My first Underwater videos - GoPro Hero HD

[Sherpakroto]

I could have saved myself some searching if I had paid attention to the goprofocus site :blush: I should be getting the lens any day now. I will try it next month in Florida and will post how it goes.

Perhaps the 127 vs 170 angle when in 1080 mode is why there is vignetting in the other modes.

 

[draganflame]

what a wonderfull video!

 

[seahorsey]

Thanks y'all for an ever-so-helpful thread! Just looking for some cheap waterproof camera for a Thailand trip, and been torn between 960 and HD.. So I guess consensus is go HD. UNLESS, hey, any of you bought the 960 by accident or still have it sitting in a closet, I'm in the market! pm me.

For you HD owners, do the stills come out alright enough to make the Hero a viable alternative to the kind of 'snorkeling' still cameras that are waterproof to 30' or so without a housing? Say, for group shots of divers etc, nothing too fancy. I was worried about that fisheye effect I've seen on friend's videos. But the camera seems just so nice and easy and durable, what a fun plaything! See here for a recent semi-underwater project, Dead Man Falling Video - Pinkbike.com

 

[Sherpakroto]

raskous: I just got the lens and it works well. I also spoke to GoPro and they are going to do "something" but were not specific:

Currently, our developers and engineers are considering incorporating the flat underwater housing for the HERO cameras. However, no specifics regarding an ETA have been released.

I haven't edited my videos yet, but they came out fairly well, considering it was my first try with the new lens.

seahorsey: still come out well it you just grab them from your video. I use "Any Video Convertor" and just take snapshots from the video. Here are 2 such snapshots taken at Weeki Wachee, FL, @1080p. These are untouched, other than reducing to fit. BTW, very nice video of Deadman's!

 

[sytech]

I'm seriously considering getting one of these.

I understand the difference between the 960 and the HD version.

On the other models (I assume they're not HD) , what differentiates them? Is it the connector type (suction cup, or head harness )?

I would assume the head harness would do a good job as a "hands free" gadget but it's another piece of gear. Was wondering how the cheststrap or wriststrap function as a "hands free" camera.

Thanks,

Sy

 

[fstbttms]

On the other models (I assume they're not HD) , what differentiates them? Is it the connector type (suction cup, or head harness )?

There are only two GoPro camera models, the 960 and the Hero HD. There is a wide variety of mounting hardware parts but they all work with the two cameras (or rather, they all work with the camera housings.)

 

[sharksdelight]

The GoPro housing, when shooting underwater, produces a very soft focus not really suitable for editing purposes. I would strongly recommend the purchase of either the Sartek or Eye of Mine housing for the GoPro. They're not too expensive either.
Steve

 

[formula1mb@aol.com]

If it helps, I bought the GoPro 960 from costco for $180 and also the Eye of Mine housing for $79 so the total is still under $300. I took my first underwater videos with it and shooting in 720p, I was really happy with the results and even playing it on my 60" 1080p tv at home, the video looked very good. Not full on Planet Earth quality but still HD and for the money I'm happy.

I might still get the full on GoPro HD later but the way I see it, with 720p on most tv's 50" or smaller it's already very hard to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. Esp if you only want to make the occasional youtube video, 720p or 960p is fine. Plus your memory card will last longer with 720p unless you want to use the 60 frames per second, 720p mode on the GoPro HD model.

Here's the video I took to get an idea: YouTube - First Ever Shark Dive! (San Diego)
(this was done snorkeling by the way which is the reason for the annoying up and down motion out of the water since the sharks got scared by the bubbles while on scuba)