Do I use Filters or my GoPro or do I use Protune...?

[jebsurf]

Ok first off I'm new to video above or underwater so please bare with me. About me: The wife and I are certified diver's and the wife and I have planed a vacation to the Bahamas which we want to dive while we're there and capture it on a GoPro. I just went out and bought the GoPro Hero+ for $299.99 (can be seen here GoPro - HERO+ LCD HD Waterproof Action Camera). The reason I choose that camera was the simplicity of it. I have NO video taking or editing background what so ever. I DO have the Adobe Master collection so as I do have the tools to edit video, its all a foreign language to me at this point. Now that being said I'm really torn on what I should do. Of course I want to maximize the best video quality to capture this once in a lifetime vacation, but then again I don't want to shoot it in a setting like protune where it will be flat and then I can't figure out how to edit it! From some of the knowledge I've gathered so far you can do one of two things. 1. You can either shoot the camera just like it is with proton on and it will come out flat and you can edit it later on to make the colors pop or 2. If you aren't that into editing or don't have an editing background, shoot with a red filter to make the colors pop. Also I do NOT want grain'y video. I know it can be edited out some and I know the further you go down the more ambient light you loose which causes the grain'y-ness of the video. I know I can buy a light but most of my shots will be of the wife which will be 5-10ft away and the light won't help me there. I don't know if I'm asking too much and to have my cake and eat it too, but I'm just trying to figure out the best possible situation for what I'm trying to capture.

Also the Hero+ that I currently just bought yesterday, it does not have ProTune built in it and it only has like 2 settings in 1080 which is 30fps or 60fps. If you guys say its defiantly worth the extra $100 to step it up to the GoPro 4 Silver with has 1,000 more options that I'll probably get lost in, and it has protune built in... I will do such. But at this point I'm just trying to figure out which is my better option for what I'm trying to do with my level of expertise in the subject. Any help would be greatly appreciated, but the first thought that comes to mind is return what I have, do some practice runs before I go above water with proton on and try to edit them, and if it works out...great....if it doesn't, shoot with protune off in the same format that the Hero+ has (1080p 60fps) and call it a day. But anyway....like I say, I'm all ears! Thanks!

 

[jebsurf]

UPDATE: I just returned the Hero+ and got the Hero 4 Silver. Not only because its more bang for the buck, but I just looked and BestBuy had it on sale WITH THE HD card and it was the same price as the Hero+! Its on sale right now with the card for $329 which is a deal! So which leads me to the question of...shoot WITH A FILTER, or without a filter and learn how to edit.

 

[ronscuba]

Tons of information and posts on filters and editing already.

Take a look at older posts.

 

[CT-Rich]

Once you shoot video you can archive the original and play around with all of the options. The difference, to my mind, is that you can alter the video in the camera as it is shot or afterwards in the editor. Ultimately, the I don't see a huge difference in having the camera increase the contrast and enhance the colors or you doing it. But you will need to figure out what the correct setting are for the camera or the editing software.

 

[Storker]

I don't see a huge difference in having the camera increase the contrast and enhance the colors or you doing it.

It may make a difference. At least for stills cameras, the sensor captures a lot more data than are retained in the processed image (JPEG file) that the camera stores. Quite a bit of that data is discarded during color balancing, and the original sensor recording also often contains image data that is rendered as perfectly white (255,255,255) or black (0,0,0) in the processed image. This is why a lot of stills photogs prefer to shoot raw, because they have a lot more latitude when color-balancing and often can recover info in blown highlights and shadows. The video frames are processed in the camera before they're written to the memory card, so decent color balancing may give you a better starting point for correction in post.

To the OP: It depends a little on the lighting. All filters steal light, so if the light is poor - like it often can be in cold waters - you may end up with blurry or underexposed footage. If that's the case, I'd definitely skip the filter and use Protune. A color cast is better than blurry video IMO. If the light is good - like it often is in warm waters - you may get better results with a filter than without. You can still use Protune, though. It will give you a little more data to play with when you fine-tune the color balance, exposure and contrast in post.

 

[jebsurf]

Awesome perfect! Thanks for the help!

 

[gr8jab]

I looked at the gopro. Bought a Sealife Micro HD instead. No housing to flood. No fussing with special settings. It's already setup for underwater photos and video. $369 right now at leisurepro

IF I had any other reason to want a gopro (skiing, boarding, skydiving, anything...) it would have been the better more versatile choice.

 

[cjfox]

Use a filter. If you are brand new to this and don't want a lot of fuss, use a red filter on a sunny day. Try to hold it as steady as you can, and you'll be happy.

 

[Joelage]

For this key question you are asking, was the reason why I purchased a Polar Pro switch blade for the Go Pro - Allowing you to easily add/remove the red filter, and macro lens.

I have a background in videography and film editing and found myself sticking with protune, and not using the red filter at all (I also use a hand-held wide angle video torch).
I have since lost the Polar Pro Switch Blade, and ended up buying just the polar pro macro lens.

I think I would suggest to people to use the red filter if they want 'less hassle' with video editing. If you're going to the effort of shooting in protune, you might as well adjust the colors too while editing!

With the go pro i would recommend the macro lens (something that can easily be put on/taken off under water)