Hi Bob:

Good thought . . . it's a Sea&Sea VX-S1.

According to the manufacturer, it takes only the HC3 and HC9. I'm inclined to believe this, as the camera sits on a special tray that bolts inside the housing. The tray is particular to each camera as it holds the IR corder that controls the on/off, zoom/unzoom, etc.

Even if the CX520/550 fits inside (which it might), there is no tray available for my housing and the tray for the HC3 or HC9 probably doesn't have the IR in the right place : (

The 550 has a smaller distance from the base to centre of the lens so you need either packing or a whole new plate. Both are problems any half decent machine shop should be able to solve for you. If you're adventurous you could probably make something "ghetto" that'd do the job yourself.

The IR corder gizmo I guess talks to the camera's IR port. Probably just a matter of mounting, most Sony cameras use the same protocol for their IR remotes.

We've got one Amphibico and a couple of the Sony Sports housings. Both were bought for our HC9s. The Sony Sports housing we bought a week ago comes with plates for both the HC9 and CX5xx cameras and they are just pretty basic bits of moulded plastic.

Bob.

Sorry to go off-topic a bit Kimberly, but I have two HC3s that have, so far, given me a trouble-free run. What can I look forward to?

Cheers

Russ

Hey Russ:

My HC3's get quite a workout.

During one six month period I was having problems with the on/off switch on the housing. That's a long, painful story, but in short, I was running the HC3 about 4hours a day, 4 days a week for six months. . I was recording 2 60-minute tapes each day plus the 2 hours to capture. It held up like a champ. But one day it refused to pop the tape out. It probably had 700 hours on it by that time, 400 of which were put on during that six months.

Fortunately by then I had a second camera and I had also solved my housing problem that required so much camera time. To be honest, I was surprised the first HC3 held up as well as it did, and it still runs like a champ after the repair!

The second HC3 also held up well, but I have learned the hard way that you shouldn't flip the LCD screen back and forth to reverse it or move it around much. Maybe if you don't use the camera a lot it's okay to move the LCD screen around. Otherwise the little wires that go from the camera to the LCD screen wear out and you lose your touch screen. So that HC3 is going in for repair when I get home in June.

Now that I have two cameras, I have a topside camera that always stays set-up for topside shots and a housing camera that always stays set-up for my housing. That way I won't have to move or touch the screen except once in a blue moon.

I really think you can expect hundreds (maybe even a thousand) of hours of service from your HC3 if you treat it well, keep if from excess moisture, change out your tapes often AND don't move the LCD screen much. I have been very happy with the durability even though I have had to invest in service. I use a service center in Portland, Oregon called Camera Solutions and their prices are reasonable.

Good luck!

Kimberly

@farss

The 550 has a smaller distance from the base to centre of the lens so you need either packing or a whole new plate. Both are problems any half decent machine shop should be able to solve for you. If you're adventurous you could probably make something "ghetto" that'd do the job yourself.

You know, after reading your earlier comment I have been contemplating the very same thing! I am not a machine shop person, but I know people who are. The bottom of the tray would need be like my current tray while the upper bit would need to hold the IR thingy in the correct place.

The IR corder gizmo I guess talks to the camera's IR port. Probably just a matter of mounting, most Sony cameras use the same protocol for their IR remotes.

Yep that's what it does. The IR thingy sends the command to start/stop recording, zoom/unzoom, and take a still photo.

We've got one Amphibico and a couple of the Sony Sports housings. Both were bought for our HC9s. The Sony Sports housing we bought a week ago comes with plates for both the HC9 and CX5xx cameras and they are just pretty basic bits of moulded plastic.

I believe the Sony Sports housing is the one that looks just like my Sea&Sea VX-S1 except my housing is black polycarbonite and good to 200 feet whereas the Sony Sport is clear plastic and good to 15-20 feet? My trays are aluminum rather than plastic, but I wonder if the plastic tray for the CX5xx would fit in my housing. I know where I can get a tray for an HC9. I'm curious if that tray would work with the CX5xx or is the IR port in a totally different location.

PS. It's not that my housing is the greatest thing ever, but I have two of them plus the spare parts. Having just purchased new lights, I cannot afford new housings for a few more years.

Thanks for the great idea on the CX5xx and the Sony Sport tray. I will definitely read up on those.

Cheers,

Kimberly