http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7gHukcu6I 

Just saw this video of Root's, has anyone ever tried anything like this?
Be quite interesting to do down one of our many flooded mine shafts, obviously not too deep, the pressure would have it's affect :bored:

---

One word answer is - yes. But sadly didn't get the time to re-rig after experiencing rig failure. I've taken shots like this before.

http://www.toadstone.com/aditnow/sample/ptmsnpano_1.jpg 
But I have invested in equipment to allow the lowering of a light source and camera down flooded shafts. Here is a failed image of me attempting to make do after my rig failed. In this case trying to avoid touching the sides of the shaft with equipment.

http://www.toadstone.com/aditnow/sample/IMG_3565adj.jpg 
The main problems you have in putting equipment down shafts like this is the same that plagues cave divers too --sediment and obstacles. Even though I was downstream of the water flowing from the shaft I very soon disturbed the sediment and it spread very quickly, clouding the water and scatters the light from your light source. Then you have the problem of taking the shot either from above or in the shaft.

Anyway I'm all geared up to retry later on this year when I'll have the time to be able to set up the shots.

Alway fancied knocking up a small rov to drop in flooded shaft
with lighting and a video camera....
never had the time to do it though......kids dogs wifey....

Had always thought debris and timber in the shaft were likey to be issues though......

In a previous life .... I was into bore hole logging tools (like oil industry stuff).... On simple portable stuff 10-15 kg with 2-300 mtrs of tether/cables we used to find the things would reach a point where they actually became bouyant....An we would have to add more weight or physically push the cable down the hole

combination of trapped air in the tool and bouyancy of the cable ........


anyway could be quite an interesting thing to do in some of the cornish shafts specially the deeper ones.....
???? washing machines
???? blouted sheep
???? weighted down bodies.. ahh yes gary glitter best place for him
:lol:

Alway fancied knocking up a small rov to drop in flooded shaft
with lighting and a video camera....
never had the time to do it though......kids dogs wifey....

Had always thought debris and timber in the shaft were likey to be issues though......

In a previous life .... I was into bore hole logging tools (like oil industry stuff).... On simple portable stuff 10-15 kg with 2-300 mtrs of tether/cables we used to find the things would reach a point where they actually became bouyant....An we would have to add more weight or physically push the cable down the hole

combination of trapped air in the tool and bouyancy of the cable ........


anyway could be quite an interesting thing to do in some of the cornish shafts specially the deeper ones.....
???? washing machines
???? blouted sheep
???? weighted down bodies.. ahh yes gary glitter best place for him
:lol:

Lol

Yes I too was thinking about the ROV idea, but with it having motors I suppose that it might disturb much of the sedimentation that'd collected over the years, and possibly cause serious damage if the shaft was a narrow one.

There's some flooded shafts in The Coniston Coppermines (deep level), not sure how far down they go before íf they're obstructed by debris.

Somewhere like Rhiw Bach might be interesting, easy access to the water + the chambers are hardly narrow.

Nice photos Toadstone!


🙂

---

Lots of very deep water chambers connected to Cwmorthin... well sort of..

Grahami

---

Lots of very deep water chambers connected to Cwmorthin... well sort of..

Grahami

Aye, another good place.
Went to a incline in Cwmorthin/Óakeley which had it's bottom level flooded, I think it might have been called The Chamber 34 Incline or similar, not sure. Weren't some divers going to go there or something?


regards

---

Lots of very deep water chambers connected to Cwmorthin... well sort of..

Grahami

Aye, another good place.
Went to a incline in Cwmorthin/Óakeley which had it's bottom level flooded, I think it might have been called The Chamber 34 Incline or similar, not sure. Weren't some divers going to go there or something?

Miles might know about divers, but yes, the Chamber 34 incline is flooded at the bottom, I was thinking of further east....

Grahami

---

How about Ecton? I know that the workings are very large and deep (space to manoeuver your machine), but I don't know if they are accessible at the moment.

Have you looked at the I. A. Recordings website - they use a combination of "MineCam" and BorgCam" to achieve very satisfactory results for their filming of inaccessible shafts and other 'unsafe' underground sections.

Manxman.

Lol

Yes I too was thinking about the ROV idea, but with it having motors I suppose that it might disturb much of the sedimentation that'd collected over the years, and possibly cause serious damage if the shaft was a narrow one.

There's some flooded shafts in The Coniston Coppermines (deep level), not sure how far down they go before íf they're obstructed by debris.

Somewhere like Rhiw Bach might be interesting, easy access to the water + the chambers are hardly narrow.

Nice photos Toadstone!

🙂

The ROV would be the answer, especially in large water masses. Using a camera scripted with CHDK in a waterproof enclosure simplifies the set up. This can then be lowered into the shaft along with independent light source/s. This forms the basis of my kit so far. Keep it simple to start with.

The beauty of using CHDK scripting is that it is possible to write a script that takes a few pictures then switches to video mode takes x seconds of video then goes back to stills etc etc.
The limiting factor being the memory card capacity.

All this kit has been fully scientifically tested of course, in the bath 😮 :lol:

If as you say Rhiw Bach may be a possible site to try then I see that there is a trip in October, or is that now full??

Re: photos thanks, the top one is of Masson and is a stitched image, the other is of Clayton Shaft.

That soundslike a good idea

I never knew you could do that with CHDK :blink: :blink: 😉
Which download was that? :lol:
I think the camera I'm using 'Powershot A640' has a waterproof case as an accessory, maybe I should save up for one...

---

Sorry LAP missed your post.

Go here for Canon A640 scripts.
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/UBASIC/Scripts:_Scripts_for_Canon_A640 
I've tried most of them, they all work. Some I've also tested on Canon G7 and are OK, namely intervalometer and video. The 640 X 480 30fps video on the G7 is very good. I managed to buy an underwater enclosure for about £80 off e-bay (from UK).
Fortunately the button sequence to activate CHDK externally from the back of the enclosure buttons works OK. Otherwise you would have to load the CHDK first then put the camera into the enclosure --- most definitely a pain. Like I say OK if you use a Canon branded enclosure.

Stick in a 2gig SD card set script to interval video and you are away. The enclosure is rated down to about 150 feet the WiseLED is rated 300 feet, you can also submerge the Fenix P3D to about a meter for 30 mins.

I'll post any results and escapades as they happen.

Thanks for all the info Toadstone :D

I'll take a look at those downloads;
Am trying to get a case at present.

Just wondering if it's be possible to take a pic on a long exposure underwater, i suppose so if you were to keep it veryy still, perhaps by placing string beneath a rock that'd hold it (obviously whilst keeping it attached to yourself).
Did you buy the WP-DC8 case for the A640?


regards

---

Basically yes. I was planning relying on a base weight and the the enclosure's resistance in the water to keep it steady. Another way is to use the camera attached to a pole, again this would help stability. As for lighting, the enclosure comes with a flash diffuser, which seems to work very well. Add distance light using LED's and the result should be OK. The video angle is not to much of a worry. In both cases direction is going to be the issue. I'll have a play again above ground for practice.

Had the method of camera mount attachment not failed on me the last time I would have been able to tell you more. But its just a learning process and I'm only glad I didn't have all my kit on the end when it did fail. 😢

There was indeed an attempt to dive down the Chamber 34 incline from G floor and the divers apparently spent a couple of days exploring H floor.

It was easy to tell where they had gone, as now the water's been pumped out again, the string makes it easy to trace their route on foot... :lol:

Further east? Indeed, there's a lot there...
😉

---

Could perhapskeep it steady by getting an exact balance between the upward-push of the water and the weight to allow the camera to sink, thus it'd stay in mid water 🙂 Wouldn't be too easy getting it exact.
Then perhaps use a weight on another string, attached to the side of the camera via a hook which could be easily lifted off to sink the camera to the required point.

---