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We have two rental options available for RED DSMC2 cameras.

Our compact DSMC2 housing, and our DMSC2 I/O housing.

Both housings work with the Raven, Scarlet-W, Epic-W, Weapon, and DSMC2 (Gemini, Helium & Monstro) cameras.

The DSMC2 housing is great for action shots or where a compact housing is required.

The I/O housing provides opportunity for larger monitors and SDI output.

Both come with leak detection systems fitted, for peace of mind.

The I/O housing can be optioned with a SDI bulkhead and waterproof cabling, providing directors monitoring.

15m and 45m cables available.

Various ports, including Leica-R CINE-MOD available.

Rates from AUD500/day or $1500/week.

We now have an amazing set of Leica-R CINE-MOD EF mount lenses available for rental.

Leica Elmarit-R 24mm f2.8

Leica Summicron-R 35mm f2

Leica Summicron-R 50mm f2

Flat port with focus and iris control – suits Salty RED DSMC2 housings.

6 inch dome port with focus control – suits Salty RED DSMC2 housings.

These lenses have been CINE-MOD’d by Duclos lenses, which involves a Canon EF mount conversion, 0.8 module gears, declicked iris, and a 80mm front ring on all lenses.

We chose these 3 lenses because they all work in the same lens port on our RED housings.

Lenses available to rent individually or as a kit in a custom Pelican case.

Rates from AUD125/day/lens or AUD350/day/kit.

Email matt@saltysurfhousings.com for more info.

The Sony A7iii is the ultimate bang-for-buck camera you can buy in 2018.

Well, that’s pretty much all you need to know, but I guess you might want to know why I think this.

The A7iii offers a full frame sensor, high frames per second shooting, and 4K video all at a relatively affordable price, all packed into a compact & lightweight camera body. This puts it high on the list of surf photography suitable cameras.

Features

• Compact body. Compared with traditional DSLR cameras (like the Canon 5D) the A7iii is tiny! This is great for shooting in the water when coupled with a compact housing.
• Battery life. The A7iii uses the new NP-FZ100 batteries. The battery life of the A6X00 and A7ii was one of the biggest let-down of these cameras. The new batteries offer approximately 2.2x the battery life compared with the A6X00/A7ii. More than enough for a solid swim, or a couple of sessions shooting from the beach.
• Full-frame. The full-frame ‘look’. Better low-light performance, more depth of view, wider field of view, when compared with a crop sensor camera.
• 10fps shooting. You might fill up a card quickly, but you will have plenty of choices picking the best shot when capturing the fast paced action.

A7iii Housings

The A7iii shares the same basic camera body as the A9 and A7Riii, so works perfectly in our A9 housing.

As such, we have decided to rename this housing to our ‘ɑ-PRO’ housing.

We have two options for housings:

• ɑ-PRO standard housing – suits A9, A7(x)iii cameras
• ɑ-PRO BOOSTED housing – suits A9, A7(x)iii cameras with the battery grip.

The standard housing is super compact, and amazingly light!

The BOOSTED housing offers a crazy amount of battery power in the water, probably more than you could swim in one session. However, I personally shoot with the BOOSTED housing for a few reasons:

• Add a 128GB card and you can shoot multiple sessions without removing the camera from the housing.
• The ODI Vans side handle, offers added stability (and looks bad-ass!).
• Better balanced with larger lenses. Using Sony GM lenses means larger ports that often overshadow the standard housing. The larger BOOSTED housing offers a more balanced setup, yet is still compact compared with other manufacturers housing offerings.

What makes our housings different to other manufacturers?

• Compact, form fitting design – not a ‘one size fits all’ approach
• On/Off switch
• Custom paint options
• Multiple port options, including ports for 12-24mm, 16-35mm and 70-200mm
• 20m depth rating

Here is a photo, sent to us by one of our customers.

This shows our ɑ-PRO BOOSTED housing (right) next to another manufacturer’s standard A9 housing (left)

Camera Alternatives

If you have more cash to splash around, you might consider the A9 or the A7Riii.

The A7Riii offers an insane 42MP, whilst the A9 provides 20fps and blackout free EVF shooting.

If the budget does not stretch to the A7iii, consider an A6500 (or the even cheaper A6000 or A6300).

Conclusion

The Sony A7iii is a relatively affordable camera, that has professional level features suitable for surf photography.

If you are looking to take your shooting to the next level, or simply want to downsize from a DSLR, the A7iii is one of your best options on the market today.

There’s a variety of housings on the market available for the A7iii, of which will all also suit the A7Riii or A9 should you ever want to upgrade in the future.

Keeping water drops off your ports is essential in shooting good photos or video with your housing. One stray water drop can ruin the shot, so it is important to implement appropriate method of keeping your port clear.

There are two popular methods for water drop free shots; wet port and dry port.

Wet Port

Wet port is the easiest method, and refers to keep a thin, consistent layer of water on acrylic element of the port. This is best done by using the spit technique.

Before you enter the water:

1. Ensure your port is free of dust and debris.
2. Spit on your port and lick it, as to spread the spit evenly over the entire acrylic element.
3. Let the spit semi-dry before entering the water. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.

In the water:

1. Dunk the housing and then lick the port, as to remove any large spots of spit stuck to the port. Your port should now look clear.
2. Hold your housing underwater until just before you want to take a shot. As you lift the housing out of the water there will be a thin layer of water sticking to the front of the port.
3. Shoot!
4. Return the housing to the water and wait for the next opportunity for a shot.

Quick Tips:

• The performance of the spit technique will depend on what you have eaten or drunk before you shoot. Eating an apple or chewing a mint will help give your spit the right consistency for good results. I know one photographer who has a compartment dedicated to Mentos mints in his camera bag.
• Spit and lick your port before hopping into your wetsuit and before loading your camera into the housing. This will give sufficient time for the spit to dry before you are ready to enter the water.
• If you have let the spit semi-dry before entering the water you should not need to constantly lick the port throughout your session.
• Do not use your fingers to spread the spit around as you will introduce unwanted oils from your skin onto the port.

Dry Port

Dry port refers to keeping your lens port completely free of water.

So, how are you supposed to keep your port dry if you are swimming in water!? Well, it is quite a tedious task, particularly if you are constantly diving under waves. However, once you practice it a few times you will get the hang of it and the results will speak for themselves.

Before you enter the water:

1. Apply a small amount of unscented candle wax to the acrylic and buff it in using a clean, dry cloth. You want to buff it sufficiently so you don’t see a haze of candle wax. The port should look clear.

In the water:

1. Lift the port out of the water and then use a squeegee to wipe away any water drops.
2. Shoot!

Quick Tips:

• I use a 3M Squeegee, which can be purchased from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Applicator-Squeegee-PA1-B-Blue/dp/B00657SFPE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523232375&sr=8-3&keywords=3m+squeegee
• You can also use a window cleaner style squeegee, which is commonly available for purchase at your local supermarket or hardware store.
• Punch a hole in the squeegee and attach it to your housing leash or on your spare hand with a short tether so you don’t loose it in the water.

So which method do you use?

It is best to experiment with both methods and find what gives you the best and most reliable results. These tips are based on what I have tried and tested in my 15 years of shooting surf photography and may not work for everyone.

My rule of thumb is:

Wet port method for dome ports, and flat ports when shooting with focal lengths <50mm.

Dry port method for flat ports when shooting focal lengths =>50mm.

Examples:

• 8mm fisheye / 6 inch dome port = wet port method
• 25mm wide angle / flat port = wet port method
• 85mm / flat port = dry port method
• 70-200mm = dry port method

Some people swear by the dry port technique when using a flat port, even with wider lenses. And yet, some people swear by the wet port technique even when using longer telephoto lenses. So, simply use these tips as a starting guide, and experiment to find what works best for you with the lenses you shoot with, and the conditions you shoot in.