Sony HVR-Z7, availability of Gates and Amphibico housings

[bottlefish]

Does anyone when Gates and/or Amphibco may be releasing a housing for the Sony HVR-Z7?

[Jon Shaw]

I don't believe they are a making a housing for it. They are doing the Ex series but not Z7.

They are also pretty busy with the 'DeepRed' project.

Jon

[The Publisher]

I just spoke with Amphibico yesterday and they confirmed they are working on a housing for the Z7.

I don't know if the Z7 does enough to warrant jettisoning my FX1 and housing...I wish the EX1 had a LANC system, that would be the ticket.

[Jon Shaw]

Unless you are going to change lenses a fair amount then I wouldn't change. Also I doubt whether housings will allow different lenses etc so you will just have the use of an all round lens. So you would have to do a fair amount of land work to justify it. And lets face the price of decent glass aint cheap.
If you want interchangable lenses for land just get a letus or redrock.

Go on change to GATES mate....then you can have the EX1 and 1/2" chips..

[The Publisher]

Well, for lenses it looks like I can jettison my color correction lens as Amphibico says if you w/b against their slight greenish hued slate, it will auto warm it. Then if I take out the 2nd flip arm, I now have room for the dual element Schneider/Century optics aspherical +3.5 diopter.

I did buy a Canon wide angle 72mm screw on conversion lens for land use.

I have to think the next big thing will be something along the lines of 1080p in a 3CCD or CMOS chip camera that is LANC controllable but maybe smaller than the FX1 a little bit and uses a memory card.

I really hate interlacing issues and so far I have not yet mastered deinterlacing. I wonder if the FX1 shoots in 720P.....

[bottlefish]

Amphibico came back to me to say that the Z7 housing should hopefully be available by mid summer. Gates have no plans for the Z7, quite surprised as there's a big market in the UK for the Z1, the Z7 seems to be the next logical step (hence my interest)...

When compared to the Z1, it's quite a step up in spec: lower light (1.5 lum), gain is from -6.5 to 21, HDMI and LANC, records to tape and Compact Flash and also the interchangeable lenses... I've not looked into the EX1 to any length, but perhaps a closer step towards?

[The Publisher]

The Z7 looks like a step above the FX1/Z1, a step below the EX1, but with a LANC system.

I like the memory card idea, especially after a dive boat porter accidentally dropped one of my HDV cassettes in the water that had some amazing macro footage on it, 99% of which didn't survive even though the cassette only filled 25%. I shook it out, dried the entire tape with Q tips, wiped the entire tape with Q-tips soaked in alcohol, re-dried it again, but only the ornate ghost pipefish footage survived....but hey, that was the most important part!

[David White]

Did you tip the porter?

[The Publisher]

Yes, with my boot....lol...actually, it was my fault for placing the cassette on the top of the housing in the camera room.

He well earned his tip by carrying my rebreather and videocam rig....I felt more bad for him than the tape......

I have never had a bad experience or attitude with any dive guides ever in the Phils....everyone has always been great.