DesertSkies
New
I am considering buying a new video camera for diving, and I am curious whether anyone has yet had experience with the Replay 1080Mini.
My first video cam was a 1st generation Sony Action Cam. It came with a "waterproof to 60 meters" dive housing, but Sony had to produce a replacement door with a flat lens door following complaints about the original domed door skewing the view. The replacement doors leaked badly (3rd dive), mostly because they were made as a separate part and an after-thought rather than as an original piece integrated to the rest of the housing. The design tolerances were just not up to spec. Several hundred dollars in cam, second housing door, connector cords, extra batteries, chargers, etc down the sinkhole.
I've known a few people who have had GoPros, and certainly GoPro has its ardent fans. But I have also witnessed firsthand a number of floodings of those as well ... thankfully not my own, since GoPros have such a high price point. I've inspected a GoPro housing and was very surprised that they do not have a better engineered sealing mechanism. It is just a squared plastic box edge that butts up against a flat gasket. No o-ring, no lipped interlocking recess, nothing. So I am not surprised that they leak in certain conditions.
The Replay dive housing has a screw-on door that also incorporates an o-ring. At first blush, that seems like superior engineering. But does it really keep the water out? I'd rather not waste another $250 on a camera and housing that are just going to flood again.
Has anyone tried this camera yet? I've seen all the reviews regarding video and audio quality as compared to GoPro and Sony and all the others, and it seems acceptable in "bang for your bucks" terms. But if it too floods when you look at it crooked, I'd rather spend the $250 on more diving!
Thanks in advance for any input anyone may have!
My first video cam was a 1st generation Sony Action Cam. It came with a "waterproof to 60 meters" dive housing, but Sony had to produce a replacement door with a flat lens door following complaints about the original domed door skewing the view. The replacement doors leaked badly (3rd dive), mostly because they were made as a separate part and an after-thought rather than as an original piece integrated to the rest of the housing. The design tolerances were just not up to spec. Several hundred dollars in cam, second housing door, connector cords, extra batteries, chargers, etc down the sinkhole.
I've known a few people who have had GoPros, and certainly GoPro has its ardent fans. But I have also witnessed firsthand a number of floodings of those as well ... thankfully not my own, since GoPros have such a high price point. I've inspected a GoPro housing and was very surprised that they do not have a better engineered sealing mechanism. It is just a squared plastic box edge that butts up against a flat gasket. No o-ring, no lipped interlocking recess, nothing. So I am not surprised that they leak in certain conditions.
The Replay dive housing has a screw-on door that also incorporates an o-ring. At first blush, that seems like superior engineering. But does it really keep the water out? I'd rather not waste another $250 on a camera and housing that are just going to flood again.
Has anyone tried this camera yet? I've seen all the reviews regarding video and audio quality as compared to GoPro and Sony and all the others, and it seems acceptable in "bang for your bucks" terms. But if it too floods when you look at it crooked, I'd rather spend the $250 on more diving!
Thanks in advance for any input anyone may have!
