This mount allows two underwater lasers to be attached
to a housing and adjusted to be parallel to each other
and point to the center of the frame at a distance of 1
Meter. The purpose of the lasers is to project a pair of
calibration points on the reef that are precisely 200 mm
apart, regardless of the camera's elevation above the
reef. These points are used later in measuring areas of
diseased versus healthy locations of the reef being
surveyed. |
Holding a Canon 10D, battery grip, 20mm EF f/2.8, and TC-80N3 timer, this housing is one of two mounted on towboards for mapping the health of reefs in the Western Pacific by the
Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu.
The housings are mounted pointing downward on a wing-like towboard, towed behind a research vessel, with a diver flying the towboard 2 meters above the reef surface. Using the timer, the camera takes a photo every 15 seconds to create a series that can be analyzed later to quantify the health of the reefs.
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After the first housing above was smashed beyond repair by falling down a ship's ladder during a storm, this version was made of polycarbonate 1 inch thick, and has proved to be more durable than the first ones, made of ½ inch acrylic.
It houses the same equipment and mounts to the towboard using the same mounting points in the four corners of the extended rear door.
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After the second housing above was wrecked by being smashed onto a reef during a transect, it was able to be salvaged by The Sexton Company. It had broken at the rear door handle area, across the o-ring, causing flooding and ruining the camera and associated equipment. We replaced the broken door assembly with one made of polycarbonate, omitting the handle holes in that door. We also reinforced the main housing body by adding a second layer of 1/2" acrylic to the sides and top and bottom of the housing box. |
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This shot shows a diver flying the towboard about 2 Meters above the reef. In the middle of the towboard, pointing down towards the reef, is the camera within the towboard housing. By use of a timer, it is automatically taking a photo every 15 seconds along the transect. Photo by Dan Suthers, Courtesy of NOAA. |
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The housings above were used with a pair of external underwater laser pointers to project points of light onto the reef a known distance apart, so that measurements of the images could be taken during later analysis. Keeping the lasers parallel with each other and pointed in the right direction proved to be problematic, so we suggested that they be incorporated into the design of the housing.
In order to determine whether green or red lasers would work better in these conditions, a pair of each were mounted in the corners of this housing. A 2-axis adjustable mount was created to adjust the lasers
precisely parallel to each other.
We also developed a timer to accurately fire the camera on 15-second intervals. After extensive testing of a newly-developed adhesive, this housing body was made of 1/2" acrylic, and a layer of 1/2" polycarbonate was applied to the outside.
This last photo of the above housing shows the red and green parallel lasers projecting onto a piece of plywood about 2 Meters away. |
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This housing was designed for use on a pole over the side of the boat to shoot Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa. Chris and Monique Fallows were shooting aerial feeding behavior of Great Whites from boats, and needed to do the same from below the surface.
The housing was for a Canon EOS 1V, motor drive, and 20mm f/2.8, shooting through a 4” dome port.
NEW! Click
here to see examples of images taken with this camera
housing!
This photo was a progress shot at about 90% completion. Missing are a mount for the pole on top center, and a 4-pin underwater connector for connecting a remote switch for Pre-Focus and Shutter release. |
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This photo shows Ken in San
Francisco returning the same housing to Chris and Monique Fallows after
making
modifications.
Note the pole mount and remote control connector on the top of the housing.
Photo credit: Barbara Reuther of Monterey Bay Aquarium. |
This housing was designed exclusively for macro photography.
It can use either a Vivitar 50mm 2.8 or 90mm 2.8 macro lens inside a reduced size front door for closer approach to small subjects. The lens surround is opaque to reduce flare into the lens from the strobe. The TTL strobe in a separate housing on a gooseneck for aiming flexibility. |
This housing was made for a client who needed to shoot stereo pairs underwater, using a remote-sensed strobe, the Vivitar 292.
The sensor is the black object centered above the lenses. Next to that is an exposure meter, since this camera has none built-in. Note the sliding shaft above just the lenses, for adjusting the aperture. It is balanced by having both ends exposed to the outside pressure, so it is easy to push and pull at depth. The focus control is on the front, and shutter release is under the right handle.
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Same camera, showing attachment of the strobe housing and cords for sync and remote sensor. Four-pin connectors were not readily available then, so two 2-pin connectors and cords were used.
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Another macro housing setup, this one uses the remote sensor in a separate housing to point down towards the close-up subject.
The 50mm Rokkor macro lens extends into a tunnel port to allow the camera to get close to the subject at high magnifications.
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This housing was for a Bell and Howell SLR and simple Vivitar 91 strobe. It uses a flex arm for strobe positioning and an EO-style connector for the sync cable.
Note also the focus mechanism that uses an o-ring over idler pulleys to rotate the lens barrel using a shaft that is on an axis 90 degrees away, sort of like a Corvair fan belt.
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Using a remote sensor for a Honeywell strobe in a separate housing (not shown), this SLR used a 28mm lens through a flat port, before domes were available. It also uses the 90 degree belt drive for the focus control.
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Underwater Housings for Still Cameras |
Underwater Housings for Video Cameras
Surf Housings for Still Cameras |
Surf Housings for Video Cameras
Instrument Housings |
Telemetry Housings |
Other types of Housings
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