Overview & Features
HOUSING OVERVIEW:
Mangrove
video housing’s front case is constructed from marine grade aluminium,
machined, anodized and the rear case is machined from solid Delrin. The
housing’s sleek, ergonomic design feels like a natural extension of your
hands and makes capturing that perfect video sequence fluid and easy.
Redundant double O-ring seal system on the rear case provides maximum
protection and does not depend on clamping pressure for security. The housing incorporates a large 3.5” Color LCD viewfinder that is
located at the rear of the housing with an angle of 25° for enhanced
viewing at arm’s length.
The Mangrove MVHS-AX700 housing is compatible with the new Sony FDR-AX700 camcorder, since it´s a universal housing it could accept nearly the entire line of Sony HD
video cameras just with minor changes on the software or hardware, the design benefits of interchangeable optics like the dome port DP-M77x125, the camcorder mounts on a specially engineered
universal camera tray that can be adjusted by the customer in any
position in just a few minutes. The available length for the camera and
its battery is 226mm/8.9 inches.
Its solid build
quality and elegant ergonomics make shooting underwater video a
pleasure. Whether your serious about getting into video or a pro
already, this housing is designed to make the experience rewarding! It
is depth-rated to 200m/660 feet, making it the deepest-operating video
housing on the market.
SUPPORTED CAMERA MODELS:
- Sony FDR-AX700
- Sony HXR-NX80
- Sony PXW-Z90
CONTROL SYSTEM:
The
Mangrove MVH-AX700 is a full electronically controlled housing that uses the 2.5mm LANC connector, the external controls on the housing are linked by
12 electromagnetic pushbuttons to corresponding controls on the camera
inside the case, eliminating the need for the physical shafts that
pierce the walls of mechanical housings. The electromagnetic controls do
not penetrate the housing wall and can be easily removed for cleaning
and maintenance. With non-penetrating electronic controls there is
virtually no risk of the housing leaks typical with mechanical
through-hole designs. Another convenient feature of this type of system
is that the controls for the housing are grouped together in three
locations, to the left, right and under the in-built monitor, so that
each function can be operated by your thumbs while maintaining a steady
grip on the handles. In this position you can instantly see the labels
for the names of each control, as compare to a mechanical housing where
you must either memorize the location of the controls or rotate the
housing to read the name of the control you want to operate. Grouped
electronic controls are very convenient on deep dives where nitrogen
narcosis may be a factor.
HOUSING CONTROL SET:
Start Mode
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Manual/Autofocus toggle
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Increase Zoom Speed (+)
- Decrease Zoom Speed (-)
Mode 1 (White Balance control)
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Manual/Autofocus toggle
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- White Balance toggle
- White Balance Set
- Preset A/B/ up
- Preset A/B down
Mode 2 (Aperture control)
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Manual/Autofocus toggle
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Aperture Auto/Manual toggle
- Aperture Set
- Increase Aperture (+)
- Decrease Aperture (-)
Mode 3 (Shutter Speed control)
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Manual/Autofocus Toggle
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Shutter Speed Auto/Manual toggle
- Shutter Speed Set
- Increase Shutter Speed (+)
- Decrease Shutter Speed (-)
Mode 4 (Gain control)
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Manual/Autofocus Toggle
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Gain Auto/Manual toggle
- Gain Set
- Increase Gain (+)
- Decrease Gain (-)
Mode 5 (Menu control 1)
- Power ON/OFF
- Menu ON/OFF
- Joystick Up
- Joystick Down
- Joystick Right
- Joystick Left
- Select
- Picture Profile
- Assign Button 1
- Assign Button 2
- Assign Button 3
Mode 6 (Menu control 2)
- Power ON/OFF
- Menu ON/OFF
- Joystick Up
- Joystick Down
- Joystick Right
- Joystick Left
- Select
- Picture Profile
- Assign Button 4
- Assign Button 5
- Assign Button 6
MONITOR:
Rather
than viewing the underwater world through a small viewfinder, the
housing incorporates a High–Resolution TFT LCD monitor built into the
back of the case that gives you a large 3.5” image; you see what the
camera is recording, in full colour, while holding the housing at arm’s
length. Not only will the larger image be of great assistance in
composing your shots, you can instantly see the results when you change
manual focus, turn on lights, or use your filter, you will also see all
the status information normally displayed in your camera’s
screen/viewfinder.
The in-built
monitor has a hood that eliminates glare and reflections from your
surrounding, which also allows viewing even in strong ambient light;
furthermore the LCD screen is 25 degrees angled for enhanced viewing at
arm’s length. The monitor is powered by their own Lithium batteries so
they do not rob any power from the camera’s battery.
The rearward
placement of the handles is also a boon for those who suffer from
Hyperopia and Presbyopia. Rear monitor housings can be difficult for
bad eyesight sufferers and often you can see many people shooting with
arms straight out to be able to focus. A few inches does make a
difference for many and the handle position allows all but the most
farsighted divers to comfortably maintain relaxed arms for steady
shooting.
A live video feed to the surface is also available, you can
use your Mangrove external monitor or any standard monitor with a 100 m
(333 feet) extension cable and have a perfect view of the diver
assisted or tripod mounted Mangrove housing from the boat.
AUDIBLE & VISUAL LEAK DETECTOR:
As with all our housings, the MVH is offered as standard equipment with a leak detector that will
immediately activate a loud buzzer and a LED located at the rear of the
housing in the event water should find its way past the o-ring seals,
the water detector is located next to O-ring sealing and at the lowest
point (in usual operating position) of the case
INTERCHANGEABLE PORT SYSTEM:
Full
HD cameras demand the finest optics - the flaws of poor quality lenses
will show up when watched on big HD TV screens or projected. Changes to
the way land lenses see when taken under the water can compromise your
underwater videography.
Aditech
offer a range of underwater video camera lenses to meet
your exact requirements. You can shoot the smallest critters to hulking
shipwrecks. The dome port allows 70% zoom
through, letting you switch from super wide- angle to a narrower angle.
This flexibility is ideal for working with sharks as you can video the
entire shark and its backdrop, then zoom in for a head shot without
losing focus. As always, it's vital to think carefully about the
subjects you will want to portray in your underwater videos and the
likely filming conditions before selecting the right lens to match your
needs.
The MVHS-AX100 comes as a standalone housing with optics not included,
however, you can select to purchase the correct optics for your personal
style of filming. Available are the 77mm threaded-mounted ports, which
include flat and dome ports:
- FP-M77-M67: flat port with M77 threaded port ring. This port accepts M67 wet macro lens. Due to refraction flat ports reduce the angle-of-coverage of a lens and at the same time enlarge the image. Minimum
focusing distance and zoom range depend upon your camcorder.
- DP-M77x125: the new DP-M77x125 wide angle conversion dome port provides all of the benefits of a dome port underwater. The conversion dome corrects for the
refractive magnification of the flat port underwater to restore the
camera's original angle of coverage. It increases the underwater field
of view of your camcorders lens allowing to recover 105% of the FOV
(field or view) of your camcorder on land. This is a semi - wide angle.
You can use around 80% your zoom range.
COLOUR CORRECTION FILTERS:
These optional
colour filters reduces the blue hues and revives the vivid colours
instantly when used with available sunlight to 24m (80´) depths. In shallow depths, these filters can serve as an attractive alternative to artificial light sources. With sunlight and the CF-M67/CF-M67-M filter, you capture the natural colors of
ocean corals, fish and aquatic life in lakes, streams and rivers. Two removable
external filters are available for the flat port FP-M77-M67:
- CF-M67: Red Filter with a 67mm thread which fits over the housing's port and can
be installed and removed during the course of the dive. The Red Filter
is used to restore the red color absorbed by the water. Color-correcting filter created specifically to correct colors in Caribbean or tropical blue (cyan) water.
- CF-M67-M: Magenta Filter with a 67mm thread which fits over the housing's port and can
be installed and removed during the course of the dive. The Magenta Filter CF-M67-M is used to restore the red color absorbed by the green salt and fresh waters. A Magenta filter can
be used right beneath the surface (in very green
water) down to 65 feet+. This filter is great for lakes with algae or
the green sea water of Canada and the UK. The Magenta filter is designed
to pull the excess green color out of the video leaving you with
natural color.
- CF-M67-Y: Yellow Camera Filter 67mm for Fluoro Photography. Experience FLUORODIVING! Corals and sealife contain fluorescent
proteins invisible to the naked eye. Use this filter along with an
excitation filter for your lights to capture this amazing effect.
VIDEO LIGHTING SYSTEMS:
Once
you descend beyond the effective range of your correction filter, or if
you are diving at night, in a cavern, or on a particularly overcast
day, you are going to need some type of supplementary lighting system to
provide colour, contrast, and excitement to your videos. Fortunately
Mangrove’s Video Lighting Systems combine remarkably even lighting
coverage with a compact design that attaches easily and maintains
exceptionally balance of the housing. The VC-3L6 and V13 are
lightweight
compact halogen lights that can be used for video as well as a modelling
light to aid with auto focus on your underwater still camera. The VS
and MVS series are video lights engineered to equalized weight and
maximize balance,
the light heads and batteries are separate units, because the battery
module is mounted beneath the housing, the light head is small,
lightweight, and easy to position. All lighting systems are powered by
Lithium Ion battery packs, also included is
the smart charger for worldwide use.
