Gopro black 5 or 6? And wheres the gopro info sticky thread for newbie questions?

[84CJ7]

I've found when trying to search for info on gopros there is too much out there spanning too many years of different models with totally different characteristics, accessories and problems to make any sense of it.

I had been waiting on the 6 black to come out because it was supposed to be the super amazing upgrade over the 5. I am reading way too many people are having issues with it for it to be a small bad batch or user stupidity though so now I am a bit timid about spending that much on the 6.

EDIT: To answer my own question, after researching yet more I have settled on the discounted 5, a person on youtube MicBergsma has several side by side comparison videos showing the 5 and 6 on the same mount and its clear they tried too hard with the 6 on the software side to do what should be done mainly in post processing and basically made a mess in more ways than I want to get into here.
That extra processing seems to also be the source of the really high temps reported.
It also seems the 6 only works correctly with sd cards that say V30 on them, anything else causes lockups and issues for many people and the gopro site recommendation chart seems to support this.
There are some really cool features and improvements on the 6 any maybe if they get it all sorted out in the 7 (or some massive software patching in the 6) I will give it a shot.

I plan to use the gopro for diving (obviously I suppose) I know I need the extra dive housing for the depth, other than that what accessories are good so it doesn't disappear on me? I have read many stories of the various mounts being somewhat crap and the gopro escaping the user due to breakage or just something coming loose. I don't even know what type of accessory works best with the current model when diving (hand held, helmet ect)

 

[Heruhur]

Dunno about the difference between. the 5 and 6. I only have the 5.
As far as accessories go you'll want the following.

Basics:
-super suit dive housing
-red filters for the super suit (or magenta for green water)
-a pole, tray or floaty of some kind.
-some clip to attach it to your BCD.
-extra batteries
-anti-fog strips

If you can spare the dime:
-a video light or two, (bigblue or something similar)
-a macro lens
-a joby gorillapod

To get a setup like this:

 

[kelemvor]

other than that what accessories are good so it doesn't disappear on me?

Just make sure you have a "backup" attachment that stays clipped to you. This way if your handhold or whatever you're using gets dropped or breaks, your expensive camera doesn't sink down for davey jones to use on his next expedition. I use one that's a lot like this: Amazon.com : Scuba Choice Diving Dive Black Snappy Coil Camera Lanyard Clip and QB Buckles, 1.3m Coil : Sports & Outdoors except I got mine from my LDS for about the same price.

 

[Malpaso]

I got the 6, and with the right cards it works like a champ. Since I was upgrading from a 3, I needed new cards anyway.

I always used the Wasabi batteries and charger with no issues. I opted for the GoPro one this time. I always carry three batteries, whether filming above or below water.

I have both the Carbon 40 and GoPole bobber for different uses.

Most importantly, you're going to need good editing software. GoPro Studio is no longer available, and the Quik software that comes free now is horrible. I use Adobe Premiere Pro CC which I have for work, but that is very pricey. The best economy software I've found is Adobe Elements.

 

[Luky]

So I just logged in here to ask GoPro 5 or 6 for my upcoming trip to PG. Good thread. I was unaware of the issues with the GP6 and watched a Youtube video with side by side video against a GP5 that made the 6 look much better for color and AWB. I was going to splurge and get a new GP6 for $380 off ebay, but maybe not...

I already ordered this tray for $31 as it looks sufficient for my needs. Just have to wait a week or so for it to show up.

I was planning to get the flip 6 filters and maybe the +15 macromate lens.

I don't want to spend the big bucks on lights but was considering one or two of these as an option:

Suptig dive light power bank

 

[Heruhur]

I don't want to spend the big bucks on lights but was considering one or two of these as an option:

Suptig dive light power bank

These light's have a very uneven light distribution and will create bright spots in your footage.
If you can live with that, then you can give it a go.
But I would advise you to sit on your money a bit longer and buy a real video light.

 

[Luky]

These light's have a very uneven light distribution and will create bright spots in your footage.
If you can live with that, then you can give it a go.
But I would advise you to sit on your money a bit longer and buy a real video light.

So any thoughts on something like this light? The reviews for my type of usage seem acceptable (a dive trip ~ every two years). Are there any decent performing "budget" video lights I should consider? (say spending $150 for one or two lights) Are there any that can be focused? I have several LED tactical lights and being able to change the focus/beam is quite useful.

I just received an Orcatorch D520 last night ($71 Amazon) as a backup light for my BCD pocket and it is quite bright with a wide beam (1000lm?), but it definitely has a hot spot in the middle so probably not good for pics/video (otherwise I would just get another and mount to the tray). It would be even better if I could adjust the beam...

Taking pictures/video while diving is NOT my thing. I have many hundreds of pictures/videos already that seldom get looked at after the trip (sometimes I use a few pics as wallpaper on my computer). I usually only take pics on 50% of my dives as I feel like I miss too much screwing around with the camera.

 

[Heruhur]

So any thoughts on something like this light? The reviews for my type of usage seem acceptable (a dive trip ~ every two years). Are there any decent performing "budget" video lights I should consider? (say spending $150 for one or two lights) Are there any that can be focused? I have several LED tactical lights and being able to change the focus/beam is quite useful.

-Difficult to say if that light would do. I would opt for something in the 2000+ lumens range.
-As for "budget" lights, most of what I've come across is a minimum $200+ for a single light.
-Yes there are lights that can switch between wide angle and spot light. (this one for example)

Taking pictures/video while diving is NOT my thing. I have many hundreds of pictures/videos already that seldom get looked at after the trip (sometimes I use a few pics as wallpaper on my computer). I usually only take pics on 50% of my dives as I feel like I miss too much screwing around with the camera.

Well if it's not your thing, the most simple piece of advice I can give you is, don't spend any money on it.
You can always use the gopro without any lights, tons of people do it that way.

 

[Fibonacci]

Most importantly, you're going to need good editing software. GoPro Studio is no longer available, and the Quik software that comes free now is horrible. I use Adobe Premiere Pro CC which I have for work, but that is very pricey. The best economy software I've found is Adobe Elements.

Very annoying to discover GoPro Studio is gone after setting up a new computer
Can the last version be downloaded somewhere spam and virus-free?
Seems to have disappeared from the GoPro site...

 

[Luky]

OK, I just won a "opened but never used" gopro 5 off ebay with a pair of 32GB Sandisk extreme U3 cards. I already picked up a 128GB Samsung EVO Select U3 card from Amazon so I should be good there. Any suggestions for a "travel" battery charger and spare batteries? I am considering this one from Amazon, with three slots and two spare batteries as the reviews look OK. I will use my samsung 110-220v 2.1A USB wall charger or a power bank to power it.

Any suggestions for a place to buy the Flip 5 pro kit/Flip 6 pro kit for under $179? Any discounts from MAP available?

I am looking at the super suit dive case, however watching a video review it seems you have to remove the square "lens cover" from the camera to use this case? Does removing the square "lens cover" remove the 10m water protection? I had a Canon dive case leak on me before and it destroyed my digital camera. One of the attractive things to me about the GP5/6 was that even if the dive case leaked, the camera was still waterproof... Is this not true? Is there an aftermarket case that keeps the protective lens on the camera to keep the water proof integrity even inside the dive case?