I took some time to get some more information about your suggestions and I had to make some decisions. The first is that I won't be filming deeper than 3 meters and in fact most of the time I will be filming just at 1 or 2 meters deep. That eliminates the lighting problem. I'm also at ease with post-production.
Although I started an Indiegogo campaign to try to raise some extra funds for the project, I'm on a tight budget and I already have 4 cameras:
- 2 Panasonic TM700;
- 2 Panasonic HS200;
The first two I plan to use underwater and the other 2 above water.
I need at least 2 more cameras and I was so tempted by the gopro's because they are so convenient and excellent value for money. I can even cope with having to change their batteries every couple of hours. But I find it hard to cope with their quality underwater. I love what they do above water, but I have seen countless videos of them underwater and none of them convinced me. There's very little detail.
If I was shooting large animals, I would go with them, but I am shooting animals that range from 3 to 20 cms in length.
So the idea now is to continue with panasonic cameras and I will try to get 2 more. But the question is: will a cheap housing make the images come out with the same quality of the gopro's? Do you guys have suggestions of housings that will keep the quality as high as in this video shot with a TM700 with a RecSea housing.
https://vimeo.com/21111618
I really don't need to fuss around with camera underwater. I just need it to not damage the image quality and be alright at least at 3 meters deep. I don't even mind turning the camera on before putting it inside. I really just need a transparent waterproof container that doesn't damage the image (and the camera).
Any suggestions?