Seacam

We began our day at Seacam with Stephen Frink and the brand spankin’ new Seacam housing for the Canon EOS 1DC. In fact, the housing is so new that it is currently the only existing housing of its kind.

It was hand carried to the show by Seacam owner Harald Hordosch.

After the show, it will be returned to the Uk, where it will be used in the production of a Warner Brothers motion picture. Not only is this camera groundbreaking in that it is the first SLR form factor cameras dedicated to filming 4K video, but it is has also been selected by a Hollywood studio to create imagery that will be projected onto the ‘big screen”.

The Seacam housing has really well spaced controls and features a really slick multi direction selector for the camera’s multi-function dial control on the back of the housing. All in all a very groundbreaking system.

Stephen also showed us a new macro port that has a bevelled end which will allow it to fit into tighter spaces and allows for strobes to be dragged in tight against the port too.

He also showed us a new macro achromatic 10+ (in water) diopter. The glass is comprised of 2 elements and it press fits via an O ring spacer into a groove on the new macro port. There is a carrier available for it that mounts on Seacam strobe arms.

We also spent some time checking out the two new viewfinders as well as the new fisheye macro port for the Canon 8-15mm lens which has no sunshade to allow for circular fisheye at the 8mm end.

Watershot

Next we walked over to Watershot where Emily Miller and Jonathan Lorenzen walked us through their new products. The most exciting was the housing for the Sony QX10 and QX100 camera lenses.

Watershot now has housings available for both the iPhone 4 and 5 as well as the Galaxy S3 and S4.

Additionally, we were fascinated by the new Watershot/iDive housing for the iPad. Not only does the touch screen remain fully functional through the housing, but a small CO2 cartridge in the rear of the housing keeps the internal pressure depth compensated. We can’t wait to try this out.

Ultralight Control Systems

We visited Terry Shuller and Dave Reid on their stand.

Terry mentioned that they were currently redesigning their cage for the GoPro HERO cam, so that it is compatible with the new smaller HERO3+ housing.

In terms of other new products, the company’s current offerings allow for compatibility with all current products.

Equinox

Meeting up with Joe Vanbruggen of Equinox was fun as usual, even if his sneakers were definitely in need of a volume switch!.

Equinox’s housings fit all the mainstream consumer video and SLR cameras as we’ve come to expect as well. Joe mentioned that Sony has implemented a policy of only allowing the connection of HD monitors to their cameras live out feed.

We first checked out Equinox’s Action Camera trays (directed towards the GoPro user).

The trays can be configured in many different ways and start at a price point of $62. In addition to the trays Equinox has a host of small filters for GoPros and other compact cameras. These can be ordered to fit any camera thread size.

Next up were two Big Blue lights. The first was the AL900XWP. With a 120 degree beam angle, 900 lumen power and $169 price tag, this is a great little light. The second was the VL2500P. This light also has a 120 degree beam angle, but packs a 2500 lumen punch and comes in at $400.

Ikelite

Our last stop of the day was with Jean and John Brigham of Ikelite.

The first thing we checked out were the housings for the G16. The fiber optic version is priced at $550, while the TTL/electronic circuitry version is priced at $675. Ikelite sell their own versions of the fiber optic cable, and L type cables with the securing grommet from other suppliers will work too.

There are no plans to retro-fit fiber optic ports to existing models, and the company’s SLR housings do not have enough space in them to allow pop up flashes to operate.

Ikelite has released a simple tray and mount for GoPro cameras. It can be configured with many mounting options, including a handle that attaches on the bottom.

Next we started moving through the many housings they were offering on the floor this year. The Nikon D600 housing had an EV controller, O-Ring seal visible through the back of the port and access to all controls.

After that they showed us the housing for the Canon S120.

Priced at $325, this housing is very competitive. It also offers a 67 mm thread mount and fiber optic strobe control.

Next we checked out Manta, the fiber optic strobe. In addition to exposure compensation, this strobe has a guide number of 25. The color temperature is 6000°K. The strobe can “intelligently” determine the exposure mode of the camera triggering it, and will automatically adjust between manual and TTL modes for example.

The housing for the Canon 70D also had new standard features such as TTl circuitry and o-ring visible seals, The price point is $1600.

Once we had finished with the housings, we moved on to the Vega light. The light is considered a light multitool and runs at 2000 lumens. The factory sealed light runs at variable power settings.

Last up was a compact housing for the Canon EOS 100D/Rebel SL1. This features a convertible port that allows it to be switched from a dome to flat port. The camera’s size represents a realistic alternative to mirrorless options for weight conscious photographers, and Ikelite’s housing offering is also small and compact.

Page 1: Introduction and booth visits with Aquatica, Backscatter, GoPro, Subal and Aditec Page 2: Booth visits with Seacam, Ikelite, Watershot and Ultralite Control Systems Page 3. Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide DEMA imaging party Page 4. Booth visits with Gates, Reefnet, Nauticam, Acquapazza, MOLI, iTorch, Keldan, Fisheye, Zen, Olympus Page 5. Booth visits with XIT404, Light and Motion, BS Kinetics, DivePhotoPro, Hugyfot, Sea & Sea, Inon