Gopro or Rx100...

[drbill]

I shoot mostly macro so I haven't seriously considered any of the GoPros but am looking at the RX100. Currently I shoot with several Sony CX550Vs in L&M Stingray G2 housings but a compact camera would be great for dive trips (and if airline baggage rules get any tighter!)

 

[EL Pistoffo]

I took both a GoPro Hero 4 Black and an RX100IV with my on a trip through the Caribbean a couple of weeks ago. Although I used the GoPro for a few wet shots in shallow water I used both in similar land scenes in Puerto Rico. Used both at their max resolution (4K) and quality settings. The RX100IV blows the Hero 4 away. The dynamic range, IQ and malleability in post of the RX100IV is far superior. The tiny sensor and optics of the GoPro can't compare to the 1" sensor and Carl Zeiss optics of the Sony.

If your looking for a step up from the GoPro within the 4K realm the Sony will not disappoint though I haven't seen much UW stuff from it yet. I still prefer my Panny LX7 to the new Hero 4 so I i'll be sticking to it for the time being. The larger compacts cameras handle low light and dynamic range better.

Don't get me wrong, for the price, the GoPro is hard to beat. It's a very compact, easy to manage way to get UW video that anyone can use. The next step up is going to come at a much steeper price and a step up in bulk too.

Check out Interceptors blog concerning the RX100 here: August | 2015 | Interceptor121 Underwater Photo & Video Blog

 

[large_diver]

Good thoughts above about light considerations. I was somewhat in the same boat as you - I have a GoPro 3+ and have an Indo trip coming up next year...so want to "up my game" a little bit. The single light set-up I was using had some decent results...but in local waters here in New England, USA (5 meter vis is the average), it wasn't enough. I just bought a pair of Sola 2100s ($$$ = I had to sell one cat for these ) and used them for the first time this past weekend. I am only 2 dives in and need a lot more practice with the light positioning and brightness setting (and flood vs. spot)...but so far I noticed a significant improvement.