Sony DCR-PC1000

[meekal]

just my $0.02 on the UK Light Cannon. - i LOVE them, but then again, i HATE them.

huh?

they gorgeous underwater, but the are finicky and fragile. i've found that it's the BALLAST that gets funky. if you don't have enough battery juice, the light will flicker, but not actually light. therefore you end up spending about $10 every other trip to make sure you have fresh batteries.... nothing worse than being 10 miles out on the boat to find your light won't fire up. i usually end up bringing another (5#) of lights...... just in case.

now the folks are saying, duh.... just test it BEFORE you get on the boat you nitWit.... nope... that won't cut it..... whereas a 'normal' (XEON, or HALOGEN or eLED) will start to dim as the batteries 'die'.... the UK HID just starts to flicker and then QUICKLY goes out. yes. i've had it die in the middle of a dive - so even if it fired up just fine at home before the trip - well....... so i've found it better to be safe than sorry.

dang.... all those batteries, why not just get some rechargeable? yup, tried that gimik too.... rechargeable batteries have an even steeper 'die' curve and they freakin' died at beginning of the dive..... that suxed.

anyHoo... that's just MY opinion.....

now, back to regularly scheduled programming:

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/Scuba_Light_Acc.asp

Replacement Bulb for Light Cannon

The UK Light Cannon HID Light is the brightest hand held light we've seen. The replacement bulbs for these are bit pricey! But they have a 2000 hour burn time! It's nice to have a spare incase yours goes out!

Price: $79.95

 

[stevensally]

Looks like I will probably be better off sticking with the Ikelight pro II lights, though there a bit more expensive at least being halogen they should be more reliable. I hate it when kit fails on a dive. Looked at the Green forec HID's but they are just too expensive. Guess I'll have to get the Ikelite 100watt. They seem to have a very low coulour temperature though (3400K). Has anyone had any experience using these lights?.

 

[Shasta_man]

My comment was that I have the Ikelite proVideo 100w light and it's not particularly bright.

But beyond that, I'd question the need for it. Depends on where you're going to be using it. Here in CA, I would use the lights because there isn't much light. However, if you're going to always be in Tahiti in beautiful clear water, then why bother with lights. Yes, you could use them, but there's plenty of natural light.

I know there's the whole question of lights versus white balancing to get the colors but good lights ain't cheap and there's the bulk of carrying them and using them, etc.

I only made that suggestion as you were basing your purchase on getting lights too.

 

[ronrosa]

However, if you're going to always be in Tahiti in beautiful clear water, then why bother with lights. Yes, you could use them, but there's plenty of natural light.

I know there's the whole question of lights versus white balancing to get the colors but good lights ain't cheap and there's the bulk of carrying them and using them, etc.

I kind of agree with you. I dive warm clear water and I only use lights at night. But all of my shots have been standard and wide angle. My next trip (to Curacao) I will be concentrating on macro shooting with a diopter and using my lights for daytime too.

I usually use a single 50 watt halogen for nights, but will try a 100 watt halogen for daytime closeup and macro. From what I've read it should be plenty for macro shots.

 

[stevensally]

Hi Shasta man, I appreciate the comments. I will initially be using the kit in the Maldives. I have previously been taking photos and quite like taking close up shots. When I added a decent strobe to my camera I was amazed at the increase in colour and vibrancy of the pictures so I was thinking I needed a video light to replicate this for video. Because of my limited budget I am most probably limited to either the Ikelite or the Underwater Kinetics canon 100. The latter appeals to me because it is HID and can be used for general diving and also above water. It also is a high colour temperature. Trouble is I can't make up my mind between no light, canon or Ikelite. I'm probably being stupid and I would normally see how I got on without lights then add them later, however since I may not have an oppertunity to return to the maldives I wan't to get the best footage my budget will allow. Any suggestions for one mixed up videographer?.

 

[ronrosa]

Hi Shasta man, I appreciate the comments. I will initially be using the kit in the Maldives. I have previously been taking photos and quite like taking close up shots. When I added a decent strobe to my camera I was amazed at the increase in colour and vibrancy of the pictures so I was thinking I needed a video light to replicate this for video. Because of my limited budget I am most probably limited to either the Ikelite or the Underwater Kinetics canon 100. The latter appeals to me because it is HID and can be used for general diving and also above water. It also is a high colour temperature. Trouble is I can't make up my mind between no light, canon or Ikelite. I'm probably being stupid and I would normally see how I got on without lights then add them later, however since I may not have an oppertunity to return to the maldives I wan't to get the best footage my budget will allow. Any suggestions for one mixed up videographer?.

All of my daytime footage was shot without lights, so you can use that as a reference.

I've seen video footage shot with the Light Cannon and the Ikelite. The Ikelite looked better to me. It covered a wider area and seemed to have less hot spots. IMHO, most lights are not much good in the daytime except for closeup shots. Of course if you plan on doing night dives you'll need lights

Here is a website with good videos. I believe he uses a Sony PC330, Ikelite housing and Ikelite lights. Download some of his videos and you'll see the lights in action during the day. He also has a Bahamas night video.

http://www.waterdogs.us/videoclips.html

I'm just an amateur, but IMHO, my footage and his, both shot with halogen lights looks pretty decent.

 

[stevensally]

Thanks for the links. Waterdogs now uses a Mako housing with the PC330 and two 100 watt Ikelite lights. I think I will stick with the Ikelite system, its lighter than the canon and more flexible. I would like the lights as I enjoy getting close ups of the critters and enhancing the colours of the soft corals. Thanks for all your help.

 

[H2O Photo Pros]

Good luck.

 

[tangfish]

please don't take this post the wrong way... please... the folks here LOVE to help other folks..... but have you tried the SEARCH FUNCTION? this might narrow down your question(s) a bit. the ones above are pretty broad strokes.

I don't know why people get all agitated if someone asks a question that - heaven forbid - has been asked somewhere else. Sure, you can browse around, but the importance of this board is that you get a discussion going. StevenSally has raised some great issues through this dialogue that sure have been useful to me and I don't see why someone else shouldn't come along in a week or two and ask their own questions about the same topics, as their situation will be a little different. Hey, each thread is what...another 25kb on the server? (just guessing).

I'm looking at getting into a similar setup with the PC-1000. That Gates housing sure looks nice, but I imagine its pretty spendy too. Ikelite is affordable, but they look so clumsy and boxy. I guess you get what you pay for.

A question I have regarding getting into UW video is this: aside from the camera, housing and lighting, what other considerations as far as costs can I be thinking of. Off the top of my head, storage media and batteries are two things that are on top of all this.

 

[ronrosa]

I don't know why people get all agitated if someone asks a question that - heaven forbid - has been asked somewhere else. .....

A question I have regarding getting into UW video is this: aside from the camera, housing and lighting, what other considerations as far as costs can I be thinking of. Off the top of my head, storage media and batteries are two things that are on top of all this.

A big cost you have not mentioned is the computer and editing software.

I love my Gates housing. It's rock solid. However, if I was tight for cash, the Ikelite would definitely be a good choice.

I don't know why people get upset about duplicate questions either. If it bothers them they are free to ignore the post.

There are tons of duplicate questions in all the forum categories. The one's I find silly are when people insist their opinion or equipment is the only way to go. Backplates, rear-front inflate BCD, split-paddle fin, HID-halogen lights, pony bottles, etc..

Choices man, choices, it's a great thing.