Please help a newbie who needs advice for shooting the GoPro underwater...

[Cardfan7791]

So my wife and I are going to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary and I recently bought a GoPro HD Hero 2 to capture footage mainly of our diving and snorkeling. Now I'm worried because of all I've read about the soft images.

I've looked at the solutions sold by:
-Sartek Industries
-Snake River Prototyping
-Backscatter
-Eye of Mine
-and many others

I'm more confused than ever. I want something that
1)allows me to shoot above and below water(switching housings is an option)
2)takes good quality video
3)protects the investment I've made in the GoPro

Any advice? Also, in order to get the best video do I need a filter? and if so, what kind?

I appreciate any advice you veterans could give this newbie.

 

[Marty Cerven]

Ive had Gopro 1 and 2 cameras for a while and I have used most of the fixes or something very similar to what is on your list.

I have the Occulus r5 lens pretty much the same as all the other basic drop in lenses (basic sartek, mako, goforfocus etc..) which just replace the stock round lens with a flat one but cause vignetting in all wide modes. Best to avoid unless your looking for something pretty cheap and don't mind being limited by being stuck in the one mode in your GoPro (1080p 127 medium fov) I get best results using the full wide 170 fov in either 1080p or 720P and so I didnt use this fix for long.

The Eye Of Mine I have in a single housing and also in the 3D housing, this is good for vignette free wide video modes but its design of a glued on Plastic lens has its drawbacks. Clarity will reduce over time and there is no easy way of adding filters and its also prone to scratching. Minor scratches can be repaired easy enough but if you get a major one the entire housing is only good for the bin. This was a great housing when I first got it and got some good results but I have since moved on to the blurfix for my 2D use.

The 3D housing is still the only one available for GoPro that shoots wide mode 16:9 video vignette free so I still use this from time to time. Would much prefer some filter options to use in 3D so I will mostly use this with lights only from now on, the glued on plastic even though its quite strong and has been tested to 60m at the factory just doesn't inspire confidence in me though as it is risking 2 cameras.

The Snake River Prototyping is what I use these days and have used it for all my 2D underwater video the last few months, vignette performance is similar to the EOM but just slightly improved. Using a glass lens makes it great optically with no reduction in quality over times, all my filters are in as good a condition as when I got them and they are very easy to clean or replace. Having the original lens also makes it the safest option as it keeps the original seal and the Blurfix is independent of the main housings waterproof seal.

Filters are easy to use but are limited to being installed prior to entering the water. Not a major issue for me as I prefer having a filter on at all times in daytime dives and correct any red effects in very shallow water in post. These are premium quality URPro filters though which do work very well with the GoPro underwater giving much better results then basic cheap red filters, having a clear, cyan, green water and shallow water cyan filter is great for diving in various water conditions.

The housing can be used on land just as well, though some filters may give a slight vignette on land in wide 16:9 modes with some housings and camera combinations. Using other filters like CP and ND above water are nice options to have. You can also use it with no filter above water and with most housings this should be vignette free in all modes used this way, I prefer to use other housings for more intense land use where the camera is at risk but use a Blurfix one for nearly all other uses.

The Backscatter is pretty new and I don't have one of these, similar concept to the Blurfix without the extra stock lens. Bonus of having a wet lens option with the magic filter that from what Ive seen does a good job similar to the URPro filters. Doesn't seem to do as much in deeper waters though but works quite well in the shallows. Allows screw in 55mm filters too but i haven't seen how these perform vignette wise as not many people have used these with this option yet.

Filter wise I really like the URPro filters with the Blurfix and I do lots of shallower shore and pier diving where the swcy filter works great and for any deeper dives I use the cyan which has given me good results down to around 25-30m in good tropical waters. People diving freshwater have had good use from the green water filter too so it all depends on your general type of diving what filters you need. The occulus also has a red filter options now but the housing causes some nasty reflections at times and there are plenty of other filter options around. I still haven't seen anything do better then the URPro filters but shallower footage with the magic filter Ive seen looks pretty good too.

There are also quite a few deep diving housings around atm like the sartek and a few others, these are much more expensive from about $400+ but can get you down to 200m with some options. I havent used any of them as I don't go much beyond 40m so all the fixes Ive used are fine fore my diving limits.

You can check my channels for plenty of videos shot with my setups.

 

[SandPhantom]

I own the Sartek and Snake River Prototypes(SRP). I can say that I'm impressed with the SRP. I have their tray, blurfix, and filters and it's top quality and easy to install.

 

[beleebala]

I have the backscatter and I like it alot. I like the colour rendering after using the Magic Filter. As pointed out above, the filter is only good for shallow water... up to 12m, may be. One thing you should consider about external filter. When water fills up the space between the flat lens and the filter, some bubbles will form on the lens surface. With the backscatter, I always need to remove the filter and wipe the filter and lens with my glove underwater. That could be done easily with Magic filter as it is only fixed with a rubber band. I do not know if bubble is also a problem with the 55mm threaded filter. It might not be that easy to unscrew and re-screw the filter underwater.

 

[irishtn]

I have the Blurfix from SnakeRiver and love it. I'm sure the other options are fine but I can definitely tell you the Blurfix is easy, effective, and sturdy. I dont have the tray yet but very soon will have it in my hands.

 

[Zesty]

Another vote for the Blurfix! I have had it for two weeks now and 4 dives - my buddies are shooting video with their sea-lifes and the difference is astounding! I use the Gr filter for my fresh water and will be using the Cy for salt. As pointed out - the blurfix allows you to use the original housing seals. The blurfix uses a 55mm filter and it is as easy as screwing it on or off. It will also allow you to easily replace your dive filter with a UV filter for polarized filter for above water use. You did bring up a good point - I have a additional housing so I do not have to use my "dive housing" for skiing, boating, kayaking, etc …..

 

[buton]

Why go pro hype?

Kodak zx5 will do the job with ikelite housing with red filter for a total of $350 usd..

Look for my videos on coz forum

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

We have recently brought to market an improved lens for the GoPro. If you had purchased the camera and housing from MAKO, the lens would be free. This lens allows use both in and out of the water and we also offer an optional filter.... Best wishes on your upcomming trip!

MAKO Flat GoPro Housing Lens

 

[LowVizWiz]

So my wife and I are going to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary and I recently bought a GoPro HD Hero 2 to capture footage mainly of our diving and snorkeling. Now I'm worried because of all I've read about the soft images.

I've looked at the solutions sold by:
-Sartek Industries
-Snake River Prototyping
-Backscatter
-Eye of Mine
-and many others

I'm more confused than ever. I want something that
1)allows me to shoot above and below water(switching housings is an option)
2)takes good quality video
3)protects the investment I've made in the GoPro

Any advice? Also, in order to get the best video do I need a filter? and if so, what kind?

I appreciate any advice you veterans could give this newbie.

Hey Cardfan!

Welcome to the forum... sorting through all of the choices for the GoPro can be dizzying, but pretty much any of the choices available will give you decent results and will improve the soft images the GoPro camera produces underwater. So the good news is that your trip video memories won't be ruined. Even with the stock lens you will have good video, just not as sharp-focused as you would with a flat lens.

Marty pretty much covered all the basis so I won't repeat what he said, but I'll ask a question instead.

1. What do you foresee shooting above water? Do you just want a video camera for above water or are you planning on mounting the camera above water. If you plan on mounting the camera then yes the GoPro is the way to go. If you just want a camera most still pictures cameras produce similar or better video above the water than the GoPro so if you have a still camera I'd dedicate the GoPro for underwater use and not worry about it having to switch housings, etc. If you don't have a decent still camera that shoots video and are set on using the GoPro then your choices are not as broad.

2. Again, most solutions will provide good quality video below water, but plastic lenses degrade over time with scratches. Choosing a glass lens fix over plastic, or very durable scratch resistant material will provide the best results over time.

3. The stock housing of the GoPro is rated to well beyond recreational diving depths so choosing a fix that does not mess with the original housing seal means that even if your fix breaks your camera still is protected.

My personal choice is the SRP BlurFix, but any fix that approaches the soft images in similar fashion would be good in my opinion.

Filters are another issue all together, as you know the sunlight is filtered as it enters the water and the deeper you go the worse it gets, so adding color filters to compensate for the loss of color makes your video look better. The problem is that a filter made for shallow blue water will do you no good in green water or deeper blue water and vice versa. So you need to use the best filter for the depth and color water you're planning to dive. Some are better than others at compensating and some can be changed underwater while others can't but this is mainly determined by the fix you choose to buy. If you don't use a filter or add lights you're videos will look mostly bluish or greenish depending on the water itself unless it's very shallow and there's plenty of sunlight.

I hope this helps you.