CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
Since so many of us record our dives with action cameras I'm putting this here in the Basic forum to reach more of you who may be considering a dive camera, an upgrade or simply are unsure if the Paralenz is worth it.
So I received this camera yesterday as a birthday gift and upon opening the box everything appeared very well packaged. Like we would expect from a top tier company. They included separately with the box a new rear end cap made out of aluminum rather than the original plastic cap. Obviously with a new startup there will be some issues to overcome and it appears they are addressing those issues. Which I will get to in a moment.
The camera feels very well built, in fact it's a tad heavy. The rear cap is sealed with three o-rings. It has a unique ring on the outside that can be turned to change settings and a single button to initiate recording and taking pictures. It also has a very small screen in the rear to indicate certain settings.
I should point out this camera is purpose built for divers and so it has some of the features we are familiar with in our dive computers. For example, it logs your depth profile, dive time and temperature. One nice advantage is you can set the camera to automatically record when you begin your descent. Much like your dive computer automatically starts to operate based on the pressure sensor. No more forgetting to turn the camera on.
I will let you guys research all the technical specs and only point out the one major technological advantage to this camera compared to others is that it has the option to use their DCC tech. Depth Color Correction. Basically, because the camera has a depth gauge they have created the tech to automatically adjust and color correct your footage based on your depth. No more red filters or post production color editing. You can choose between two options, blue water or green water. This alone is what really peaked my interest about this camera. Since we want to keep our dive videos brief (less than a few minutes), it should be nice to simply film, upload, cut and share. Thus saving a ton of time.
Here's an example. Not perfect, but good enough.
So that is some of the pros, now to the cons.
There were a couple oversights in the design of this camera, IMO. Keep in mind everyone dives differently and has there own activities underwater so some of these cons won't apply to everyone.
First, the minor stuff. I think they should have put the charging contacts on the outside of the body. As we all know, every time we open a computer, flashlight or camera there's a possibility the o-ring doesn't seat right or twists, tears, etc. and we know what happens next. Also, it has a built in rechargeable battery. So once it's dead, there's no swapping batteries. You have to charge it. I don't know what the procedure is for when the battery will no longer hold a charge. I will find out and report back. Fortunately it appears the battery will last for 2+ hours on a single charge, which should be plenty for most of us. Especially if we recharge during surface intervals. Think portable charging packs.
So those are some minor issues, now for more pressing issues which are more specific to hands free mask mounting this camera. If you use this camera on a tray or stick, then I wouldn't be too concerned with my following critique, but if you plan on mask mounting, listen up.
The camera is a lip stick tube bullet style camera and so unfortunately it will not work out of the box with a mask that has a GoPro style mount, like my GoMask for example. The camera simply extends too far back preventing you from donning your mask. That was disappointing to learn, especially since I first inquired about that issue and I was told it would work.
After giving up on that idea I then turned to their mask strap mount. From there I got a bit frustrated. The mount does not sit parallel with your mask/line of sight. The camera mount pushes away from your face and would consequently film at an angle off to your side rather than whatever you are looking at. Furthermore, there is no way to adjust the trim. On my GoPro I usually angle the camera up because if I'm in good trim, my face is not looking straight head, rather it's facing down a bit, yet my eyes are compensating and looking ahead.
Now, in their defense, they have released a new mask mount that does allow you to adjust the trim, but you'll have to tie down the mount so that the camera stays parallel. They need to revisit this design as there's some flaws. It appears it was designed for divers wearing hoods rather than tropical divers. The strap mount has an unusual bend to it and covers part of your ear. This is annoying and why I assume when they developed it they tested it with divers wearing hoods.
So what's the solution? I contacted Paralenz and while they did not provide a solution they were very responsive to me. Very good customer service in fact. I told them I didn't want to use it and forgo my ability to return it for a refund if this would not meet my simple expectations. The CMO asked me to dive it and if I'm not happy then return it, so I agreed.
Now, I pondered for a while trying to figure out the simplest way to make this work and decided to buy a couple different extension arms and hopefully that will allow me to use the original mount on the GoMask.
I will be diving Sunday and will report back with performance, issues and of course, some video.
Unboxing.
Side camera mount issue.
Here's the Paralenz website.
Paralenz - Home - Paralenz
My GoMask for reference. A really great (and expensive) mask that truly opens up your field of view.
http://www.xsfoto.com/product/gomask-panorama/
Extension Arm #1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IQPD9DU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Extension Arm #2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PRIWJAY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Note: It's imperative to upgrade the firmware upon receiving the camera and only use the SD cards Paralenz recommends. Here's some more info. Get the most out of your Paralenz® Dive Camera - Paralenz
I hope this thread helps anyone considering this camera. If you have info please share. I will update with any new info.
So I received this camera yesterday as a birthday gift and upon opening the box everything appeared very well packaged. Like we would expect from a top tier company. They included separately with the box a new rear end cap made out of aluminum rather than the original plastic cap. Obviously with a new startup there will be some issues to overcome and it appears they are addressing those issues. Which I will get to in a moment.
The camera feels very well built, in fact it's a tad heavy. The rear cap is sealed with three o-rings. It has a unique ring on the outside that can be turned to change settings and a single button to initiate recording and taking pictures. It also has a very small screen in the rear to indicate certain settings.
I should point out this camera is purpose built for divers and so it has some of the features we are familiar with in our dive computers. For example, it logs your depth profile, dive time and temperature. One nice advantage is you can set the camera to automatically record when you begin your descent. Much like your dive computer automatically starts to operate based on the pressure sensor. No more forgetting to turn the camera on.
I will let you guys research all the technical specs and only point out the one major technological advantage to this camera compared to others is that it has the option to use their DCC tech. Depth Color Correction. Basically, because the camera has a depth gauge they have created the tech to automatically adjust and color correct your footage based on your depth. No more red filters or post production color editing. You can choose between two options, blue water or green water. This alone is what really peaked my interest about this camera. Since we want to keep our dive videos brief (less than a few minutes), it should be nice to simply film, upload, cut and share. Thus saving a ton of time.
Here's an example. Not perfect, but good enough.
So that is some of the pros, now to the cons.
There were a couple oversights in the design of this camera, IMO. Keep in mind everyone dives differently and has there own activities underwater so some of these cons won't apply to everyone.
First, the minor stuff. I think they should have put the charging contacts on the outside of the body. As we all know, every time we open a computer, flashlight or camera there's a possibility the o-ring doesn't seat right or twists, tears, etc. and we know what happens next. Also, it has a built in rechargeable battery. So once it's dead, there's no swapping batteries. You have to charge it. I don't know what the procedure is for when the battery will no longer hold a charge. I will find out and report back. Fortunately it appears the battery will last for 2+ hours on a single charge, which should be plenty for most of us. Especially if we recharge during surface intervals. Think portable charging packs.
So those are some minor issues, now for more pressing issues which are more specific to hands free mask mounting this camera. If you use this camera on a tray or stick, then I wouldn't be too concerned with my following critique, but if you plan on mask mounting, listen up.
The camera is a lip stick tube bullet style camera and so unfortunately it will not work out of the box with a mask that has a GoPro style mount, like my GoMask for example. The camera simply extends too far back preventing you from donning your mask. That was disappointing to learn, especially since I first inquired about that issue and I was told it would work.
After giving up on that idea I then turned to their mask strap mount. From there I got a bit frustrated. The mount does not sit parallel with your mask/line of sight. The camera mount pushes away from your face and would consequently film at an angle off to your side rather than whatever you are looking at. Furthermore, there is no way to adjust the trim. On my GoPro I usually angle the camera up because if I'm in good trim, my face is not looking straight head, rather it's facing down a bit, yet my eyes are compensating and looking ahead.
Now, in their defense, they have released a new mask mount that does allow you to adjust the trim, but you'll have to tie down the mount so that the camera stays parallel. They need to revisit this design as there's some flaws. It appears it was designed for divers wearing hoods rather than tropical divers. The strap mount has an unusual bend to it and covers part of your ear. This is annoying and why I assume when they developed it they tested it with divers wearing hoods.
So what's the solution? I contacted Paralenz and while they did not provide a solution they were very responsive to me. Very good customer service in fact. I told them I didn't want to use it and forgo my ability to return it for a refund if this would not meet my simple expectations. The CMO asked me to dive it and if I'm not happy then return it, so I agreed.
Now, I pondered for a while trying to figure out the simplest way to make this work and decided to buy a couple different extension arms and hopefully that will allow me to use the original mount on the GoMask.
I will be diving Sunday and will report back with performance, issues and of course, some video.
Unboxing.
Side camera mount issue.
Here's the Paralenz website.
Paralenz - Home - Paralenz
My GoMask for reference. A really great (and expensive) mask that truly opens up your field of view.
http://www.xsfoto.com/product/gomask-panorama/
Extension Arm #1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IQPD9DU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Extension Arm #2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PRIWJAY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Note: It's imperative to upgrade the firmware upon receiving the camera and only use the SD cards Paralenz recommends. Here's some more info. Get the most out of your Paralenz® Dive Camera - Paralenz
I hope this thread helps anyone considering this camera. If you have info please share. I will update with any new info.
