Underwater Bubble Blowers User Group Thread NEW

[Frazier Nivens]

Lights look good..

Lights look good..

Soon, the heads are done and we can test them without being anodized. I'll have to rig a little case for the dimmer switch and driver, and use an existing battery case so don't expect the battery setup to be too slick .

Let's get together next week.

These are the 2500 lumen units, another couple weeks to get the big chips in and make the head. But I think you will be reasonably impressed with these - probably the sweet spot right now for cost effectiveness, bang for the buck for pro/am.

What lumen output are those lights you have right now?

Don't care what it looks like..that can come later.

Let's get together next week.

Yep, we'll do that...

Went out filming this morning, did one dive, was ok but vis was down. May wait a bit to go again as the water's surface was covered with MAN O WAR...
Yikes, I was careful, but one poor kid got one across his regulator, onto his face and hands. He wasn't happy. Ouch...Apparently it's not only here but all up and down Fla. coast. A few days ago they said the MOW were so thick you couldn't get in. They had to move sites to get the dives in. Second dive today got cancelled due to a couple people getting hit on the boat by these.

I've got the Sunray 2000 LED's, your beam spread looks good, can't wait to see them in person, shoot some test UW with RED One, real UW test. Color??
__________________

 

[Michael Hastings]

You guys might want to check out some early photos of the first real Epic housing on Ketch's Epic American tour thread. Clay Haskell shot an underwater short in New York last week.


http://reduser.net/forum/showthread...oduction-Diary&p=744297&highlight=#post744297


News coming soon for preorder deposits on the Epic housig and the LED lights.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Clay Haskell posted a thread and video from the underwater epic shoot.

NSFW warning - features some (tasteful) nudity.

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread...xtinction-quot&p=745907&highlight=#post745907

 

[Michael Hastings]

Thanks Michael, again really impressive -- I had never even considered underwater housing previously but now (and especially with how much time I spend in the Caribbean) -- I must admit it's really tempting.

Any thoughts on pricing yet, based on your first experience putting it together for the Epic?

Anthony

A little less than for the RED1 ~$5700 PVC or $7900 Alum - with the addition of about $1000-1200 for the REDMOTE control in a separate case. That would be for the same basic configuration as Clay used (except with an Acrylic dome rather than the glass one he had):

Body (aluminum or PVC), aluminum frontplate, acrylic dome, power and trigger controls, simple friction focus, iris, zoom controls, camera and LCD mount, cable ports.

Options would include:

Focus and iris control servos using the servo motors Pawel Achtel originally designed and I modified slightly and manufactured: Focus/Iris set of motors, mount, and control: $1595.
(some users for RED1 have set up their own Heden and other high end motors, as well as manual gear systems.)

6", 8" acrylic dome ports, macro ports, extension ports for longer lenses, Glass dome are all available. Other options: Surface cables, external LCD, High Powered LED lighting, Ocean Reef U/W communications, etc.

May make a glass dome standard which normally would raise the cost by about $1700 but if I make all of them might get the added cost down to only about a little over half of that.

I'm taking $1500 deposits to hold your place in line - PREORDERS OPEN AS OF NOW, with balance of 50% deposit due within 3 weeks. Delivery will be 2 to 3 weeks for PVC/5-6 weeks for aluminum AFTER I receive my epic-X SN 206 or Epic-M. If you can supply an epic that can be sped up.

 

[Nick Ambrose]

A little less than for the RED1 ~$5700 PVC or $7900 Alum - with the addition of about $1000-1200 for the REDMOTE control in a separate case. That would be for the same basic configuration as Clay used (except with an Acrylic dome rather than the glass one he had):

Body (aluminum or PVC), aluminum frontplate, acrylic dome, power and trigger controls, simple friction focus, iris, zoom controls, camera and LCD mount, cable ports.

Options would include:

Focus and iris control servos using the servo motors Pawel Achtel originally designed and I modified slightly and manufactured: Focus/Iris set of motors, mount, and control: $1595.
(some users for RED1 have set up their own Heden and other high end motors, as well as manual gear systems.)

6", 8" acrylic dome ports, macro ports, extension ports for longer lenses, Glass dome are all available. Other options: Surface cables, external LCD, High Powered LED lighting, Ocean Reef U/W communications, etc.

May make a glass dome standard which normally would raise the cost by about $1700 but if I make all of them might get the added cost down to only about a little over half of that.

I'm taking $1500 deposits to hold your place in line - PREORDERS OPEN AS OF NOW, with balance of 50% deposit due within 3 weeks. Delivery will be 2 to 3 weeks for PVC/5-6 weeks for aluminum AFTER I receive my epic-X SN 206 or Epic-M. If you can supply an epic that can be sped up.

Wow, that puts it somewhat within my price range. Of course I still have to buy a camera

 

[Johnny Friday]

DEEP EPIC BY GATES UNDERWATER

DEEP EPIC BY GATES UNDERWATER

Yesterday: (tuesday aril 5)
i dropped in on gates products to pick up some items for my red housing and tweak a few things on the housing as well. I first have to say that customer service at Gates is second to none. I first have to admit that i barge in on them every trip i make up to San Diego from Mexico and they always offer me up a room with a desk and internet and always end up pulling Justin in the housing build section to take care of anything i need. And that's pretty standard for anyone that comes into their shop. They make you feel like you're their only customer and concern. Hats off to Gates for Customer Service.

So, a few items to chime in on and I'll start with the first and most notable:
I was invited by John Ellerbrock at Gates to have a look at the CAD drawings of the new Deep Epic housing and offer up any suggestions. First off....another elegant and well thought out design. If you have a deep red, you'll appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this new housing. Also, as with EPIC, the Deep Epic (i'll refer to it as DE) is modular as well...somewhat like the Deep RED (hereafter described as DR). The front ports on DR are all re-usable with DE...same size and bolt pattern. So for those of you that bought Port Extenders or flat/dome ports will be happy to know that everything can be used on DE. The dove-tail design on DR is similar on DE...so you can use the handles from DR, the monitor from DR and i'd say just about anything you may have had made for DR can be utilized on DE. So, SIZE---it DOES MATTER. Smaller IS BETTER.
I just drove up from Mexico with my RED and headed on a shoot to the Bahamas and my housing alone with monitor and port are in a HUGE Storm case that just scrapes by at 98lbs. From the looks of DE, i'm guessing it is about 25% smaller than DR, and that 25% translates into a much larger gain on your travel case size. I don't know the specs---weight, dimensions, but it's made as compact as possible for the Epic body, SSD module and RED volt module....Oh...and we'll get to this (the red mote). So my question was well, if we want more battery life can we use the RED bricks? Looks like that is a YES. You can remove the RED Volt Module and then with an adapter add the RED brick. However, it also looks like the design team outdid themselves on the modular capacity as well.....
....if you don't already know, the DR is designed in what i would call three sections. you have a port section that disassembles so you have access to lens and gears; you then have a center section where the camera is mounted to and the back shell (section 3) that you pull off the center section. All making working on the camera super accessible or the lens section. So no camera trays to slide in and out and the body remains bolted to its chassis. Basically a very functional and professional design. So....Back to DE...DE shares the same design qualities as DR with the three piece chassis with the exception that it can allow you to add a center body extender (or shell). Most may not need this, but since we don't know what's coming from RED with additional Modules, the ability to extend the rear shell area is there and it all is functional. Since there are no controls mounted to the rear shell, there is nothing but space there. I see this coming in handy if you want to add an additional RED VOLT module so you have more run time on the camera. So say you are doing a huge time lapse underwater, then you can add two red volts.

RED MOTE on DEEP EPIC:
WoW! Again, the design team has taken on an ambitious task with integrating the RED MOTE on the back shell of the DE housing. From what i saw, you have access to EVERY function on the RED MOTE and from what i see in the design, they've implemented some very smart features from DSLR cameras to allow super user friendly access to the RED MOTE.

So in short what we get with a DEEP EPIC
*small; lightweight aluminum housing
*fully access to camera menu while underwater
*adjustable gears to accommodate variety of lenses
*adjustable or replaceable port extenders for shorter or longer lenses
*screw on port: push, then turn onto the port extender to easily change from flat to dome port of access your lens for cleaning or quickly add an ND filter
*if you own DR, then re-usable DR accessories on DE
*then the customer service that is outstading. Basically when you buy a pro housing, you sort of have a tech team on call while you are anywhere in the world. I've proven that while calling from Alaska's prince william sound to get a tech on the phone to send me out parts overnight.

I'll get to some of the other items in another post since they are Deep RED related. But i think we won't be surprised when see this new Epic housing. Kind of what we expect coming out of the Gates house. I'm told deposits will soon be accepted. So, guess it's time to go dig up a coffee can in the backyard.

 

[Johnny Friday]

Deep RED Improvements: If you have a Deep RED - you want this

Deep RED Improvements: If you have a Deep RED - you want this

If you own a Deep RED, you'll want to know about the newly updated and re-engineered LCD bulkhead cable. I just upgraded to a new proto-type that uses a much stronger and beefier bulkhead fitting (housing side). Some of you that have this housing already know that the LCD cable is a week point of the system because of the tiny bundled wires. Not a lot you can do other than try not to manipulate the cable too much, but with time it can find a way to break one of the wires/connections inside the bundled cable. So the new system employs a new kind of seal that secures the water tight fitting to the cable with a soft piece of silicon instead of tigthtening up the plastic fitting with an o-ring putting pressure on the cable....which can cause one of those many wires to either break or pinch.

Mine is i think a first on the RED which does not have everything that Gates will put in the new cables....there is talk of also beafing up the cable by adding an epoxy within the bundled cable and that also will stiffen up the bundeld cable and allow for you to manipulate the cable underwater and basically be much more rigid and in the end dependable. That said....i ALWAYS have two of these LCD cables with me....if one does go, it's highly doubtful that you will EVER repair it in the field. So better have a backup.

Those that do have Deep RED's may want to contact Gates about this new item....as it also translates over to Deep Epic. I'd guess it's a few weesks before Gates has more material to begin making these cables and employing the new epoxy within them. But from what i see it is a 100% improvement on the original LCD cable. You'll want one.

 

[Michael Hastings]

If you own a Deep RED, you'll want to know about the newly updated and re-engineered LCD bulkhead cable. I just upgraded to a new proto-type that uses a much stronger and beefier bulkhead fitting (housing side). Some of you that have this housing already know that the LCD cable is a week point of the system because of the tiny bundled wires. Not a lot you can do other than try not to manipulate the cable too much, but with time it can find a way to break one of the wires/connections inside the bundled cable. So the new system employs a new kind of seal that secures the water tight fitting to the cable with a soft piece of silicon instead of tigthtening up the plastic fitting with an o-ring putting pressure on the cable....which can cause one of those many wires to either break or pinch.

Mine is i think a first on the RED which does not have everything that Gates will put in the new cables....there is talk of also beafing up the cable by adding an epoxy within the bundled cable and that also will stiffen up the bundeld cable and allow for you to manipulate the cable underwater and basically be much more rigid and in the end dependable. That said....i ALWAYS have two of these LCD cables with me....if one does go, it's highly doubtful that you will EVER repair it in the field. So better have a backup.

Those that do have Deep RED's may want to contact Gates about this new item....as it also translates over to Deep Epic. I'd guess it's a few weesks before Gates has more material to begin making these cables and employing the new epoxy within them. But from what i see it is a 100% improvement on the original LCD cable. You'll want one.

Has that been approved by RED? are they injecting the cable itself or just the outside? - a long time ago Jarred told me that the cabling was very sensitive and modifying or using other cables would void the warranty - probably not an issue on RED1 but could be on epic.

 

[Johnny Friday]

Hi Michael,

I think once the bulkhead fitting was added and the cable is tanken underwater the warranty went out the window on it. In fact they are custom cables so if i'm not speaking out of place....i'd say definitely NO warranty and NEVER was. The injection of epoxy is merely an added preventative measure to keep from breaking those sensitive wires......or holding them off from breaking as easy as they are to break now.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Hi Michael,

I think once the bulkhead fitting was added and the cable is tanken underwater the warranty went out the window on it. In fact they are custom cables so if i'm not speaking out of place....i'd say definitely NO warranty and NEVER was. The injection of epoxy is merely an added preventative measure to keep from breaking those sensitive wires......or holding them off from breaking as easy as they are to break now.

Not talking warranty on the cable - but warranty on the camera - along the lines of using mounts like Birger, FD, etc.

 

[John J Ellerbrock]

LCD Cables

LCD Cables

The cables we use are all from RED. I have spoken to Jarred about this, and so long as we use their equipment, warranties remain in effect.

To clarify, Johnny's cable has a different seal type aimed specifically as an improvement to resolve field failures. The internal epoxy has not been implemented -- only being tested as an additional strengthener.

J-

 

[John J Ellerbrock]

DEEP EPIC Unveiled

DEEP EPIC Unveiled

Shrouded in development for some time now, I’m pleased to officially announce the DEEP EPIC housing.

On the successful heels of DEEP RED, Gates’ design team carries forward several key features that professional underwater cameramen have admired, and current DEEP RED owners will appreciate. DEEP EPIC incorporates the REDMOTE for direct, complete and readily accessible camera control. DEEP EPIC is 25% smaller than DEEP RED, yet retains full buoyancy and trim control. And DEEP EPIC is a Gates through-and-through – ‘bulletproof’, 450 foot depth rating, 2 year warranty and backed by legendary service.


Key Features

Smaller by 25% over DEEP RED.
REDMOTE fully integrated for complete camera control. Top location is readily seen and accessed by the cameraman.
Ports, Port Extenders, Lens Gear Drives, 5.6” External Monitor and Seal Check are carried forward from DEEP RED.
Mechanical or motorized Zoom Control option
Support for all lenses tested and verified on DEEP RED including Angeniuex, Arri, RED and Nikon. Any PL/Nikon glass can be qualified by Gates for DEEP EPIC.
Optional HD-SDI surface or 2nd monitor feed, Comm / Hydrophone audio inputs.
Port options SP80 Dome (glass and acrylic) and FP80 Flat.
Available high output LED lighting by SubAqua/Gates.


Price: under $20K for DEEP EPIC housing, external monitor shell, Seal Check, REDMOTE support, Travel Case. As usual, Ports and Port Extenders are ala carte – choose for your lens(es) and application.

Delivery: late summer 2011

$1000 non-refundable deposits are being taken. Locate a Gates Dealer (http://www.gateshousings.com/dealers/) or Contact Gates directly +1.858.391.0052 / Gates.Sales@GatesHousings.com

DISCLAIMER: The RDCC EPIC camera remains in a state of flux, so everything noted here is subject to change.

 

[Johnny Friday]

Razor Commercial Shot in Bahamas underwater with Sharks of course

Razor Commercial Shot in Bahamas underwater with Sharks of course

Just got off a quick shoot for a razor commercial. Sharks are of course the main players. Main cameras were RED MX: topside and underwater. Some additional footage shot on Cannon 5D and the go pro believe it or not.

.....can't say much more, but expect a change from the same old good looking middle aged man shaving in his bath towel in the b-room. Nice to see some of these big agencies stepping up and moving to some fun and fast paced action.

few pics attached while operating the RED MX with Nikon 10-17 fisheye as well as Nikon 16-85 housed in Gates Housing.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Just got off a quick shoot for a razor commercial. Sharks are of course the main players. Main cameras were RED MX: topside and underwater. Some additional footage shot on Cannon 5D and the go pro believe it or not.

.....can't say much more, but expect a change from the same old good looking middle aged man shaving in his bath towel in the b-room. Nice to see some of these big agencies stepping up and moving to some fun and fast paced action.

few pics attached while operating the RED MX with Nikon 10-17 fisheye as well as Nikon 16-85 housed in Gates Housing.

Looks like you had some good conditions. Is that my longtime customer/friend Rob McDonald there with his AquaVideo™ housing in the second shot?

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Kid in a Candy Store

Kid in a Candy Store

Just came back from a day with the folks at Gates., what can I say. The word 'generous' comes readily to mind.

Arrived there at 9 AM sharp for a 10 AM appointment (long story), their chief tech guy, Justin, immediately dropped what he was doing to take care of me. The mission, set-up and break-down training of the Gates Deep Red. Can't say enough about these people, immediately felt part of the family, Justin looked on patiently while I made all the usual mistakes, corrected them with a knowing smile, and by the end of it all, found myself able to handle the tooling, the ins and outs of the housing, the R1 interface, with surprising ease. The puzzle is elegant and simple, beautiful piece of engineering.

Gates LED Lighting System, first impressions.

John Ellerbrock, the Gates CEO, has kindly provided me with a set of their brand new 24-LED lights, at no charge, to test on my upcoming Great Barrier Reef shoot. The first thing you realize, as you hold what is basically the size of a Campbell soup can (family size that is), where is the big clunky battery pack? Well, there isn't. Completely self-contained unit, neutrally buoyant, that puts out some shockingly impressive incandescence. Looking forward to what these lights can do, will post a complete report here when I get back, with pics, and when I'm somewhere near the back-end of the post process, mid-June I guess, a Vimeo clip of the highlights.


Now, to add insult to injury, I held, if but for a brief moment, in my starving hands, a real live Epic-M. Holy Shiite Batman! All I can say is;

DAMMIT JIM, I'M A DIVER, NOT A DOCTOR! BEAM ME (EPIC) UP SCOTTY! :coolgleamA:

So, a big thanks to John, Justin and Pamela at Gates. Must also here do a big shout out to Johnny Friday, he provided me with my initial Deep Red operating experience last November down in the Sea of Cortez. Anyone out there looking for a Satanic U/W RED operator, and a guy who knows sea criitters better than pretty much any marine biologist I've ever met, look no further than Johnny.

Off to Port Douglas Orstrylia in a few days to catch my boat, R1 MX/Deep Red/Duclos-Tokina 11-16 in hand. I haven't been this excited since me Dad bought me my first bicycle.

Kind regards to all.

Tom

 

[lonny dill]

Success underwater with DeepRed and Aquavideo housings at the Great Barrier Reef!

Success underwater with DeepRed and Aquavideo housings at the Great Barrier Reef!

We just returned from a very successful, 5-day filming trip in the Great Barrier Reef. I must say that BOTH underwater housings were necessary and contributed to the success of our shoot. Our filming goals and techniques were two-fold on this trip. I feel that both manufacturers deserve positive mention as both helped us reach a “no worries, mate” experience in Oz. We had the great opportunity to dive and work aboard the Freedom IV Captained by Ben Cropp and with Pete West of NUMA Productions based out of Port Douglas, Australia.
Our primary objective was to obtain ocean floor tripod mounted footage for our “Virtual Aquariums” in both portrait and landscape configuration while providing our surface director full control of focus, Iris, rec start/stop with a live tethered video feed. Aquavideo created real results and helped us achieve all of our primary goals. From the beginning Mike Hastings, helped us intregrate a Birger-mount tethered system allowing our (non-diver)director to work topside and still have electronic control. The Aquavideo tube style housing is more of a basic simple housing yet still fulfilled every need that we demanded.
Our secondary objective was to obtain the absolute best possible free swim footage with the maximum amount of control and balance. Thanks to Gates, all of our expectations were surpassed by "heaps and heaps" because of the precision designed and manufactured DeepRed Housing. This housing is a Rolls Royce of housings integrated with every possible user control in mind including access to all Red1 menu functions, iris, focus and zoom. Gates left nothing out on their design. It is simply a masterpiece and work of art and worth every cent of the fairly priced housing. The DeepRed was ideal for long-range free-swims to seek out and find hero critters. Having instant critical camera adjustments at a diver’s fingertips always insured that after a hero was found, that the subject could be captured in the best possible exposure, focus and composition.
Criky did we get great results! In the end, we were completely pleased with both housings as they performed as desired for our applications. I must mention that the Gates offers a myriad of mounting points on their DeepRed housing which easily allow a tripod plate to be mounted to the side or bottom of the housing. John Ellerbrock from Gates also informed me that Gates can offer a Birger tether mount solution. In the past, we have often used the Aquavideo housing for free swim applications and produced acceptable results. The Aquavideo housing offers less camera control and is more difficult to balance. Mike Hastings has since informed me that Aquavideo is now offering additional underwater electronic control. The Aquavideo housing is a good option for the more budget minded underwater filmmaker as it comes in at a fraction of the cost of the Gates. We truly feel that we spent our money wisely to achieve both of the above goals and will continue to use both housings in the future to insure our success.
The Birger mount and knob were critical components for our tethered application. Birger provided the top-side director with a method to control the lens focus and iris from the surface. We are always wishing that we will purchase a wide Ultraprime lens and facilitate a geared motor and top-side control system. But, until that financial dream comes true I must commend the results produced thanks to the Birger mount.
Thomas Hamilton from Red Sea Productions is pictured behind the Gates housing in both photos.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

I've decided to sell my housing #1. More details on a separate thread here:

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread...water-Housing-for-RED-ONE-and-EPIC-(2D-and-3D)

 

[Ross Isaacs]

We are excited to announce that OCEAN PLANET 3D will have the first Deep Atom in Australia once the first production run is complete by Gates. If anyone is interested here is our new website.
http://www.oceanplanet3d.com
I have had collaborative input to the design of Deep Atom along with the Gates design team with specific applications for the Australian film and television industry.
We intend to use closed circuit rebreathers to maximise underwater shooting productivity and allow our operators to go into stealth mode whilst filming sound and vibration sensitive marine animals. John Ellerbrock and the entire design team have done an extraordinary job with Deep Atom and we look forward to using it in the field and studio locations.

Regards

Ross Isaacs

 

[John J Ellerbrock]

Good day all,

Introducing the REDMOTE Controller.

Like all Gates products, the REDMOTE Controller is designed for reliability, ease of use, and most importantly successful underwater imaging.

But sometimes we make stuff that is just plain cool, too.

J-

 

[Ketch Rossi]

NICE JOB JOHN!!

Look forward to our REDMOTE controller, our little fishes and the girls are waiting in Sardinia...