Vintage Light & Motion Stingray and Sony Hi8 Camera

[Gdaaym8z]

Ok, so I was going through our storage unit and came across a bit of a relic. I found mid-90's Light & Motion Stingray camera housing with HID floods and an LCD backplate.....along with quite a few other goodies....lenses etc.

I am wondering if I can use this housing with an updated camera. If it seems like it would be too expesive or just a pain, I think I'd like to sell this entire kit. (Includes everthing pictured plus a plastic hard case. The batteries will all need to be replaced for the camera as well as the video lights)

Any recomendations or ideas are greatly appreciated. Also, any offers for purchase will be considered.

Please email directly to gdaaym8z@gmail.com

 

[diversteve]

Two things have changed in recent years.

One is that Sony relocated the lens on most of their camera line to sort of mid-top center around 2003/4. Your housing has an offset port since your camera's is closer to top left - so was my old Hi-8 camera. The center of a new camera lens has to center in the port or you'll get vignetting or other aberrations. Since the newer cameras are physically a lot smaller, it might be possible to add some sort of adapter to move it higher in the housing but I doubt it - I think the top of the new camera will hit the top of the housing first.

Two is that no Sony camera's currently use LANC for control - all now use the Multi A/V port. So if you wanted to use your housing with a new HD/SD camera you'd have to buy an adapter. Something like this might work: Sony LANC Adapter Cable - AV/R LANC 10 pin Adapter Cable 2.5 mm to D connector Video Audio Assuming L&M's LANC controller in your housing can drive a modern camera. IIRC they do upgrade circuit boards as needed.

The monitor should still work, even the lowest end model has composite out. Which is a good thing since many Sony cameras don't have a viewfinder anymore. You might want to change the o-rings also. W.W. Grainger would probably have them - they're on 44th/Broadway.

Personally I'd sell it. I'm fairly certain you can get the camera battery on eBay - there's always CCD-TR series and newer batteries for sale there.

 

[Gdaaym8z]

Thanks for all of the great info. I think I am going to get it listed and try and sell it.