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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

The Gentleman's Underwater Bubble Blower Thread

Hi Bubble Blowers
This is just a general post to find out if any of you have ever wished for a smaller housing for your Epic's or Scarlet's . I do a lot of self funded trips to shoot stock and have been looking at some remote locations but getting all my kit to these places is becoming prohibitively expensive with over weight charges. When on a paid job it is not too much of a problem but even companies like Discovery and BBC are getting a little conservative with baggage. I am aware of most of the drawbacks of a smaller housing i.e. heat, buoyancy issues and instability of footage being the major ones. I am also aware that Rob Franklin is working on a smaller form factor housing (which I cant wait to see).
I would love to get some of your feed back in this regard. If any of you do self funded trips, how many Peli Cases you travel with and if you have ever run into real problems getting your kit onto small plains.
Thanks
 
I try not to travel with Peli cases, attracts way too much attention from the customs people. My housing stripped down actually fits in a standard carry-on roller board (and the overhead bins of most aircraft), camera/lenses in a backpack, u/w kit in a standard duffle bag checked in, works very well. That's a minimum set-up though; lighting, extra batteries, spares kit for various things, RB, scooter, etc, becomes an expensive baggage proposition.

It would be so much easier with your own aircraft, it might be worth your while to visit the nearest airport and see if single-engine aircraft and pilots are available for rent.

Yes, would be very interested to see a compact u/w Dragon housing, but the heat build-up is a real concern, not only for the operating life of the camera components, but blackshade settings as well, anything that compact would require an efficient heat sink.

Here are the numbers for the Rouge, which has significant headroom inside the housing, after operating for one hour, 10% of the time in record mode, blackshade calibration at 45C;

T/E: 49/65 (and climbing)
Housing Ambient: 54C (here too)
Fan Speed: 43% (same same)

It is essential to draw vacuum with Dragon installed; heat expansion creates significant positive pressure inside the housing, and may compromise seals as the housing is surfaced.
 
Hi Tom I totally agree the vacuum system is the best thing since housings were invented. I believe the heat problem could be overcome by some well thought out heat sinks both internally and externally to get the heat transferring better to the water.
 
Yes I have, saw it in Los Angeles last year. Very small and light, but for a basic tube housing with just a few controls and only one lens choice, there are more cost effective options out there.

i think it would make a very good surf housing, just not sure how robust the Nikonos installation is.
 
Mark van Coller said:
Hi Bubble Blowers
This is just a general post to find out if any of you have ever wished for a smaller housing for your Epic's or Scarlet's . I do a lot of self funded trips to shoot stock and have been looking at some remote locations but getting all my kit to these places is becoming prohibitively expensive with over weight charges. When on a paid job it is not too much of a problem but even companies like Discovery and BBC are getting a little conservative with baggage. I am aware of most of the drawbacks of a smaller housing i.e. heat, buoyancy issues and instability of footage being the major ones. I am also aware that Rob Franklin is working on a smaller form factor housing (which I cant wait
to see).
I would love to get some of your feed back in this regard. If any of you do self funded trips, how many Peli Cases you travel with and if you have ever run into real problems getting your kit onto small plains.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Just got on a plane, but have some comments re size, heat, etc. and will post tomorrow.
 
Any Bubble Blowers, shooters, UW Housing owners working in French Polynesia?

French-Polynesia-5.jpg
 
I've been to Australia twice, South Africa, Namibia, Fiji and Tonga with my housing this year. Travelling alone for some of those was a challenge but no problem if renting dive equipment. Adding a multi rotor for the same next year might be pushing it! I use an American Tourister lightweight bag for my housing / clothes and pack it to 30kg.


Mark van Coller said:
Hi Bubble Blowers
This is just a general post to find out if any of you have ever wished for a smaller housing for your Epic's or Scarlet's . I do a lot of self funded trips to shoot stock and have been looking at some remote locations but getting all my kit to these places is becoming prohibitively expensive with over weight charges. When on a paid job it is not too much of a problem but even companies like Discovery and BBC are getting a little conservative with baggage. I am aware of most of the drawbacks of a smaller housing i.e. heat, buoyancy issues and instability of footage being the major ones. I am also aware that Rob Franklin is working on a smaller form factor housing (which I cant wait to see).
I would love to get some of your feed back in this regard. If any of you do self funded trips, how many Peli Cases you travel with and if you have ever run into real problems getting your kit onto small plains.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Anything of interest at DEMA? Like, you know, a Gates housing for the GoPro (stranger things have happened) :-) or is it the old procession of rebreathers and DSLR housings?...
 
Rudi Herbert said:
Anything of interest at DEMA? Like, you know, a Gates housing for the GoPro (stranger things have happened) :-) or is it the old procession of rebreathers and DSLR housings?...
Click to expand...

Rudi,
Check out the new RS lens system for Gates Housings.....I think there is something on Instagram, but photos to come later.
 
Nikonos RS Adapter Kit

Nikonos RS Adapter Kit

Here are the details...

http://www.gateshousings.com/niknos-rs-adapter-kit/


J-


 
That does look interesting. Any provisions for the regular Nikonos 15mm ultra wide, or would that infringe on Pawel's patent?
 
2xHBHQt.jpg

LX57szO.jpg


I have been filming with this "Nikonos Dragon" system all over the world for the last year. The results speak for themselves. This system produces images vastly superior to any dome housing. The improved image quality and sharpness are particularly noticeable in the corners. Also, using RS lenses reduces the size and weight of the rig. If I can answer any questions, I am happy to.

By the way, I actually posted a Nikonos Dragon 6K sample image here last year and accidentally nearly revealed the entire project. It was Phil Barthropp who caught the mistake :biggrin: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showth...lower-Thread&p=1304470&viewfull=1#post1304470
 
I'm speaking from a 10 minute look at the Gates Nikonos option so apologies for any mistakes: First off, it is very impressive piece of engineering and consists of a nikon f type mount that replaces the regular epic lens mounts that also has actuators for mechanically operating both focus and iris with gears to interface with the gears on the housing - in combination with a new front piece (similar to their various port fronts) that has the RS mount in it. When the camera is inserted into the housing the camera portion of the mount interfaces with the lens that is attached to the front plate. If I understood correctly the two don't actually lock together but are precision aligned (there's actually a little more to it but don't know how to explain briefly) and this is actually how the Nikonos RS cameras worked as well, so I don't mean to imply that there is anything unstable about it.

I was interested in this in part because as some of you know I proposed the idea of using nikonos lenses in the original bubble blowers thread back in 2007. The difference here that I see (versus Pawel's version using regular nikonos lenses as I originally proposed) is that the RS lenses apparently have a much longer flange focal distance (similar or maybe the same as the regular nikon ffd) where as the original nikonos had very short flange focal distance which, to use with an Epic, required the front plate and lens mount of the housing to directly become the lens mount on the camera which created some additional problems, one of which was as Tom mentioned a significant fear of water intrusion if the lens itself leaked or it was twisted enough to lose sealing against the housing. The two stages with this RS mount would seem to reduce this fear.

Regarding Rudi's question, I don't think there would be any way to use the regular nikonos lenses as I think the sealing area is much larger on the RS lenses and mount.

John obviously did a lot, lot of work to develop it and it looks very well done. Since, the lenses and mounting methods are so different, I doubt if there is any patent conflict with Pawel.

I never followed the RS stuff that much so My question to some of you that are more familiar is I'm sure they are good, but just how good are the RS lenses optically. How much of a leap versus modern lenses with a dome?

PS:
I didn't notice Tom Lowe's post before I hit the save button, so we have some feedback on the optical quality as well. I notice he's using the 13mm fisheye. What's the wides rectilinear RS lens? (remember Dragon 6K is not as large as full frame still (24x36mm) so Field of view will be less)
 
13mm Nikonos RS has been the main lens that we have used. It's quite nice.
 
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