GoPro Hero5 rig and lights, dive lights good for video?

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griffin_pak

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Here is my hypothetical (cheap) rig, please critique.

399$ GoPro Hero 5
39$ GoPro Dive housing
39$ GoPro Red filter
15$ GoPro Extra battery pack

105$ Tray from ebay (sharkfin) - Photo below
21$ Dive light, will add reflector to widen beam X TWO or FOUR???


Total 639$ ish



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*SharkFin Tray* UNDERWATER GoPro Tray Camera Tray w/ (2)12" Flex Arms YS Adapter

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5000 Lumen Ultrabright XM-L T6 8-Mode LED Diving Flashlight Torch Lamp Neu N8V5
 
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Question, please help

(1) Will the "5000" lumen dive light with a reflector work?
(2) Should I get TWO or FOUR of the dive lights?
(3) Should I go with original gopro red filter, or the Flip?
 
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Seems very expensive in the cheap category.

Few thoughts: Lighting is important, if you need light a 21$ flashlight won't give you the spread or control for decent lighting with the poor low light performance of the gopro line up. If you are going to be cheap, get a cheap tray (3$ angle bracket anyone?) And spend the rest on video lights.


Perhaps elaborate on the kind of videography you plan to do in what conditions and we can critique with some precision.
 
I prefer photography vs video. The GoPro is known to be a bad photographer... but I have seemed to get some good ones of the years with older models, the Hero5 will have RAW capability which I like.


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Especially love the last photo.

Poor camera performance is a relative term with a skilled photographer, have you had the opportunity to try other options?

Gopro is nice and compact, but with the added tray you are getting mid-sized and could go with other options.

I digress, this is personal opinion on my part.
 
Regarding your questions.

Orignal is fine if you have somewhere to stow it when you use the video lights. Otherwise flip keeps it close.

2 lights are all I have the brain power for with task loading.

Fake ratings are rampant, but at that price, buying one to test isn't bad, but I'd look for a wider light, especially with a gopro. Reflecting can work, but added hassle and I miss shots.
 
I have one of those lights. It's not really any brighter than my DGX600 or Xtar D26 lights, just with a slightly wider beam. It's nowhere remotely close to 5000 lumens.

I also have an Archon D11V which is a (weak) video light with a 110 degree beam. I don't believe you will get any better results with that cheap light and a diffuser than you would get with the D11V. The point being that it's so weak as to be not worth bothering with for WA use. If you want to shoot stuff that is very close to the camera, then it's okay. But, shots like are shown in the pics you posted are, I think, going to be improved very little, even with 4 of those EDI-T lights.
 
A couple of more thoughts.

I was using a GoPro Hero 3 Black. Still have it, but upgraded to a "proper" camera a few months ago.

With a Hero 5, I would definitely just start with the camera only - no cheap lights - and see how it does. Mine gets pretty decent video, even at depths >60', with no filter. I will use the filter I have from now on, though, and I expect it to do even better. For depths less than 60', I think stills (through a filter) would also come out pretty good - assuming the water is decently clear and there is SOME sunshine getting through.

Also, if you do get a tray and mount a light or two, just keep this in mind. That Loc-line stuff will come apart. If you use it, you might want to consider either getting the kind that has a leash run through the center, from end to end, so if it gets knock and unsnaps in the middle you don't lose your light. Or, use some kind of line and put a leash from the tray to the light. Whichever. I just know at least one person whose Loc-line came apart as they were getting back on a boat. They think maybe it was during the hand-off of camera to boat crew. Regardless, my friend lost a light that way.

I bought this tray to use with my GoPro. You can remove either (or both) handle, if you only have 1 light and want to reduce bulk.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WSLDRW2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For coming with 2 handles and 2 clamps, the price seemed very reasonable. And now that I've gotten a proper camera and some strobes, I'm using the same tray and clamps, with arms and more clamps added. No need to replace anything.

Initially, I just got one of these, to mount my Archon video light:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z09CCJI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I took one handle off, so the GoPro on the tray, with one video light (which, like I said, only did anything within about 3 feet of the camera), was my rig for a while and it worked well without being annoyingly big.
 
Awesome! Thank you, mind telling me which proper camera did you go to... that thought has certainly crossed my mind, instead of throing 600ish at this setup, perhaps get a proper camera/housing for round about that price....
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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