Camera for Snorkeling/Diving

[indyjaco]

Hi RC,


Is a GoPro a valid option for snorkeling and diving? The future wife and I are headed to Fiji in a month and I want to get our adventures on video and in pictures.

I was thinking of getting the new Hero Silver edition.

Sorry if this is in the wrong location.

Thank you.

[luisgo]

I have a White GoPro and I like it very much for underwater video, photos, etc. Is very small and the display if purchased separately is very small. If you need a bigger display then look for another alternative. Here is a video of my last underwater adventure in Puerto Rico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA3a...pmMHYLjmeBlJfw

[indyjaco]

Thank you.

What mount do you use and what size SD card?

[luisgo]

[Zoodiver]

I like the GoPro. I the higher end take better quality, but if you are just playing around, the entry level do just fine. They are small and easy to move in the water.

Pic of me getting up close shark pics (not taken with a Go Pro).



These are just screen shots from the video to give you an idea of clarity. Taken with entry level Hero 3. I shoot blind (no viewing screen on mine yet).

[lostintheocean]

looks like someone cut their line, poor shark.

I have a black 3+ and took it diving in Barbados. The video was amazing (with red filter for deeper then 15 feet). It has been a pain to get into editing and figuring out what software to use. I am trying windows movie maker but it took some work to get it into the right format. The raw footage is amazing though, it is a great all around water cam and is relative cheap compared to the other options.

[indyjaco]

Thanks guys.

What mount did you use while snorkeling?

[DivingTheWorld]

Originally Posted by lostintheocean

looks like someone cut their line, poor shark.

I have a black 3+ and took it diving in Barbados. The video was amazing (with red filter for deeper then 15 feet). It has been a pain to get into editing and figuring out what software to use. I am trying windows movie maker but it took some work to get it into the right format. The raw footage is amazing though, it is a great all around water cam and is relative cheap compared to the other options.

I am in the exact same boat. We took TONS of video with our 3+ black diving in Palau a few months back and the wife has been all over me to edit. The editing is a bit intimidating...

We used a "GoScope" and it worked great. I definitely recommend getting the backpack screen for diving.

[Zoodiver]

Originally Posted by lostintheocean

looks like someone cut their line, poor shark.

Of the seven sharks we saw that day, four had hooks. I spend a lot of time unhooking wild sharks (or pulling them in for rehab). But that is a WHOLE different topic.

Originally Posted by indyjaco

Thanks guys.

What mount did you use while snorkeling?

I just hold it. Stability is a bit of an issue at the end of the day if you're in colder water and shivering a bit. I ran into that last time I was out filming manatees in 70 degree water after being rained on all day and not having a full wetsuit on.
I'd love to start using a pole to get closer shots of some of the bigger animals that won't come as close.

[G_Sanab922]

Originally Posted by luisgo

I have a White GoPro and I like it very much for underwater video, photos, etc. Is very small and the display if purchased separately is very small. If you need a bigger display then look for another alternative. Here is a video of my last underwater adventure in Puerto Rico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA3a...pmMHYLjmeBlJfw

Nice video, never realized how good the white can be. I've used the silver and it's very impressive. Can't even imagine the black, like others have said.

Originally Posted by Zoodiver

Of the seven sharks we saw that day, four had hooks. I spend a lot of time unhooking wild sharks (or pulling them in for rehab). But that is a WHOLE different topic.



I just hold it. Stability is a bit of an issue at the end of the day if you're in colder water and shivering a bit. I ran into that last time I was out filming manatees in 70 degree water after being rained on all day and not having a full wetsuit on.
I'd love to start using a pole to get closer shots of some of the bigger animals that won't come as close.

Nice pics Zoodiver, even though those sharks have the hooks in them, i'm glad the fishermen at least released them. It's the law but you know how that is, better to release them like that rather than releasing it dead or the people keeping it. Pretty cool to see that you unhook them though

[Zoodiver]

Thanks.

[Deinonych]

+1 on the GoPro. I have the Hero3 Black mounted on an Ultralight tray w/handle. I use the Flip 3.1 with a dive filter and a MacroMate for shooting macro. Great camera.

[G_Sanab922]

So my girlfriend just bought me the Hero3 Silver for our 1 year anniversary! Couldn't believe it. Definitely going to be diving with it soon. Any recommendations on editing software or filters?

[r2odie]

we were just in the keys for a month and a friend had his gopro on a head strap, a chest strap and a pole depending on what he was videoing. He also had a suction cup mount which he used on the waverunner.

[Paul B]

I also have a GoPro camera which I love, but the only thing wrong with it is it has no flash so you can't really use it for night or deep diving.




This was an old Sea&Sea film camera with a flash (Tahiti)

[ostrow]

Nice! I don't see it in the pic of you. How did you carry it? Head? Hand/wrist? Pole?

Originally Posted by Paul B

I also have a GoPro camera which I love, but the only thing wrong with it is it has no flash so you can't really use it for night or deep diving.




This was an old Sea&Sea film camera with a flash (Tahiti)

[G_Sanab922]

Originally Posted by r2odie

we were just in the keys for a month and a friend had his gopro on a head strap, a chest strap and a pole depending on what he was videoing. He also had a suction cup mount which he used on the waverunner.

Very nice 👍

[Paul B]

You don't see it because I handed it to someone to take my picture so I could post it on here. I put a wrist strap on it so I don't lose it because it doesn't have anything to hold unless you get the stick

[PeterHall]

A gopro with ultralight tray and a sola light is a great beginners setup. The only issue I have with the gopro is battery life, which means you carry extras and switch a lot.

I bought a olympus e-pm1 with underwater housing last year when it was on sale for around $400. With a decent strobe the whole setup is awesome.

[lostintheocean]

good point that the shark was at least released, its a start.

The black 3+ has much longer batter life then previous models. The red filter I used was 30 bucks on amazon, it just slips onto the outside of the housing and has a small tether, i highly recommend a color correction filter.

Editing-
I used gopro software to import and convert, this makes an avi file, you choose where to save this file on you pc in the gopro software. Once this is done i use win movie maker to edit the avi files and then save them in high def. I am not sure if this is the best way but it seems to work well for my purposes and looks great on a big screen. i then delete the avi and archive the original footage.

[G_Sanab922]

Originally Posted by lostintheocean

good point that the shark was at least released, its a start.

The black 3+ has much longer batter life then previous models. The red filter I used was 30 bucks on amazon, it just slips onto the outside of the housing and has a small tether, i highly recommend a color correction filter.

Editing-
I used gopro software to import and convert, this makes an avi file, you choose where to save this file on you pc in the gopro software. Once this is done i use win movie maker to edit the avi files and then save them in high def. I am not sure if this is the best way but it seems to work well for my purposes and looks great on a big screen. i then delete the avi and archive the original footage.

Glad you posted that, I found it today and going to order it. I don't want to pay $59 for the red filter lol...

and nice, right now i'm just trying to get used to gopro studio. I'm not a rookie with editing software but it's a bit tricky at first, idk maybe it's me or something. Possibly my computer bc it sucks. This is how I feel as I try to edit though lol

[Egkid]

http://shop.gopro.com/cameras?gclid=...N8mBoCHTfw_wcB

The Hero4 just got released, if you can wait I'm sure the Hero3+ will have some ridiculous sales for black Friday.

[G_Sanab922]

Probably , that's IF you can find a HERO3+ . My girlfriend went all over Miami and one store had only one Silver Edition. Took her about a week to find.

[jmowbray]

I use a Sealife 1400. I love it for pictures both land and water. Video is done by my brohter with a GoPro.

[murdock84]

I have a GoPro but never used it for diving yet. I bought a small housing for my point and shoot digital. I like it because I can use the flash and as a regular camera. I see some people using a stick to hold their GoPro as well