Sony HC7 or HC9

[scubasteve1950]

Anyone with experience with using the Sony HC7 or HC9 have any suggestions for me. I have just purchased a HC9 and I am on my way to Belize. I am using an IKELITE Housing.

Thanks for your help

[The Publisher]

Steve,

Welcome to the SMN Community.

I don't have that particular. What I can tell you though is turn off the image stabilization anytime there will be movement in the subject or the scene or it will get blurry.

[scubasteve1950]

Thanks

The manual for my Ikelite also said to turn off the image stabilization. Wasn't sure why. I would have thought it would have helped.

[The Publisher]

If the subject does not move, nor do you pan the videocam, yes, it helps....but we all are shooting moving subjects from us moving along a reef, a moving critter, or slowly panning the videocam from one side to another, image stabilization kills the shot by blurring it.

[lars2923]

I will have to check my Sony HDR-HC3 for that feature.
I do notice that when I pan L or R, it blurrs...

Interesting... Any more good tips...?

[ljj]

infinity infinity infinity...



they have pretty sensitive autofocus (well, at least the HC-5 does) and the 'searching' will botch a pretty shot of a pan across subject matter.

[scubasteve1950]

I will try setting it to infinity.. Haven't played around with that yet. I have tried thr Tele Marco.. At least on Land I have... I like that. But I am not sure how it will work in the water.

Have you tried using the MWB? Everything I have read says that you need to redo it every 10 feet...

[The Publisher]

The Sony telemacro lens system is AWESOME underwater! I wish my FX1 had that feature....

[ljj]

I use big lights that closely resemble daylight, so unless monkey diving WB is rarely something I even think about...

In all honesty, I see more buttons to push underwater a liability. To me they just mean more things to touch or get bumped to screw up your video

Good technique will serve you better than 47 different widgets to mess with

White balance issues I can fix post production

[lars2923]

I found I like the Macro much better..
I'm a face in the reef diver.. (I'm careful on my buoyancy)
to find those little critters most divers fly by.
I think I posted some of those pics in one of the rooms here.
(I say Pic, it's actually screen captures from the video)

OK, I guess it's time to begin 'reading' the manual.. lol
RTFM, right!?

Thanx,