Polar Pro Red Filter vs UR/PRO Analysis

[Interceptor121]

the LCD backpack has brightness control if you still can't see it (it is tiny you are right) you can custom make a shader using old neoprene wetsuit or similar
I am not aware of any proper accessory

 

[ronscuba]

crosshairs. Looked at your reef video clip. Looks good to me. Kind of surprised on your comment that your footage looks better without the filter. If that is the case, I don't think you will be happier with any of the other filters.

Curious, what GoPro resolutions and WB settings are you using ?

 

[Interceptor121]

crosshairs. Looked at your reef video clip. Looks good to me. Kind of surprised on your comment that your footage looks better without the filter. If that is the case, I don't think you will be happier with any of the other filters.

Expectation management. He was not happy for the red hue when he pointed the camera straight to the sun ball...

Now we are over this and it is not the fault of the filter that indeed looks good

 

[Allison Finch]

Wow, as a still photographer that just bought a hero 3 to mount on my DSLR housing, I will be looking for a filter. The nastiness of the reps here has really ticked me off as a consumer. Yes, I will need something, but now have a really bad taste in my mouth.

This is what you guys look like to the consumers looking for info;

 

[ronscuba]

Wow, as a still photographer that just bought a hero 3 to mount on my DSLR housing, I will be looking for a filter. The nastiness of the reps here has really ticked me off as a consumer. Yes, I will need something, but now have a really bad taste in my mouth.

This is what you guys look like to the consumers looking for info;

LOL Allison.

I don't think anyone is a rep.

 

[Interceptor121]

It is rather interesting that the two amigos that are coming after me don't have the product they are saying it is crap whilst I have here two UR/PRO and one PolarPro plus several insert filter sheets that I have all paid out of my pocket
Besides I am fortunate that my job pays me more than enough I don't need the commission on selling a few $50 items
I wonder where all the animosity comes from after all I have said it myself the UR/PRO products are superior so there is no issue of the type what is best which makes me really wonder why are they so determined to say the other one is so bad when all the examples we have seen are very good considering the price?

 

[crosshairs]

Wow, as a still photographer that just bought a hero 3 to mount on my DSLR housing, I will be looking for a filter. The nastiness of the reps here has really ticked me off as a consumer. Yes, I will need something, but now have a really bad taste in my mouth.

This is what you guys look like to the consumers looking for info;

I didn't really get that impression.....folks are passionate about things that are important to them..I know I leaned a bit in this thread, so for me, it was a worthwhile exchange

 

[yarik83]

And I am back from biking.

Here is my take on this. Forums in general or any type of public discussion allows people to do something they normally would not do in real life. Online persona (avatar) allows anyone to be anyone. That is especially true when there is a point to be made.

On these very forums people debate anything from spair air to buoyancy compensators to camera filters and more. And thing is... we are all right in a way.

I personally have made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime and honestly I really try and get myself straight these days. It is really easy to make a mistake. You buy a tv... bring it to your house and it looks like crap because you did not heed warnings from online people who already bought that tv and have something to say.

With filters its a weird thing... If you started off with a gopro hero with some sort of blur reduction flat port housing (of which there is a huge 30 page thread here) and a filter from X manufacturer then you are more likely to buy a hero 2 with dive housing and filter X from that same manufacturer and finally with hero 3 being out you are also likely to purchase from X manufacturer. All nice and good but you have never (not you specifically... more a rhetorical person you) been exposed to other options so while your point about product X may be valid... how can you make grounded inferences about competitor products unless you have held them, used them, compared them apples to apples...

Perfect example... I have been buying samsung products for years only to have them break on me all the time. I thought I was doing the right thing... until I made a switch to all panasonic and stuff just works. I used to buy new balance sneakers only to have them last 1 year. Buying reebok and nike lets me wear my sneakers for 3-5 years. Have I never tried competition... I would have never known.

And its kind of funny because we do have passionate people here who will be defending their point of view and beating a dead horse until the very end.

At this point I am convinced that polar pro is pretty darn good. I know for a fact that URPRO is also good but nearly 2.5 times the cost. For me to spend my money cost would have to be very well justified... especially since I need to buy 2 filters... 1 for each gopro hero 3 black edition.

One of the best things you can do is pay attention to who is on the dive boat... what they have... and ask questions. I guarantee that someone on the boat will have a very long and painful experience with something that you have a question about and you can learn from that.

 

[Marty Cerven]

Well I know those shots are go pro ones and yes I downloaded your original showing the different exposure in the pics exit data. Higher ISO used in the polar pro shot, um do you know why that is? because its letting in less light. It has a fully auto exposure adjusting ISO and shutter speed according to available light. Less light higher ISO and more noise, surely you know that don't you. Then take the filters underwater where there is less light already and one will produce noisier results then the other. Also have a red tint to much deeper levels simply due to not being a filter of the same quality of the URPro, Magic or even Oculus filters I have tried that don't show this like the polar pro videos do.

You also took photos of both filters using your rx100 did you not? and there is more noise in the shot with the polar pro filter, this is because it let's in less light. Pretty simple fact and someone claiming to know all about physics and filters yet the only actual test you did which includes taking 4 photos to come up with your 2 blog posts. You also viewed one official video from polar pro lol so that counts as testing too.

I never had an issue with you completely hijacking my threads in the past, but back then I assumed you knew what you were talking about to some level but thanks to your blog I know you don't.

You didn't actually get the main info from those and the most obvious which is easily seen when using the filters underwater and one shows a red tint at levels it really shouldn't. Your photos show which allows more light through and your comments are so incosistant its laughable.

That's kind of why I like to quote your comments as maybe you don't even remember all the contradictory stuff you say.

Public forum and your making public posts no need for me to go into a box, maybe if you get your facts straight and stop trying to make what is nothing more then your opinion, to appear like some sort of definitive testing or actually scientific in any way when it is so far from that its laughable.

 

[Interceptor121]

Actually I was looking at the Exif I just noticed I posted the Gopro picture without filter instead of the one with the UR/PRO that explains why there is no tinge!
The UR/PRO one should show vignette on the border I have to see if I can find it now!


As I said there is 1+1/3 fstop difference between no filter and PolarPro and that ties up 1/60 to 1/120 1 f-stop ISO125 to 160 1/3 stop

You can see from the Sony picture shutter 1/60 ISO 400 f/2.5 for both that light absorption is the same

Blog updated just shot two pictures same ISO same shutter speed same gopro still image quality (poor) so filters as in the blog have the same noise and absorb the same light
The photos are here so who can say what is what?

Anyway this is pointless as in this thread there is footage with the polarpro and looks nothing worse than the footage with the UR/PRO in the main thread in the same diving location actually a bit better as the magenta hue is more pleasing than the orange in my opinion