Amphibico

HDV housings have been available for some time now, and have opened up the underwater world in high definition to the masses. Although HDV is not quite up there with a $200,000 US HD camera, it's certainly not 20 times as bad, and is certainly much cheaper and it's better quality than regular mini DV. HDV is 1080/1440i with true 16.9 resolution video footage being compressed to 25mbps mpeg (m2t) format, onto normal mini dv tapes. True HD records the data at over 120mbps. However, even though these smaller cameras compress the data considerably more, they still provide a stunning image when viewed on a full resolution display. You can shoot in HDV, down convert "in camera" to normal mini DV and then out to a computer and edit like any other DV camera, OR import as HDV and edit in HDV.

 

It is quite possible that I have spent more time under the water with this housing than anybody in any other ocean! I was one of the first in Australia to receive my HDV housing back in 2005. Since then I have filmed subjects from tiny Nudibranchs right up to massive Manta Rays and Whale Sharks for professional documentaryl film crews TV crews including the BBC and National Geographic. Even though the housing is a 'lump' on land, once in the water it is well balanced and easy to use. The housing (like most new products) had a few annoying problems (such as slight vignetting), however I am happy to report that Amphibico listened to their customers concerns and applied themselves to come up with solutions. The result of this committment is a wonderful underwater housing. I must also add that I do not work for Amphibico, however the company did request that I provide my thoughts on the housing. This was due to me being a heavy user of the housing and my contribution to providing an alternative method to manually white balance the camera. This consisted of a simple modification, which is now on offer to purchase to all Phenom owners if they wish to use it.

The housing is very well built having numerous controls and features. I have provided a detailed description tof each of these, along with performance ratings and some tips on shooting with it. Amphibico have also released new ports, macro diopters and an optional mechanical white balance bracket which will be covered as well. The housing can be set to full auto, however manual control will allow the the best quality.

The Amphibico Phenom
The Housing's housing!

 

 

Construction:
The housing is solid and the double oring back door swings on some rather solid looking hinges, locked into position by two normal Amphibico latches. It is powder coated and should take the knocks and bumps over many years of solid work. Underneath, there are six adjustable lead weights and, while the housing is a bit of an effort to use out of the water, once in the water it is balanced sitting perfectly horizontal in the water and slightly negative. It was somewhat strange to tip it upside down only to find it would right itself to that horizontal level position.
 

 

Big Solid Back Double Oring Door

Perfectly Balanced

Adjustable Lead Weights

 

 

Placing the camera inside the housing:
The camera sits on a bottom tray that slides into the back of the housing, and an over center type latch is pushed to one side to lock the tray in place. Replacing tapes is easy, requiring the operator to simply slide the tray out a small way to eject the tape.
Plug the wires in
Easy in and out of housing with simple lock lever
Camera on the sliding tray
Hydro phone:  
The housing has a built in hydrophone that picks up sounds such as whales from considerable distances, along with all the other cracks and pops from the reef. You can even pick up divers voices if they are capable of coherant vocal speech sounds. Once the camera is inside the housing, turn it on and close the double oring back door. It also has a wet alarm that is powered by the camera's battery, which will make all the led's flash red on the handgrips if any water gets in.
Hydro phone

 

Turning Off and On:
  
To turn the camera on, push the trigger buttons on either handle. To turn off the camera, push and hold the OFF button down (found on the left side of the housing) for a few seconds and camera will shut down.
  
Press the OFF button and the camera shuts down
 
Press the left or right trigger button to turn it on
Waking The Camera Up:

One feature that both the FX1 and Z1 HDV cameras have in common is turning off after 5 min of inactivity. The camera shuts down and goes to sleep saving you wearing out the tape and head while on standby. The camera is still operating but if you hit record while in this mode, it will take up to 10 seconds to spin the head back up and to start recording- missing out on the action happening in front of you. To get around this, if the camera has gone to sleep mode you can hit both trigger buttons and it will wake it up again and is ready to record the instant you push record. I have used it many times to be in anticipation of a photo opportunity.

Exposure Control:
Most HDV cameras shoot slightly hot. It is the same underwater and having access to manual exposure is important for certain shots. Using the Phenom you can go from auto to manual control by simply pushing the IRIS button, which you can reach with your finger without having to look for it or letting go of the hand piece. Once on manual you have a wheel you can turn just in front of the left hand piece. You can even set the direction you prefer on the camera.
  
 
 
 

 
Iris wheel on the left side of the housings
Gain Boost:
Gain boost can be accessed right beside the IRIS button- again without looking for it or letting go of the hand piece. It is there to help you get better results in low light, however set it to "high" and it will make the picture grainy. Generally setting it to zero is best, however you can go to 3 or 6 and still get a nice picture. For example, lets say you are shooting in low light and want to bring up the f stop. Push the gain button and it will go to the preset of 3 or 6 (whichever you have set up in the menu). Then you will find you can increase the f stop slightly to give you more depth of field (focus length area and sharper picture).
Press the iris button for manual or auto mode  
   
Shutter:
The shutter button is right beside the IRIS and GAIN buttons. On a PAL cameras it is best to leave it on 50, and preferrably 60 shutter speed for NTSC cameras. Once you set the shutter to manual mode you simple turn the knob located on the back door to spin the shutter up or down. You sometimes need to go to a higher shutter speed if you are close to the surface and/or have to much light still even though the iris is set to max (fstop 11).
ND filter:
Shutter speed wheel
Located just behind the exposure wheel is the ND control. If there is too much light coming in, instead of spinning up you shutter, you can put the camera's ND filter on. This is done by pushing the wheel in and turing it to set the camera's ND filter to 1 or 2 position.
 
Focus:
  
The housing has three ways to focus and it can be set to auto or manual modes while diving. Auto is set by holding the left trigger button and at the same time pressing the focus button on the right handpiece. To get it back to manual just repeat that step. There is also a push to focus button on the right handpiece and a neat vary focus wheel on the left handpiece. The zoom wheel does take a bit of practice to get used to, so generally the push to focus is the best way, allowing the camera go to auto and locking once you release it.
Push to focus button
Vary focus wheel and left trigger button

 

 

Zoom:
  
Located on the right handpiece is a neat vary zoom wheel. This is great for zooming in and out. It can be used with just your thumb, never having to let go of the right hand piece or taking you eye away form the view finder to locate it. You can also zoom the camera in with the two buttons on the right handpiece. By holding the left trigger button in when pushing on the zoom buttons it will slow the zoom speed down. Works a treat.
Vary zoom wheel and right trigger button
Vary zoom & focus wheels easy to use

 

LCD Screen:

This screen has to be one of the best things about the housing and I use it all the time. I personally think all housings should have this most convenient feature. The camera's high res screen gives a great picture and it saves the operator having to bolt on an external monitor. It's great to be holding the camera underneath you or side on while you are diving and it's perfect for filmingWhale Sharks and Manta Rays while snorkeling. 10 out of 10.
Be prepared to shoot different with the LCD
LCD use lets you hold the housing under you  
 
I also made a lens shade to not only protect the LCD from the sun, but it can also be moved to cut out the glare caused by the sun on certain shots. There is also a prism that can be purchased from Amphibico to bolt on, giving the operator a view to the LCD screen better from behind the housing. .See www.amphibico.com for more details.
Easy one hand operation using the LCD  
Amphibico's prism for the LCD
LCD and my custom LCD shade/protector

 

 

Viewfinder:  
The viewfinder is big- giving the operator a great sharp picture. It can also be adjusted for different users eye-strength by adjusting the wheel located inside the back door. Make sure that the sun is not shinning into the view finder once out of the water or you may find the camera's view finder may be damaged by the magnified sun rays. Put the cover back on ASAP when exiting the water.
Inside the back door adjustable focus wheel
Nice big viewfinder

 

White Balance:  

White balance can be achieved in more than one way. By pushing When using the electronic white balance (EWB) button on the right handpiece, it takes the camera about 20 seconds to get a lock then it takes a few more seconds after that for each new balance. To get back to the original setting, just push the left handpiece trigger button and the WB button on the right handpiece. Interestingly, the camera will EWB at even 25 meters using this method without any URPRO colour filter and it will balance to exactly like it is down there.

 

  
Easy to install manual white balance modification bracket
Electronic white balance button
To get more control of the colour, I made a manual white balance (MWB) modification that mechanically pushes in the camera's WB button. This allows the operator to blue the water up if it is a bit green, along with more vibrant, contrasting colors than what the eye sees down there. You do have to have the URPRO filter in place to achieve this at depth though. Amphibico have also produced a bracket that can be purchased, also providing access to the camera's MWB button, however you do have to give up access to the camera's ND filters. This means that instead of turning on a ND filter when it gets to much light you instead just speed the shutter up so it can deal with all the extra light, as you would at the surface.
   
 
ND filter control is now a push to MWB button

An example of this is filming Whale Sharks near the surface. I would adjust the the shutter to 100 (PAL) (120 NTSC), which would give you an f stop of around f8 to f11, and, if right at the surface shooting through the housing, spin the shutter up to approx.300 . If the shutter is adjusted to auto, then this would not apply.

*Note: Make sure that the camera is switched on, as once in the housing the operator is unable to EWB the camera. If you use the EWB method you will need to reboot the camera to use the MWB method (which can easily be done underwater).

Manual White Balance Bracket:

Part number is 064-4617 MANUAL WB BRACKET KIT @ $35.00US MSRP
(Please note that in undertaking this modification, you are trading the ND function for manual WB.)
Manual white balance can give you more colour control

 

Reviewing Footage:
  
While underwater the operator can push the MODE button, which will place the camera into VTR mode and you can then rewind/forward etc and view your footage immediately. You also have access to end tape search when you are finished and then, once the tape is cued up again, push the MODE button once and it will go back to camera mode to continue filming. *Note: If you film right to the very end of the tape you cannot get into VTR mode without having to take the camera out of the housing.
 
 
Push the mode button to toggle between VTR & camera mode.
Review controls while underwater

 

Light Controls:
If you have Amphibico lights you can turn them off and on with the buttons located on the left handpiece.
Back Lit Button:
  
If you are shooting on full auto you can push the BACKLIT button to expose dark subjects that are located in bright backgrounds areas.
Menu:
  
The camera's menu can be accessed by pushing the MENU button on the housing, then using the push wheel at the back of the housing to navigate allowing the operator to change settings. For macro it is best to have the image stabilizer set to "hard" and when shooting normal to wide have it set to "soft".

 

 

94 Degree Lens:
  
The lens that comes with the housing is a full 100% zoom through 94 degree dome lens. When viewing the footage on a computer or full 100 pixel display you do get slight vignetting in the four corners, however you cannot see this when filming though the viewfinder, LCD or on a normal TV screen due to over scan. To get around this, the operator can simply zoom in a fraction maintaining an 84 degree FOV (field of view). Following some concern from their customers, Amphibico have modified the lens to get rid of the vignetting now allowing the full 94 degree FOV. All current users can send in their lens to undergo modification for $200 US + shipping.

This involves a complete disassembly and rework of the original lens, and adding new parts, to convert it to the new lens system (it will be necessary to remove the second flip filter assembly if installed in your housing). The stand- alone cost for the new lens is US $2,395 MSRP and also includes a new larger 58mm +2 diopter ring for extreme macro.

Even with this modification, slight vignetting may ocur due to varying CCD specs from camera to camera. You may even find you get a full 100% frame. I get a tiny bit in the bottom corners and only have to zoom in a tiny bit for a 100% clear frame. I have to say the extra degrees you get makes the picture so much better and the viginetting is tolerable. A neat trick you may be able to do is place a small coin between the camera and tray to lift the front of the camera up a tiny bit to reduce the tiny bit of vignetting. I give Amphibico a big tick for attempting to rectify the problem and I'm sure future housings like this will be perfect. The lens gives a stunning picture and the ability to zoom 100% through is fantastic, however care must be taken with the dome. Bumping into something could prove costly, although the port guards do protect it to some extent. The operator must also make sure the port is clean as the smallest spec will show up when shooting in this new format.

 
Vignetting with old lens
Vignetting with new modified lens

 
Here are a couple of links to a nice Manta Ray piece I shot with the new lens on.
http://hdvunderwater.com/video/mantaclose.wmv
5.5megs & 320/240
http://hdvunderwater.com/video/mantabig.wmv
81 megs @ 1280/720
 
The wide 94 degree lens in action
New modified lens
Standard lens
URPRO Filter & Flip Arms:

The housing comes with two flip arms, one housing the URPRO filter and the other has the optional spilt- shot surface filter..With the standard lens, the second arm will cause a bit of vignetting. Once you place the new shaved port on you, loose a flip arm so you can just put the Urpro filter on the remaining arm OR I have purchased an aftermarket HOYA macro diopter's and have placed a +2 on the remaining flip arm.

Small coin to lift the front of the camera
HOYA macro +2 on the single flip arm with new port
Another option is to place the URPRO filter in the ring that the HOYA macro diopter came in and then place the filter in the end of the camera itself so it's always on. This allows the operator to keep the macro on the single flip arm and is perfect for tropical diving. The camera can easily white balance through with this on or close to the surface. It can be removed for night dives as lights are best for most night time shots.

Not only does this option give you instant flip macro on a dive but it will increase you zoom in ability on subjects from a 1 or 2 meters away for tighter-closer shots. With the +2 macro on as well you will still have 100% zoom through capabilities with the 94 degree lens.

 
   
The big 94 degree dome port...but don't scratch it....
In the right conditions it is possible to have focus from right on the dome port itself through to infinity on full wide, even with the +2 Hoya macro flipped up as well. The vignetting on full wide is annoying, and while zooming in slightly does overcome this, I do agree it should not be there.
Zoomed in with the +2 on and 94 degree lens
Zoomed out with the 94 degree lens in the same position

 
Macro with the +2
Macro zoomed right in with the +2 on

 

New Macro Dome Port:
  
For those of you that love macro, the new macro dome port is for you! It is also a great backup port. The acylic dome comes in its own little neoprene case. When in use, it gives the camera's standard FOV of around 67 degrees and has no vignetting. This dome allows use of both flip arms, and best of all Amphibico have released a new set of macro diopter's that screw onto the camera. The Tiffen macro's come in a nice leather pouch and you get +1 +2 & + 4 and the operator can even stack all of them onto the end of the camera, although this will cause vignetting, This is not a problem if zoomed in. However, simply using one or two does not result in vignetting, and with just one the operator can keep the flip arm on.
94 degree port and the dome macro port. Swapping the ports is quick and easy
New Tiffen +1 +2 & +4 macro set
All 3 macro diopter's on + 7 anyone
 
Phenom with the new macro dome port on
+7 macro stacked you get tunneling
 

With all 3 diopter's stacked the result will be "tunneling" however a single + 4 or less provides a nice image and because there is so much room in there one could even go for and aftermarket macro lens on the end of the camera or even a wide angle.. The macro dome port costs $595US, but if you get the 94 degree port modified for $200US, Amphibico will offer it to you for a special price.

 
With a single macro on gives a nice image
 
 

 

 

The Housing:
The housing is perfectly balanced and very easy to use underwater, even free diving, due to it being slightly negative. If I let it go it will stay in a perfectly horizontal position while slowly descending. I am really surprised how easy it is to use underwater. It has six small lead weights located on the bottom of the housing to fine tune it's buoyancy, which can even be taken out if preferred.The grab handle is a bomus and is simply held in place by a grub screw- just make sure you check it for tightness as the handle may slip out if left to loose. It is great to hold onto while getting certain shots and, as the handle is in the center, its easy to keep the housing level and control with just one hand. The very solid rear door is on a nice solid hinge and has twin orings for peace of mind and is held closed by standard Amphibico latches.
Free diving is easy with the Phenom and the handle on top is handy
Manta Ray action
The only thing that has failed in a year of hard use is the right handpiece, which had to be replaced as the record trigger button was hard to activate and slowly got worse over time. It was always more difficult to activate from time of purchase than the left trigger button, so I can assume that it was a faulty one from the start, and it does not matter how much care goes into production, there is always room for error. Amphibico sent me over a new one, which I put on myself, although not sure about my warranty now. However that has been my only failure with the housing and it feels like it will keep going for a long time to come. I must also add that if you plan to take it flying, you need to take the oring's off the back door due to the pressure decrease in flight which may pop off the front dome from the lens.
 

If you are fortunate enough to aquire one of these housings, then I'm sure it will give you many years good use and despite the persistent vignetting on full wid, all of the positive attributes make up for it.

In short, when asked if I would purchase another Phenom, my answer would invariably be...YES!!!

Happy Bubbles

Paul Wags July 2006
 
 
Copyright 2009 Paul Wags