On The Move With Ewa-Marine

Underwater, on the water, in the desert or the rain, with Ewa-Marine your camera can be right there with you!

Ewa-Marine has been manufacturing underwater housings since 1970. Ewa has a waterproof camera case to fit nearly every film, camcorder and digital camera on the market.

All Ewa-Marine housings are made in Germany and all models have a hardened, optical glass front port.

Prices and information and fitting guides for Ewa-Marine products are available at Keep It Dry Case.

Season's Greetings!

We're winding down 2009 and wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We'll see you in 2010 with some new ewa-marine products!

U-B Series Housings In Stock

The U-B housing series is back in stock and shipping today!

If you've been looking for one and finding them unavailable, then grab yours today. These are very hot housings for most of the DSLR cameras and they're a real bargain when compared to the more cumbersome hard enclosures.

Act now before they're out of stock again. Have a great day all of you shutterbugs!

Ewa-Marine VEX-3 Available!

In an earlier post we mentioned that the VEX-3 housing was being released.

You can now purchase this housing, specifically designed for the SONY PMW-EX3 digital XDCAM camcorder.

The VEX-3 is available at a significant mark down from MSRP, at Keep It Dry Case.com

You can find all of the details on this new housing there, place your order and have it shipped out the next business day.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Ewa-Marine housings!

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 housing range called the Ewa-Marine 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!

Ewa-Marine VLA Waterproof Camcorder Case

The new VLA is the 10 meter / 30 ft depth rated housing for camcorders without an eye-piece viewfinder. The Ewa-Marine VLA waterproof camcorder case allows you to use the LCD screen in models that do not contain an eye-piece / view-finder.

The VLA underwater housing is designed specifically for these camcorders the housing is manufactured from double laminated PVC and has an integrated, optically neutral flat glass port.

It's also great for snorkeling, shallow diving, sandy, dusty, humid and foul weather conditions. This housing will give your video camera the best possible protection from the elements while still being fully operational.

It has a pair of non-corrosive and seawater resistant clamping rails which fit together for perfect sealing. They tighten by means of knurled thumb screw knobs. A very simple, effective system.

It's supplied in a handy yellow carry-case which has a waterproof interior and zippered side-pocket. Like all Ewa-Marine camcorder housings it is supplied with lots of extras included.

There's a manual for Ewa-Marine video housings, an initial supply of CD5 moisture packets, foam padding Ewa-Marine CA adapter-system with 52 mm thread and two different step-up rings: 37mm - 52mm, 43mm - 52mm for adapting to the CA system and front port.

Length = 12.5 cm ( 4.9 inches )

Height = 14.5 cm ( 5 3/4 inches )

Width = 21.0 cm ( 8 1/4 inches )

Front Port Diameter = 75 mm ( 3 inches )

Ewa-Marine Camcorder Housing Sale!

If you are in the market for an underwater housing for your video camcorder, Ewa-Marine housings are on top of the heap of flexible "economy" housings.

They offer high quality, hardened, optical grade, neutral glass lenses in the lens port and are very light and easily portable, unlike hard cases offered from many companies and at a fraction of the cost.

Keep It Dry Case, an authorized dealer of Ewa-Marine is having a "blow out" sale on video/camcorder housings for the next two weeks! Here's a housing for the Canon DM-XL2 digital camcorder. It's being offered right now for $150.00 less than any dealer online.

We see this one, among many others on sale now, as super buys for divers who combine their love of diving/snorkeling with shooting underwater video!

From the Ewa-Marine literature (with their permission) :

The VXL-2 is the 10 meter depth housing for the Canon DM-XL2 digital camcorder. It is manufactured from double laminated PVC and has an integrated, optically neutral flat glass port.

Dimensions:

Length - 46 cm (18.1 inches)

Width - 7.5 cm (3 inches)

Height - 41 cm (16.1 inches)

Position of view finder - wide, central

Front port diameter - 75 mm (3 inches)

Weight - 1200g (2.65 lbs)

Waterproof Solution for Canon G3

If you are an avid snorkeler and wish you could capture all of the beauty you see when diving but can't justify an extreme, high-end, waterproof digital camera case - there's a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. Ewa-Marine, the benchmark housing for shallow dive housings has a housing for you.

I read dive forums and folks either love them or hate them, but the most "snobbish" posters generally state, "they are good for snorkeling." They also feature hardened optical grade neutral lenses in the lens ports which is a far cry from the other knock-offs who use PVC in their lens ports.

I'm a Canon fan so I'm going to put you on to a housing that accommodates both the G3 and the G5 with amazing results in picture quality. They also have a new hard front port installed, allowing the sensitive zoom lenses to operate without any interference. The new front port is welded directly onto the Ewa-Marine housing, insuring a safe and extremely strong bond between the housing and the port.

No more zooming out and bumping the lens, only to have it retract or use your camera's motor to push the front port out against the pressure of the depth you're going to shoot at. All said, this is a super little 33 foot depth rated, underwater housing solution for the Canon G3 or G5!

Kayaking History

The Inuit and Aleut tribes of Arctic North America were the first people to build and use kayaks. There were two basic types of kayaks at this point: One was built with light driftwood, while the others were made by stretching animal skins over frames made of whalebone. The tribe members used whale fat to waterproof the vessels. To improve buoyancy, they'd fill seal bladders with air and tuck them into the fore and aft sections.

In 1936, the Olympics included kayak races in the Berlin games. The United States began to get on board at this point, as did women. Two years after the Olympics, Genevieve De Colmont paddled the white-water of the Green and Colorado rivers. Fiberglass "rigid" kayaks came on the scene in the 1950s and were the standard until polyethylene plastic took over in the 1980s. Kayaking enjoyed modest participation as a fringe sport in the U.S. until the 1970s, when it began to move more to the mainstream. Now the Olympic Games feature more than 10 different white-water kayak events.

Stop by here for more information on Kayaking!

Ewa-Marine Authorized Dealers

There are many outlets selling the Ewa-Marine product line in the Yahoo! Shopping Mall. Tonight I was checking prices there and noticed that out of all of them, there was only one that had received the prestigious 5 Star Rating - based on customer feedback.

Keep It Dry Case has the only 5 star rating awarded on the quality of goods, price, shipping, ease of purchase, and customer service!

Congratulations to Keep It Dry Case on their fine performance and customer satisfaction ratings. If you're shopping for Ewa-Marine waterproof photo or video housings, I guess you'll know the best place to shop!

Ewa-Marine Photo Rain Capes

Many people look for an Ewa-Marine Housing which provides 100% waterproof protection to the camera or camcorder that they need protected. Many of these people never consider the use of the Ewa-Marine Rain Cape or Hurricane Hood which is what many really need.

The rain cape is made specifically for protection against rain, surf splash and foul weather photography. They weigh in at about 1/2 the price as a submersible housing but offer the kind of protection that many people are looking for. The have an easy access opening to place your camera inside and use snaps or Velcro to seal them up.

If you want to protect your digital camera or larger DSLR format cameras, they may be the answer for your needs. Check out the C-AF100 pictured above. It accommodates cameras using a 77mm filter-thread size and by using an available adapter, you can go as low as 52mm through 72mm by screwing a thin adapter ring to your smaller lenses.

An adapter is also sold separately for use with an 82mm lens/filter thread sized setup. They're light, affordable, easily portable and highly mobile covers. Check one out!

Season's Greetings!

We would like to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and Happy New Year!

Fresh Water Surfing

I'd never heard of fresh water surfing but wonders never cease right? I have discovered an entire website devoted not only to fresh water surfing but there are sections devoted to sub-categories such as wake surfing, lake surfing, river surfing, kayaking and more.

This site is loaded with useful information such as Hot Spots, Tips on riding, Gear, Videos and more. For all water sports enthusiasts, especially boarders. I'd recommend this site for a look around. It's loaded with cool information for boarding of all types and focused on those who have access to fresh water only.

You never know, there may be a fresh water "hot spot" closer to home than you might imagine. If you're headed out to do some boarding don't forget to take a waterproof camera case, so you can capture and record those fun and fond memories spent riding the waves, rivers and rapids!

Swimmer's Pouch

Are you a swimmer, surfer, beachcomber or a person who simply enjoys the pleasure of basking in the sun on the beach? There are usually some concerns when leaving your beach towel or blanket for a quick dip to cool off or frolic in the water.

I used to make elaborate little hiding spots under my beach towel to stash my wallet with all of it's cash, hotel key card and credit cards. But no more, I discovered a nifty little item that attaches to my swimming shorts (inside or outside) and takes the hassle of hiding things when getting up to leave my "spot."

It's a 4 by 4 inch Ewa-Marine Belt Safe Pouch. It has two compartments, they are both accessed from the top of the pouch and the front is clear and such items as a pool pass are easily recognizable but there is a solid yellow divider where cash and credit cards can be stashed, out of sight from prying eyes. Only you know what is behind the solid colored partition.

If you have penchant for "fun in the sun" and hanging out at the beach or at poolside, this little lightweight, waterproof pouch may be just what you're looking for!

Planning A Dream Vacation?

If you have a vacation planned for a tropical island and want to make your memories last, you ordinarily bring your camera along right? Of course! What if you love to snorkel or scuba dive? Shouldn't you bring your camera long as well? Sure, but you'll need to have it enclosed in a waterproof housing to get those shots of a lifetime.

Ewa-Marine carries custom fitted flexible housings for all makes and models of photo cameras and recorders. What would be cooler than watching your own movies of rare tropical fish? All you need is a waterproof camcorder case to put your video camera inside and shoot shoals of beautiful and colorful fish moving along a reef feeding and hiding from predators.

Or, if you're a digital camera owner you can take still shots or video clips using an Ewa-Marine waterproof digital camera case. This gives you the best of both worlds stills and video!

Just a word about Ewa flexible housings. They are the most talked about housings in the world. Why, because the guys with deep pockets and large vehicles think that a clear shot can only be taken with a "hard case" which is extremely expensive and very cumbersome. They scoff at the Ewa-Marine housings which have sold more housings than any other company brand.

The fact is, Ewa housings are very versatile, light yet solid to their depth ratings and deliver beautiful underwater shots. They are very affordable and a darn sight cheaper than any of the big brand hard cases. They have a hardened, neutral, optical grade lens embedded in their lens ports, unlike other "knock off" flexible housings brands which allows you to capture the shot as you see it. Other flexible housings rely on Plexiglas lenses which get cloudy and nicked easily and rarely would produce a shot to compare with an Ewa housing.

Ewa-Marine housings use locking nuts and bolts to secure the closure rails not plastic snaps or sliding closures. They are the inventors of the first flexible housing and are made with German engineering and precision. The rest are just pretenders who have jumped on the bandwagon by altering this or that, to make them different and not infringe on any patents.

Next time you purchase a housing give Ewa-Marine a close look, the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces use them for their light weight and easy portability. Not to mention - they need very good pictures!

Survival Tools

Increasing your odds of survival, on the water or in the wilderness entails a bit of common sense and preaparation. Here are some great additions to any watercraft or expedition kit. Increasing your visibility is essential in being found by any rescue team or for hailing other vessels.

Ewa-Marine has a great 100% waterproof flare case that is depth rated to 245 feet, making them ideal for scuba use and illuminating dark and dangerous underwater caves and caverns.

For a very small investment you can rest assure that your flares will be kept high and dry!