triggertravel:
Thank you for the feedback. How do you feel about electrical vs. mechanical?
The only consideration I would offer is that if a mechanical control fails(leaks) your housing is useless till fixed. If the electronics fail, turn on the camera, seal it in the housing, and you can still dive and edit later. I've also heard of mechanical controls slipping off their contact point sometimes so you lose use of that function till you surface.
Personally I also like the ease of an electronic housing. Slide your camera in the bracket, plug it in and seal the back. I would assume also that feeling around for a mechanical control, especially while your eye is glued to the viewfinder, might be more difficult at first and may cause some camera shake if you bump the housing, although I'm sure that goes away with practice. I like having my hand on/near the controls at all times while filming. However I also do find that for the vast majority of filming I've done, I probably don't touch the controls more than about 1/2 dozen times per dive.
I'm also trying to find a practical way to carry the following between home and my vacation destination and the best way to keep stuff safe on the dive boat w/o hauling a big Pelican Case:
Olypus Digital Camera
Underwater Housing
Different lenses
Sony Camcorder
Housing
Lenses
Tapes
Binoculars
Tripod
With all the stuff you have, I'd go with a Pelican case. Maybe a 1650 if it all fits. There's also a cheaper version that seems just as good. Search for Pelican case here and there'll be a link to the other mfr. Get the TSA approved locks and maybe you'll discourage the baggage handlers from having a look. Personally I'd also not mark the case with any stickers as to the contents.
I carry my video housing in my carry-on rollerbag along with my regs/computer, almost always get stopped at security since my housing is Poly, but that's ok. I have a hard-framed rollerbag for those times when I've been asked to check it - like to Bonaire.
I carry the video camera as my 2nd carry-on in a video bag.
At the destination I load the tape/battery/camera onshore. The tapes are two hrs. so chances are good that you won't use one up on a 2-tank dive and I have an extended battery so I don't have to change it either. I never open my housing on the boat if I can help it.
I almost always drop it in the rinsetank immediately on boarding - to check for leaks and let it acclimatize, so usually I just carry it loose, maybe in a little duffel bag to protect the outside from scratches. I only film in warm water so I like letting the housing heat up in the rinsetank, especially if I loaded it in the A/C. I've never had fogging problems doing this.
