Go Pro Camera

[diving_aggie]

I am going to St. John in few weeks and want to get a camera for the dives. I am a noob to it all.
Don't have $800+ to spend.
Thinking about the Go pro3 black or silver or whatever color will work.
How deep can I go with the Go Pro and still have good pictures to share/brag to non-divers without having a flash?

Would this be a waste of money? should I just try to rent a camera (if possible) and save up for the camera/light packages sold at dive shops?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

P.S I did search for similar threads. Read about 60 of them before starting this one. didn't see what I was looking for.

Thanks again

 

[toddthecat]

Housing is rated to 197 feet. GoPro always does better with external light source and a red filter. I've seen great videos at maximum recreational depth.

If you are wanting hi-def video, use a GoPro. If you want really good still photos, use something else. GoPro is a great deal considering it comes with the underwater housing. You'll also use it for lots for filming other hobbies and whatnot.

 

[dfx]

If you want video but want to save a few bucks, consider alternatives such as Contour or Intova cameras. If you'd rather take pictures, forget about all of those and either look for a housing for a regular camera that you may have laying around (could be the cheapest option depending on what you have), or maybe look into an entry level Sealife camera.

 

[Matt S.]

If you get a GoPro, budget for an extra battery or two if you dive a lot. I can barely get 2 dives out of 1 battery.

 

[PsyWulf]

Gopro's a video camera that can take pictures (though quality is very very up and down)
Wanna take some nicer photos? Get a Sealife

 

[TXreefer]

If you get a GoPro, budget for an extra battery or two if you dive a lot. I can barely get 2 dives out of 1 battery.

I ended up getting the battery bacpac. I can go all day now.

 

[emoreira]

Intova sport HD + red filter is less than 200.
HD videos are great and still pictures are also more or less good. You can always take snap shots of your videos if you also want pics.
I've found several advantages of the Intova compared with the gopro. Intova has no UW housing. The camera itself is a housing. The lens is a wide angle.
No battery. The built in battery is charged with the USB port from any PC or USB charger and lasts, fully charged 90 minutes of constant video filming in HD.
Intova has a built in display, so no need for external display.
Besides, which is great for me, it's positive buoyant, so, if you need it to be neutral or negative, add some weights. GoPro + housing is negative buoyant, so to make it positive, you need to add a bulky float.

 

[nv]

I use a GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition. Mentioned by someone else earlier, purchased additional batteries from amazon.com - there is one that comes with 2 batteries and a charger for car/wall, roughly $22US.

Can shoot 12mp and high res video, but I stick to 1080p @ 60; lowering it to 720p saves a lot of battery.

 

[tplyons]

Shooting stills with a GoPro is a pain. Shooting video with a GoPro is a cinch. My recent dive excursion, 5/11 divers had GoPro's with them and one had a DSLR setup with strobes.

The five took great videos. Some stills even looked pretty good with only ambient light. Much better than clicking the shutter button and hope you're pointing at what you think you are. I haven't seen the videos that were taken with a light however.

 

[Yuval Dimnik]

Hi Guys.
I'm writing a free SW project for the GoPro community (NooBaa) and looking for some nice pictures for the diving background theme.
Naturally, you'll be publicly acknowledged for the contribution.
If you're interested, just let me know where I can grab the pic.
Thanks
Yuval