GoPro HD underwater blur fix

[Marty Cerven]

First, a GREAT BIG THANKS to marty, blurryfix, AquaProHD and everyone else. Reading your posts helped me choose my solution. I have GoPro Hero 2 with Blurfix and UR Pro CY filter. I have a Sola light for fill in and night dives. Any advice on what MODES work best underwater? I saw earlier posts say R3 780p 60 - was that for GP Hero 1? help! Thanks!

With the hd1 i preferred the 720p60 mode the most and with the hd2 its still a good mode and the one mode that did get the best improvement in image quality over the hd1. This is due to the wide angle and higher frame rate which helped out with my shaky hands lol, as Ive got more used to using the gopro and using some better mounting methods for stability I have been getting good reaslts in more modes.

With the hd2 having the full wide mode in 1080p now this does work in a similar way to the 720p. I prefer wide modes as long as i can get very close to the subjects but there may be times where you may want a lower fov so its great to have those options now. The narrow mode I found only works best in very good light so its not one I would use often but there are times where it will be worth a try but the results in that mode will be very hit and miss. I always like to try all the possible modes to see what works best for me and id recommend you to have a couple of test dives and try a few different modes to see what works best for you.

Stability wise the wide modes will help and make the image less wobbly along with getting more into the frame when your close to your subject. Seeing water has a the effect of reducing colour the more water there is between you and your subject getting as close as possible improves image quality. The gopro focuses from about 6 inches to infinity so you want to keep at least that distance away to avoid blurring. When you get so close though with a normal lens your only going to get a zoomed in type shot but the advantage of the gopros wide angle is it will get much more of these close objects in the frame.

Here is my latest video which shows all the modes of the hd1 and hd2 which will give you an idea of how they work underwater. The first part is filmed at 2.5m and the second half with the filters is at 4.5m and that gives a good example of how much colour is lost at still such a relatively shallow depth.

[video=youtube;ThWjQpYrJMk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThWjQpYrJMk[/video]

 

[blurryfix]

Attention!!! Please be aware that we have had reports of an Amazon seller selling what appears to be the BlurFix. Please be advised that when you purchase from them you will actually be purchasing a flat lens that is not the Snake River Prototyping BlurFix. The only authorized reseller of the BlurFix on Amazon is AquaPro HD. We have a dealer page on our website so you can be sure you are purchasing from an authorized reseller of the Snake River Prototyping BlurFix. Our efforts are to have consistent pricing from our dealers, which protect our customers from skimming from such unethical bottom feeders (no insult intended to the bottom feeders of the sea). Some dealers incur higher shipping and duties, that must be reflected in the sale price. We will continue our efforts in making our product pricing fair and affordable for everyone.

Thanks,
SRP

 

[kkfok]

Hi, is there any vignetting when using Hero HD 2 with Mako flat lens fix in 720p 127 degree FOV mode? 127 degree should be more than enough for me.

 

[Marty Cerven]

The drop in lenses dont vignette in 127 1080p video modes but will in all others.

 

[kkfok]

The drop in lenses dont vignette in 127 1080p video modes but will in all others.

Thanks. I thought the vignetting is due to 170 degree FOV and shouldn't be visible in 127 or 90 degree mode.
Or...is 720p60 127 mode available in Hero 2?

 

[Marty Cerven]

The current firmware the hd2 720p modes are 170fov only, possibly in the future more modes may be available in 720p but wide, medium, narrow is only an option in 1080p video modes atm.

 

[Juandiman]

Hi, i just bought a Hero1 with flat lens, can anyone tell me why 720p is the best option to shoot underwater? i have shot in 1080p students during a course and looks fine, but i think it should be better, and in 960 there is some vignetting....
Thanks

 

[hellhole]

i think 1080 is okay too.... if you dun really care about frame rate then it dun matter...

i seen some notion is if you are taking a video of a fix location then 1080 is good. if you are taking a moving video ( as in you are moving) then the 720p (R3) mode is better...

 

[EasyDoesItAdv]

Marty

Thanks for the shooting info.l leaving for Cayman Brac Saturday - i'll let you know how it goes!

Beck

 

[AquaProHd]

Hi, i just bought a Hero1 with flat lens, can anyone tell me why 720p is the best option to shoot underwater? i have shot in 1080p students during a course and looks fine, but i think it should be better, and in 960 there is some vignetting....

I always shoot in 720p x 60 (R3) for a few reasons.

- I know where I'm going to show my video. Since I display my video on my computer or online I don't need the 1080p resolution. There is very little difference watching 720p vs 1080p on a 40 inch tv. ( I know my audieance)
- Having 60 frames to play with (R3) vs 30 frames (R5) provides a better solution to manipulate the video during post. Slow motion or speeding the video up leads to some great effects. So it's always better to have more frames.
- I also get a cleaner video while shooting a moving object or if I'm moving in R3 mode.

Mode depends on the type of shooting I plan on doing. Know your audience and produce your video prior to shooting. Hope this helps?