Desert Star Systems Underwater Photo & Video Cameras with Canon EF Mount - Canon EOS Technoclopedia

Desert Star Systems FrogEye (C/EF mount) Housing
Material
 Depth
Rating (m)
 Sealings Primary Color CCD Sensor Secondary Grayscale CCD Sensor Image Output Shutter
Speeds(s)
 Frames/s4 Size (mm) Weight (g) Power Sources Recording Media Data
Connection
 Produced
Format Size (mm) MPixel1 Crop (H)2 Type Pixel Pitch (µm) Min. Illu. (lux) Dyn. Range (dB) Trigger Interval Format Size (mm) MPixel1 Crop (H)2 Type3 Pixel Pitch (µm) Min. Illum. (lux) Dyn. Range (dB) Stills Size (px) Movie Battery Battery Pack PSU & Charger
  • Desert Star FrogEyes (both FC-1 and FC2) are military grade systems. Export restricted by US BIS classifications for Anti-Terrorism (AT1) and National Security (NS2), so you need a licence to export them. As of the (still current?) 2001 listing only North Korea, Sudan and Syria are excluded by AT1, but most other countries are as well excluded by NS2. Exceptions are CH, DK, FI, FR, DE, ES, GR, IE, IT, JP, LU, NL, NZ, NO, PT, SE, TR and UK.
  • The camera housings are hermetically sealed, filled with Helium and contain a desiccant package. To insert, replace or remove the CF card it is necessary to open the housing and recommended to restore original conditions on reassembly. Other than with usual underwater housings controls on the outside of the camera are transmitted into the camera in a non-mechanical fashion (magnetic contacts), thus the cameras are almost maintenance free. Not sure about FC-1.
  • FrogEyes can be remote controlled via PC USB cable connection over distances up to 100m at full speed, up to 1.3km at the cost of speed (not clear whether they refer to data transmission to the host PC or remote shutter release delay). Image data will be send to the host PC. For FC-2 you need the SeaLevel #2104 type RS-485 to USB adapter [#FADM-485] and #FCBL-R1 would be the 100m cable.
  • The daylight sensors have an interline electronic shutter, the SPDs feature frame transfer. Both have a pixel pitch of 7.4µm.
  • Electrophysics' Astroscope 9350 Night Vision module can be applied to still use the bigger color sensors instead of the SPD during night times. DSS recommends a GEN3 OMNI4 CIU (#9350CIU3-IV) for best resolution and contrast. In the 2003's specs an Astrophysics Intensifier Module for C/EF is mentioned for the FC-1 (mistake I think, changed to Electrophysics 9350 in 2004).
  • FrogEye can alternatively be powered by a standard 12V automotive battery (FC-1: use cable #CAR-U; FC-2: use cable #FCBL-C).
  • There also are C-Mount versions available [FC-2C] as well as grayscale primary sensors (higher sensitivity).
FrogEye FC-1   plastic/aluminum 100   2/3" (1:1) 7.4 x 7.4 1.0 4.86 Kodak KAI-1020M 7.4 0.023 @ 1/30s
(ISO 562)		 58   1/3" (4:3) 4.9 x 3.7 0.33 7.35 TI TC-253 7.4 0.008 @ 1/30s 58 JPG PRI: 1004 x 1004
SEC: 656 x 496		     10 (compressed?) 300 x 91 x 91 2300 yes (1 - 2.5h) BA-5590 (takes charging
voltages up to 36V)		 ACDC-U 15V
CHARGE-U 15V		 2x CF (1 128MB def.),
1GB max. or ext. HDD		 IEEE 1384, RS-485 2002
FrogEye FC-1   plastic/aluminum 100   2/3" (1:1) 7.4 x 7.4 1.0 4.86 Kodak KAI-1020M 7.4 1 @ 1/30s 58   1/3" (4:3) 4.9 x 3.7 0.33 7.35 TI TC-253 7.4 0.01 @ 1/30s 58 JPG PRI: 1004 x 1004
SEC: 656 x 496		 BTC (3fps?) >1/10000
(w/ TC-253 in daylight)		 4/8 300 x 91 x 91 2300 yes (1 - 2.5h) BA-5590 (takes charging
voltages up to 36V)		 ACDC-U 15V
CHARGE-U 15V		 2x CF (1 128MB def.),
16GB max. or HDD		 IEEE 1384, RS-485 2004
  • There was an upgrade option for an internal focus mechanism, that would focus by moving the image sensor module, especially useful when using manual focus only FrogEye lenses. Claimed to be noiseless at 1m distances and more.
  • Featured a QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) FLCD color viewfinder and GEO tagging via GPS.
  • The 2004's Military Brochure mentions possibilities of upgrading to internal ViaSat MIL-STD-188-184 modem and 802.11 wireless modules, as well as an internal 200GB HDD.
FrogEye FC-2                   1 60               0.00003 58           228 x 101 x 92 1500           2006
FrogEye FC-2 Delrin or Noryl 100 port: o-ring 2/3" (1:1) 7.4 x 7.4 1.0 4.86 Kodak KAI-1020 7.4 0.6 @ F1.4
6.0 @ F4.0		 58   1/3" (4:3) 4.9 x 3.7 0.33 7.35 TI TC-253 7.4 0.0001 58 JPG, RAW PRI: 1004 x 1004
SEC: 656 x 496		 BTM (BTC)   3.5 - 6/10 - 13 240 x 105 x 105 1100 8x AA (last for 90min)
#BAT00321 (12V)		 BA-5590 (lasts for 24h)
UW Case: FBP-2		 ACDC-U 15V 1x CF (1GB default)
8GB max. or ext. HDD		 IEEE 1384, RS-485 2007
  • The FC-2 is ready for NIR-VIS-UV photography, use of appropriate filters is necessary. It features image sensor cooling.

Accessories Compatibility Description Produced
Desert Star Systems X1   FC-1 DSP processing accelerator; doubles the frame rate to up to 20 fps; can be used as doublet for 30 fps or as triplet for 40 fps 2002

FrogEye FL-200 F2.7   FC-1, FC-2 free-flooding, submergible lens; retractable with a transport length of 139mm, 200mm extended, Ø 110mm, 850g; horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 2.2°, SPD night vision sensor: 1.4°; refractor-like optical construction; manual aperture control only; IR cut-off filter built-in) 2007
FrogEye FL-400 F5.3   FC-1, FC-2 free-flooding, submergible lens; retractable with a transport length of 203mm, 380mm extended, Ø 110mm, 900g; horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 1.1°, SPD night vision sensor: 0.7°; refractor-like optical construction; manual aperture control only; IR cut-off filter built-in) 2002 - 2007

Desert Star Systems FLH-76   FC-1, FC-2 underwater lens hood (≤100m) for lenses of lengths up to 67mm, esp. Canon EF 14mm F2.8 (horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 30° (22° under water), SPD night vision sensor: 20° (15° uw)) and Sigma 15mm F2.8 (horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 27° (21° under water), SPD night vision sensor: 18° (14° uw)) 2007
Desert Star Systems FLH-80   FC-1, FC-2 underwater lens hood (≤100m) for lenses up to 80mm in length, esp. Canon EF 50mm F1.4 (horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 8.5°, SPD night vision sensor: 5.6°) and EF 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 (see below for details) 2007
Desert Star Systems FLH-94   FC-1, FC-2 underwater lens hood (≤100m) for lenses up to 94mm in length, esp. Canon EF 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 (horizontal FOVs provided with daytime color sensor: 15 - 4.1°, SPD night vision sensor: 10 - 2.6°) or EF 35-80mm F4.0-5.6; 115 x 115mm (cyl.), 300g 2002 - 2007

Desert Star Systems FBP-1   FC-1 external battery pack; 183 x 91 x 40mm, 1300kg; depth rating of 100m (same size and weight like #FHD-40, think it's just an ordering number for the same Remote Ops Box with different content) 2002

Desert Star Systems FHD-40   FC-1 40GB external HDD for Firewire; 183 x 91 x 40mm, 1300kg; depth rating of 100m; plugs into multi-function port of the camera 2002
Desert Star Systems FHD-65   FC-2 65GB external HDD; depth rating of 100m 2007

Desert Star Systems FBM-1   FC-2 Remote Ops Box housing a BA-5590 battery and a RF modem offering 115 kbit/sec at 800kHz; max. distances between 500m indoors to 32km outdoors (using high gain antennas), 190 x 165 x 117mm (excl. antenna), 2.7kg 2006
Desert Star Systems FBH-1   FC-2 Remote Ops Box containing #FHD-65 HDD, which can also house a BA-5590 battery; 190 x 165 x 117mm, 2.7kg 2006
Desert Star Systems FHD-1   FC-2 Remote Ops Box containing #FHD-65 HDD, which can also house a BA-5590 battery; depth rating is 100m 2007

Desert Star Systems FRF-1   FC-2 RF modems ready for underwater use down to 100m powered by external BA-5590, offering 115 kbit/sec at 900kHz; connects to a PC via USB; needs an 8pin multi-function cable [#CBL00031] 2007

Desert Star Systems Case FS-1   FC-2 waterproof hard case produced by Underwater Kinetics 2007

Desert Star Systems EyeCommand [#EC-L1]   FC-1 software for remote operation and image retrieval 2002
Desert Star Systems RemoteCam [#DB-RC]   FC-2 software for remote operation and image retrieval 2007
Desert Star Systems imgConvert   FC-2 software to convert RAW and BTC to BMP, JPEG, TIFF or TGA  
 
Desert Star Systems SharkEye (C/EF mount) Housing
Material
 Depth
Rating (m)
 Sealings Primary Color CCD Sensor Secondary Grayscale CCD Sensor Image Output Shutter
Speeds (s)
 Frames/s4 Size (mm) Weight (g) Power Sources Recording Media Data
Connection
 Produced
Module Format Size (mm) MPixel1 Crop (H)2 Type Pixel Pitch (µm) Min. Illu. (lux) Dyn. Range (dB) Trigger Interval Format Size (mm) MPixel1 Crop (H)2 Type3 Pixel Pitch (µm) Min. Illum. (lux) Dyn. Range (dB) Stills Size (px) Movie Battery Battery Pack PSU & Charger
SharkEye SC-3/100 Delrin 100 port: o-ring
FISM-1* (1:1) 7.4 x 7.4 1.0 4.86 Kodak KAI-1020 7.4 1 58 < 1 sec. minimum 1/3" (4:3) 4.9 x 3.7 0.33 7.35 TI TC-253 7.4 0.000125 58
FISM-2* 35mm (3:2) 36 x 24 13.9 1.0 CS IBIS4-14000 8   65 5 sec. minimum - none -
JPG, RAW
PRI: 1004 x 1004
SEC: 656 x 496
4560 x 3048
BTM (BTC) not documented,
RemoteCam
shows options
for 1/20000 - 1s
3.5 - 6/10 - 13
3
241 x 92 x 92** 2150** 8x AA (Sanyo HR-3U)
#BAT00321		 SBP-2
(depth rating: 1000m,
24x Sanyo N3000CR,
349 x 76mm (cyl.),
3620g)
 ACDC-U 15V CF (1GB default)
32GB max. or
external HDD		 IEEE 1384, RS-485 2006
SharkEye SC-3/300 aluminum 300 241 x 92 x 92** 3170**
SharkEye SC-3/1000 aluminum 1000 241 x 92 x 92** 3800**
SharkEye SC-3/4000 aluminum 4000 279 x 152 (cyl.)** 7400**
SharkEye SC-3/6000 titanium 6000 365 x 152 (cyl.) 13600
  • SharkEyes have an exchangeable sensor board, which enables you to use all 3 sensor options (depending on your budget ... the FISM-2 is worth 4000$) as well as future upgrades. The FISM-2 features a rolling shutter, which can be a draw-back when using strobes (or in other heavily lighted environments), shooting fast moving objects or doing longtime exposures. It is therefore better suited with open apertures. Pixel pitch is 8µm. The daylight sensors have an interline electronic shutter, the SPDs feature frame transfer. Both have a pixel pitch of 7.4µm.
  • SharkEyes are compatible with most camera strobes available (uses a 5pin Subconn MCIL5M plug/MCBH5F connector), though will need custom made adapter cables and in most cases utility will be limited by depth rating. For dedicated lightning see below.
  • They are custom programmable to assume specialized functions, like "[...] synchronization of two cameras to obtain stereographic imaging for volumetric measurements. Another is image tiling and special compression to support image transmission from a NOAA deep ocean observatory via an acoustic and a GEOS satellite data link [...]" (Operator's and Technical Reference Manual v2.96).
  • SharkEye can be remote controlled via PC USB cable connection. Use the SeaLevel #2104 type RS-485 to USB adapter [#FADM-485], then go by a so-called umbilical cable into the RCA connector of the camera or into the multi-function port. The max. range for cabled connections between host PC and camera are 1300m again. SharkEye is capable to auto shoot according to user predefined intervals (entering sleep mode in the meantime). Image data will be send to the host PC.
* FISM-1 [#OPT00007] is also available as single sensor module: #OPT00004 with KAI-1020 color CCD, #OPT00005 with KAI-1020 grayscale CCD, #OPT00006 with TC-253 grayscale CCD. The dual sensor modules must be rotated to use either of the sensors, that means port and lens assembly and reassembly.
* FISM-2 is also available with monochrome CMOS.
** These are from the C-mount versions. Add some for the C/EF versions (the C-mount SC-3/6k is 61mm shorter and 3300g lighter compared to the C/EF version).

Accessories Compatibility Description Produced
Desert Star Systems SHD-65   SC-3 65GB external HDD 2006

Desert Star Systems SL-1   SC-1 Speed Light with 400Ws, 4000m depth rating, connected via 1.5m #CBL-SCS cable 2001
Desert Star Systems SL-1   SC-1 100Ws, 4000m depth rating, connected via 1.5m #CBL-SCS cable 2002
Desert Star Systems SL-1 Xenon Strobe   SC-3 100Ws illumination, 1000m depth rating, 6s recycle time 2006
Desert Star Systems SL-3G Rapid Fire   SC-3 green light 2700 lumen LED strobe, up to 30 pulses per second, recommended for TI CCD sensor 2006
Desert Star Systems SL-3W Rapid Fire   SC-3 white light 4400 lumen LED strobe, up to 30 pulses per second, recommended for KAI CCD sensor 2006
Desert Star Systems SL-3 Rapid Fire   SC-3 5500 lumen LED strobe, equipped with 3 Titan Turbo NT-54D0-0487 it can operate as strobe or video light; aluminum housing, available according to the depth rating of the cameras above, 241 x 152mm (cylindrical), 6300g; connects via #CBL00015 power & control cable to the camera 2007

Desert Star Systems Case SC3   SC3/100 - 1000 waterproof hard case 2007
Desert Star Systems Case SCD   SC3/6000 waterproof hard case (for SC3/4000 as well?) 2007

Desert Star Systems RemoteCam [#DB-RC]   SC-3 software for remote operation and image retrieval 2007
Desert Star Systems imgConvert   SC-3 software to convert RAW and BTC to BMP, JPEG, TIFF or TGA 2007

General Notes:
1.) Operation options include manual, remote and auto modes for shutter release, exposure, iris and gain (image brightness and contrast).
2.) The charging process of the internal batteries automatically starts at external voltages of ≥13V).
3.) Open connectors on the cameras must be sealed with dummy plugs [#CON00383 for FrogEye, #CON00306, -383, -402 & -403 plus -307 locking sleeves for SharkEye] during underwater operation.
4.) Desert Star recommends a general factory service interval of 3 years.
 
Online Resources:
  Desert Star product pages via Archive.org