the quality to that of some of the larger 3 chip cameras (however the light sensitivity is not the same).

 

[ScubaDocER]

I have the Sony XR 520 with the Light and Motion camera and they are fantastic!!! I just returned from a live aboard in Utila and shot hours worth of video. It behaved beautifully!!. The handle controls are easy to maneuver, the OLED screen makes it easy to view what you are filming, the flip filter corrects for the loss of red color, and the lighting controls are very easy to use also through the handle. I was a bit skeptical because of the cost of the housing and the lighting system that goes with it (I chose the Sunray 2000). But after doing 20 dives with it in Roatan and Utila, I KNOW I made the right choice.

The biggest down side to the housing and the lighting system is that it is quite negative in the water and there is not a flotation device specifically made for it yet. You'll have to create a "homemade version" until they make one. As I understand it, Back Scatter is working on making one. The weight issue is a downside, but not enough to avoid this wonderful housing. The flotation issue will be resolved soon. Once I sift through all the video I shot I'll try and post some of it.

Hope this helps.

 

[hammerhead man]

It would be great to see some video.

 

[ScubaDocER]

LOL. I am trying. I am a novice so I am still sifting through hours of video. Next time I will only shoot what I want to see. Lesson learned.

 

[gunsrunner]

I would suggest going with their new Canon HF S11 housing which will start shipping this week! Gates did a fantastic job allowing access to nearly all camera features by utilizing the canon remote, which allows for easy manual white balance.

The other option is the Sony XR 520. This is an excellent camera as well. Both of these are similarly priced cameras, and housings are the same price.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions

The Canon has the best color saturation and image of all of the smaller HDs on the market right now, many compare the quality to that of some of the larger 3 chip cameras (however the light sensitivity is not the same).

I think these housings look great and should function very well using the remote!
Gates Underwater Housings - HC7 Housing
Would love to try one, see if it would be worth upgrading!

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

it is definitely an awesome housing that HF S11. I had the opportunity to play with it at DEMA, and we should be receiving our first shipment of the housings this week!

 

[kroorda]

He should put it in ANYTHING but a Light & Motion housing. I've had L&M products for years and have had absolutely nothing but troubles, manufacturing defects, etc. Even their super expensive Sola flashlights fail one after another.

 

[mjh]

Have shot several systems and recently upgraded from the Sony HC9 in a Gates housing to the Canon XA10 in the "New" Gates housing and it is fantastic. Fantastic color, good auto focus, excellent low light recording, neutrally buoyant in the water, and access to all controls via the remote. Yes if you want to manually white balance it takes a few pushes of the remote (goes in housing) but not too cumbersome. The camera also has a Cinema mode that gives you a shallow depth of field look, like in the movies. Add +5 diopter and can shoot great macro. Attached are a couple of sample clips, unedited for review and all shot in Auto. Have more just need to get them posted.

Gates XA10 Housing Macro Shot with +5 Diopter on Vimeo
Gates XA10 Natural Light vs. with Video Lights/Light on Vimeo
Gates XA10 With Lights no filter vs. lights with red filter in place on Vimeo
Gates/Canon XA10 sample of range of camera and Gates WA Port. on Vimeo