Video Taping / Camera Housing

So ... I want to film sailing while on my cat (I have two) ... One of the boats will be trailing, while I'm flying a hull ...

Here's my dilemma ... I have a Pro-sumer Sony Cam Corder ... Looking for a relatively inexpensive housing to waterproof the cam ... Any recommendations?

All of the housings I have searched on the web appear to be more geared towards scuba diving ...

Any help is appreciated!

Cajun Surfer
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'73 Hobie 16 - Shrubbery
'81 Hobie 16 - Muna

They might have one here. You can ask.

http://www.helmetcamera.com/

Doug

I'm in the same boat! Housings are pricy!! We shot this video using a Sony HC3 with a plastic bag taped to the lens. I was worried the whole time, and the camera got splashed a few times, but seems fine. Let me know what you find.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... ey+regatta

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Sail Revolution
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You guys might check out Aquapac housings. They are cheaper than just about any other decent waterproof camera housing around. They are waterproof to about 15 ft. so dropping one overboard wont hurt it, especially since unlike underwater housings for dive cameras, these float.

(when diving, you do NOT want your camera to float away if you let go.)

They dont take up much room in a camera bag, either.

Anyhow, you might check em out at:

http://www.aquapac.net/usstore/erol.html#1379X0


Note: Ewa-marine has similar, better product cause its got an optical glass plate to shoot thru, but they are twice as expensive as the Aquapacs. Prices vary a lot with the camera type etc.

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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

I bought one of the Ewa Marine housing, and have only taken it out on the cat once.

One of the problems I found out right away is, that you HAVE to use manual focus, and just plan ahead for you focal lenght, as with auto focus. When you get water on the glass, the camera will try and near focus to the water dropplets, and everything else will be out of focus.

Unfortunately I just have not had another opportunity to take the cam out again.

Thanks for the info so far ... However, I'm trying to do this one on the cheap ... The helmet cam would be way cool though ...

Any home-grown solutions for less than $50?

Cajun

Re water on the glass, try rubbing it with liquid dishwashing soap before taking it out. It sheds the water. I have been using that on my underwater camera housing ( for a little Sony digital still) and it works great.

Build one for under $50? Sure. Go get the big heavy duty freezer bags, like Ziploc. Buy a container of Crystal Light drink mix ( I prefer the lemonades, pink or regular, or even the ice tea).

Dump the little packets of drink mix out and save the container. These containers are awesome for lots of stuff. Get a tube of silicone, like RTV. Have glass company cut you a circular piece of glass ( its cheap) that fits into that Crystal light tube. Cut the tube short, so its as close to the camera lens as you can get it. Cut a hole in the ziploc bag, and use the RTV and a thick rubber band to seal it to the Crystal Light tube.

Voila, splashproof housing, for $ 10.

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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

Thanks Canibul for the info ... Never thought about that approach ... I don't plan on submersion ... Just trying to avoid the spray from flying down the lake/ocean ...

I'm going to try that out ...

Cajun

Sure. Get the biggest toughest freezer ziploc you can find. You should be able to see, and access, all your camera controls thru the plastic.

You need to do something for an optical port, though. Shooting thru the plastic would suck.

And dont leave the camera sealed up in the bag longer than necessary. keep an eye out for condensation. Put a few paper towels in the bottom of the bag or something, and keep an eye on them. If you see condensation, open the bag and air it out. Or seal the bag in a low-humidity environment before you leave the house. airconditioned room. Squeeze the bag to get a lot of the air out. If you could pull a vaccum on it, even better. I think I would experiment with a soda straw to suck the air out right before sealing the last little bit.

Condensation, though, should be essentially distilled water. And contrary to popular belief, pure water does NOT conduct electricity.

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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

Instead of using plastic or cut glass, buy a lense filter from a camera store. Polarized filters cut glare and work really well for clean shots on the water.

yeah, thats a good idea. I usually buy a UV-1A filter same time as I buy a camera. It typically stays on the lens its whole life.

Was trying to keep it cheap. If the lens sticks out away from the camera, you could just secure the bag to the lens barrel. If its one of them tiny little cams, the tube and glass idea will work.

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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

A little rice in the bottom of the bag would help with the condensation.

Yeah, rice is a good idea as a dessicant. down here in the humid tropics its common to put rice in salt shakers for just that purpose. It absorbs moisture and is cheap. Might want to put it in the toe of an old sock or something so the little grains dont find their way into someplace they shouldnt be.

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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/

Another way to go about it may be a water proof helmet cam with a simple (inexpensive) waterproof enclosure for your camcoder or recording device.

I have developed this new website and the next system I'm testing is completely waterproof - I hope to have it and the Mid Winters west... along with my usual radio controlled aerial photography rig.

For the helmet cam review stuff: http://www.helmetcamreview.com

For aerial video of Hobie cat stuff:
http://media.putfile.com/Hobie-Cat-sail ... nters-West
http://www.foamandfusion.com/VideoClips ... Marina.mpg
http://www.foamandfusion.com/VideoClips ... pBuzz1.mpg
http://www.foamandfusion.com/VideoClips ... tumble.mpg

Have fun!

I always use RAIN-X on my lens (casing glass) and even on my sunglasses to reduce the chance of water drops sticking.

B