Mangrove Sony FX7 Underwater Video Housing

Mangrove MVDS-FX7 Underwater Video Housing for the Sony HDR-FX7 & HVR-V1 Video Cameras
Video camera not included.

Housing:
The MVD-FX7 video housing´s front case is constructed from marine grade aluminium, machined, anodized and protected with a special coating and the rear case is machined from solid Delrin. The camera mounts on a specially engineered stay. The housing’s sleek, ergonomic design feels like a natural extension of your hands and makes capturing that perfect video sequence fluid and easy.  The housing also adapts to your future Sony video cameras. Redundant double O-ring seal system on the control unit provides maximum protection and does not depend on clamping pressure for security. Being depth-rated to 200m/660 feet, it is the deepest-operating video housing on the market.

Control System:
The Mangrove MVD-FX7 is a full electronically controlled housing that uses the Wired Remote Control for AV/R-10pin compatible SONY camcorders, 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. The Exposure/Iris function is controlled by a mechanical control and a geared motor.

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 compared 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,
- Zoom Tele/Wide,
- Backlight,
- Auto-Focus ON/OFF,
- Manual Focus Far/Near,
- Momentary Auto-focus,
- Variable Speed Zoom,
- Manual White Balance.
- Automatic/Indoor/Outdoor White Balance mode (optional)
- Iris

Monitor:
Rather than viewing the underwater world through a small viewfinder, the MVD housing has 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 more ergonomics. 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 makes all the 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:
The housing is equipped with a leak detector that will immediately activate a loud buzzer and a LED if the housing leaks, the water detector is located next to O-ring sealing and at the lowest point (in usual operating position) of the case.

Interchangeable Ports:
The housing comes with a 3.5" bayonet port system that accepts the optional super wide angle port Fathom SWP44B. The SWP44B covers a range of up to 120º underwater as well as on land, it enables extreme close focusing and assures brilliant colour rendition, producing high definition wide angle and macro images that are sharp and clear from edge to edge. It can be used on land as well as underwater.
The SWP44B is nitrogen purged/vacuum sealed in a dust-free environment, ensuring no foreign matter or condensation to spoil your image, it is constructed entirely of corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy and up to 6 high grade optical glass elements which are coated with a proprietary High Efficiency Broad Band Anti-Reflective coating for maximum light transmission.

Video Lighting System:
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-2 and VC-4 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 MVS-4 halogen lights are 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. The MVS-4H series use High Intensity Discharge (HID) pluggable light heads producing a daylight balanced colour temperature of 4500 degrees Kelvin, the light heads and batteries are separate units. All lighting systems are powered by Lithium Ion or memory-free Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs, also included is the smart charger for worldwide use.
Click here to see the list of Mangrove Video Lighting Systems.

Specifications:
Dimensions: Approx. 190 mm (Diameter) x 370 mm (length).
Weight: MVD-FX7 housing (w/o camera): approx. 6 kg on land. In seawater the MVD-FX7 is almost neutral with the camcorder, the SWP-44B port and Video lighting System K-VC-4. Our weight system WS-MVD or W-MVD allows the housing to be made almost neutrally buoyant with any of the compatible camcorders.
Operating Depth: Each unit is pressure tested to 200m / 660ft