The Gentleman's Underwater Bubble Blower Thread

[Jon Shaw]

a big Hammerhead went vertical on a reasonably big Tiger, bit it in half, one bite, done deal, 30,000 psi of tooth and jaw, proceeded to ingest both still struggling halves.

FAR OUT, would have made a killer shot at 5K 96 fps!

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Pawel, Ross,

Liz, by the way, is Orstrylian, you'se guys sure build em tough, fearless, and beautiful over there!

Indeed, Tom, we make them graceful, beautiful and strong....from the age of 5...

...thats 3Deep fully loaded with two cameras, lenses, monitor and batteries ready to dive.

BTW. Ross, don't get carried away and try this with your 3D housing, OK? LOL

 

[Ross Isaacs]

Gee Pawel exactly how many of anything have you actually sold mate?

 

[Tom Hamilton]

This is my favorite Oz person;

 

[Pawel Achtel]

And here is the DeepX with lens, camera, battery and monitor... picked up by a 5-year old Aussie girl.

Gee Pawel exactly how many of anything have you actually sold mate?

he he he, quality, not quantity...:beer:

Hope all is good and you are getting some nice footage, Ross. I would love to see some images from Deep Atom some time.

Best Fishes from sunny Tassie!

Pawel

 

[Michael Maes]

I must admit it looks nicely compact (the housings, not the girls ).
One question pops to mind though Pawel: Isn't/Aren't the lens(es) very vulnerable without any "protection"?
What happens when a lens breaks-off underwater, say, because an unexpected current smashes you against a rock?
Wouldn't it be good to have some protective bars next to the lens, a bit like the DEEP Epic has next to its tally light?
Just thinking out loud!

 

[Pawel Achtel]

I must admit it looks nicely compact (the housings, not the girls ).
One question pops to mind though Pawel: Isn't/Aren't the lens(es) very vulnerable without any "protection"?
What happens when a lens breaks-off underwater, say, because an unexpected current smashes you against a rock?
Wouldn't it be good to have some protective bars next to the lens, a bit like the DEEP Epic has next to its tally light?
Just thinking out loud!

ha ha ha, We seem to think alike, Michael

Available here: http://achtel.com/Accessories/index.htm


Cheers,

Pawel

 

[Tom Hamilton]

That serves another purpose as well, you can stand the housing vertically onto those posts for easier fitting of the back plate after battery and media swap.

Might want to fit rubber ends Pawel, scratching boat decks has been known to cause Skipper angst

 

[Ross Isaacs]

And here is the DeepX with lens, camera, battery and monitor... picked up by a 5-year old Aussie girl.

he he he, quality, not quantity...:beer:

Hope all is good and you are getting some nice footage, Ross. I would love to see some images from Deep Atom some time.

Best Fishes from sunny Tassie!

Pawel

I would assume that most of the people who have purchased your products are also Reduser blogers Pawel? I would be interested if anyone who purchased Pawel's housings would chime in here and give us a non biased report on the performance of the DeepX and the 3Deep. I am sure everyone here would like to get this feed back seeing Pawel totes them as being the best.

 

[Michael Maes]

ha ha ha, We seem to think alike, Michael

Available here: http://achtel.com/Accessories/index.htm

Nice Pawel but... wowzer! That's a lot of $$ for "protecting the obvious".
I know that Gates isn't exactly the cheapest solution on earth but at least the primary investment includes a lot (of safety) for, ahum, "free"....
Back when I did some research for the Epic u/w, I didn't check your solution out (sorry, no particular reason, no personal reason, I only checked DEEP Epic and the juvenile "NA-ROSSA") but I believe you're base-system is as, let's call it, good value as the DEEP Epic?
In other words, looking at your accessory list, doesn't your solution end-up very expensive?
And please believe me, this is an honest question out of interest, I want to make substantiated judgments!

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Ross, Pawel,

It's a well-known fact that folks who post here regularly, do not have enough work. :smile5:

So, why don't the both o' ya' bury the hatchet, buy each other a beer, and start chasing down the stuff you need to be doing.

Ross, you are in possession of Gates' finest piece of technology, use it mate, some BTS shots would be great. Pawel, you are a new entrant, your product needs to establish a track record. Don't tell us, show us. What productions has your housing been hired for?

This forum is not about free ram-it-down-yer-throat advertising, it's about the exchange of useful information. So spare us the 'dunnunda' angst, and go chase down some of those gorgeous Oz free-diving shark ladies, edge-to-edge, bum-to-tit detail, if you please.

And for God's sake, post the pics here! :coolgleamA:

 

[Pawel Achtel]

That serves another purpose as well, you can stand the housing vertically onto those posts for easier fitting of the back plate after battery and media swap.

Might want to fit rubber ends Pawel, scratching boat decks has been known to cause Skipper angst

Exactly! I started using this design back a decade ago with my HDCAM housing. Now, both 3Deep and DeepX have option of longer rails extending about 10mm past the lens.

I would assume that most of the people who have purchased your products are also Reduser blogers Pawel? I would be interested if anyone who purchased Pawel's housings would chime in here and give us a non biased report on the performance of the DeepX and the 3Deep. I am sure everyone here would like to get this feed back seeing Pawel totes them as being the best.

Do you mean posts like this?

Deep X - Housing is just awesome - there is nothing better!

or quotes like this?

"...just did my first job today with deepX no. 10.
Got to say it was a dream to use.
Shot an Olympic high board diver for a big projection job, 120 fps 5K w/s and it knocked the socks off all who watched the rushes.
I was actually able to shoot the u/w stuff more easily than the topside set-ups.
Unheard of!...
....I have never seen such detail in an UW
shot." [Philip Barthropp (DOP), UK]

or maybe one like this?

http://achtel.com/News/DeepX PR 21.06.2012X.pdf

All people skeptical about DeepX and 3Deep seemed to:
a) not have seen one,
b) own a different housing,
c) all of the above and are called Mike Hastings :beer:

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Nice Pawel but... wowzer! That's a lot of $$ for "protecting the obvious"....!

Hear you loud and clear, Michael

We want the ultimate best - the gold (or titanium) standard in reliability, longevity, weight, size and optical performance that are second to none.

Hollowed machined titanium isn't cheap. For example, RED titanium lens mout is about 3 times more expensive than alluminium. But, it lasts a life time.

You will be pleased to know that titanium rails are included and you can chose long or short. No extra charge. Side handles are also included. And, if the buyer is serious, we can talk about the package price including accessories of choice.

We do not aim to be the largest or the cheapest. But we still like to be competitive as much as possible. You also save on lens, lens mout, dome port, extension rings, freight, crew, cranes, excess luggage fees, personal injuries....

The cost of the housing is the proverbial drop in the ocean when it comes to the total cost of shooting underwater. The ability to pick up the housing, like a hand bag, and go for a dive anytime anywhere is far more precious to me.

I was discussing this with Amnon Band some time ago and, if you guys want to put any group buy together, I think you will be very nicely surprised with what Band Pro may be able to offer. And, I can talk personally to Amnon again to ensure that you guys are looked after. :beer:

 

[Michael Maes]

personal injuries....

LOOOL!
But I get your point :cheers2:

The cost of the housing is the proverbial drop in the ocean when it comes to the total cost of shooting underwater. The ability to pick up the housing, like a hand bag, and go for a dive anytime anywhere is far more precious to me.

I admit that I love my housing even more once I'm in the water and all is booted/deployed....

It's a pity you're quite new on the market thus not many housings are "around" in this small world.
Would love to see, feel and hold one once so.... whenever you should come to Cayman, send me an email so we can connect!

BTW: Didn't Bob Cranston buy a DEEP Epic? Don't take my word for it though! :001_smile:

 

[Pawel Achtel]

BTW: Didn't Bob Cranston buy a DEEP Epic? Don't take my word for it though! :001_smile:

No. But he was very keen to use DeepX and show Howard Hall how to film properly underwater, LOL
All good fun!


Thanks for the invite! I'm hearing there is good diving in Grand Cayman. I would love to dive there sometime.
In fact, we are at the planning stage for Sea of Love, 3D and if you think we should consider Grand Cayman, we will.

And, likewise, give me a buzz if you are heading downunder and I will show you around.

 

[Michael Maes]

No. But he was very keen to use DeepX and show Howard Hall how to film underwater properly, LOL


Thanks for the invite! I'm hearing there is good diving in Grand Cayman. I would love to dive there sometime.
In fact, we are at the planning stage for Sea of Love, 3D and if you think we should consider Grand Cayman, we will.

And, likewise, give me a buzz if you are heading downunder and I will show you around.

LOL!

Cayman is GREAT for scenic shots, hard corals, swim-throughs, deep blues, macro (not the Indo weirdos but some cool Caribbean weirdos), southern stingrays, occasional electric ray, manta ray, rare whare shark, orcas, sperm whale.... We also have reef sharks, nurses, tigers (though deep) and some lemons. But in general you won't encounter too many sharks here.... alas.
And of course we have heaps of hawksbills and occasionally huge loggerheads!
I think, on a quick note, that's about it.
If you have your shot/wish list and you "recognize" many of the critters, let me know, I will gladly give you more information about the islands and the diving!
It is beautiful and VERY easy diving in Cayman + logistics are quite simple.

Downunder.... sigh..... it's on our "way-too-long" list.
Just back from Raja and next stop to Isla Mujeres, Sea of Cortez and then Wakatobi.... close-by, but still far from you :-/
But one day definitely!

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Michael and Everyone,

Our film is about mating, dating, dancing and romancing underwater. The more spectacular and the more bizarre, the better. Whether it is a shark, whale or a shrimp goby, it must attract the audiences coming to a giant screen theatre and expecting to be amazed, totally blown away and entertained.

If you think there is something that may fit this criteria, we are eager to hear more about it.

We are always keen to work with people with local knowledge and good skills.

 

[James R.D. Scott]

Is anyone based in Australia here? I'm looking to rent some lights in May for about 2 weeks. Looking for something like Gates VL24. I can sort a rental with Gates directly but just a little worried if item gets stuck in customs and prefer to find an option in Australia.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Nice Pawel but... wowzer! That's a lot of $$ for "protecting the obvious".
I know that Gates isn't exactly the cheapest solution on earth but at least the primary investment includes a lot (of safety) for, ahum, "free"....
Back when I did some research for the Epic u/w, I didn't check your solution out (sorry, no particular reason, no personal reason, I only checked DEEP Epic and the juvenile "NA-ROSSA") but I believe you're base-system is as, let's call it, good value as the DEEP Epic?
In other words, looking at your accessory list, doesn't your solution end-up very expensive?
And please believe me, this is an honest question out of interest, I want to make substantiated judgments!

But it's titanium - not some cheap pvc ;-)

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Hi James,

We can hire a couple of Keldan Luna 8s: http://achtel.com/Keldan/index.htm