720p 60fps vs 1080p 30fps

[Dauntless]

Probably has been discussed before but what would be the preference for hobby uw video. 1080 would be a higher def image but would the 60fps and catching fish movements with less blur esp. in lower light, be an advantage for fps over definition.

What I am thinking is that 720 is rather hi def and for internet and regular TV would not make much difference. The only advantage to 1080p would be for HD DVD or BluRay shown on an HDTV. I think the reduction in blur with 60fps may be an advantage but don't have enough video to make a comparison.

Also editing and processing may speed up.

Is this line of thought anywhere close to the vast experience and knowledge of the group

Thanks to all

[yarik83]

excellent question to ask and very much important.

I have bonica snapper hddv 1080p with 30fps and 720 at 60fps. Before this camera I had same model with 720 30fps and boy there is a huge difference.

My main source of headaches in the past came from the fact that when I would be swimming everything would become a blur and I would have to cut out 30+ minutes out of a 45 minute continuous movie.

1080 is really great if you are trying to compile a dvd but if you post movies on youtube like I do then it will be compressed anyways so shooting in 60fps will significantly increase amount of good footage and reduction in quality will be hard to notice. What I would advise is to tape everything in 60fps and then if you come across something like ohh I dont know a giant whale shark or something, by all means switch to higher quality option.

There are really 2 things to consider: how fast you are moving vs how fast object is moving. If both are moving then your footage will be all blurry and jittery. If you were filming in in 60fps you can just slow the footage speed by half and it will look absolutely amazing.

[Dauntless]

Thank you, I am at the AppleStore and they tell me that Final Cut Express doesn't do 720p60fps only 30fps. It seems to only have an option for 1080i at 60fps and can't find a 1080p 30fps. Am trying both but any guidance ?

[yarik83]

most sub $1000 cameras that have 1080 option come with 720-60fps and 1080-30fps.

Adorama seems to have reasonable prices on cameras. Prior to purchasing, however I would recommend watching product reviews on youtube. Many users with scuba cameras post there.

[aquaspider]

I also recommend watching the vids. You can upload 1080 to YT now and though compressed, it looks better than 720. As a general rule, it is always better to start with the very highest resolution material you can. It will still look better after processing. Consider also that advances will favor the higher def material, so archiving in 1080 is the way to go.

[under water]

..My main source of headaches in the past came from the fact that when I would be swimming everything would become a blur and I would have to cut out 30+ minutes out of a 45 minute continuous movie. ..

That's probably a good idea anyway. I recommend editing down to 3 to 5 minutes per 45 minutes of continuous shooting. Especially if you are showing this to somebody.
I always leave too much in.. go back later, shorten every scene by 50% and what do you know, it gets better. Then do it again!

60 frames per second seems like overkill for most diving videography (just my opinion) considering 24 frames per second is what film uses.

[DiveSurgeon]

I'd like to echo "under water"s opinion: when I go on a dive trip, I usually come back with about 4 hours of footage that gets whittled down to a 30 - 40 minute video. Much of the footage I toss is perfectly fine, but if a turtle comes by on dive #1, I'm gonna tape him. I don't know (yet) that her more photogenic cousin is planning to meet me on dive #18 later in the week and provide better footage.

The key thing (as mentioned many times on this board) is that the lion's share of the time you will spend doing your video is not behind the camera, but in front of the monitor. Personally, I kind of like it. It is like diving once again. Also, it makes me the member of our group with the best recollection of past dives ("yes we saw that before in Cozumel in 2001 the day we say the eagle ray"). In addition, I have (more than once) seen stuff on the video I didn't see during the dive itself. One time at Town Pier in Bonaire, I was so intent on recording a seahorse in some rope sponges that I didn't notice his mate just a foot away. I didn't believe my buddies after we surfaced, but couldn't deny the existence of seahorse #2 at the edge of the frame during the entire shot!

[ronscuba]

60i, 60p, 30i, 30p are different. You can google for the detailed technical differences. Basics are, i for interlaced, p for progressive. Interlaced is recording every other field in the frame, progressive is recording a full frame. 60 is 60 fields or frames per second. 30 is 30 fields or frames per second.

For slow motion you want progressive 60. If you do slow motion with interlaced, you will see every other field in the frame when you slow it down. Regular speed you won't see it.

For moving action you want 60p or 60i because 30 is too slow and motion will look blurred.

I'd be surprised the camcorder can only do 720 60p or 1080 30p. Most camcorders can also do 1080 60i and that is what I would use for UW. Exception is if I wanted to do sow motion. In that case I would choose 60p at whatever the highest resolution the camcorder has.

I am sure there are people out there that disagree, but this is my opinion.

[Dauntless]

I just found this comparison, not under water but shows some differences.

JVC Picsio GC-FM1 Review

Just noticed in the night shots, 60fps shows 60cps electric light flicker but not seen on 30fps

[yarik83]

I ditto spending more time in front of monitor than recording. On my trips (ie to Cozumel) I film every single minute of every single dive minus the surface interval, descent and ascent. My camera caps out at 45mins (which is still pissing me off sometimes) but I have learned to circumnavigate that. I lower all settings (such as lcd brightness) to as low as possible and squeeze out a couple more minutes. If dive is going iffy then I conserve battery.

I have found that just about every single dive I miss something so obvious.. so "in my face" that I am embarrassed sometimes and that is why I bought this camera. Over time I found that while 1080 is of superb quality, 60fps is the way to go as you are cruising about. In my case most of my dives are drift dives so I am moving and fish is moving and reef is zooming by and debris is floating and when you watch it on a cutting board it comes out quite sad. I have found myself on many occasions filming like a million fish stretched in a river as far as the eye can see, just to find that entire 20 minute clip came out like a river of bleh.

With 60fps I can slow it down in half then multiply it by 2 then slow it down again and it comes out pretty good at 30fps as final product. With 1080 stuff I just let it roll but when I do film in 1080 I am usually stationary filming a fish that is not swimming all over the place.

My biggest problem is that every single dive is a huge learning curve. I try to dodge divers and current as well as reef formation while trying not to get eaten by sharks, moray eels or get stung by fire coral.