Most stable way to take swimming shots with Gopro

[00wabbit]

Hi

I have a go pro and I am trying to figure out the most stable way to take video while swimming underwater.
I started with the head mount which as you know pics up every movement of the head. Then I moved to a single handle type mount that I can aim better but still pics up every minor vibration. I almost feel like the head mount was smoother when I remembered to really keep my head still.

I am contemplating a tray mount but when I look at videos online of people using the trays I don't see much difference.

It seems to me that the problem is that the camera is so small and doesn't have much mass to it. The same types of shots with a dslr which has a lot more mass are obviously a lot smoother. Has anyone experimented with weighting a tray or something to give the camera some mass to smooth out the minor movements?

If you have a tray or other way that works for you can you post some videos you made with it.

For now I am just going to keep the camera on my head so that I can document my trip in case something amazing happens.

 

[toozler]

It depends also on who and how the camera is being held. The best videos I've seem are shot by divers with good buoyancy control, drifting instead of swimming around, pointing the camera at the same spot long enough, not trying to chase fish around, etc.

Most agree on a tray, hands down - better if the tray is long enough and has two grips so you can grab it with both hands.

 

[3D diver]

Mass + holding with two hands (i.e. tray) is gonna help...but if there's a lot of surge or you're kicking or trying to follow every little twist and turn your subject is making it's gonna shake.

The advantage of a head mount, I speculate, is you naturally tend to stabilize it when you are really intently watching something. (Plus your head is kinda massive. ) You just have to edit out the looking around bits.

Free swimming is less stable than planting yourself on the bottom while shooting.

I have a friend who swears by YouTubes stabilization software but haven't tried it myself 'cause I want to do my titles before uploading and assume it wouldn't be too compatible with 3D.

 

[JamesK]

I tried YouTubes stabilization. It is NOT for me. Made everything look like it was from an 80's sitcom dream sequence. Really weird.

I use many different options depending on where I am shooting. Some places are really only big enough that with heavy flow I can only use a goodman handle style arrangement. My weighted tray is by far the most stable, but not all environments allow it to be easily used. Placing your lights off to the sides help with center of gravity issues.

 

[00wabbit]

About how much weight does your tray have? Do you counter act it with some bouyancy to get it neutral? I'm thinking about putting something together for my florida dives. They are all drift dives so I should be able to just hang and shoot.

 

[allensullivan]

Last week I used a Gopole for the first time and was pleased, though I've yet to fully edit the video. The clips were really stable. Felt balanced in the water and is positivelt buoyant, but not overly. You definitely want to attach it with a lanyard. A big improvement over the times I strapped the camera to my head. http://www.gopole.com/


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[00wabbit]

I have a gopole but haven't used it yet. I'll try it out in this trip.

 

[RockyHeap]

I have a gopole but haven't used it yet. I'll try it out in this trip.

BIG mistake many people make, "learning" their camera while on a trip, or fiddling with buttons at 55 foot deep.


It's a great help to learn your settings, in your yard or living room, fly deep and zoom over your dog, pan across the bushes in the front yard, learn how not to wiggle or shake that pole cam on dry land first...........just a tip. It's free memory on a chip that can be erased, the rest it practice time.

Front lawn or Dog > 55 foot deep learning curve/frustration.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I think a two hand tray is going to be best. You can increase stability, but will lose mobility and it will become increasingly more cumbersome to dive with. I can do pretty well with a 2-hand tray system, but it does take some skill to be really smooth in the water.

There is no way a head mount is going to give you long duration, steady clips, even if you dive like a zombie.

 

[RockyHeap]

2 arms = best stability, you can one hand the camera either side........


PLUS a double handle is way so much more easier to hand up to a boat crewmember for them to grab the upper handle.


I'll also state you should always have your camera gear secured to your body with a clip/lanyard.

I use something like this, but my coils are covered in expando cloth, so the "phone cord" doesn't get tangled up / crossed during a dive.