Water/Splash Housing question

[Larry Gebhardt]

Hi gang...I am modifying a splash housing I built several years ago for film cameras (Arri 2C, Photo-Sonics 4ML, etc.) to accommodate my RED One. Question to you guys who have built / used U/W housings...how do you handle the heat build up in the housing? My camera gets very hot out in the open...can't imagine how hot it would get inside an enclosed space...especially shooting in the tropics.

Do you use those re-freezable ice packs draped over the top of the camera? I'm trying to keep the weight to a minimum to be able to use the rig on jibs, etc.

Thanks for any advice.

Larry

 

[Anthony S. Lenzo]

The ideal solution is to have in air intake valve and an air exhaust valve on your splashbag system. This is what we have incorporated into our design. It helps release heated air that has been exhausted by the camera. An ideal situation would be to allow it to purge the hot air as much as possible. However, while shooting- this may not be the ideal situation for sound. Purge whenever possible. A scuba tank with a low pressure inflator hose attached to the intake valve is a good supply source. If you use cold packs on the camera, you may increase your chances of fogging internally. Try to stick with the fresh air supply. To help eliminate fog, pump nitrogen into the splashbag.

 

[Larry Gebhardt]

Thanks Anthony. I appreciate your reply, and I know you guys have great stuff (I have used some in the past). However, in my case I am looking for the least encumbering rig I can come up with, and the housing trailing a scuba tank, even a small pony tank would severely limit the energy that I could get this rig into. I was asking those who have developed underwater housings how they combated the heat build up...would the cold packs work even if for a short time. I don't think they would cause internal condensation as they are not adding any more moisture, and we normally purge the housings we have with helium (available at party supply stores) when shooting in cold water anyway.

So, I guess I will ask again...there are several U/W guys on the forum...how do you guys do it? (handle the heat from the camera when underwater)

Thanks again...and thanks Anthony, I appreciate your remarks...your splash housing looks great, just a bit big for our style shooting.

Larry

 

[Tom Lowe]

Larry, if none of the U/W guys show up here, and if you are brave enough to dip your toes into the Underwater Bubble Blowin' thread, they could probably help...

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=562

Careful, though, that thread is rougher than the Mos Eisley Cantina..

 

[davidtorres]

Amphibico for red one ?

Amphibico for red one ?

The ideal solution is to have in air intake valve and an air exhaust valve on your splashbag system. This is what we have incorporated into our design. It helps release heated air that has been exhausted by the camera. An ideal situation would be to allow it to purge the hot air as much as possible. However, while shooting- this may not be the ideal situation for sound. Purge whenever possible. A scuba tank with a low pressure inflator hose attached to the intake valve is a good supply source. If you use cold packs on the camera, you may increase your chances of fogging internally. Try to stick with the fresh air supply. To help eliminate fog, pump nitrogen into the splashbag.

Hola Anthony I'm David Torres from Mexico I ask if now amphibico is working in a housing for Red and around when ASL will be ready T-Bag.

AL Thanks and I hope you are fine

 

[Mitch Gross]

If the entire rig is underwater and the ambient temp. of the water is low enough, then the housing will act as a big heat sinc and you will have no issues. We had a Phantom in an underwater housing in Tahiti for very long stretches and that camera gets just as hot as the RED and there were no problems. And Tahitian water is pretty warm.

Of course, a heated swimming pool or using this as a splash/surf rig negates all the above.

 

[Michael Hastings]

What Mitch said.

So far we haven't had a big problem with either the aluminum housing or the PVC with aluminum frontplate - 17 or so housings in the field. If it is needed, we also have some more options for cooling/conveying the heat with the hard housings than the splashbag type - either with heatsink/circulation or gas exchange since we can mount things (hardware or gas tanks) easier.

 

[Larry Gebhardt]

Thanks a lot, guys. I was away from the forum for a few days...just now saw that all of you posted:

Tom...it can't be rougher than that other forum that we hang out on. No PR, KW , etc. Haha!

Mitch...thanks for the info on the Phantom housing. I have been thinking about the possibility of using some kind of heat transfer device to get the heat to the outside water...I do think that I want to use a bag vs a hard shell to keep the weight down. The housing will also be used with my Photo-Sonics 4ML high speed 35mm camera, so it will do double duty and the 4ML weighs a lot (20 lbs with 200' mag)...thus the need to keep the housing weight down for in the water hand held stuff. It is encouraging that the water in Tahiti worked as it is pretty warm (I worked in Bora Bora shooting some Jet Ski product stuff a while ago).

By the way...the project that I talked with you about several months ago didn't happen (Phantom shooting bullet) Insurance was impossible to get, but thanks for the help at the time. I will be interested in how the V-12 activity goes.

AquaVideo...Thanks also for your input...as with Mitch's, suggestion...I will probably design a heat exchange sysem of some sort...I apprecialte your relating your experience with your housings. Already 17 in the field? Great for the camera to have so much capability out there.

Incidentally, the reason that I am doing all of this (instead of just using some else's design) is that on my housing/splash bag, I have a built in spin-deflector device that keeps the lens clear when splashed...I shoot a lot of in-the -water boat stuff and it makes all the difference.

Thanks a lot everyone, I appreciate it and have gotten some good ideas just from your relating your experiences.

Larry