ML on my 7D - taking it underwater

Started by basementvision, October 16, 2012, 11:41:54 PM

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basementvision

Hello everyone,

My first postings here so please forgive me for anything amatuer! I have heard of ML here and there over the years but never really took too much interest. I bought my 7D just over a year ago, really for photography as I was shooting on Sony HDV cams for my work. Moving out of promotional/advertisement work and into photojournalism/documentary, I have really fallen into the love for shooting on DSLR for many reasons. In fact, I don't know why I keep my video cameras and they will probably be up for sale this month!

So back to my post. I have made the choice to install ML onto my 7D now that it is available. In mid November I fly back to the Indian Ocean for a period of time to live and work on a documentary film about the conservation of coral reefs and marine life in the Indian Ocean - www.rainforestsoftheocean.co.uk

Underwater, I shoot purely on the 7D. So really, I would love to speak with anyone that might be using ML under the water already! I am very excited to have a wealth of new features on my camera that I did not have last shoot.

I will keep this topic updated as much as I can, as hopefully it might serve as useful to someone in the future who might be looking for information on shooting with Magic Lantern underwater on the Canon 7D.

Alex.





Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

ilguercio

Canon EOS 6D, 60D, 50D.
Sigma 70-200 EX OS HSM, Sigma 70-200 Apo EX HSM, Samyang 14 2.8, Samyang 35 1.4, Samyang 85 1.4.
Proud supporter of Magic Lantern.

3pointedit

Does the 7D ML have Rack Focus? It would be neat to see some underwater shallow DOF pull focus shots! Which buttons does your housing allow access to?
550D on ML-roids

a1ex

Not right now, but I'm almost sure it will have.

ItsMeLenny

Has anybody every DIY'd underwater housing?

Pelican

Quote from: ItsMeLenny on October 17, 2012, 09:01:14 AM
Has anybody every DIY'd underwater housing?
One of my friend did. He made a camera house with a 3D printer but the first time he went underwater the house broke up from the pressure even if it was very hard and solid.
EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 7D, EOS 5, EOS 100 + lenses (10mm to 300mm), 600EX, 550EX, YN600EX x 3
EOScard, EOS DSLR firmwares, ARMu, NiControl, etc.: http://pel.hu/down

basementvision

I have the Ikelite 7D housing with 8" dome port. I use my 10-22mm nearly all the time, but it will also fit a few other lenses such as the standard 18-135, 50mm and some others. I do intend to upgrade to something around the 17-35mm range in time, but on top of the lens I would need a bigger port which connects the body to the dome.

May I ask what rack focus is? I have tripods for use under water so could get some good macro pull focuses. The most interesting stuff down there is on a minute/macroscopic level. Check this rough cut out from my documentary, at 40 seconds. The small corals are nearly 1cm across. Once stabilised in post (and coloured and in HD etc!) it looks really nice. This was shot on the wide angle, but the same thing with a macro or zoom lens could get some nice results with a pull focus I think?




I have access to nearly every button on the camera. I am about to see if I can configure my zoom gear to go on the focus ring.

As for making a housing, I personally would not bother. As Pelican said about his friend, I am sure the pressure build up would crush anything amatuer. Even a small breech in any o'ring for buttons, lenses, main access etc would result in a flooded camera in no time. Remember, pressure only 10m is 2 atmospheres, and there are serious health restrictions on rising to the surface straight away, even from that depth.

Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

3pointedit

@basementvision that look really cool. I was just editing some underwater gopro (they didn't use a domed port!) and the thing that struck me was how wobbly the footage was. Are smooth shots just due to camera mass or do you add fins to stabilise movement in water?
550D on ML-roids

basementvision

Thanks 3point! On GoPro, its better to use a flat port. The dome distorts the image a fair amount and reduces the overall IQ the deeper you dive. The flat ports were meant to fix that problem, but I have not yet used/owned a GoPro so only going on what I've been told. But I have ordered the new H3 Black edition and super excited to try it. Check this video out if you dare...



As for smooth shots, yes camera mass AND grip is key. The GoPro is so small it will pickup all your hand movements. Have you seen any grip for it? My Ikelite housing has two big handles either side of the rig which steadies everything out. When held out at arms length everything feels nice and rigid. However, check out some of my moving/swimming shots in my video clip. They make me sick they are so shaky! I applied motion stabilising for my finals (not to the video above) and the shots turned out lovely. A small amount of post can really smooth out something like mild hand shake in the water. ALSO, snorkelling shots is harder to get than diving shots. Mainly due to the amount of time you have to set the shot up vs running out of air. The BCD jacket while diving also helps to stabilise everything, thus giving smoother movements through the water. Always wear fins in the water, diving or not. Ever tried fins then took them off to compare against bare foot? Feels like your bare feet would get you absolutely nowhere!


Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

3pointedit

As I was talking out my behind, I should have said they had the "wrong" port attached, as all the edges were fuzzy and closeup was useless. I wonder what minimum focal distance the Gopro uses?

What distance do you focus on before diving, and what aperture for DOF? Now you mention it I'm not sure the camo had flippers on...
550D on ML-roids

basementvision

Yeah the stock port on the GoPro housing will do that. Just remeber that in water focal distances change due to refraction. Could be interesting to do a test with the GoPro and how its effected by depth?

I always shot on my 10-22mm Canon lens. I actually forgot to take the zoom gear last shoot so I had to pick the focal length and leave it for each dive, I set it from anywhere from 12mm - 22mm, depending on what I wanted to film. But for best general footage I found 16/17mm to be the best as it was able to pick up a good range of animals in the water column. Remember, on that lens at 10mm you get nasty edges, under the water it looks even worse so you gotta start at around 12mm.

I always stuck to f8. Focus is very flat in the water, and its actually the dome that the camera mostly focuses on anyway. I used auto focus which I pre set before any video shot, again, depending on the subject.

Here is something extremely important that I found last shoot. I read about putting a +2 - +4 close up filter on to get better edges and be able to focus on smaller creatures and get in closer. That was all true, but I found the whole image was much softer than without the filter. From now on I will only use the filter for close up work.

Have you shot much underwater footage yourself then 3point?
Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

basementvision

Ran into some problems installing, so now waiting on a CF card reader to get the ML DL onto my cards...

3 Weeks today fly off to the Indian Ocean. Looking forward to some shooting!
Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

3pointedit

Sadly haven't shot underwater, but would love too. I get way to much motion sickness on the boat on the way out. And diving beaches seems a bit dangerous in the surf. To many surfers and rocks for my liking, even with a bulletproof go pro. Hope you can get ml going from cf.
550D on ML-roids

basementvision

Me too... Had the problem of trying to dump the ML DL to card through a generic USB cable and wouldn't let me. I presume It was the non Canon cable and that a CF card reader would do the trick?

Shooting in the surf is the best spot. I am a surfer though  ;D
Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

nanomad

EOS 1100D | EOS 650 (No, I didn't forget the D) | Ye Olde Canon EF Lenses ('87): 50 f/1.8 - 28 f/2.8 - 70-210 f/4 | EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 | Metz 36 AF-5

basementvision

Arrived back in the Maldives this week from the UK. Will start my project up now!

Had a couple of short shoots in a fish market and aerial session from a sea plane yesterday. Absolutely stoked with the quality coming through a new L series lens compared to my old EFS one..!


Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.

3pointedit

Yes that seems to be the best way to improve these camera's apparent resolution at the moment. Upgrade to excellent glass!
550D on ML-roids

basementvision

Sorry I have not kept this project updated. Have been completely busy shooting!

Just a little teaser for you all, im now taking ML into the air for a job...


Travel with me and my blog: www.iamalexbrown.wordpress.com

Commercial DP, founder of BasementVision LTD.