Mangrove Universal Sony HDR Underwater Video Housing

Mangrove Universal Sony HDR Underwater Video Housing for a range of Sony Video Camera models
Video camera not included.

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 Mangrove MVH is a universal housing that accepts many of the Sony HD video cameras and the design benefits of interchangeable optics like the wide angle port WP-80, 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. The available length for the camera and its battery is 130mm/5.12 inches.
Its solid build quality and elegant ergonomics make shooting underwater video a pleasure. Whether you’re 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:
Housing with control system type I:
Sony HDR: CX105, CX106, CX115, CX116, CX155, XR105, XR155
Housing with control system type II:
Sony HDR: CX370, CX350, CX305, CX300, CX110, XR350

Specifications:
- Dimensions (D x L): 160 x 215 mm
- Weight: 3535g
- Buoyancy: In seawater the MVH is almost neutral with the camcorder, the WP-80 port and Video lighting System K-VC-4. The optional weight and buoyancy system allows the housing to be made almost neutrally buoyant with any of the compatible camcorders
- Housing materials: Anodized marine grade aluminium and machined Delrin
- Hardware: 316 Stainless Steel throughout
- Locking system:  (2) tension latch with secondary lock
- Seals:
1) Housing Back: double O-ring Seals; one 4mm radial bore seal, one 3mm face seal
2) Front Port: double 2.5 mm O-ring Seals; one radial bore seal, one face seal
- Grip handles: 2 detachable ergonomic handles with bracket shoe for lighting system
- Finish: Clear anodize aluminium and black Delrin
- Control System: through the 3.5mm LANC remote jack or 10-pin AV/Remote
- Type of controls: 12 non-penetrating electro-magnetic pushbuttons
- Leak detector: Audible & Visual water alarm
- Status information: Two LEDs, green when camcorder is connected, red when camcorder is recording.
- White balance status: Two LEDs, yellow and green show the white balance selection (only for type I control system)
- Rear monitor: 3,5” colour TFT LCD or 3.4” OLED, 25º angled, monitor hood included
- Screen resolution: 900 (W) x 234 (H)
- Video system: PAL or NTSC (auto-detect)
- Monitor life time: 10.000 hours
- Monitor brightness: 250 Cd/m2
- Monitor power source: 4 x CR123A  Lithium batteries 1400 mAh (supplied with the housing) or 4 X RCR123A Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries 900 mAh (optional)
- Monitor run time: Approx.  10 hours with Lithium Ion batteries; Approx.  6 hours with Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries
- Depth rating: Each unit is pressure tested to 200 meters / 660 feet

Control System:
The Mangrove MVH is a fully electronically controlled housing that uses the AV/R-10pin connector. The external controls on the housing are linked by 12 electromagnetic pushbuttons to corresponding controls on the camera inside the case. This eliminates the need for the physical shafts that pierce the walls of mechanical housings. 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 leaking - typical with 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 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 (Type I):
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Photo (direct to Hard Drive/Tape or Memory Stick)
- Image Mode Change (Camera/Photo)
- Backlight
- Toggle between Manual to Auto Focus
- Manual Focus Far
- Manual Focus Near
- Momentary Auto-focus (Focus Lock/Auto)
- Variable Zoom Speed  +/-
- Electronic-One-Touch White Balance*
- Automatic/Indoor/Outdoor White Balance mode*
*Available controls only with SONY HC series, instead of Variable Speed Zoom control

Housing Control Set (Type II):
- Power ON/OFF
- Record/Standby
- Photo record
- Photo prepare
- Zoom Tele
- Zoom Wide
- Photo (direct to Hard Drive or Memory Stick)
- Image Mode Change (Camera/Photo)
- Joystick Up
- Joystick Down
- Joystick Right
- Joystick Left
- Menu Enter
- Momentary Auto-focus (Focus Lock/Auto)
- Electronic-One-Touch White Balance*
- Guide Frame
*Available controls only with the latest SONY XR, CX, MC series

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. This enables you to 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 its own Lithium batteries so they won’t 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:
As with all Mangrove’s housings, it’s equipped with a leak detector that will immediately activate a loud buzzer and a LED located at the rear of the housing. This way, if water were to 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 Ports:
The housing MVH comes with a 56mm threaded port ring that accepts optional removable ports. This includes the wide angle ports: Mangrove WP-65, WP-80, WP-90 and WP-100, as well as the flat port Mangrove FP-M56 that supports any 67mm threaded wet lenses such as the wide angle converter: Mangrove UWL-M67-F104, and close-up lenses such as the INON UCL-165 and UCL-330. 
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, Aditech teamed up with Fathom Imaging. Fathom Imaging are a specialist manufacturer of lenses that have been specifically developed for use under the water. Fathom Imaging's specialised water contact optics are routinely used on top of the line broadcast systems costing tens of thousands of pounds.
Aditech offer a range of Fathom Imaging underwater video camera lenses to meet your exact requirements. You can shoot the smallest critters to hulking shipwrecks. Some of the Fathom Imaging lenses allow some or full zoom through, letting you switch from super wide- angle to a narrower angle. 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 main features of these lenses are:

FP-M56: The FP-M56 optical glass flat port is the simplest port for Mangrove underwater camera housings. The focal length of your camcorder lens will be increased by 1:33, causing subjects to appear 25% closer. This port isn't suitable for wide-angle photography of large subjects. It is useful for close up work and for general fish photography. It can be used with any close up M56 wet lens like the Inon UCL-165. Minimum focusing distance and zoom range depend upon your camcorder. This port can be used in air and underwater

WP-65: it’s a wide angle port constructed of an aluminium shell and coated plastic and glass elements to provide the sharpest, clearest underwater images possible. The WP-65 covers a range of 68º underwater and 65º on land. The front dome element has a hard coating and is protected by a shade. This remarkable 65 degree optic is designed to work with the latest wide angle Sony and Panasonic camcorders, it does not support full zoom through.

WP-80: it’s a wide angle port designed by Fathom Imaging is constructed of an aluminium shell and coated BK-7 glass elements to provide the sharpest, clearest underwater images possible. The WP-80 covers a range of 80º underwater and 90º on land. It is nitrogen-purged / vacuum-sealed. The front dome element has a hard coating and is protected by a shade.

WP-90: it’s a wide angle port designed by Fathom Imaging is constructed of an aluminium shell and coated BK-7 glass elements to provide the sharpest, clearest underwater images possible. The WP-90 covers a range of 87º underwater and 90º on land. It is nitrogen-purged / vacuum-sealed. The front dome element has a hard coating and is protected by a shade. This remarkable 90 degree optic is designed to work with the latest wide angle Sony and Panasonic camcorders and supports full zoom through (only underwater).

WP-100: this is a high resolution underwater super wide angle port for capturing dynamic wide angle images; it has been designed by Fathom Imaging to bring distortion-free imaging to Mangrove MVD housings. The WP-100 covers a range of up to 108º 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.

UCL-330 / UCL-165: these close-up wet lenses can be installed and removed during the course of the dive and are used to shorten the maximum object distance (M.O.D), the M.O.D. for the UCL-330 is 330 mm with a magnification factor of x1.3, and for the UCL-165 is 165 mm, with a magnification factor of x2.

Colour Correction Filters:
Several removable external filters are available; CF-127, CF150, CF-M67. These optional colour filters reduces the blue hues and revives the vivid colours instantly when used with available sunlight to 24 m (80´) depths. The CF-M67 filter has a double male/female 67mm screw that will be screwed onto the flat port FP-M56. The CF-127 filter directly attaches to the Mangrove WP-80 and the CF-150 attaches to the Mangrove WP-90.

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-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.