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 design benefits of interchangeable port system, 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.
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:
- JVC GY-HM170
- JVC GY-HM200
CONTROL SYSTEM:
The
Mangrove MVHJ-HM200 is fully electronically controlled housing that uses the remote LANC connector on the JVC camcorder, the external controls on the housing are linked by
12 electromagnetic pushbuttons to corresponding controls on the camera
inside the case. 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 full 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
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Expanded Focus
- Toggle between Manual to Auto Focus
- Momentary Auto-focus (Focus Lock/Auto)
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Variable Zoom Speed +
- Variable Zoom Speed -
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- White Balance Auto
- One Push White Balance
- Preset 3200º Kelvin
- Preset 5600º Kelvin
- Iris Auto/Manual toggle
- Push Auto Iris
- Iris +
- Iris -
- Gain Auto/Manual toggle
- Gain 0 dB
- Gain + (3-24 dB)
- Gain - (24-3 dB)
- Assign Button 1
- Assign Button 2
- Assign Button 3
- Assign Button 3
- Assign Button 4
- Assign Button 5
- Assign Button 6
- Data Display TV ON
- Joystick Up
- Joystick Down
- Joystick Right
- Joystick Left
- Menu ON/OFF
- Menu Select
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
surroundings, 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 do 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 MVHJ-HM200 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. To ensure users of Mangrove video housings
obtain the best quality footage, the housing MVHJ-HM200 comes with a bayonet lens mount system, and we
offer a range of underwater flat and dome ports to meet
your exact requirements. You can shoot the smallest critters to hulking
shipwrecks. 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 MVHJ-HM200 comes as a standalone housing with optics not included,
however, you can select to purchase the correct optics for your personal
style of filming, which
include flat and dome ports:
- FP-320: the FP-320 is a flat port, 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. This port accepts an optional M67 wet macro lens adapter.
- DP-320: the DP-320 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 60% your zoom range.
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.
