SKIN DIVER MAGAZINE

U/W HOUSING

JVC GR-AX7:
Autofocus Above And Below The ^ Water-With The U/W Wide Angle Lens In Place!
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK AND SUE DRAFAHL
The unusual and remarkable functions of the JVC GR-AX7 camera, combined with Ikelite's ability to accommodate them, are what make this combination such a great U/W video system!
ormally when we review a video housing system, we try to stay as objective as possible. Ikelite's newest housing for the JVC GR-AX7 camera made that difficult. This combination is so likable you'll do back flips just to get it U/W. One of the biggest problems plaguing underwater videographers has been the size and weight of the camera housings. Ikelite, a leading manufacturer of these cases, has always made every attempt to design high quality, durable and compact video housings. With the new aluminum JVC, Ikelite has initiated a wrap-around concept. When the camera is inserted in the housing, there is less than a finger's width of space between the camera and housing. This compactness allows the camera controls to operate freely, yet keeps the combined weight of the camera/housing to 12 pounds in air. The housing is no larger than a standard 35mm SLR housing and, it's easier to use.

SKIN DIVER OCTOBER 1991

HOUSING CONFIGURATION The aluminum housing is in two pieces, the main body and the backplate. The outside of each is painted white; the inside is a flat, non-reflective black. The two halves are sealed with a large O-ring and held in place with two spring loaded clamps. The front of the housing is threaded for the optical dome port that corrects for distortion and holds the wide angle lens for underwater photography. The port has an extension that serves as a lens hood and a stand to set the housing on when opening and closing it. A much smaller flat port next to the dome port serves as a window to let light pass through and strike the camera's white balance control. Two black handles are attached to the base of the housing, allowing the videographer to move freely. The handles are configured to accept the Ikelite Modular Video-Light 45. There are two control knobs on the top center of the housing. The front control turns the camera on, while the second control allows you to switch from auto to manual focus and back again. The zoom control is on the right center of the housing and allows you to zoom the camera lens out to 6X power. Next to the right housing handle you will find the start/stop camera control. When you press the control down the camera starts recording. When you press the lever again, the camera goes into standby mode. A most unique control is found on the front of the housing. Turning this control counterclockwise will flip the color correction filter into the image path. This reddish filter compensates for the blue cast that dominates underwater. When you surface with the housing, you can turn the knob clockwise and remove the filter. The process is so smooth you can swing the housing out of the water and remove the filter all at the same time, giving perfectly balanced U/W to topside transitions. This is one of very few camera systems that can autofocus above water with the U/W wide angle lens in place. THE CAMERA IS THE KEY We would be doing an injustice to the JVC camera if we were to say the Ikelite housing is the most important component of this system. The unusual functions of the camera and Ikelite's ability to accommodate them are what makes this system so good. First, Ikelite has made a Video-Eye that replaces the standard camera viewfinder. This magnifies the images, allowing the underwater videographer to see a full frame, bright image from facemask distance. The camera's most remarkable function is continuous focus from wide angle

to extreme macro. Not only can the camera and housing focus throughout the entire range, but it does it with such speed that everything looks in focus. You can literally pan from a tubeworm to a Whale Shark in less than one second and both will be in focus. We were curious as to just how close this system would focus so we placed a dollar bill on the front of the dome port and in less than a second the image was
KEY FEATURES Extremely lightweight12 pounds Compact design: 13x8x14 inches Easy to assemble Filter control VHS-C format Autofocus from macro to wide angle Video-Eye viewfinder Wide angle lens included Tested to 300 feet
Right: Ikelite's housing comes with a color correction filter. This reddish filter compensates for the blue cast that dominates underwater.
Left: The aluminum housing has two sections, making assembly quick and easy.
in sharp focus. We were even more impressed when we turned the filter wheel inside the housing to a halfway point, where the edge of the filter was in the light path. In about a second the edge of the filter was sharp. Focus from inside the housing to infinityand without touching or changing any control! SETTING UP THE SYSTEM Assembling the camera and housing is extremely easy and takes just a couple of minutes. We recommend you first test the housing in the water without the camera installed, even though Ikelite pressure tests every housing U/W. This is a standard practice for all housings being used for the first time. Take the housing down to 30 feet and move all the controls several times. After returning to the surface, open the housing and check for leaks. Next, remove the standard eyepiece from the JVC camera and attach the Video-Eye. Don't forget to load a fresh tape. A small, slotted baseplate is then attached to the camera. Remove the backplate and pull out the two controls on the right side of the housing so you can insert the camera. Once it is in place, push the two controls back in and align all controls with the camera. Oper-
ate all the camera functions and then attach the housing back. Operate the camera controls one more timebefore entering the waterand you are ready to go. Once you are on the bottom, turn on the camera and start recording. Depending on the type of tape you use, you will have from 55 to 100 minutes of recording time on VHS-C tape. CONCLUSIONS We found this camera and housing combination to be remarkable. As still photographers, we can appreciate the reason many people hesitate to try underwater video. Until recently the cameras were large; the housings even larger and heavier. When these reluctant photographers try this JVC/lkelite combination, they'll be hooked for surewe are! The Ikelite housing, model 6005.73, comes complete with JVC GR-AX7 camera, Ikelite's aluminum video carrying case, wide angle lens, Video-Eye and UR/Pro color filter. This system sells for $2,094. Ikelite housing model 6005.71 comes without the JVC camera and sells for $995. For further information contact Ikelite Underwater Systems at 50 West 33rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208 or call (317)923-4523.

JVC DILA Projector Firmware Update Procedure This document describes the procedure to update the firmware for JVC DILA Projectors: DLAX7 DLAX9 DLARS50 DLARS60 Notes: It is important that the correct firmware update file be used for the appropriate projector. Use of incorrect firmware file could render the projector inoperative. Customized settings on the projector would be erased during firmware update. Note down the customized settings and reenter after firmware update is completed. Enduser agrees to use this firmware at his own risk. Enduser bears the total responsibility for any failure arising from installing the firmware. File Download: Download the appropriate firmware update file for your projector model to your PC desktop. It is a selfextracting file and installs the ILAFPJ Updater to the PC. Tools Required: JVC Update Program Installer: ILAFPJ Updater A Standard PC running Windows XP or Later (32-bit versions) with a USB Port USB to MiniUSB cable Philips screwdriver USB Driver Installation: JVC ILAFPJ Updater program should have been installed on your PC at this point. Next step is to install the USB driver so that PC can communicate with the projector using USB connection. Administrator level access to the PC is required to proceed. 1. Press the STANDBY button twice to put the projector in STANDBY mode. Unplug the power cord from the projector. 2. Remove the screw and cover located above the AC connector exposing the USB connector.
3. Plug the Mini USB end to the connector on the projector and the other end to the PC.
4. Press and hold the STANDBY button on the projector while plugging in the power cord. The three LEDs on the projector should be lit to indicate Download Mode.
5. PC detects the projector as new hardware. Then it opens Found New Hardware Wizard to help install the drivers. 6. In the Hardware Wizard screen, for the question Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software? click on No, not this time, and then click Next.
7. For the question What do you want the wizard to do?, click on Install the software automatically (Recommended). Then click Next.
8. The driver will be installed and a confirmation message is displayed that the installation is finished. 9. If the driver does not install automatically, it can be installed manually. The USB Driver and.INF file can be found at \Program Files\ILAFPJ\Updater\X7_V1_1\. 10. When the driver is installed successfully, message Found New Hardware. Your new hardware is installed and ready to use. 11. Next step is to update the projector firmware. If you are going to update the firmware immediately after USB driver installation, leave the projector in Download Mode and proceed to step 3 of the Firmware Update procedure.
Firmware Update: 1. While in STANDBY mode, remove the power cord. 2. Press and hold the STANDBY button on the projector while plugging in the power cord. The three LEDs on the projector should be lit to indicate Download Mode. 3. Launch the ILAFPJ Updater program from the START All Programs button. 4. Click on Browse button and navigate to locate the appropriate file. Refer to the chart below. For example, X7_V1_1.brec2 can be found at \Program Files\ILA FPJ\Updater\X7_V1_1\X7_V1_1.brec2 Select the appropriate update file and click Open.
The path and filename will be shown at the top of the program. Click Update button.
6. Choose the appropriate projector model, and click OK. Next is a message to confirm the selected projector model to be updated.
7. Click Yes to start downloading the image file. 8. It takes approximately 2 minutes to update and progress bar shows the activity. When finished updating, click on OK button.
9. After a 5second wait, press the STANDBY/On button on the projector. The 3 LEDs will flash slowly for approximately 40 seconds after which the projector goes into STANDBY MODE. FIRMWARE VERSION CHECK 1. Leave the USB cable connected. Press the STANDBY button and wait for the blueback picture to be displayed. Click on the Get Ver. button on the Updater Program. If update is successful, it should display ver1.1. After update is finished, switch off the projector. Remove the power cord. Unplug the USB cable and reinstall the cover with screw.