Ewa-Marine VC-EX3 Rain Cape

On January 30th 2009, Ewa-Marine introduced the new VEX3 underwater housing for the SONY PMW-EX3 digital camcorder. This has been a popular housing and has been difficult to obtain in the USA since the demand for this case has far exceeded the supply.

The Ewa company also launched another product to offer Sony PMW-EX3 owners more options in protecting their valuable video cameras. So they designed a special rain cape / hurricane hood which is designated as the VC-EX3 and has been added to their line-up of camcorder rain capes.

The VC-EX3 rain cape is manufactured from Ewa-Marine's patented triple laminated PVC and has an integrated, optically neutral, flat glass lens port.

You fix the camcorder in the rain cape by attaching the CAF adapter to the lens. The camcorder is then fitted into the front port. This system mates the rain cape to the camcorder and keeps the front port in front of the lens, like having an optional clear filter.

Your video camcorder can be used on a tripod while it is under the rain cape and allows the use of your hands to make any needed adjustments.

You can be close the bottom of VC-EX3 rain cape with snaps / press-studs which are located along the bottom.

The VC-EX3 rain cape's dimensions are as follows:

Length: 40 cm (15.8 inches)

Width: 12 cm (4.7 inches)

Height: 28 cm (11 inches)

Position of View Finder: Left Side

Front Glass Diameter: 95 mm / (3.7 inches)

Weight: 300 grams / (0.66 lbs)

Ewa-Marine SplashiX Housing

There's a new Ewa-Marine housing range called the SplashiX - now you can have Ewa quality at a lot less money than ever before.

For only about $45 you can own an Ewa-Marine housing. It will be protected your camera from sand, dust and water. You can even take it underwater!

SplashiX comes in a selection of sizes to fit all compact, digital cameras. Just measure the depth and height of your camera to check which one will fit.

Naturally, all SplashiX housings are made by Ewa-Marine in Germany and only come with an HD-quality, optical glass front port, to ensure that you can get perfect quality pictures. Tested and rated to 6m / 20ft depth!

There are 3 different sizes of the SplashiX housing, each size with two different front ports:

2D - 1S (small housing with short front port)

2D - 2S (small housing with long front port)

2D - 1M (medium housing with short front port)

2D - 2M (medium housing with long front port)

2D - 1L (large housing with short front port)

2D - 2L (large housing with long front port)

The SplashiX housing comes with a choice of one of two front ports:

Short: for lenses that extend up to 15 mm (3/8 inch)

Long: for lenses that extend up to 32 mm (1 1/8 inch)

With the SplashiX Zoom you can extend the length for another 10 mm (3/8 inch). It's a "must have" for very long lenses or for lenses with a very wide range from wide angle to zoom. It enables you to adjust the length of the front port to insure you don't get any vignetting when using max. wide angle and still have max. zoom when you need it.

Like all Ewa-Marine products, there's zero compromise with regard to quality and all SplashiX housings are made with an optical grade, glass front port!

Ewa-Marine Housings - Half and Half Shots

Using the Ewa-Marine waterproof digital camera housing for taking half and half shots can be tricky since the camera and case are exposed to the warmth of the sun and the lower half of the camera body is in cooler water. This can cause some aggravating condensation conditions.

Here's a link to some information that may help you solve that problem and help you to keep that $1000 + in your wallet without dropping it on a high end solution that you really don't need. Check out the info in the FAQ section at Keep It Dry Case and try it out!

"WATER DROPLETS ON THE FRONT PORT: Whenever you wish to take a half & half photo; 1/2 of the picture under the water and 1/2 of the picture over the water level, you will find some drops of water sticking to the front port above the water level. To avoid this, rub the outside of the front port with a slice of apple. The fruit acid in the apple will break the surface tension of the water and stop the drops from forming. Depending on the water, salt or fresh, the application must be repeated after 3 to 5 minutes." Dont forget to use the silica moisture muncher packet in the housing as well.

Also, in the customer gallery, the stunning pic of the trout picking up a fly was shot by a professional photographer in a trout stream and he mentioned that "putting the air right out of your scuba regulator hose takes out any condensation."

I wanted to share this info for those who are looking for that perfect half and half shot or video clip!

Finding Your Ewa-Marine Housing!

To save a lot of guesswork, when trying to find the correct housing for your digital, slr, digital slr or video cameras, you can always take advantage of the Ewa-Marine factory fitting guides at Keep It Dry Case.com.

On the left side navigation bar, toward the bottom, there's a "gold" link named Ewa-Marine Fitting Guides. It should clearly stand out to your eye in most web browsers. If you left click these words, a page will load. There will be three links on the bottom, so select either of the first two: "Camcorders/Rain Capes" or "Digital Cameras" and left click one of them.

When the page loads, click the link on the bottom to open a new window that has the corporate fitting guides, right from Ewa-Marine's website in Germany. It will always be up to date with the latest cameras and camcorders, giving you the proper housing or rain cape for your model!

Sometimes, after selecting the proper model, you'll see that more than one housing or rain cape is available for your use. You must check them out to be sure if the housings displayed, meet your specific needs, such as the length of zoom or the lens diameter that you'll be using.

You can save a lot of time on the phone or typing out emails if you follow these simple steps. This isn't difficult at all. If you can operate your computer and your camera, you'll find this to be very simple and helpful in avoiding mistakes and headaches, caused by guessing what the correct product is for you!

Ewa-Marine VEX-3 Coming Soon!

Ewa-Marine is unveiling the VEX-3 soon. It is their newest waterproof camcorder case and is rated for depths of 10 meters. It will be housing the revolutionary SONY PMW-EX3 digital XDCAM camcorder.

Designed specifically for this camcorder the model VEX-3 housing is manufactured from double laminated PVC and has an integrated, optically neutral, flat glass lens port.

It's perfect for snorkeling or shallow diving, sandy, dusty, humid or foul weather conditions. This new offering will give your camcorder the best possible protection while being fully operational.

Like all Ewa-Marine camcorder housings, it has a pair of non-corrosive and saltwater resistant clamping rails which fit together, making a perfect seal. They tighten by means of knurled thumb screw knobs.

The straps at the bottom will allow weights to be attached for perfect buoyancy under water.

It's supplied in a handy black carry-case which has a waterproof interior and zippered side pocket. Another great custom design, coming soon from Ewa-Marine!