My *NEW* GoPro Setup.

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TonyErnst13

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
137
Reaction score
45
Location
Pompano Beach, Florida
# of dives
1000 - 2499
I went from this: 10-20 Night Dive Go Pro.jpg
(ULCS Double Tray, with 2 Sola 1200's)



To this:20140221_113542.jpg



I also went with longer ( Nauticam Carbon buoyant) arms, and more powerful SOLA's (4000's). I'll post results after I receive the lights and get them in the water. Until then, i'll be checking the mail every day !

In between these setups I used 2 Sola 2000's with 8" ULCS arms and some foam floats. I was extremely happy with that setup overall, but I like the 6 hour battery life and the articulated LCD of this setup, so I took the plunge.
 
This looks VERY nice!!

What brand is the housing? I like the way you can flip the macro and the filter!

I'm just about to build my first setup, very simular to your first using ULCS Double Tray. As the lihgts are very expencive I plan to start with just one light (looking at the Sola 1200). Do you have any useful leassons learnt I could use? Or some spare lights you want to sell:)?
 
Provide some more details about the housing and accessories.
 
Interesting. No different really, than point and shoot digital cameras though............you can get a stock OEM Olympus housing for them, maybe upgrade to Ikelite, or spring for a Nauticam Billet Alum.

the rest is the price point.

very cool product,

subscribed to post!
 
This looks VERY nice!!

What brand is the housing? I like the way you can flip the macro and the filter!

I'm just about to build my first setup, very simular to your first using ULCS Double Tray. As the lihgts are very expencive I plan to start with just one light (looking at the Sola 1200). Do you have any useful leassons learnt I could use? Or some spare lights you want to sell:)?
GO 2100's. 900 more lumens and only 100 more for the Spot/Flood over the SF 1200.. That would be my best advice!

---------- Post added February 26th, 2014 at 12:16 PM ----------

This is the HUGYFOT "Pro" Set. It has the optional macro 67mm Diopter.

The "base" set comes with a depth rating of 800 feet, 6 hour battery life, red filter - NO LCD, tray, handles, arms, etc. $600 retail

The "Pro" set adds, tray, handles, and the top tray, which the LCD then attaches to in it's own housing, with 25mm ball mounts on each side for arms and/or lights. It also includes the 6 hour battery. $1500

The 6 hour battery rating is with the GoPro RECORDING and LCD ON, the entire 6 hours. Pretty amazing for time lapse (and getting use of larger MicroSD cards, or multiple tank trips)
They used to be depth rated to 100 meters, but moving forward all of them will be rated at 250 meters.
They are machined aluminum, and the quality of the build is superb.

People get caught up in the price of the GoPro as a reason to not invest in it further. The GoPro was always intended to get wet, but not initially to be submerged to depth (which is why it had focus issues with the fish eye, and now is only available with a flat lens, once GoPro woke up and realized the scuba potential) $400 is by no means cheap, BUT the trade off is fixed focus, shallow depth rating (now 130ft), mediocre stills, and low battery life.

This fixes a few of those issues (depth, battery), and I do not intend to take stills - so my only draw back is that I am fixed focus. I live in beautiful south Florida, which has better than average viz, and plenty of wrecks. Goliath groupers, occasional sharks, Sting Rays and Turtles.... Perfect for wide angle shots between 1-6 feet away. (or further with ambient lights to show entire wrecks, etc) The GoPro could not be more suited for what I would like to do while underwater where I live locally. The best part of it, was the initial financial obligation was within my budget. I upgraded over time, from a PVC self made pole, to a ULCS Single tray with an 800, to a double tray with 2 1200's, to a double tray with 2 arms and 2 2000's, to now this. I actually upgrade from a 2 to a HERO 3 also in the middle of this process.

Each time I sold everything to someone a step behind where I was currently, and the natural progression for all involved was easy on the wallets. The GoPro could be as simple as a $399 camera in a stock housing used for "memories", all the way to something as elaborate as this. To some it may seem a little crazy that the housing, lights, and associated hardware are 15 times the price of the camera. But when you upgrade little by little, and see the video upgrade in ratio each time, I'm happy with each and every point along my GoPro journey....This seems to finally be the pinnacle, and I hope that maximizing the potential of this camera meets my expectations... I will post videos once she is all set up, and give you an honest and fair review of each of these items !
 
Last edited:
20140221_113704.jpg
GoPro LCD Screen, in a separate housing. I will actually have a 4 inch extension between the mount and the housing, once the extension piece arrives.
20140221_113553.jpg
67mm Diopter Macro Lens

20140221_113523.jpg
This is my old arms and old lights, which will now be two arms, 3 clamp setups (one ULCS, one Nauticam Carbon fiber arms) and new SOLA 4000's.
I just snapped this before selling my 2000's to get an idea of how she would look with lights. Beautiful !
 
Looks awesome! Really! I still think I have to start with the 1200s and same tray as your first setup. Two of the 2100s are $1800 here in Norway.
 
Looks awesome! Really! I still think I have to start with the 1200s and same tray as your first setup. Two of the 2100s are $1800 here in Norway.


Start with one 2100, on an 8" arm, above the GoPro. That would be my best recommendation. It will give you the output when you need it, AND give you twice the run time at 1050 lumens, over the 1200 at full (1200).... or even the 2500, it is cheaper than the 2100 because it does not have the spot feature....
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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