Upon, I'm a photo newbie (and the instigator of the RAW vs. JPEG debate taking place elsewhere on this forum) but I've used both the DC1200 and the GoPro. They're basically different animals. The GoPro is a fantastic small, rugged camera that's incredibly easy to tote around in the pocket of your BC. It shoots incredible video. But without external lighting, it's really only useful in 25' or less of water - everything gets washed out beneath that. Still, I got some great videos from it on shallow dives, and decent stills - although the lack of a zoom also limits it.
The Sealife I found easy to use. The piano keys are especIally helpful if you dot know much. I dove with in Saba, using the Sealife strobe they package it with, and after I learned my through the noobie mistakes, I got she terrific shots - I posted a few in the thread on "RAW vs. JPEG: The Cost Factor."
Another difference: With the GoPro, you pretty much absolutely have to buy the external monitor plug-on, otherwise you won't be able to see what you're shooting. Even then, it's hard to see. The Sealife, by contrast, has an easy to see viewer.
Bottom line, the GoPro is a terrific little video camera, with good battery life, but only in shallow water unless you get a strobe. The Sealife with strobe appears to be a much more forgiving still camera.
