The Gentleman's Underwater Bubble Blower Thread

[Tom Hamilton]

Alrighty then, we have all been duly warned by the mods, at the first sign of skullduggery, tomfoolery, bait-n'switching, name-calling and so forth, this will get shut down in a New York second. Capiche? :cheers2:

As I was saying, the Amphibico housings have been problematic in the past, I think the company will potentially lose sales in the absence of evidence of a re-design. I have a message in to the Amphibico/Aquatica engineering team requesting clarification. I also happen to suspect that because their pricing has traditionally been within reach of the recreational diver, perhaps the average user wasn't so careful with things like O-rings, fresh water rinse, and regular care and maintenance. Hence the horror stories. Possible?

One of the issues with the previous housings, and I am speaking of the VH1000 here, was the Main Board PCB located at the lowest point in the housing. Any moisture ingress at all would eventually find its way there, disabling the entire system. Recoverable if you had the PCB in a water/vinegar solution within a few hours, but it took some doing and tools to get at. This has been addressed in the Rouge design.

Can anyone here shed light on other problems? Electronic pistol grips? Hydrophone connector leakage?

In any event, Mauricio is off to Indo for a month of intensive diving with the Rouge, and Tom Campbell has been testing it extensively for a month now, we should have some reliable reports shortly.

Cheers to all.

 

[Ross Isaacs]

The Amphibicam was like buying the lamborgini of underwater housings....very expensive and I know of at least one owner who has had handle break downs many times on his Amphibicam. My own experience with those electronic handles was not positive. I am also in the market for a housing for my Epic X and I can say with 100% certainty I will be getting a housing without electronic handles.

 

[Dave Blackham]

Permission to join the thread please, not sure i was bought up as a gentleman.

Ive got Amphibico HDV Housings here, not been used for years and a box full of old handles.........

Our Gates Deep Epic has electronics at the top of the housing. Even if the electronics did fail, its run/stop could be controlled manually from the power switch on the right hand side. Id buy another no hesitation.

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Reminds me of a night in the pub one time, asked where the toilet was, the barmaid said "Over there darlin', the sign says 'gentlemen', but you go right in anyways."

According Amphibico, the Rouge also has backup manual controls.

 

[Dave Blackham]

Im sure the Rouge will be fine. Im just bemused last housing I had of theirs they forgot water tends to run down hill, at the base of the housing is where they decided to put the electronics.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Can anyone here shed light on other problems?

3 month warranty?

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Yikes! I will check on that Pawel, seems to me one year is the norm. What does Gates give, and what is your warranty?

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Amphibico Warranty: http://www.amphibico.com/pro/warranty.html

We give 5 years on all controls, 2 years on the DeepX body and 5 years on the entire 3Deep.
I'm not sure about the others, but 2 years seems to be the norm.

Regarding electronics, I'm in the camp of mechanical controls too. Simple is good.

The REC/Stop controls are mechanical and doubled in DeepX (front and side) and quadruppled in 3Deep (front and side for each camera and each triggers record on both cameras)....just to make sure you get the shot

 

[Frazier Nivens]

I was using Electronic controls for over 5 years in a L&M Sony Z1 housing and never had a days problem with Electronic controls, they never ever didn't work for me. If they are well made then it would be just great to have total control over everything without having to use the REDMOTE. Does Amphibico have the protocol for the signals to control the camera?

Here's to a great new UW Bubble Blowers thread where we can share ideas, new gear and adventures.

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Does Amphibico have the protocol for the signals to control the camera?

An unqualified yes Frazier.

I would also like to add that having operated an Amphibico housing in the second saltiest ocean on the planet for several years and just under 1000 dives, the Red Sea, (the Dead Sea is the number one salt concentration, good luck even swimming there), as long as one is mindful of O-Rings, fresh water rinse, and regular upkeep, no problems whatsoever. That is to be expected of a pro u/w shooter.

I say again, Amphibico's negative press likely comes from prosumer products operated by novice divers who did not follow standard u/w housing maintenance protocols.

My opinion only. Let's see how all of this pans out.

 

[Johnny Friday]

The problem with Amphibico controls was not the fact they use electronics for all operations---the problems i had always heard and seen (prosumer, consumer and that beautiful 900 housing)....were all related to the controls themselves on the handles...At least the stories and issues i've seen and heard. Electronics--hey forget that their are electronics built into the housing--you're sticking in a big piece of electronics....it's the handle controls themselves that had been at issue.

 

[Frazier Nivens]

Electronic with Manual controls would be great to have.

Electronic with Manual controls would be great to have.

If they do electronic with manual backup it would be nice.

But my manual controls always work, I like this. But I'm fine with my housing and it's working and making money for me, giving me imaging I'm happy with and my clients are happy with. I was recently working on a shoot with the "Quest" TV series, these guys were free diving gurus, crazy good breath hold divers, Performance free diving, this is a lower res frame grab from the shoot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanimaging/8110688351/in/photostream/

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Understood Johnny, I am pressing Amphibico hard for answers to all of these issues. There is no doubt, when you are commissioned to get the shot for a client, the last thing you need worry about is housing integrity.

I am expecting a full and satisfactory answer from them shortly, if they've got it right, which I hope is the case, then this housing should be a real game changer.

BTW, the mods have lifted Mauricio's ban, he should be back in just a few days.

Thanks mods, Mauricio is a good man. Mostly. :thumbup1:

 

[Ross Isaacs]

The problem with Amphibico controls was not the fact they use electronics for all operations---the problems i had always heard and seen (prosumer, consumer and that beautiful 900 housing)....were all related to the controls themselves on the handles...At least the stories and issues i've seen and heard. Electronics--hey forget that their are electronics built into the housing--you're sticking in a big piece of electronics....it's the handle controls themselves that had been at issue.

Yes who would buy a Lamborgini and have the wheels continually fall off? The 900 housing was as bad as the domestic housings it was always the control handles which would fail.

 

[Zeb B]

Since I'm spending a good deal of time in Hawaii and am recently PADI certified - I want to get into underwater filming but not ready to take my Epic and Angie lenses down. Can you bright, young good looking gentlemen suggest an UW housing training package built around a Canon 1Dx or GH3? Got the 1Dx - GH3 on order. Both would be like gerbils to me if they drowned from a failed underwater housing - the Epic would be like losing my childhood black Labrador.

 

[Ron Lagerlof]

... bright, young good looking gentlemen ...

Bright? Young? Gentlemen? Did someone just walk in the room? Josh, you may have entered the wrong forum... just kidding! Welcome, and don't be afraid to get your feet wet.

BTW - I'm in Maldives with Berkley White of Backscatter in Monterrey, CA who is about to take a test drive of the new Nauticam housing for the 1Dx. I'm certain he'll post an "in depth" report upon our return. Check out www.backscatter.com

And, a shameless plug - Berk and Backscatter are my exclusive go to guys, including for the Gates gear.

 

[Ron Lagerlof]

Oh, and I forgot "good looking"... :-0

 

[Zeb B]

Got a specific link there Ron? Not finding it

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Josh, you may like to check out the Seacam range: expensive, but arguably the best.

 

[Will Keir]

Yes, were back, as Gentlemen.