During production for “The Cave,” the Fujinon super wide-angle HD lens calmed Skiles’ fears about maintaining a clear image in a submerged environment.
Fujinon’s HA13x4.5ERM HD super-wide-angle ENG-style lens was used by DP Wes Skiles to capture HD underwater video scenes for the upcoming Sony Pictures creature feature, “The Cave.”
Skiles shot the scenes in a large water-filled tank in Romania and on location in real caves on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Among his major concerns was maintaining a clear image in this submerged environment.
Water contains millions of microscopic particles, nearly or completely invisible to the naked eye, yet easily detectable by the camera. In order to capture a non-murky or blurry image, the camera operator must shoot as close to the subject as possible. In this case, Skiles needed to shoot subjects up to seven feet long from only three and a half feet away.
In order to protect the lens, Skiles worked with Amphibico, a provider of underwater imaging equipment, to custom build a protective housing around the HA13x4.5 coupled with a Sony HDW-F950 HD camcorder. A special aspheric glass was placed in front of the HA13x4.5 to correct the reflection and distortion created by water.
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