Watertight housing/cover for extreme weather sailtrip. Ewa-Marine VXA? at DVinfo.net

Josh Newman · May 28th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Hey guys,

Anyone out there had any experience with one of these?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=492310&is=REG

I'm off on a long sail trip and need to know I can keep my camera dry. I've shot with Gates and Light and Motion housings before but I don't need one of those for this job. I need something cheaper that can take spray and wash, shoot along the bow and do a few under/over shots. Anyone have any suggestions or experience?

Cheers,
Josh

Tony Davies-Patrick · May 29th, 2008, 04:24 AM

The Ewa Marine is very good for the type of work you'll be using it for. Keep in mind that for soft & flexible housings the deeper you go the more pressure will force the housing against the camera and controls, making it sometimes difficult to manually change settings, or worse still, change settings without you noticing them. So lock any manual controls in position before going underwater.

I use the Scubacam (for Canon XL2), which is a heavy-duty flexible sub-surface housing with glass front port, which is a step-up from the cheaper Ewa Marine range, but the EM on your link should work OK for weather protection and shallow dives.

Matt Buys · May 30th, 2008, 07:44 PM

Like Tony said, it'd probably be fine for your applications but be gentle. I broke one while holding it white water rafting on a relatively minor rapid.
Probably like you, I can't justify buying a gates either. Wish I could because EWA's have more in common with ziploc bags than a sturdy housing.

Luke Pearce · August 17th, 2008, 04:51 AM

Just to add to this I just used this over the last week doing white water rafting, canyoning, sea kayaking & snorkelling.

Although it is pretty much a zip-lock bag its seems really well made and the plastic seems really strong. At the end of each day it was dry as a bone on the inside, never had any condensation on the inside either.

One thing they dont mention (until you read the instructions) is that you really need to remove the XH-A1 mic holder to use it properly. I managed to fudge it (as I didn't have a screwdriver to remove the holder) by leaving out the the base foam, however, this meant that occasionally (2-3 times a day) the camera would slip out of the lens holder.

2 problems I did find (which were probably caused by not using the foam):
1) I did notice slight rounded corners on the widest zoom.
2) It was sometimes very difficult to see down the view finder as the metal clasp got in the way.

Take some kind of soft cloth that you dont mind getting wet to wipe the lens once its been in the water or you'll get drips showing up on your recording.

Otherwise I was very impressed it was a pretty full on few days, I even did a couple of jumps on canyoning and it held up great.

Brian Anderson · March 4th, 2010, 01:11 PM

...but I figured now you've had more time with EWA bag...and how has it held up over time? I'm considering buying for my XH-A1... but it is a pvc bag! $500+ is steep...at $300 would be more reasonable. Was also considering EPIC Pro HD but not having access to controls bugs me. Did you find adjusting lens possible...did autofocus work well? Thanks for the info about the mic support. Any other comments you may have about this bag I would appreciate as I stated with more time I might get a better opinion about it. Thanks a lot.

Kenneth Burgener · March 4th, 2010, 05:33 PM

I went to Wall Mart and got a marine box for about $10 The box is great for storage of my camera, as it has a rubber seal around the top.

Also I picked up a kids back pack again at Wall Mart , for $6. This hold all my filters, and cleaning stuff and all the other crap we end up taking with us. It is padded and might be kind of rain proof..

After a very expensive repair I now keep my camera in a Seal Line See Bag 10L. I got this at Outdoor World for about $15. IT keeps my camera dry, and I put two Hydrosorbent 40's in the bottom of the bag.
Just thought you all might use some of this stuff, to keep our cameras working better and not spending more money.

May 28th, 2008, 06:45 PM	#1
Josh Newman New Boot Join Date: May 2008 Location: Dunedin, New Zealand/ Seattle Washington Posts: 7	Watertight housing/cover for extreme weather sailtrip. Ewa-Marine VXA? Hey guys, Anyone out there had any experience with one of these? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=492310&is=REG I'm off on a long sail trip and need to know I can keep my camera dry. I've shot with Gates and Light and Motion housings before but I don't need one of those for this job. I need something cheaper that can take spray and wash, shoot along the bow and do a few under/over shots. Anyone have any suggestions or experience? Cheers, Josh

May 29th, 2008, 04:24 AM	#2
Tony Davies-Patrick Trustee Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Worldwide Posts: 1,589	The Ewa Marine is very good for the type of work you'll be using it for. Keep in mind that for soft & flexible housings the deeper you go the more pressure will force the housing against the camera and controls, making it sometimes difficult to manually change settings, or worse still, change settings without you noticing them. So lock any manual controls in position before going underwater. I use the Scubacam (for Canon XL2), which is a heavy-duty flexible sub-surface housing with glass front port, which is a step-up from the cheaper Ewa Marine range, but the EM on your link should work OK for weather protection and shallow dives. __________________ www.WILDCARP.com www.NIKON.me.uk

March 4th, 2010, 01:11 PM	#5
Brian Anderson New Boot Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada Posts: 5	I know this to be an old thread... ...but I figured now you've had more time with EWA bag...and how has it held up over time? I'm considering buying for my XH-A1... but it is a pvc bag! $500+ is steep...at $300 would be more reasonable. Was also considering EPIC Pro HD but not having access to controls bugs me. Did you find adjusting lens possible...did autofocus work well? Thanks for the info about the mic support. Any other comments you may have about this bag I would appreciate as I stated with more time I might get a better opinion about it. Thanks a lot.

May 30th, 2008, 07:44 PM	#3
Matt Buys Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 426	Like Tony said, it'd probably be fine for your applications but be gentle. I broke one while holding it white water rafting on a relatively minor rapid. Probably like you, I can't justify buying a gates either. Wish I could because EWA's have more in common with ziploc bags than a sturdy housing.

August 17th, 2008, 04:51 AM	#4
Luke Pearce Tourist Join Date: May 2008 Location: England Posts: 2	Just to add to this I just used this over the last week doing white water rafting, canyoning, sea kayaking & snorkelling. Although it is pretty much a zip-lock bag its seems really well made and the plastic seems really strong. At the end of each day it was dry as a bone on the inside, never had any condensation on the inside either. One thing they dont mention (until you read the instructions) is that you really need to remove the XH-A1 mic holder to use it properly. I managed to fudge it (as I didn't have a screwdriver to remove the holder) by leaving out the the base foam, however, this meant that occasionally (2-3 times a day) the camera would slip out of the lens holder. 2 problems I did find (which were probably caused by not using the foam): 1) I did notice slight rounded corners on the widest zoom. 2) It was sometimes very difficult to see down the view finder as the metal clasp got in the way. Take some kind of soft cloth that you dont mind getting wet to wipe the lens once its been in the water or you'll get drips showing up on your recording. Otherwise I was very impressed it was a pretty full on few days, I even did a couple of jumps on canyoning and it held up great.

March 4th, 2010, 05:33 PM	#6
Kenneth Burgener Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sanibel Florida Posts: 102	I went to Wall Mart and got a marine box for about $10 The box is great for storage of my camera, as it has a rubber seal around the top. Also I picked up a kids back pack again at Wall Mart , for $6. This hold all my filters, and cleaning stuff and all the other crap we end up taking with us. It is padded and might be kind of rain proof.. After a very expensive repair I now keep my camera in a Seal Line See Bag 10L. I got this at Outdoor World for about $15. IT keeps my camera dry, and I put two Hydrosorbent 40's in the bottom of the bag. Just thought you all might use some of this stuff, to keep our cameras working better and not spending more money.