Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1000 with...

[smfcpacfp]

a Epoque EHS-1000 HD housing looks like a fantastic combination.

The camera and housing weight about 2 1/2 pounds and are tiny. I saw it mentioned in the PADI magazine. It is very new, but has anyone used it? I will be doing a lot of international traveling and as we know with scuba gear, weight and size are issues.

 

[cavefish]

Just so you know: My Epoque EHS-1000HD housing flooded after only seven dives, thereby totally ruining my Sanyo HD1000 camcorder. On a subsequent test dive the housing remained dry... Just bad luck or is Epoque's underwater housing prone to leaks? Your bet is as good as mine. But it sure looks like I'm not the only unlucky one (see e.g. this Wetpixel forum). FYI I've done hundreds of dives with a Sea&Sea DX8000G, so I'm not new to taking a digital camera underwater.

I've thought of two possible causes for the leak:
(1) An unseen impurity on the main O-ring? Even though I didn't see any before (obviously) nor after the fatal flood.
(2) An improper closure of the housing? All clamps were properly closed but the housing being made of plastic it could actually have been slightly bent out of shape... e.g. by a silica bag causing a pressure point somewhere?

Other points to be considered:
- Despite its relatively compact size, the Epoque EHS-1000HD is still rather bulky and very uncomfortable to hold.
- Fitted with a WAL this housing becomes very front-heavy.
- Inside the housing, the HD1000's auto-focus becomes very noisy, rendering any underwater tone almost useless (unless you shoot in locked focus mode).
- Epoque's screw-on WAL is a pain to remove & replace underwater. Personally I much prefer e.g. Sea&Sea's quick & easy bayonet system, but alas that's not an option in this case. Still, I recommend using a WAL.

As for the actual video quality, I think it's quite acceptable for such a small camcorder, especially considering the underwater shooting conditions I had to deal with, i.e. total darkness! (for a short sample check out this video clip taken while cave diving)

 

[smfcpacfp]

Thanks for the reply. I decided to go a different route in any event. I leave tomorrow for Africa to dive

 

[vkalia]

Cavefish - that is not the only negative story I have heard about the Epoque housing. I was looking to get one as a compact video solution, but was strongly recommended against buying it by my dealer, who I trust completely.

Vandit

 

[cavefish]

According to some german forum posts from an underwater photography shop in Austria, the first Epoque housings (pre 02/2008) for the Sanyo Xacti HD1000 require some internal parts to be replaced (read: production error) AND great care must always be taken when placing the camcorder inside the housing, otherwise the housing might actually not be properly closed (even though all clamps are shut!).

They've apparently had several customers coming back with flooded camcorders, and have now put an explicit warning on their website stating Epoque does not take any responsibility no matter the cause of the flood, and therefor recommend a 3rd party insurance.

 

[Diverking]

Just another terror story to add to the "flood". My setup flooded after five dives. I've found out that it was due to improper placement o the camera. It is, however, very easy to make this mistake, because the housing will apparently close, but will flood as soon as it enters the water. You must pay special attention to very precise alignment of the lens in the housing.

My advice: stay off this WRONG piece of "engineering".

The camera itself is no good either, since it lacks proper image stabilization, and it is nearly impossible to obtain good image quality (i.e., not shaky) unless the camera remains totally static. On those 5 dives I could only salvage about 5-10% of the total footage, and that was with two-armed platform, don't even try without that.

 

[ScubaJJS]

I had the same results. The housing leaked the 2nd time I tested it in a pool situation, luckily I was so shallow I was able to save the camera. The store where I purchased the camera and housing were no help and had no suggestions on what do.

I tested the housing again in a pool, this time without the camera and then again on a couple of shallow shore dives. No leaks. I then used it with the camera for a couple more shallow shore dives with no problems.

Unfortunately when I took it to Key Largo it flooded completely on the first dive, totally ruining the camera. I agree with previous statements about placement problems with camera. To me this is a design flaw.

I talked with the Managing Director of Epoque USA yesterday and it doesn't look they will do anything. He admitted that the camera has to placed very specifically and with proper instruction it becomes an easy process. Like that does me any good now. Even if they replace the housing or show me the "proper" way to install the camera, I don't see myself buying another camera to use with this setup.

 

[eanxdiver]

Yeah, mine flooded too. Definately defective!