DeepX housing inventor Pawel Achtel has announced the release of the 3Deep housing. This houses two RED EPIC cameras to give a stereoscopic 3D image. Like the DeepX housing, the 3Deep uses (in its case, two) Nikonos underwater lenses in place of lens ports which, its inventor claims, removes the chromatic aberration and distortion that comes from using two flat ports side-by-side.

Availability and pricing for the 3Deep are still to be announced.

Aussie invention brings new dimension to underwater films.

Imagine seeing the richness of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef floating before your eyes in your own living room. With the latest creation of Aussie inventor and film-maker, Pawel Achtel, that dream moves one step closer.

Following the recent, successful launch of his new type of underwater housing, the “DeepX”, which did away with most of the usual paraphernalia associated with filming underwater, Aussie inventor and film-maker, Pawel Achtel, is now launching a new 3D system, the “3Deep”. And, in three dimensions, the results are nothing short of revolutionary. Up until now, filming 3D underwater has involved large, cumbersome and expensive equipment and images dramatically degraded by the underwater housings available.

Most current underwater 3D rigs use flat, glass ports in front of the lenses, instead of optically superior dome ports, because they need to minimize the inter-axial distance between two cameras. These cameras can either be mounted side by side or, in an even more cumbersome configuration, one camera can be mounted above the other with a beam splitter to record two images at the same time, as used on the recent IMAX film “The Last Reef 3D”.

The resultant chromatic aberrations and distortions degrade the image to less than standard definition quality, irrespective of the recording format. They also make it difficult for the human brain to match the two 3D images without causing eye strain or even headaches.

Achtel’s new underwater housing system does away with ports altogether. It uses Nikonos lenses designed expressly for underwater use, with no extra plastic or glass in front of them. As a result it’s the first 3D camera system that produces underwater images truly sharp enough for the biggest cinema screens in the world.

3Deep makes use of “Red” cameras, made by the US company that has itself led a revolution in the world of film-making over the past decade and adopted by such film-makers as “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson for his upcoming “Hobbit” movie.

In the underwater world, “3Deep” promises a revolution of its own. 3Deep is available for purchase from Band Pro in US and Europe.

For more information, please see the inventor’s website at www.achtel.com