FORD Commercial Underwater - EPIC-X 96fps with RPP 18mm

[Ken Corben]

Got the call to shoot a high speed underwater segment for FORD's on the go ad campaign at Guadalupe Island Mexico.

The subject matter was great white sharks. In my hundreds of hours filming these sharks around the world, I have never seen a bigger, healthier female than on this trip. She was 18' and very fat. The ocean never ceases to amaze me.
Same is true about RED.

Shot with the EPIC-X at 96fps and the RED PRO PRIME 18mm in my custom housing.
This lens is my new favorite for underwater EPIC 5K FF shooting.
Fits well in the housing and required no diopter correction for MFD.

Hyperfocal set at 12" provided tack sharp images at f8 and above from the dome to inf.
Marine layer rolled in later in the day resulting in exposures at f5.6.
A bit of fall off on the FF corners as expected below this exposure.

Pan and scan of the 5K frame is a very useful digital zoom in post when shooting this format.


I'll post the link to the ad when it goes live.

Sharky

 

[BigLu]

Still the baddest underwater guy I know.

Look forward to see it.

 

[Anthony Vu]

Awesome. I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Sam Taylor]

I look forward to seeing it! I love seeing great whites, especially when they come charging out of the water!

 

[Johnny Friday]

yeah, but what about the funny little phone camera i saw there? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT???

Tell us MORE.....

 

[ANDY BRANDY CASAGRANDE IV]

Kick Ass Ken Corben! I 100% vouch for his bulletproof housing! And the sharks seem to love it too... Keep it up KC - ABC

 

[Pawel Achtel]

.... RED PRO PRIME 18mm in my custom housing....Fits well in the housing and required no diopter correction for MFD...Hyperfocal set at 12" provided tack sharp images at f8 and above from the dome to inf....

Ken, I would be interested how you assessed the sharpness and what dome port you used.
18mm should perform reasonably well (resolve over 400 lp/ph) in a dome. In my experience "bad things" happen once you approach 90 degree angle of view. Have you shot slanted rectangles or a zone chart by any chance?

Also, how do you set hyperfocal to 12"?