Going beyond the GoPro - compacts / portable rigs for video only.

[afieldofblue]

For longer distance shots try using the Landscape mode and the AF auto focus. Some people setup the Macro AF but I never use that setting as it refocuses too much. I only had a Hero 4 before getting the TG6 so cannot compare to the TG5. I think as you see with the turtle video I the AF worked well and did not lose focus. Once inside a wreck it would track different fish and refocus... I think that is one of the things with the TG6 with a fixed lens like the Go Pros you don't need to worry about the focal distance.

This snippet here is a typical example of the auto-focusing issues I was getting when I tested the TG5 out for video - water wasn't particularly particule heavy, average Komodo day...


I was thinking to try it again after locking manual focusing, not sure how that would work for video though.

I'd looked into to it and found I wasn't the only one with similar issues, which prompted me to think that the TG's weren't that great for video use.

Also see this guy here:

For macro video it did work quite well with manual focusing and a tripod - but I'm more interested in shooting wide angle clips, no zooming etc

 

[afieldofblue]

And on the Go Pro 7 for instance, focusing isn't the issue, but I'm getting quite a lot of distortion on the sides of the image, despite shooting in linear (GP4 was better in this respect), and image quality is really average - I'd like to get more definition and range that a bigger sensor can offer, which is why I'm looking into compacts - just not really convinced at the moment.

This snippet in ambient light with a UR Pro filter also in Komodo - nothing fancy but pretty characteristic: you can see the distortion on both sides, pretty horrible - i chose this clip because camera movements + vertical structure of the reef make the side distortion quite obvious - haven't managed to correct it in post.

Beyond this, while there's room for playing around with color grading (shot flat), there's nothing I can do about overall image quality.


Good thing about the GoPro is that I have it on me all the time when I'm guiding, in my BC pocket - if something interesting comes up, I grab it, shoot 10 to 20 second clips and still keep an eye on things.

A compact would be ok, but bigger rig would mean only bringing it when I'm diving for myself, which isn't that often at the moment.

I think if budget/size wasn't an issue, I'd probably go for a Sony FDR-AX700.

 

[EvilOtter]

I have been using the LX100 in an Ikelite housing for the past three years and I have been very satisfied with the results for 4K video. The large M43 sensor and high quality Leica lens provide excellent image quality for a compact and of course it is fully programmable. The kit is also very compact and is great for travel if that is a consideration for you.

One of the really nice things about a compact setup is that you can shoot relatively wide and get down to macro range (with wet lenses) on the same dive through the standard flat port. This is something that you will most likely lose if and when you upgrade to a full mirrorless or DSLR rig. You can get this flexibility on a camcorder but you are looking at several orders of magnitude of cost for a quality setup.

Another advantage of this setup is the low cost of entry. While the camera and housing are comparable in cost to a midrange mirrorless, you don’t need to invest in expensive glass and additional ports. This can add up to thousands in savings, depending on your shooting style and preferences. My advice is to save this money and invest in a good set of video lights in the range of 8-15K lumens.

If you are interested, you can see some of my videos on my YouTube channel by clicking the link in my signature. Good luck!

 

[Pearlman]

I have been using the LX100 in an Ikelite housing for the past three years and I have been very satisfied with the results for 4K video. The large M43 sensor and high quality Leica lens provide excellent image quality for a compact and of course it is fully programmable. The kit is also very compact and is great for travel if that is a consideration for you.

If you are interested, you can see some of my videos on my YouTube channel by clicking the link in my signature. Good luck!

Superb video from Raotan..! You made it so interesting to watch. So you shooting 4k without any overheating issues?

 

[afieldofblue]

Superb video from Raotan..! You made it so interesting to watch. So you shooting 4k without any overheating issues?

Yes, was just going to ask the same question

what RX100 model do you have EvilOtter?

What you wrote really makes sense - I'll probably get a compact for now, at least it would fix the distortion issue and also bump up image quality.

Not quite sure what I should get though, with the RX100 serie's overheating issue and other models such as the Lumix LX10 or Lumix LX100 ii....

I must say that I'm very tempted by the Panasonic LX100 ii as it doesn't seem to have any overheating issues, which seems like a major turn-off for use exclusively as a video camera.

Wish there was an underwater video comparison for both the RX100 V and the LX100 ii, focusing on autofocus, white-balance, image quality, stabilisation, ie stuff that really matters for video, from a real-life perspective.

A lot of tests don't include ambient light video comparisons, which would be useful baseline to see how the camera behaves itself, since properly lit closeup shots of wrecks or macro removes quite a few issues of filming underwater...



cheers

 

[EvilOtter]

Thank you both. I am shooting the Panasonic DMC-LX100 Mk1, not the Sony RX-100. I have never had overheating issues and am not aware of any with this camera. Note that the Ikelite housing can accommodate both the Mk 1 and the Mk 2 versions.

@Interceptor121 used to shoot early generations of the Sony RX-100. It is extremely capable and compares favourably to the LX-100 in most respects. It’s main downside, which is common to most Sony sensors, is that you cannot perform a custom white balance without using a red filter. Not a huge issue but you need to be aware of it. I recommend that you read his excellent blog posts on the RX-100 at the following link: Interceptor121 Underwater Photography Video and Travel Blog

 

[afieldofblue]

Thank you both. I am shooting the Panasonic DMC-LX100 Mk1, not the Sony RX-100. I have never had overheating issues and am not aware of any with this camera. Note that the Ikelite housing can accommodate both the Mk 1 and the Mk 2 versions.

@Interceptor121 used to shoot early generations of the Sony RX-100. It is extremely capable and compares favourably to the LX-100 in most respects. It’s main downside, which is common to most Sony sensors, is that you cannot perform a custom white balance without using a red filter. Not a huge issue but you need to be aware of it. I recommend that you read his excellent blog posts on the RX-100 at the following link: Interceptor121 Underwater Photography Video and Travel Blog

Oops had misread your original post - Yes, in that pretty much wraps it for the Lumix series.
As capable as RX 100 might be, overheating issues are a big no-no for intensive video use.

I also read Interceptor 121's blog and posts, very useful real life UW videography information, which isn't as common as one might think.

Thanks again for this EvilOtter.

 

[Pearlman]

Can you shoot raw/flat in Lumix series? 8/10bit?

 

[afieldofblue]

And also do you know what red-filters can be used with the LX100 housing (not that much choice from what i gathered) - I'm big fan of UR Pro filters, but they're getting hard to get and it really depends on the housing design. The Ikelite and the Nauticam designs are quite different

b

 

[EvilOtter]

The LX100 Mk 1 records in 8-bit H.264 and does not have VLOG or Cinelike profiles. You can adjust sharpness, contrast, NR and saturation in picture profiles to flatten for grading. I do not use a red filter since I can get a good white balance down to 40-50 feet depending on ambient light. I am not aware of any compacts that record in 10-bit RAW. I think you need to move up to a GH5 if this is important to you.