using auto focus with video

[shmuggy]

I am in Little Cayman right now and having terrible problems with my underwater housing. Everything is green tinged or down right green. The housing people say I need to take the video off of autofocus- but there is no way to focus the camera using the outside buttons. They say that using auto focus is not done underwater and that I should use a supplied macro lens. Well I did use the macro lens and the green was gone but there was no focus. Can someone tell me if I am wrong. I used a JVC camera in an Ikelite and never had this problem.

Desperate!

 

[drbill]

Interesting. I've never heard the green tinge attributed to autofocus before. I use autofocus most of the time, even in the sometimes murky waters of SoCal. As long as my subjects are properly lit, I see no problem. However, my Sony HC-7 camcorder always produces very green video so maybe I should try it on manual focus and see if anything changes.

I assume you have no way to manually white balance with your rig?

 

[diversteve]

In Little Cayman I would think the problem would be too much blue.

Do you have a blue correcting red filter for the camera or housing?

What camera/housing is it?

 

[shmuggy]

In Little Cayman I would think the problem would be too much blue.

Do you have a blue correcting red filter for the camera or housing?

What camera/housing is it?

It is an Equinox HD 6 with a Sony HDR CX550. I am using the color correction filter and have tried the HD and STD format. I have no way to use the manual focus on my video- there is not control for it and I don't think it makes sense anyway. Why buy a Sony and not use the auto focus- especially underwater.

I think the problem is that the camera lens is too far from the housing lens which is domed. So the camera is in a black tube where the image is being recorded by the lens.

I had a JVC video and Ikelite since 2001 and never had this problem. I am just a point and shoot gal and then I like to pull stills off the video.

If you are interested, I will send you the responses I got from Equinox. Do they ahve a good reputation?

Sue

 

[shmuggy]

Interesting. I've never heard the green tinge attributed to autofocus before. I use autofocus most of the time, even in the sometimes murky waters of SoCal. As long as my subjects are properly lit, I see no problem. However, my Sony HC-7 camcorder always produces very green video so maybe I should try it on manual focus and see if anything changes.

I assume you have no way to manually white balance with your rig?

I do not have a control to manually focus. I am a very basic video person- I don't really know what white balance is and never had to with my old Ikelite housing and 2001 JVC camcorder.

The green problem only occurs in the housing. At all depths and more so when there is less natural light.

 

[diversteve]

Do you have the external push-on filter? It's the bluewater filter not the greenwater filter right?

IDK how to tell the difference on the Equinox filters. Without both in front of you it would be difficult.

It doesn't sound like the port is your problem. If the camera was seeing it, you'd get vignetting - a black ring - around the outside of the frame. Unless there's some bizarre internal reflection from the port seeing the back side of the filter. But that seems like a stretch - and others before you would have likely had that happen.

I do agree that auto-focus doesn't seem to be part of the problem. I shoot a/f pretty often and never noticed any green.

What happens if you zoom out about 20-30%?

Or shoot w/o the red filter? Is it still green or now too blue?

IDK much about Equinox other than reading the few posts here and what's on their website.

 

[shmuggy]

I shot w/o auto focus today and that didn't work so on the second dive, I pulled the filter off several times and there is hardly any difference in the color effect. I wonder if it is a problem with the filter but have no way of figuring that out. But I would think that pulling off the filter would normally rpoduce a very noticeable effect. Meanwhile the housing company Equinox is no longer responding to my emails now that I tried shooting their way with bad results.

Looks like somehting aI am going to have to really pursue when I get back home.

Sue

 

[sharksdelight]

I can't imagine buying a housing that would not allow you to manually focus or white balance. It just doesn't make sense to me. If you want to have a shot ruined, especially wide angle shots or into the blue, shoot in auto focus and your iris won't know what to do. Except for some super macro instances, I always shoot in manual.

That said, as Dr. Bill replied, a greenish tinge to your footage has nothing to do with your focus and I am at a loss to say what would. Now Dr.Bill's complaint about always having green footage is because he only dives in green water (I guess the Catalina waters sometimes has a little blue in it) Never the less, even the cheapest housings I know of do not add color. They may add vignetting or have soft focus, may not be able to WB or provide manual focus or exposure controls, but they don't add color. Are you using video lights? If not, you really should especially for medium and close up shots.

Steve

 

[shmuggy]

I have tried it with and without the red filter. It is better without it but only marginally so and of course, I lose all the reds and oranges doing this and the blue is too blue.

Equinox has told me I need to use their wide angle lens that doesn't focus and wait for the critters to get at 20 feet away and then it will be in focus.

I am getting black corners on some video .

Wish me luyck.
Sue

I am going to demand they undo the transaction but I am not optimisitc that they will do the right thing. I think the camera I am using is not compatible with their domed port.

 

[shmuggy]

I think the dome port is just not compatible with my camera.

I did try it without the auto focus and predictably the results were a blur. Their last post to me was that I would only get focussed video at a distance of 20 feet- I guess I have to tell the turles and fish, etc to stop in their tracks and pose for me .

I am hoping that they will do the right thing and take it back. Wish me luck.

Sue