lost equipment and need to replace - advice please!

[scubakat7]

Hi
I’ve been using my trusted Amphibico Navigator 900 (manual with electronic arm)/ Sony TRV 900 for seven years now. Unfortunately I lost them to the depths in the Red Sea last week and need a replacement.

What would you recommend? What are today’s equivalents?

I’d like a proconsumer mini DV camera and a lightweight housing with manual white balance if possible. I don’t know where to start as there’s so much to choose from and it’s so difficult as I totally loved the set up I had.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[pablops]

I just posted a complete AVCHD kit for $1795, if that interests you. It's for the Sony SR1 HD camera. Everything needed is in it except the camera (I'll sell that for another $500 is someone wants my slightly used one v. buying their own new one).

PabloPS
Paul Sharp
801-463-7940

 

[justin-branam]

not trying to take business from Pablo, but i am trying to get business for myself i just posted a setup for sale. It is a Canon HV10 HD setup including camera, housing, 2 WA lenses, pelican case, 40 watts of Niterider HID lighting and a few various other things for $2600. Available without the lighting for $1300. Camera and housing only for $1000.

AD INFO HERE

Also you may have better luck getting advice posting this in the general video forum rather than the classifieds section.

 

[diversteve]

Where to start? Define proconsumer.

I define it currently as 1 chip HDV (under $1500US). Given that, Amphibico has a full line of EVO Elite electronic housings for most HDV/AVCHD cameras Sony sells. All of them have various port options and rear-mounted monitors. None of them do MWB. For that you'll need to look at either Light & Motion's Bluefin - for specific camera models only - or the Gates HC7/HC9 housing. On your side of the pond, Aditech sells a Sony housing that electronically does MWB - afaik it's the only one in the world that does - even the L&M uses a pushrod. If you can live without MWB, another option might be the L&M Stingray HD.

Another consideration not available 7 years ago is the new media choices, either HDD (hard disk drive) or solid state on a variety of proprietary (Sony) and less proprietary formats (SDHC) used by Canon, JVC and others. All of these record in AVCHD which until recently meant slightly lower quality, but the latest Canon models record at 24MBPS - the same as tape based HDV models. I've seen mechanical housings for Canon, Panasonic and (I think) some JVC models. Mostly from Equinox.

One consideration about HDV/AVCHD is that they have greater computer system and storage requirements than MiniDV. 1CMOS HDV models typically won't be as good in low-light as your 900 either. But they look stunning on an HDTV.

fwiw, I shoot an EVO, it's built like a tank. No problems in 3 years.

Of course if you want to stay with MiniDV there's this option: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/videography-marketplace/253907-light-motion-bluefin-950-a.html