Housing |
Major Features |
Available Controls |
Price |
Weight |
Buoy- ancy |
Dimen- sions |
Max Depth |
Availa- bility |
Comments |
| Amphibico
Dive Buddy EVO HD |
Single
right-hand grip w/controls; internal flip filter; rear viewfinder;
auxiliary port |
Record/Standby; Photo;
variable speed zoom; manual/auto-focus toggle; mode change; VTR mode:
play, stop, rewind, fast forward |
US$1500 |
9lbs/4kg |
7oz/200g
negative |
8.78x8x
6.5"/ 225x203x 165mm |
330ft/ 100m | Now
(B&H) |
Wide
angle and ultra wide angle lenses available; external color monitor
available; marine grade aluminum construction |
| Aquavideo AVMC-HC3 |
Price
includes wide angle lens converter |
Unknown |
US$1400 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Approx.
330ft/100m |
Unknown |
PVC
construction; very few details for this specific model available on web
site/ |
| BS Kinetics Mojave |
Lightweight |
Record/Standby;
Photo; manual/auto-focus; backlight |
From
around US$1800 |
4.4lbs/2kg |
Unknown |
190x145x
205mm |
264ft/
80m |
Unknown |
Caron
fiber construction; limited information available on web site. |
| Dolphin
HC3 |
Touch
screen menu access (for US$200 extra); 37mm wide angle port included in
base price; internal flip filter |
Internal
flip color correcting filter and electronic controls for standard
functions (Record On/Off, Zoom Telephoto, Zoom Wide, and Photo.) as
well as a mechanical control for the Mode and On/Off functions.
|
US$1450 |
10lbs/4.5kg | Unknown |
13x9.5x
7.5" (width includes handles) |
200ft/60m | Now |
Polyurethane
construction. |
| Equinox
HC3 Pro |
0.5x
wide-angle lens and external saltwater color correction filter
included; mechanical controls |
Power-on/off,
record start/ stop, zoom telephoto/ wide, photo still, memory mode |
US$940 (estimate; price appeared then disappeared on B&H site) |
18lbs/ 8.16kg (with ballast) | Neutral |
10x13"/ 254x 330mm | 250ft/
75m |
Unknown;
B&H was accepting orders and now lists the item as discontinued. |
The
Equinox site itself
doesn't have details on the HC3 so this information is not
reliable. PVC construction. |
| Gates HC3 |
LCD screen is kept open and is viewable from a giant window at the rear of the housing. High quality port selection. | Mode
(On/Off/Memory), Record/standby, Photo, Zoom, Internal Flip Color
Correction Filter, Assignable Button and Roller |
US$2125 |
7.5lbs/ 3.5kg |
Slightly
negative |
7.5x15x 5.5"/ 19x38x 14cm | 450ft/ 137m |
Now
(B&H) |
Rugged,
bulletproof, 100% mechanical controls, with little that can go wrong.
Machined aluminum construction with type III "hard" anodized
finish. Lots of ports available, including wide angle and super
wide angle. Accepts all batteries designed for the HC3. |
| Ikelite
6039.03 |
Moveable
flip-type mirror; Touch screen menu access; Transparent |
Power
on/off, Record start/stop, Zoom, Auto/manual focus lock, Photo, Control
dial, Manual button, Control all functions all LCD screen touch pad (2)
controls,
External color correcting filter |
US$1225 |
9lbs/4kg |
Slightly
negative |
8x11x8"/ 20x27x 20cm |
200ft/60m |
Now
(B&H) |
Clear polycarbonate construction; Mechanical
controls; Optional threaded wide angle lens; No moisture alarm;
Super-eye viewfinder
|
| Light & Motion
Bluefin HC3 |
Touch
screen menu access (including one touch white balance); dual smart grip
handles |
Power on/off, Record start/stop, Zoom, Photo, Auto-focus override, Momentary auto focus on/off, VTR playback, Flip filter. | US$3100 |
6.6lbs/
3kg |
-0.88lbs/-0.4kg | 9x10x6"/ 227x 262.5x 147.32mm | 330ft/
100m |
Now
(B&H) |
Industrial
grade aluminum construction. Zoom
macro lens is standard (65° viewing angle);
external color monitor available; compact halogen and HID lighting
systems optional; super wide angle and super macro lenses available. |
| Sea & Sea VX-S1 |
Electronic controls; external folding mirror reflects LCD screen; underwater micronphone, pressure release valve, leak detector | "All
important controls" accessible from grip, Photo |
US$1550 |
7.28lb/
3.3kg |
Slightly negative | 12.60x
7.36x 8.86"/ 320x187x 225mm |
200ft/
60m |
Now (B&H) | Polycarbonate
construction; included 0.6x wide angle lens; optional macro lens;
optional external color correction filter; grip can be separated from
housing for storage/transportation; different bases available for other
camcorders |
| Seatool HC3 |
Ultra
compact; very lightweight; monitor window moveable flip-type mirror;
access to manual focus control and other buttons;
adjustable position remote control grip; internal flip filter;
accessory shoe; |
Power, shooting mode, record/standby, variable speed zoom, still image shutter, AF/MF switch, strobe button, backlight compensation button, battery info button, simple button., camera control dial, manual button to control manual focus, brightness adjustment, AE shift and white balance shift. | US$2400 |
2.3lbs/
1.1kg |
Slightly
negative |
6.9x4.3x
5.4"/ 176x110x 136mm |
196ft/
60m |
Now
(Reef
Photo & Video) |
By
far the smallest and lightest housing; molded specifically for the HC3;
underwater-mountable fisheye, 105-degree wide angle and close-up lenses
available. Aluminum construction. Extra photos and comments
can be seen
here
and here. |
| Silverfish |
One
size fits many, electronic controls, LCD color monitor, underwater
microhpone, leak sensor. |
Power
on/off, record start/stop, zoom, auto/manual focus, data display on/off. |
Unknown |
10lbs/
4.5kg |
Unknown |
338x273x 195mm | 530ft/
160m |
Unknown |
High-grade
high-alloyed steel construction. |
| Sony SPK-HCB Marine Sports Pack | Doubles as a protective case for rain, sleet or snow; allows for basic camera functions | Power on/off, mode select (camera, memory, VCR), record start/stop, photo recording, variable zoom (2 steps) | US$200 |
2lb1oz/930g |
Positive
(unknown amount) |
6.5x6x8"/ 159x148x 203mm | 17ft/
5m |
Now |
A
toy for the swimming pool, not a real underwater housing. Plastic
construction. |
| Top Dawg II |
Cheap,
nice color monitor back available, usable with many other camcorder
models. |
Non-penetrating electromagnetic controls, photo/video, start/stop Record power on/off, zoom, fulltime auto focus, manual focus. Controls located just inboard from the hand grips. |
US$900 |
6.5lbs/
3kg |
Roughly
1lbs/ 0.5kg nagtive |
10.75x
11.25x 5.75" |
150ft/
45m |
Now
(Backscatter, Reef
Photo & Video, etc.) |
Aluminum
contruction, double O-ring seals, unclear if larger batteries can be
used, compact halogen lighting system available, color monitor back
available (without this all viewing is through viewfinder). The
same housing gets used for many camcorder models. |
| USVH MiniDV |
Electronic
controls on right grip, optional hi-res LCD monitor mounts inside
housing and is powered by camera battery. |
Power
on/off, record start/stop, mode select, photo, 2-speed zoom,
auto-manual focus switch, data display on LCD on/off. VCR
functions available on optional left grip buttons. |
US$1900 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Now |
Includes
.5x internal wide angle lens. Internal diopters can be used for
macro shooting. Manta Ray 2 lights
optional. Optional external color correction filters with choice
of magenta (for green water) and salmon (for blue water). Handle
is removable for storage/transportation. |