Does GoPro have color adjust?

[Joneill]

We are talking about "action" cameras not dedicated cameras for video or photos here, if you want real features and real quality, get the appropriate camera not a GoPro or Paralenz or the like. You are wanting an action camera to do what it isn't meant to do while ignoring the more appropriate and better cameras.

I use it to create clips of my diving to share and capture memories of what I see underwater. The quality of the action cameras is more than sufficient and, quite honestly, provides really good results these days.

I’m and avid sports and aviation photography enthusiast and have a collection of high Nikon cameras and lenses including a D5, D850 and D500.

However, I have no interest in lugging around and diving with my DSLR’s and large housings and strobes. I don’t dive to record video so don’t need the hassle of “pro” gear to capture me experiences.

 

[maadJurguer]

It’s not about “Fanboi’s” at all. What, other than the automatic color correction, makes you prefer the paralenz?

For me having an LCD to frame my videos (not pictures) and better image stabilization make the GoPro my preferred option to get clips of my diving experiences. Color is relatively easy to correct in post and lights are really needed below 50-60 feet for decent results - so the automatic color is not a meaningful benefit to me.

Form factor, does not require a case, mode switching via a single dial vs buttons, tactile feedback, customer service.

 

[Joneill]

Form factor, does not require a case, mode switching via a single dial vs buttons, tactile feedback, customer service.

Thanks. I actually prefer the flat form factor of the GoPro as I mount on a handled tray with a trigger. I also have no need to switch modes underwater, so just using on/off trigger. Above water, the touch screen with presets is super fast/easy to use. I've actually never had an issue with any GoPro I've owned, so have not had a need to interact with Custome Service - what have you needed them for?

 

[jgttrey]

They are both good for the intended purpose - there, I said it. Which you choose depends on your priorities and the factors have been well explained above.

I like the screen and user replaceable battery of the GP plus really good stabilization and a better ecosystem of filters, macro lenses, etc. If I were to switch modes a lot or I wanted better helmet/mask mounting, I'd prefer a Paralenz and I like the fact that the battery lasts a long time, even if not swappable. The depth compensation thing is a bonus and desirable, but not a perfect solution. I do really like the ability embed depth and temperature data on the video. Like I said, both good units.

To OP's question about gel filters. Nothing special needed. Just cut and insert into the housing. That said, I'd recommend getting the cheap plastic for the outside so you can swap. The point of either route is that for 10 bucks you can play around with filters and see what works best. Once you do that, you can figure out a more permanent solution, whether gel or exterior filter and how to secure it. I just think it's silly to talk about spending hundreds of dollars on a new camera to fix an issue that you can address with cheap filters. Not that a GP or Paralenz won't offer some other improvements, but that wasn't the question that started the thread.

 

[maadJurguer]

Thanks. I actually prefer the flat form factor of the GoPro as I mount on a handled tray with a trigger. I also have no need to switch modes underwater, so just using on/off trigger. Above water, the touch screen with presets is super fast/easy to use. I've actually never had an issue with any GoPro I've owned, so have not had a need to interact with Custome Service - what have you needed them for?

After two years of use, I had an issue where the pressure sensor stopped working - so the algorithm for white balance along with the depth/temperature overlay stopped working. After a quick Q&A online with the folks back in Denmark, they determined it was a physical problem and sent me a 3-day delivery, postage paid, and customs forms to ship it back to Denmark and they would repair the camera. All told, took 10 days round trip for the unit to be sent off, fixed and back to me. I went into it, willing to have to pay for repairs or a replacement considering it was 2-years old. Did not have to pay a cent. Super helpful and responsive folks, no run-around for requesting support for a two-year old unit....was one of the best customer service experiences I've had.

 

[Joneill]

After two years of use, I had an issue where the pressure sensor stopped working - so the algorithm for white balance along with the depth/temperature overlay stopped working. After a quick Q&A online with the folks back in Denmark, they determined it was a physical problem and sent me a 3-day delivery, postage paid, and customs forms to ship it back to Denmark and they would repair the camera. All told, took 10 days round trip for the unit to be sent off, fixed and back to me. I went into it, willing to have to pay for repairs or a replacement considering it was 2-years old. Did not have to pay a cent. Super helpful and responsive folks, no run-around for requesting support for a two-year old unit....was one of the best customer service experiences I've had.

Nice - that is good support!

 

[SpearoIT]

I've been using GoPro 2-6, IntrepidaDNA and now Paralenz... I would like to share the reasons why I wouldn't go back:

1) I hate flooded cameras.... already the step GoPro-Intrepida was a big thumb-up with it's aluminium body+oring vs. plastic case with silicone gasket. The only good memory of the now deceased GoPro(s) is a box full of plastic accessories that my kids can use on their EbayCams.

2) A magenta/pink filter is like having tinted sunglasses... they cut out a bit of light and with GoPro the area in shadow is totally black, while with Paralenz I can see what is there. Below 20m, with Paralenz, is enough to touch the button 3 times quick and it switch between DCC and WB... cannot be easier if you pass form no-light and light in the same dive, or during the day while spearfishing at various depths during the same trip.

3) Autostart! As in the last 15 years I have started to prefer freediving and spearfishing to the taste of compressed air... the Autostart function is a heaven-sent blessing! With 3+ hours of battery time, I can simply switch the camera on, put the selector ring on Video-mode and start diving... no more dives lost. With GoPro, and it's inadequate battery time for my purposes, I was forced to start-stop at every dive to avoid recording surface-time and this, together with my red-fish memory, leads to forgotten cam status... and with mask-mount it is a guarantee of lost dive-footage and plenty of surface-time-footage.

4) Gloves... in winter, with thick gloves, there is no equal... especially with Autostart where I need not to touch anything.

Some question to who has more experience than me about GP7:

I've found out that image stabilisation without a background is pretty hopeless.... does GoPro7/8 image stabilisation perform as well underwater as it does on land? It would be nice to understand if the comments above are comparing apple-with-apple or apple-with-lemon. I mount the cam on the mask and there is no image stabilisation that can solve the problem... so not an issue for me anyway.

Personally, fishing in average-low viz and average-****** weather, I appreciate the fact that with Paralenz I can actually see anyway the fish, while with GoPro most of the clips are useless, or at least one can only guess where the fish is... at least for what I am filming... other people, in different conditions, may have different results from their cams.

4K at 60 fps??? My Apple desktop has already showed me the finger when I tried to work with 4K 30fps... seriously I think that it is a luxury problem if you have a computer powerful enough to work with 4K without melting the CPUs.... otherwise the 4K is just one more useless selling point: like to buy a car that can drive 280 Km/h and use it on regular roads with 110 km/h limits in queue with the others on a Fiat Panda.

I was speaking about settings with a professional (videomaker in diving and spearfishing) and, for social-media sharing purposes, he suggested me to work with:

- 1080p 30 fps, standard videos
- 1080p 60/100 fps, if I fancy slow motion effect
- 2700K 30 fps, if I want to zoom in on some details

I have followed his suggestions and I'm very happy with the results... any comments on pros-cons of different settings?

Cheers!

 

[BoltSnap]

I've been using GoPro 2-6, IntrepidaDNA and now Paralenz... I would like to share the reasons why I wouldn't go back to GoPro:

1) I hate flooded cameras.... already the step GoPro-Intrepida was a big thumb-up with it's aluminium body+oring vs. plastic case with silicone gasket. The only good memory of the now deceased GoPro(s) is a box full of plastic accessories that my kids can use on their EbayCams.

2) A magenta/pink filter is like having tinted sunglasses... they cut out a bit of light and with GoPro the area in shadow is totally black, while with Paralenz I can see what is there. Below 20m, with Paralenz, is enough to touch the button 3 times quick and it switch between DCC and WB... cannot be easier if you pass form no-light and light in the same dive, or during the day while spearfishing at various depths during the same trip.

3) Autostart! As in the last 15 years I have started to prefer freediving and spearfishing to the taste of compressed air... the Autostart function is a heaven-sent blessing! With 3+ hours of battery time, I can simply switch the camera on, put the selector ring on Video-mode and start diving... no more dives lost. With GoPro, and it's inadequate battery time for my purposes, I was forced to start-stop at every dive to avoid recording surface-time and this, together with my red-fish memory, leads to forgotten cam status... and with mask-mount it is a guarantee of lost dive-footage and plenty of surface-time-footage.

4) Gloves... in winter, with thick gloves, there is no equal... especially with Autostart where I need not to touch anything.

Some question to who has more experience than me about GP7:

I've found out that image stabilisation without a background is pretty hopeless.... does GoPro7/8 image stabilisation perform as well underwater as it does on land? It would be nice to understand if the comments above are comparing apple-with-apple or apple-with-lemon. I mount the cam on the mask and there is no image stabilisation that can solve the problem... so not an issue for me anyway.

Personally, fishing in average-low viz and average-****** weather, I appreciate the fact that with Paralenz I can actually see anyway the fish, while with GoPro most of the clips are useless, or at least one can only guess where the fish is... at least for what I am filming... other people, in different conditions, may have different results from their cams.

4K at 60 fps??? My Apple desktop has already showed me the finger when I tried to work with 4K 30fps... seriously I think that it is a luxury problem if you have a computer powerful enough to work with 4K without melting the CPUs.... otherwise the 4K is just one more useless selling point: like to buy a car that can drive 280 Km/h and use it on regular roads with 110 km/h limits in queue with the others on a Fiat Panda.

I was speaking about settings with a professional (videomaker in diving and spearfishing) and, for social-media sharing purposes, he suggested me to work with:

- 1080p 30 fps, standard videos
- 1080p 60/100 fps, if I fancy slow motion effect
- 2700K 30 fps, if I want to zoom in on some details

I have followed his suggestions and I'm very happy with the results... any comments on pros-cons of different settings?

Cheers!

Excellent report and comparison, Thank you!!

 

[kelemvor]

1) I hate flooded cameras.... already the step GoPro-Intrepida was a big thumb-up with it's aluminium body+oring vs. plastic case with silicone gasket. The only good memory of the now deceased GoPro(s) is a box full of plastic accessories that my kids can use on their EbayCams.

For several generations now, gopro cameras have had integrated waterproof housings. After some depth (40' or something?) the camera won't work right anymore without a dive housing, but there's no real risk of flooding any modern gopro.

I like the autostart and depth gauge on the paralenz. I'm not sold on the software color correction. Software based color correction is never as good as using a proper filter regardless of your camera hardware. Using both is the ideal solution.

The current gopro image stabilization is the bees knees. It makes image stabilization in any other device that I've seen look terrible. As others have said, it's damn close to what you get with a real gimbal.

Paralenz still lists their 4k as only a half framerate affair at 30fps. Listed here: Every Dive Counts Others have said that it's been updated to do proper 4k60, but it's odd that the main webpage omits such a significant change.

It's too bad you can't get a camera with the real filter and other hardware support, proper 4k and image stabilization from gopro, autostart, depth guage, and color correction from paralenz. That would make for a nice action cam indeed.