Buying Gopro 4 this weekend, need suggestions, lights, tray, etc for diving

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

Been doing a ton of reading, found the thread on " Show me your mounts " here on SB , also found a few " You Tube" videos of some nice Gopro Set up's for diving

Most of my diving will be off the coast of Florida, on shallow reefs 60' or less in blue water

After doing some research, I would like some input, as this is my first GoPro UW setup

Gopro Hero 4 Silver

Tray I'm thinking of a SRP or Ikelite dual handle tray

SRP Blurfix 3+ filter with CYD

2X lockline Arms

Possibly Archon dive lights. I have no problem using Chinese lights. I'm thinking of 1,000 + lumens a PC ? I understand the subject needs to be within a few feet for the lights to work. So you really need the lights at first at all?

So the Gopro 4 comes out this Sunday 10/5 , I'd like to start ordering some things, so when the camera comes in, I'll at least have the bare things needed to start diving, like a Tray and filter. Anything else or suggestions?

 

[993guy]

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[BDSC]

My wife has the SRP tray and loves it for her GoPro. I highly recommend it. Seems like very high quality. She also had their color correction filter but since has changed to this system:

Underwater Camera News: Backscatter Flip3.1 Underwater Color Correction Filter for GoPro Hero3 cameras

I really like the system because the filter easily flips in and out of place and you don't have to worry about losing it or having it tied off. You can also use a couple of different filters on a dive although she has found the middle filter works for pretty much most situations.


As far as lights go, there are just a ton of choices. I was at DEMA last year and picked her up two SOLA 2000's. They were being discontinued and were offered at an incredibly low price. I ended up buy six! It's a lot of light for the GoPro and she usually has to use one of the lower power settings when filming.

 

[Craig66]

Can you give me some idea on how you decided on the gopro 4 silver vs perhaps the black or even a 3+ at a lower price point. Looking at the same choices and am just interested in your ideas.

Thanks

 

[BDSC]

Not sure about the specs on the new ones but it was my understanding that the black edition in the past performed better in low light conditions which is what you want for underwater filming. If the price point is only $100 more for their top model, I can't imagine not spending that to get their best.

 

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

Correct, I was looking at the hero 3 vs the Hero 3+ black, a few weeks ago, because they were saying the 4 wasn't going to be released until March 2015
See here : http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/go...ero-3-black-vs-gopro-hero3-black-edition.html

I deceided on the 4 over the Hero 3+ Black because they even more improved it for low lighting over the 3

I didn't choose the Hero4 Black because I don't need 4K video at 60fps. My 70" LED Sony I just bought isn't 4k anyways

Also I wanted the touch screen, which the 4 black doesn't have, but the silver does

Also they improved the processer on the Hero 4 over the 3 model, but battery life remains the same. I did notice the voltage on the battery went from 3.7v to 3.8v , but the mah remained the same

The Hero 3+ black all ready dropped to $365.00 now for a new one, and as others said, don't be surprised if you see it go for $265.00 on Black Friday

For me, dropping $400 on the Hero 4 Silver, plus the tray, filters, lights, and other things needed , your well over $1K to $2K depending on the lights, so what's the difference in another $100 to go from the Hero 3+ black to the Hero 4

Theirs nothing cheap about this hobby, we all know that

---------- Post added October 2nd, 2014 at 02:49 PM ----------

My wife has the SRP tray and loves it for her GoPro. I highly recommend it. Seems like very high quality. She also had their color correction filter but since has changed to this system:

Underwater Camera News: Backscatter Flip3.1 Underwater Color Correction Filter for GoPro Hero3 cameras

I really like the system because the filter easily flips in and out of place and you don't have to worry about losing it or having it tied off. You can also use a couple of different filters on a dive although she has found the middle filter works for pretty much most situations.


As far as lights go, there are just a ton of choices. I was at DEMA last year and picked her up two SOLA 2000's. They were being discontinued and were offered at an incredibly low price. I ended up buy six! It's a lot of light for the GoPro and she usually has to use one of the lower power settings when filming.

Perfect, thanks, I'll order one tonight

 

[TechnoMage]

Could you elaborate a little more on this? How much is the touchscreen being used? I thought the touch functionality was usable below 10 feet or so. Also figured the display would be more of a battery drain than anything else. And while I don't have a 4k screen today, I could have one 10 years from now. You can always reduce the resolution but can't go the other way. Even if I do decide to record at 1080p, I'd be doing it at 120. That said, I can see situations where having a built in touch display would be nice but I could get the same effect by purchasing the LCD Touch BacPac.

 

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

I'm waiting till midnight to order it. Counting down the minutes, lol

I'm still researching the Black/Silver models, but I keep seeing videos like this, that the silver is easier to use with the touch screen

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/tech/columnist/talkingtech/2014/10/04/16659271/

 

[jgl51]

Interesting thread as I am also ready to "dive in" and order a Go Pro System. One of my major question is Silver versus Black. I thought it was better to have a screen to see the picture underwater (cannot use touch function under water.. - ). But I guess (?) one can buy an optional LCD screen for the black edition as with the 3?
Regarding low light sensitivity I am not sure it is an advantage underwater as you need the lights to get the colors (for those not diving under the sunny Caribbean) or am I wrong?
Also thinking of using one light only to start.

Looking forward to get feedback from first 4 users.1

 

[MB NZ]

my opinion for what it's worth after two years of messing around with a gopro underwater. i'm not sure the hero 4 black offers anything over the silver for the diver. an LCD is essential for framing shots, so you need to compare the cost of the silver with the black plus an LCD bacpac.

having seen this video, i'm not even sure the hero 4 is much of a step up from the 3+ in terms of low light performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQmZoYoDImM&list=UUTs-d2DgyuJVRICivxe2Ktg

low light performance is important because natural lights shots are often the most stunning when you can get away with it!

with that in mind, if confirmed, a discounted hero 3+ plus LCD bacpac might be the way forward for the new user.

as an aside, the biggest disappointment for me with the hero 4 is the battery life.

to answer the opening question:

1. filters - SRP, polarpro, bacskcatter, i have them all! for price and simplicity, i really like the polarpro glass filters. i think polarpro got a bad reputation because of their original plastic filters.

2. tray - not sure that it matters very much. i use two UCLS handles bolted on to a 30 mm wide strip of aluminium.

3. lights - yes, you do need them unless you stick to the shallows with good natural light. i have two sola 2000 video lights. expensive, but good. don't underestimate how much light you will need!