Underwater Bubble Blowers User Group Thread NEW

[lonny dill]

Hey Michael,

You know that we are itching to get back into the water, especially with our new Epics! But, as usual Michael, we must have surface control of Rec start/stop, Iris and focus. Does anyone know if Red is working on a hard wired solution? I imagine a tether system could send control to the surface using the usb connector from a laptop and converting to RS-232 for the Red camera control port. It would be awesome if Red could release "RedControl" laptop software that would basically be a laptop redmote. "RedControl" that is catchy! The software is probably already written and functioning on a test bench at Red right now as we post, just sitting on a desk waiting to make into money. It probably just needs to be burned to a disc and packaged in Reds packaging. No need to call China and gear up a factory to build anything. In fact it could probably be able to be downloaded by simply entering a credit card number at the Red website. No employes handling anything, just money going into a Red account. "RedControl!" This will not be an easy solution but persistence and resilience will make this happen. I am afraid to even mention Birger, but has there been any talk of a Epic Birger control system?

 

[ANDY BRANDY CASAGRANDE IV]

[COLOR=#FFFFFF !important]Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm Under/Water lens tests?

Has anyone shot the Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm Under/Water with a Gates
housing or similar housing technology? Were you happy with the results? Any
disclaimers or issues? Thanks - ABC

PS: Is this the best way to post to u/w users? Did we get our own forum yet?[/COLOR]

 

[Rudi Herbert]

Andy,

I've seen the lens shot on Epic, it looks, as you would expect, great. I only say images of it at around 17-18 mm I think, since it vignettes at 15 and the dome port being used did not allow for it to be zoomed in. It looked very, very good, and again, 18mm at 5K is probably the equivalent of 14mm at 4K, so it didn't feel too narrow. Don't know when the vignetting problem will be solved for the Epic, I know Angenieux was working on a fix, but even now, the lens looks good except that you probably cannot use it at its full focal length, since you need a nice curved dome at 15mm, which is not the best option at 40mm. But it does look good.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Hey Michael,

You know that we are itching to get back into the water, especially with our new Epics! But, as usual Michael, we must have surface control of Rec start/stop, Iris and focus. Does anyone know if Red is working on a hard wired solution? I imagine a tether system could send control to the surface using the usb connector from a laptop and converting to RS-232 for the Red camera control port. It would be awesome if Red could release "RedControl" laptop software that would basically be a laptop redmote. "RedControl" that is catchy! The software is probably already written and functioning on a test bench at Red right now as we post, just sitting on a desk waiting to make into money. It probably just needs to be burned to a disc and packaged in Reds packaging. No need to call China and gear up a factory to build anything. In fact it could probably be able to be downloaded by simply entering a credit card number at the Red website. No employes handling anything, just money going into a Red account. "RedControl!" This will not be an easy solution but persistence and resilience will make this happen. I am afraid to even mention Birger, but has there been any talk of a Epic Birger control system?

Rs232 control from Red would be great - and might happen if enough of you guys push for it.

 

[Ron Lagerlof]

Deep Red house in da House!

Deep Red house in da House!

Deep Epic that is... Boo-yahhh!!!

 

[Jon Shaw]

Congrats Ron, looks like the monitor housing is for the 5" Touch not the 5.6"?

 

[Ron Lagerlof]

Thanks, Jon. Yes, it is. You can get it either way...

 

[jim kozmik]

JUST wanted to advise this underwater bubble blowers site..not posted yet.. that one of our good buddies and original RED UNDERWATER camera guys FRASIER NIVENS ..has had eye surgery for a detached retina.. and is resting at home high and dry for awhile..Frasier got me into RED UNDERWATER USING THE SUPER aquavideo system and I WISH HIM A SPEEDY RECOVERY.....THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND GUIDANCE FRASIER...WE did 3 tv dive shows with FRASIER IN THE Nassau BAHAMAS AND key LARGO AREA OVER LAST 15 YEARS.......
KOZ......................

 

[Rudi Herbert]

Gentlemen,

I had already asked Johnny Friday as he's been working regularly for Nat Geo recently, but I figured I asked here for others' input about an issue that concerns me. I'm about to embark on the production of an underwater show, aimed primarily for European distribution but the producers want to seek American distribution as well. My concern is that the last time I made a show for American networks, about 7 years ago, there were really no problems with showing brand names and logos on the divers' suits and gear, whenever they appeared on camera. This was especially important since I produced a lot of extreme sports shows about freedivers, whose only way to repay their sponsors was to portray their logos prominently on their suits. Never had a problem, but I think things have changed considerably as of late, and my old agent at Discovery has since moved on to greener pastures and I find myself without a qualified source. I definitely don't want my beautiful footage uglied up by blurred out logos and the like, so I need to know if I have to cover up all of our gear or something alike. Have any of you had any experiences when producing content for networks regarding restrictions on branding on divers' apparel and the like? I'm not necessarily talking about sponsors, just regular brand names and logos on suits, dive gear, scooters, housings, etc, etc, etc. Please provide only concrete feedback if you have it, not guesses, as those would be as good as mine. A promo sheet on the show can be found here for those interested: www.TheBlueDimension.com

Thanks,

 

[Johnny Friday]

Deep Epic #10 is in my hands today. As usual, Gates has made another magnificent piece of working machinery. Improvements of course are the ball-bearing gears for Iris/Focus/Zoom to name but a few.....

For those of you that are considering the Deep Epic housing, you need to choose which LCD housing you will want to go with. I REALLY like the old RED 5.6" LCD vs. the new 5" for underwater work....However i went with the 5", but going to retrofit my old 5.6" LCD housing to work on both DEEP RED and DEEP EPIC. What's more as most know is the size is around 25% smaller and i was able to fit the camera; port and LCD into one Storm case which i estimate weighs around 55-60lbs....if i remove the LCD housing, then it gets in under 50lbs....but my target is to stay under 70lbs for the whole kit.

At any rate, it's in my hands and available for work with or without any of my Epics. Feel free to email me if you want to have a look or see for yourself the housing as i'm glad to go over it with anyone locally in the San Diego area.

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Yesterday we had a great meeting at Jim Hare's home studio where a few Redusers had an opportunity to see, hold and play my new housing for the Epic. The reception was overwhelming.

Unlike other offerings, it weighs only about 10 lbs, and about 20 (twenty) lbs ready to dive. By the looks of things even the twin camera, all titanium 3Deep will be lighter than the single camera Deep Epic.

Also, it is the ONLY housing that offers no distortions, no chromatic aberrations and resolves almost as much in the corners as Master Primes resolve in air. This has never been possible in the history of underwater motion pictures in any format, IMAX included.

The housing is rated to 60m and has twin LP ports allowing pressurisation and, when pressurised, there is no limit. Please note that most housings would destroy many lenses (including Master Primes) when pressurisaed. This is NOT the case with my housing.

Some Redusers contacted me by email and, after signing an NDA, received pictures and details prior to public announcement. One of the pictures is attached :wink5:

The new housing will be priced below that of the Gates' Deep Epic.

 

[Michael Hastings]

Yesterday we had a great meeting at Jim Hare's home studio where a few Redusers had an opportunity to see, hold and play my new housing for the Epic. The reception was overwhelming.

Unlike other offerings, it weighs only about 10 lbs, and about 20 (twenty) lbs ready to dive. By the looks of things even the twin camera, all titanium 3Deep will be lighter than the single camera Deep Epic.

Also, it is the ONLY housing that offers no distortions, no chromatic aberrations and resolves almost as much in the corners as Master Primes resolve in air. This has never been possible in the history of underwater motion pictures in any format, IMAX included.

The housing is rated to 60m and has twin LP ports allowing pressurisation and, when pressurised, there is no limit. Please note that most housings would destroy many lenses (including Master Primes) when pressurisaed. This is NOT the case with my housing.

Some Redusers contacted me by email and, after signing an NDA, received pictures and details prior to public announcement. One of the pictures is attached :wink5:

The new housing will be priced below that of the Gates' Deep Epic.

What is the displacement of the housing?

Why would a housing destroy a lens when pressurized?

Does the 10 lbs include the ports, handles, etc. ? Separate LCD case?

 

[Pawel Achtel]

What is the displacement of the housing?

about 9 Liters

And, if it is still too much, we can make it 6 Liters as a special order with external monitor or power.

Why would a housing destroy a lens when pressurized?

Because most lenses are sealed. I discussed this at length with engineers from Zeiss and they advised me that they can produce a custom Master Prime that would allow pressurisation. The extra cost was more than the housing....

Does the 10 lbs include the ports, handles, etc. ? Separate LCD case?

The housing accomodates the Epic, battery and an LCD. It is possible to have dual monitor with second monitor in an outside case.
The empty housing without camera, batteries or LCD is about 10 lbs. This includes titanium handles (there will be two models to chose from).

 

[Michael Hastings]

about 9 Liters

And, if it is still too much, we can make it 6 Liters as a special order with external monitor or power.


Because most lenses are sealed. I discussed this at length with engineers from Zeiss and they advised me that they can produce a custom Master Prime that would allow pressurisation. The extra cost was more than the housing....


The housing accomodates the Epic, battery and an LCD. It is possible to have dual monitor with second monitor in an outside case.
The empty housing without camera, batteries or LCD is about 10 lbs. This includes titanium handles (there will be two models to chose from).

I'm not sure why you want to pressurize since it is so easy to get much greater depths without pressurizing, but how do you pressurize the housing without having pressure get to the lens?

 

[Pawel Achtel]

The housing will probably operate safely even below 100m without pressurisation. 60m is the depth rating with a safety factor that we are comfortable with.

I can't wait to answer the second part of the question, I really do

 

[Jon Shaw]

I was there with Pawel last night and I must say that his lens solution is pretty amazing he has definitely thought outside the square. It is very compact and beautifully made, but as Pawel always says the results will be in the image that it produces so looking forward to seeing some footage

 

[Tom Hamilton]

Unlike other offerings, it weighs only about 10 lbs, and about 20 (twenty) lbs ready to dive.

Pawel,

I assume the above is for the 9-liter displacement housing? You mentioned a 6-liter displacement option, what does that weigh (housing, cineport, controls etc, minus epic/lens/battery/ssd). For lens planning purposes, what are the respective residual buoyancies of both of your offerings? Dimensions?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Pawel Achtel]

Pawel,

I assume the above is for the 9-liter displacement housing? You mentioned a 6-liter displacement option, what does that weigh (housing, cineport, controls etc, minus epic/lens/battery/ssd). For lens planning purposes, what are the respective residual buoyancies of both of your offerings? Dimensions?

Thanks,
Tom

Hi Tom,

Diameter of the housing ~180mm, length ~350mm. This accomodates the Epic, batteries (several options including full size V mount) and a monitor.

A shorter version (6 Liter displacement) would need to have either monitor or power supplied from the outside.

Either housing would be about 1 ~ 2 kg negatively buoyant. A BCD for perfect trim underwater or surface will be offered.

Neither uses a CinePort.

 

[John J Ellerbrock]

Good day,

I recently returned from 3 weeks in Raja Ampat / Ambon shooting DEEP EPIC. Some things to share:

· General. The housing performed flawlessly. I can honestly report not a single thing went wrong. And believe me, I try to break things.

· REDMOTE Controller works perfectly every time. So damn convenient with the magnetic retention. I also found the REDMOTE is unnecessary most of the time. Only needed to turn on the camera (which remembers all my settings) and shoot. When things like WB, media format or frame rate change is necessary, I turn on the REDMOTE briefly, then turn it off.

· Balance / Trim. ~2.5 lbs for the PE160 / Tokina 10-17. Other lenses required slight re-trim. Easy to change dynamically underwater.

· Controls. Using the housing is practically identical to DEEP RED. All controls handy, easy.

· Improvements. All the improvements over DEEP RED are nice, too. Internal wiring, for example, is tight and clean.

· Power / Media. EPIC powers up in 10 seconds. It was convenient to power down with no specific subject to shoot, then power up when needed. I never used more than ½ battery on a dive. Being a judicious shooter I could make the 128GB flash card last two dives as well. Sometimes three (both battery and flash card) if there we few subjects to shoot and / or conditions were not conducive (like shooting in a current or on a slope / wall – very difficult).

· REDCINE-X allows me to review and piece together clips on-site with a Dell laptop i7 processor 2xSSD drives. A bit slow to decode R3D files, but I’m not complaining.

· Lenses.

o Tokina 10-17. Love it. Wide and sharp nearly to the corners. 5KFF vignettes on the sides, so you must zoom past that.
o Nikon 16-85. Good workhorse for medium-close shotso
o Nikon 60 macro. Very sharp, but very narrow DOF.
o Nikon 12-24. Sharp center, gets soft off-center.

· Video is posted here. Keep in mind yours truly is an amateur at shooting and grading.

https://vimeo.com/37492950

J-

 

[John J Ellerbrock]

Related Note: The fantastic 'Gates Gang' is making good headway on the DEEP EPIC backlog. We're taking deposits for the next production lot.

J-