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LKunze · 03-28-2003, 09:09 PM,

Joel, bummer...you win some and you lose some with Ebay. I bought a DUI drysuit off of Ebay last year and had to return it because it leaked in three places. Oh well, it was worth a try. :-\

igotoofar · 03-28-2003, 09:15 PM,

Major Bummer, That looked like a decent item in the photos.

Hopefully you can get it worked out.

tbrown · 03-28-2003, 10:24 PM,

Joel, how extensive is extensive? I mean can any of it be salvaged, or are you going to be at the mercy of the UPS insurance carrier.

JoelW · 03-29-2003, 09:09 AM,

It is extensive enough that there is no image through the viewfinder when in camera mode and on standby. There is no lens cover so it can't be that. The external LCD doesn't power up, even when hooked up to another video source and the controls on the housing, electronic, don't operate the camera. Pretty much a fatality. The camera is old enough that getting parts will be difficult at best.

I guess we'll find out. The guy I bought it from seems nice enough. He said everything powered up before shipping. If things don't work out the setup goes back into the mail and we take it from there.

Joel

**freedivernd** · 03-29-2003, 09:44 AM,

that's too bad Joel.. I was looking forward to seeing how the underwater videos turn out in the minnesota waters. I, too, have been looking into housings but wholly cow they are expensive for a box made out of acrylic. Bad thing for me is not many housings are compatible with my camera.. It's like I've heard before (after I bought my camera).. check into housings and then by the camera. Good luck with e-bay situation. I've ordered many things from e-bay and the only thing that wasn't as stated was the regs I bought... I think most folks are great to deal with.
Fred

JoelW · 03-29-2003, 10:56 AM,

Fred,

I would expect that I will have a system before too long. The housings I have been looking at are made by Equinox. They will fit just about anybody since they use mechanical controls.

For cameras I am not necessarily going to be looking for stunning image quality like what you get from a TRV-950. I have an old TR95 that doesn't get used much because it is bulky. I would like to find one of the palm size camcorders like the Sony PC120 or the Canon Optura 200MC. A small camera I can put in a fanny pack and take with me just about anywhere. It would appear that my timing may be good. I spoke with Equinox this morning and they mentioned that they are working Beneath The Sea this weekend and that the housings are on sale and they might have a better price on a camera than I can get anywhere else. Since they are out of Michigan at least they understand what the water conditions are like in this part of the country.

Joel

**freedivernd** · 03-29-2003, 11:31 AM,

I e-mailed Equinox for info.. I found my TRV130 listed on their site but v. little info on the housing for it. I had to request a price as they weren't posted. Still looks like expensive rigs. I guess it's all relative.. but right now $800+ for a vid housing looks expensive.
Fred

JoelW · 04-04-2003, 07:40 PM,

Looks like things are moving in the right direction. UPS picked up the video system and since it was insured will determine the resolution when they inspect the system.

In the meantime I decided that buying used was not going to be worth the hassle and ordered a Canon Optura 200MC from Buydig.com and an Equinox Pro-Pak 6SPC housing.

I will be doing video this summer.

Joel

**freedivernd** · 04-04-2003, 08:20 PM,

Hey Joel, one extreme to the other.. sweet package. I just did a check on the 200MC and it sounds like it'll take great stills too. Nice. $$$ ouch. But, no pain, no gain.
Fred

JoelW · 04-13-2003, 05:50 PM,

Okay, I will start out by saying that I have a bit to go to do decent videography. But, the video I took yesterday was fun to look at today. It ain't great, but I can look at it and remember what was going on when I took it.

I shot some video of other divers (GP, Jason and Scott) and some of the fry that were swimming around. I came to the conclusion that wide angle isn't for all shooting. The images of the divers came out great, the fishies were a little hard to see. I need to work on the zoom a bit. I also determined that I am going to get another control put on the housing, manual/auto focus. I set it up on manual focus at about 12 inches with full wide angle so that I wouldn't have to worry about the focus wandering due to the stuff floating in the water. Having the extra control would be nice so that I can use auto when things are clear and the click to manual if I get too much wandering.

On the first dive I found that aiming over the housing takes a bit of practice. The video shows a lot of water with a sliver of lake bottom at the bottom edge of the screen. The second dive was better.

One thing about the setup is that that there is not an external mic for the housing. The camera still picked up my breathing very clearly.

My first video may not be great, but I had a heck of a good time taking it.

JoelW