Mike L

Forum username: Mike L
Posts: 523
Active years: 2005–2010
Primary forums: Video Gear and Technique, Photography Gear and Technique
Specialization: Gates underwater housings, underwater video, RED camera systems, Canon camcorders

Community Role

Mike L (Mike Luzansky) was a prominent underwater video specialist on Wetpixel from 2005 through 2010, with a particular focus on Gates underwater housings. He operated a business dedicated to Gates products, launching the website gatesunderwaterhousings.com in December 2009 to sell Gates housing packages and provide sample HD video footage from various camera systems (^[1]).

Mike was notable for being among the first people to receive and test production Gates housings for several camera systems, and he regularly documented his experiences with detailed forum posts. He frequently tested equipment at Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California, and collaborated with Bert Skura on underwater video production (^[2]).

Notable Contributions

Gates Deep Red Testing

Mike L received the first production Gates Deep Red housing, designed for the RED One cinema camera. In May 2009, he documented the entire process of unpacking, pool testing, and ocean testing at Catalina Island. He noted the housing’s design improvements including dual cooling fans and a direct LCD cable connection replacing the earlier bulkhead connector. He named his housing “Avalon” after the Catalina Island town where testing took place. The thread drew attention from Eric Cheng, who expressed enthusiasm for the report (^[3]).

Earlier in March 2009, Mike had spent several days at Gates headquarters working directly with John at Gates on Deep Red prototype testing, providing detailed initial impressions of the housing’s size, ergonomics, LCD quality, and buoyancy characteristics (^[4]).

Canon Camcorder Housing Reviews

Mike was one of the first to receive and review Gates housings for Canon’s consumer HD camcorder line. In June 2010, he documented the arrival of Gates HF S21 housings, noting the improved LCD size over the HF S10/S11 generation and the dual SDHC memory card slots. He personally purchased the Canon HF S20 model camera (^[5]).

In December 2009, he posted sample HD video shot at Catalina with a Canon HF S11 in a Gates housing with a GP32 wide-angle port and Big Blu 2x30 LED lights (^[6]).

FIX S90 Housing Introduction

In January 2010, Mike introduced the Wetpixel community to the new Fisheye FIX S90 housing for the Canon PowerShot S90. He described it as a compact, high-quality alternative to Canon’s own housing, noting its superior build quality and complete access to all camera controls. The thread generated 58 replies as community members discussed this compact but capable underwater camera system (^[7]).

3D Underwater Video Pioneering

In October 2010, Mike received a prototype Gates 3DA1 housing for the Panasonic AG-3DA1 3D camcorder, making him one of the first to test stereoscopic 3D underwater video. He worked with Clifton Production Services in Los Angeles on the footage, noting the challenge of learning underwater convergence for 3D shooting (^[8]).

Equipment

• Video housings: Gates Deep Red (RED One), Gates HF S10/S11, Gates HF S21, Gates EX1/EX1r, Gates 3DA1
• Still housings: Fisheye FIX S90 (Canon S90), Sea & Sea MDX-40D
• Cameras: RED One, Canon HF S11, Canon HF S20, Canon EX1, Panasonic AG-3DA1, Canon S90
• Lighting: Big Blu 2x30 LED lights
• Ports: Gates GP32 wide-angle port

Timeline

• 2005-04: First appearance on Wetpixel forums ([source: person_matrix.json])
• 2009-03: Tested Gates Deep Red prototype housing at Gates headquarters and Catalina Island (^[9])
• 2009-05: Received first production Gates Deep Red housing, tested at pool and Catalina Island, showcased at Long Beach Scuba Show (^[10])
• 2009-12: Posted Canon HF S11/Gates housing sample video from Catalina (^[11])
• 2009-12: Launched gatesunderwaterhousings.com website (^[12])
• 2010-01: Received and reviewed Fisheye FIX S90 housings (^[13])
• 2010-06: Received new Gates HF S21 housings (^[14])
• 2010-10: Tested prototype Gates 3DA1 housing for 3D underwater video (^[15])
• 2010-11: Last recorded Wetpixel forum activity ([source: person_matrix.json])