New diver, about to purchase GoPro

[unicornmermaid]

Hello!

I am a new diver, certified in May, and in two weeks I am returning to St. Lucia for another dive trip. I am about to purchase a GoPro Hero 7 (it's sitting in the cart!), and I just have a quick question.

My question is- will I need to bring my laptop to upload/download video footage, or does it go onto my phone? I would prefer to leave my laptop at home if possible, but I will do what I need to.

I have tried googling the answer to this question and I have yet to find an answer!

Thank you so much!

 

[runsongas]

you can connect to your phone, but the app has limited functionality for editing more suited to short clips for social media. if your phone has a lot of memory, you can certainly back up to it, but i just find getting a 128gb/256gb sd card easier these days

get a good 20ft to 60ft filter and a tray or hand mount for more stable footage.

 

[unicornmermaid]

you can connect to your phone, but the app has limited functionality for editing more suited to short clips for social media. if your phone has a lot of memory, you can certainly back up to it, but i just find getting a 128gb/256gb sd card easier these days

get a good 20ft to 60ft filter and a tray or hand mount for more stable footage.

Thank you SO very much for your response and help! That makes a lot of sense. Thank you again!

 

[Sam Miller III]

Yer some where in Tee o CCC ?

Photography is another skill set
Enroll in a Community College Basic Photography class
Lean and master the elements of good photography

Continue with classes in
Lighting
composition
editing'
The rules of GOOD photography are the same- Top side or Underwater.

Leave your camera at home for first 25 dives
sdm

 

[ibj40]

And don't forget to get a lanyard!

 

[Damselfish]

Depends if you just want to deal with storage, or would like to do some processing on vacation. Big cards are a great storage solution. Or fill up your phone, but I don’t think a phone really cuts it for processing. Besides limited capabilities, its just a pain.

In my experience both my husband and I will enjoy doing some photo and video editing on vaca (bonus - you get to post better stuff on social media.) Once we’re home, getting around to it can take a long time. We take a laptop and it gets used alot for that and other things.

Sometimes liveaboards or dedicated dive resorts will have a shared computer you can use for editing.

 

[divad]

Hello!
My question is- will I need to bring my laptop to upload/download video footage, or does it go onto my phone? I would prefer to leave my laptop at home if possible, but I will do what I need to.

You can get an adapter card (1" by 1 1/4") which allows you to plug the micro card into most modern TVs. San Disk is what I'm using.

 

[JackD342]

Yes, big card is simplest storage solution. But capacity in hours also depends on the resolution you are shooting. Find a card capacity chart online and decide from there. Also can bring multiple cards.

 

[Outbound]

To second (or third) what others have been saying - leave the laptop at home and bring a couple of SD cards. That's what I do. Unless you plan on editing and uploading video while still on vacation, there's no need to bring a laptop with you.

Also, as others have said, bring a filter for the appropriate depth. As for mounts, a tray mount with at least one light is best, but at depths up to about 30' on a clear and sunny day you can get away without a light. For a recently certified diver, I would recommend going with a hand/wrist mount. That way you can still use both your hands for diving tasks if necessary and you don't have to worry about a lanyard.

Oh, and don't forget a dive housing for the GoPro!

 

[Zef]

Leave the camera at home too until you get some experience under the surface and learn to control your buoyance well. It is surprising how many new divers pour into the water with unrefined diving skills and are task loaded with just turning their camera on/off. Focus on buoyancy and proper buddy etiquette and save the camera for when you have more experience under your belt....your photos/video will be better for it and so will be you.

-Z