What style tray and handles to get

[Scuba-junky]

I'm really new at this and don't want to be buying everything for a second time in just a few months.

I have been doing a bit of research on trays, handles and arms. Since I like video as well as stills, I am leaning toward a tray with two handles thinking it will be easier to hold steady when running video. Current camera is a Panasonic ZS3, OEM Housing, 1 Inon S-2000 Strobe, 1 Focus/Video light. I'm trying to keep things small and light for travel.

There appear to be 3 different style tray and handle combos out there.

1) Tray with one handle. A second handle can be added but it looks like the adapter for the second handle drops down about 1" or so below the level of the tray. I don't know why the looks of it bother me. Maybe functionally it has an advantage?

2) Flat Tray with strait handles on each side.

3) Flat Tray with S curved or Z curved handles. The tray appears to be really adjustable which might make it more future proof if or when replacing the camera. Is the Z or S curved handles more comfortable? It looks like it would be easy to put your right hand between the camera and handle to use the controls. Handles might be a lot bigger than the strait ones though.

Other than on the internet, I have never been able to see or hold any of these trays.

Can someone tell me how to choose? Opinions?

 

[Peter_C]

Flip through this ebay sellers page for some examples. If it were me I would plan on adding a second strobe at some point.

eBay Seller: sherry grainger: Sporting Goods, Cameras Photo items on eBay.com

 

[Nemrod]

I'm really new at this and don't want to be buying everything for a second time in just a few months.

I have been doing a bit of research on trays, handles and arms. Since I like video as well as stills, I am leaning toward a tray with two handles thinking it will be easier to hold steady when running video. Current camera is a Panasonic ZS3, OEM Housing, 1 Inon S-2000 Strobe, 1 Focus/Video light. I'm trying to keep things small and light for travel.

There appear to be 3 different style tray and handle combos out there.

1) Tray with one handle. A second handle can be added but it looks like the adapter for the second handle drops down about 1" or so below the level of the tray. I don't know why the looks of it bother me. Maybe functionally it has an advantage?

2) Flat Tray with strait handles on each side.

3) Flat Tray with S curved or Z curved handles. The tray appears to be really adjustable which might make it more future proof if or when replacing the camera. Is the Z or S curved handles more comfortable? It looks like it would be easy to put your right hand between the camera and handle to use the controls. Handles might be a lot bigger than the strait ones though.

Other than on the internet, I have never been able to see or hold any of these trays.

Can someone tell me how to choose? Opinions?

You can make your own tray. All you need is a piece of aluminum stock, 1.5 to 2 inches by .125 or .250 give or take. Purchase either one or two handles from UCLS or Camera Housings, Strobes, Arms, Trays & More! - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295! . These mount through 1/4 holes. Drill the tray to accept your housing. Use a Unibit to cut lightening holes to make it deluxe. I use a large drill press, but you can do it just as well with a good cordless.

Or, the UCLS type and several clones of it are nice (sold by Reef et al). The drop section can be removed and then the drop is much reduced. Ultralight Control Systems

I also like the single handle Ikelite tray, it is relatively inexpensive and STRONG.

Most compact camera people unless they are shooting wide angle or even if they are just use one strobe and so a single arm tray is all you need. Even if you are going to shoot two strobes the left strobe can be on a ball without a handle. If you are going to shoot a compact, why clutter it with all the arms and handles. A SLR is large enough that especially when equipped with dual strobes the two handles provide better balance.

Tonight, I took an old Oceanic Nikonos tray with gun handle and strobe arm and built a new tray, flipped the parts around and now have a one of a kind, ultralight weight, miniature tray that can carry one or two strobes and it folds up.

I have made my own handles in the past, take a piece of solid one inch PVC and about 6 inches long. Gun drill it .250 inches. Use a piece of .250 all thread, run it through so about 3/4 inch is sticking out both ends and glue it in the handle. Then go to a bike shop and get some mountain bike grips and slip them on. Or you can use aluminum tube, fill with glass epoxy with .250 studs sticking out both ends etc, etc.

If you cannot gun drill the handle, just drill it and tap for 1/4 stainless bolts, thread them in and glue with epoxy and then cut the heads off and taper the top two threads and accomplish the same thing.

I am not going to pay 150 dollars for a chunk of aluminum and two bicycle grips and I guarantee you that is exactly what most of this stuff is.

Or just buy the store bought one and go about your business.

N

 

[Hotpuppy]

Would you mind posting some pictures of your diy tray? I'd love to see some of what you did. I have a Hurco KMB1M at my disposal so pretty much if I can dream it in Aluminum I can make it.

 

[Nemrod]

Would you mind posting some pictures of your diy tray? I'd love to see some of what you did. I have a Hurco KMB1M at my disposal so pretty much if I can dream it in Aluminum I can make it.

Mr. Hotpuppy, I will put one up later, I am out in the shop now---Edit--here:

Obviously, this simple tray is light, breaks down flat to pack, can support one or two strobes/accessories and can utilize one handle, two handles, handle and ball (as sown) or delete the right hand extension for even smaller single strobe use. Also, as shwon, via the adapters I made I can shoot my Canon 570 or the Canon S90, hot swap and GO! You don't need a CNC to make a tray, mine is really underwhelming in complexity, I like simple.

But since you happen to have a CNC at your disposal, heck, you could make trays, lens adapters, hey, we need to get you into vintage scuba .

Seriously, again, a camera tray for a compact is usually nothing more than a piece of aluminum flat stock either bent or machined. The Ultra Light Control Systems stuff is very nice and pro looking and often cloned by offshore companies .

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fisheye-Digicam...igital_Camera_Accessories?hash=item29fdbe0308

The tray handles by several of these companies are mountain bike grips, google serfas mountain bike or grips:

Serfas 2010

(I am a cyclist also, I recognized the grips immediately)

I hate wasting things, I have collected a few tray and handles over the years and often just recycle them, a few weeks ago a forum friend said he could not get his S90FIX onto his old Ikelite tray and was going to buy a UCLS so I simply made him an adapter(NC), nothing high tech but it allows the use of the tray he, and I, already had. But lately, due to my need to fly to most dive sites, have been miniaturizing/reducing all of my dive gear, including my camera stuff so the Ikelite compact tray, one of my favorites because it is very sturdy, has been replaced by an aluminum bar, a few holes drilled in to reduce weight, a UCLS handle I had on hand and voila, a miniature tray.

The only problem with the Ikelite tray for my miniaturization fetish is the handle is pressed in and pinned with a roll pin and thus cannot be easily removed to break down for flat packing. Yeah, I could have drilled the pin out, machined a bushing and then used a lock pin or screw but I was feeling adventurous.

Camera Housings, Strobes, Arms, Trays & More! - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photo - 800-359-1295! has good prices on handles, arms, ball mounts etc, it simply does not pay to make these small parts when they are available at decent prices. Time is valuable too, lol.

Hey, if you make something, post a pic so I can copy you--lol.

N

 

[seamonkey]

Maybe two handles is overkill for a small P&S camera, but I find two a necessity on my DSLR-- it really helps for handing off the camera on entries and exits, and makes it a lot easier to multitask.

 

[Nemrod]

edit above per hotpuppy request.
N

 

[Scuba-junky]

Nemrod. Would you mind posting a couple pictures of what your "travel" setup looks like with the arms and strobe(s) attached? I'd like to get an idea of how far you've managed to miniturized things. Especially the arms.....

 

[Gilligan]

I suggest you get a tray with an arm that has a versatile range of motion. For years I used the loc-line type arm similar to the Fisheye one in the photo below with my Olympus C4000Z camera.

When I upgraded to the Canon G10 I needed an arm with a greater range of motion due to the protruding lens tunnel on the Canon housing for the G10. I could have added many segments to the loc-line arm or get the ultralight type arm which has a greater range of motion. A seller named nyxell sells a generic tray/arm on eBay for $111.00 US. The lower end of the tray is removable if not using a second strobe. I am very happy with this tray/arm.

My setup looks like this:

Hope this helps.

 

[Nemrod]

Nemrod. Would you mind posting a couple pictures of what your "travel" setup looks like with the arms and strobe(s) attached? I'd like to get an idea of how far you've managed to miniturized things. Especially the arms.....

The pic with the regulator around the camera, that has the 6 inch arms attached, the strobes, two Inon D2000 mini strobes, cannot make those smaller but to buy two S2000 micro strobes. So, all that is missing in the pic is the two strobes and two clamps. The arms can pivot down as you know which parks the strobes more or less under the tray to reduce spread for entry and exit from the water, the WHOLE thing, including a Inon WAL plus dome and Inon 165AD-FE and two strobes, camera and housing and tray all fit into a carry on Pelican type case.

N