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Vouliagmeni blue hole (Greece) from Dean Linaras on Vimeo.

Not even a day later, I just got a message back from GoPro themselves, I love their super fast support responses. The above video was added to the email back to me as an example of the fix they are working on. It does appear to be much much more sharper than orginal curved lens footage:

Hi Emm,
Due to the curved lens of the waterproof housing for the HD HERO camera and standard def Wide HERO cameras, you will notice a slight loss of sharpness/focus to underwater images. In video mode with the standard def camera this is not very noticeable due to the lower resolution. With the HD HERO camera this becomes more evident at the higher resolution. We are developing a flat glass adapter / housing specifically for underwater use, thus allowing for the same image sharpness that you enjoy with your GoPro camera above water. Please sign up for our newsletter to receive an update for new product releases.

So officially GoPro Cameras is aware of the underwater Focus and aware of a Flat Lens fix. The question now i'm sure everyone is wondering about is ETA. The R&D process for mass manufacturers can sometimes be a bit slow, but you should definitely sign up for the GoPro Camera Newsletter to stay informed of their updates.

Don't let this stop your vacations. If you're impatient and want to get better underwater focus with your GoPro HD, the options are DIY it yourself, or let someone experienced like EyeOfMine Multimedia prepare a housing for you.


Buy GoPro HERO Camera at GoPro.com

This article references: http://cheesycam.com/?p=1594

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Unlike the 70-200mm F/4 Coffee Mug at the Winter Olympics, this cup was never released directly by Canon. When this lens replica cup was first available, it was a very cheap looking, terrible design, that had many many flaws. After finding that there is a 'Version 2' of this lens with over 90% accuracy, it was something I had to add to the collection. I have to admit the new design is even more accurate to the referenced lens than even Canon's 70-200mm Coffee Mug. There are no stainless inserts, so it's not designed for hot beverages. It does although work as a great tumblr for summer time coolers. Starting around $24 dollars, You can find the Canon 24-105mm Lens Replica Cups here.

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The GoPro HD Camera is an awesome little camera that can be used in any situation possible. We've seen it on land, in near space, and underwater. The underwater footage though doesn't seem as sharp due to the curved lens on the water proof housing. This design provides many 'Pros', but the underwater focus is a definite 'Con'. EyeofMine Multimedia created a DIY solution (now for sale) to add a flat lens onto a GoPro waterproof housing. The results speak for themselves, and if you're a GoPro HD Camera owner you'll know where i'm coming from.

The Flat Lens fix from EyeofMine Multimedia is a bit DIY with some glue and isn't covered by GoPro warranty. The quality of the build, I can't tell unless I get to review one in person (hopefully they'll respond to my inquiries). On another note, i've also asked GoProCamera.com themselves about the focus issue (they're local in Half Moon Bay), and hopefully i'll get a response soon about whether or not they'll be offering a different housing or some other solution to correct the underwater focus issues.

Look GoPro, I know everyone loves your cameras. I'm sure there is no solution for a Housing that does it all both on Land, Space, and Sea. I can promise you this though. If you can put something out that solves the underwater focus issues, I'll be happy to mount 2 cameras on a single mount with different housings and that should solve the video footage I need in any situation. You can find prices for the awesome GoPro HD - Underwater, Land, and OuterSpace camera here.

GoProHDCamera
click image

Related Underwater blog talk:
If you're a new iPhone 4 or Sprint HTC EVO owner, maybe you'd like to take some of that HD footage underwater with your new cell phone. If you're brave check out the Aquapac.

aquapac-underwater-iphone-htc-evo-case
Check out the Aquapac Underwater case for the iPhone.

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Why is everything related to Camera's marked up a Bazzillion percent? I looked for a good solution for one of my DIY interests, and couldn't find exactly what I wanted, especially for the price I wanted to pay. In fact there are very very little solutions for this type of camera related interest. Sorry i'm being very vague, but sincerely I have to be.

Since I couldn't find exactly what I needed, i went back to the guys who are working on the Spider Trax Dolly project and had something else 'custom made'. It's a very versatile little 'whos-a-ma-widget' adapter, that can save you money on a variety of different DIY projects by adapting camera to umm existing 'thingies'. Even though I doubt there are even a handful of people who would be interested in it, I thought i'd have them run off a few hundred. You'll see these hitting the Internet soon, consider it my investment to the DSLR community.

More information soon, stay tuned.

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I got this email just now:

Message:
Hello, Thanks for the great work and bringing some
clarity to this emerging DSLR scene. I have been searching for
information about a company called
Indiefocus, they have line of lower priced camera
products. They have 3 different follow focus units, one
at $99 that works by friction not gears, it looks just
right for my T2i.
Have you had any contact with them? They do not answer their emails
or phone, so I do not want to send
money. I know this not your issue, but you seem to get around. They
look like good products. Any thoughts?

Here's my response. I've emailed them, called them on several occassions, but have never ever heard back from any of my inquiries. Sorry IndiSystems, hope this doesn't hurt your sales. You look like you have good products, but your support kinda sucks. Oh and that $99 dollar slider i've been plugging for them, I got it second hand and modified the unit by swapping out the cheap plastic head (that broke off). Anyone have any luck with indiSystems? I can't seem to get through, and i've been hearing this from many people. Oh and indiSystems, if you're out there reading this, holla back.

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video from YouTube by rattusvulpes

This Golden Oldie (literally Gold) looks very very familiar. If i'm correct, I remember seeing the transformations of this thing while it was coming out of DIY progress on the Internet. I think it was called Pegasus. It looks like it's a pretty finished project now that's gone into mass manufacturing under Wondlan as the 'Ares'. (Doesn't Ares mean 'A$$' in some languages?)

Because of it's entry level price for a Gimbal style stabilizer, I'm finding more and more people doing reviews on the Ares. Although it looks like a Steadicam Merlin, it doesn't have a full functioning Gimbal as the Merlin. The Merlin has much more travel in it's design. Then again it's not priced like a Steadicam Merlin, and it appears that this Ares stabilizer can handle much much more weight than the Merlin can, so it's not ALL bad.

I'm not a fan of the Gold color scheme, it looks like something Austin Powers might have carried in his last movie, or a prop designed for the next Marvel Comic movie. Hey, you can't knock the awesome smooth results this bad boy is putting out though. You can find the decently priced Stabilizer here if Gold is your thing.

Update: Good news, you can send an email to the seller and specifically ask for 'Black', and that should solve that Gold color issue.

gimbal-stabilizerwonlan-stabilizer-merlin-stylewonlan-ares-camera-stabilizer

click images to find Wondlan Ares

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DIY-simple-nd-variable-filter

Instructables.com is featuring a DIY Variable ND filter that functions similar to the popular Fader ND filers by LCW, Fader Filters, or or Genus Fader ND's. I've seen a few of these DIY's before using 1 linear polarizer and 1 circular, but this DIY calls for 2 Circulars.

The cost of a real Variable ND will run you about $110-$120 dollars for a 77mm, but by following the Instructables tutorial, you might be able to get a bit of functionality for under $10 dollars. The basic principle is attaching 2 circular polarizers together, but flipping one lens backwards. There's a bit of screwing and unscrewing involved, but pretty straight forward for those who want to test this out.

Cons of course are that they will block a bit more light (which is ok for full daylight) than a real Fader, dependent upon quality of Polarizers you buy might change color tone a bit, and with stacking of filters, there's always chance of Vignetting. I guess this is why the Real Faders cost money. If you want to try it out though, here's a list of Polarizers you can grab starting at around 99 cents and up.

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Update: You can now buy the LCDVF 3/2 from BHPHOTOVIDEO.com.
Grab yourself the LCDVF 3/2 from BHPHOTOVIDEO.com

Here it is folks, just got a message from the man himself. The LCDVF for the Canon EOS 550D / T2i is real and it's almost ready. Check out the video of the installation process and fit. Very very nicely designed. No rumors here, Glidetrack.com will have 100 of them very soon. Make sure to Twitter, Digg, or Facebook this article to spread the word using the links below.

lcdvf-bhphoto
The LCDVF

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Thanks to a tip from a reader, here's an interesting combination of readily available camera equipment that makes for a fancy DSLR shoulder braced shooter. Grab yourself the T-Pod Tactical Tripod + the Monfrotto Shoudler Brace for Monopods and you have yourself a pretty steady highly configurable Shoulder Shooter. It's not a $20 dollar rig, and sure it might run you about $60-$80 dollars, but the most basic Shoulder Shooters from band names will run you over $400+. This is a great simple solution, that doesn't look like a homemade solution. Both are available on Amazon links below.

Mocked up Together:
mocked-dslr-shoulder-shooter