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Cheap waterproof case?
  • BadTripProjectBadTripProject
    In my next project I need to put GH2 underwater for maximum 30 seconds. What would you recommend? I was thinking about clear plastic bag but I wonder if plastic infornt of lens loosenes image quality significally.
  • 19 Replies sorted by
  • gizmogizmo
    I have DiCAPac WP-H10 plastic bag and it is ok for shallow water. I've used it in the sea water few time for more than a 1/2 hour without problems. Front plastic is good quality and it doesn't degrade quality.
  • JDNJDN
    Have used the same for a nature doc -- snorkeled with it for about an hour without any problems. The diameter isn't wide enough for the 25mm leica prime but will work with the 20 and 14 mm primes fine.

    It can fog up on you -- would suggest you get some anti-fog for the interior; also, apply rain-x or something similar to the exterior plastic "lens" to make water bead and roll off (not necessary but useful if you want to do shots where you transition from above to below water or vice-versa.

    I suggest you shoot ISO 640 with the iris as closed as possible to maximize your depth of field. Autofocus won't work underwater so set focus first (I hole my hand at maximum lenth, use the AF lock button to focus on it, then hit record. Use the quick menu to adjust the aperature when underwater, and be careful if you have ETC mode to the Fn2 or 3 button on the back as I've acidentally engaged it without knowing (you can't really see what you're doing once underwater so you gotta just go by your gut.

    If I have time I'll use the gh2 and dicapac, but when pressed I usually just use a gopro with an eyeofmine underwater housing -- not sure if that is an option for you but might also be worth considering as the autoexposure of the go pro is very handy and pretty accurate underwater.
  • lolololo
    here is another option, that has a glove embeded, i havent use it though

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/17362-REG/Ewa_Marine_EM_U_F_U_F_Underwater_Housing.html
  • lolololo
    @gizmo ?? you can put the gh2 inside the DiCAPac WP-H10? it seems small, or it isnt?
  • tonalttonalt
    Helpful information here.

    @JDN When I was paintballing, we used soap water for antifog. Will it work with this too?

    I was cheapass and ordered this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170723441722 ;) Sure DiCAPac seems to be the best model, but maybe this is enough for short shots. Have to test the bag well before putting camera inside though.
  • lolololo
    damn that´s cheap, if you are looking for that price range, check this diy, it is possible that you have one of this at home already, and i feel it would be safer than that waterhouse

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Underwater-video-housing-3-for-all-cameras/

    this one is funny :)
    http://www.diyphotography.net/diy_the_cheap_yet_shamefull_underwater_housing
  • gizmogizmo
    @lolo Yes, DiCAPac WP-H10 is perfect fit for GH2.
  • JDNJDN
    @lolo second that, only problem is that wide lenses (eg 25 prime) won't fit. @tonalt yep soap water should work -- or the ol' snorkeling trick of toothpaste.
  • RawBRawB

    I think I ordered the wrong underwater bag for my GH2: DiCAPac WP-S10 instead of the WP-H10 Can I use my GH2 with the S10 bag??

  • Greek_m43Greek_m43

    Anyone have footage of the GH2 inside the DiCAPac WP-H10? I'm using it for a music video underwater shot.

  • soulkeepersoulkeeper

    can i use dicapac WP-H10 with the kit 14-42lens?

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    I thought the WP S5 was the recommended model for the GH2. I'm actually going to buy one next week. Clarification on this would be good.

  • ahblezaahbleza

    I'd love to hear from anyone about the DiCaPack WP-610 with their GH2. How reliable is this solution? did you see any leakage?

  • ahblezaahbleza

    I did some shooting at the weekend using my DiCaPack with GH2 using Cake 2.2. I had some issues with focus and exposure settings... to try to keep a reasonable DoF I set the Voigtlander 25mm to f4.0, but this required 1600 ISO to maintain exposure. The results aren't pretty, but here it is, for what it's worth....

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    I ended up getting the WP H10. It's ok and by ok, I mean, barely. It's a better transport bag for riding on a boat than for underwater shooting in an uncontrolled environment. One thing that I learned is that (even though it fits really well) the Voigtlander 25mm is too tight a focal dist for sea life shooting. You definitely need something much wider. The hyperprime 12mm would do the trick or wider, but you;d risk seeing the lens ring of the bag. It's nearly impossible to control anything other than iso and WB once you have it in the bag. And if you're shooting stills, the bag can depress on the shutter button and it will start firing away. It can also cut on a take, as well. The plastic that the leash connects to can come apart at the seam from the main compartment. It didn't compromise the integrity, but that is pretty cheap imo. I got PADI certified while I was down in Nassau, so this bag will become just a dry bag for me now. as far as getting a good deep water enclosure, after doing some research, it seems that it's just cheaper to get a waterproof go pro or a 14MP sealife camera that shoots HD.

  • rockroadpixrockroadpix

    @soulkeeper - The 14-42 should work since it has the same filter threads as the Nokton 25. I know for a fact that the 14-140 will not work with it.

  • bannedindvbannedindv

    I always use a small fishtank with a sandbag in it ;)

  • chazzmoechazzmoe

    I second the fish tank method, if your staying just below the surface. Don't get one too big it will be hard to push it below the water level though.

  • karlkarl

    I have tried this cheap solution in the past: http://www.ewa-marine.com/index.php?id=82&L=0

    Worked, and didn't leak even at depth, but is of course no substitute for a real scuba diving camera case (like the ones from Nauticam), which unluckily are very expensive.

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