Not a huge fan of my GoPro

[Caveeagle]

I know I am jus a total pedestrian, when it comes to photography, but I have seen some very nice pictures coming from GoPros and some relatively simple lights. I am sure the serious photo gurus can do better but for most situations I find either a GoPro or my Paralenz do just fine.

 

[Esprise Me]

There are tons of great DSLR underwater pictures, but only a few relatively low resolution TG6 and GoPro shots to compare. The TG6 shots by professional photographers look night and day better than my GoPro shots, but I have no idea how much of that is the user.

I started with a GoPro, then switched to TG-5 with a video light, and enthusiastically recommend that setup to you. I, too, wanted to be a diver who takes pictures, not a photographer who dives; unlike you I knew nothing about photography.

You don't need much skill to take some pretty impressive pictures with the TG-5 or -6. It does help to have a decent light and good buoyancy control.

Below in order: the very best photo I have ever taken with my GoPro (the guitarfish with the diver in the background), one of the first pictures I took with my new TG-5 when I had no idea what I was doing (the diver with the cucumber), and two recent photos (Spanish Shawl nudibranch and Garibaldi.) They won't be winning any photo contests, but they get a lot of likes on Facebook, and I still haven't had to develop any serious skills.

I did recently buy a strobe and wide angle wet lens and am starting to experiment with those (after these pictures were taken.) So yes, you can add on elements to make the camera grow with you.

 

[Chris Ross]

The housings are significantly larger than the cameras they contain - if your buddy had strobes rather than constant on video lights it would have been a DSLR inside.

The TG-6 and G7X both have fixed lenses - the G7X is a 24-70 equivalent zoom. 24mm is fairly wide on land but behind a flat port it is equivalent to about a 30mm lens on land. The G7X as it stands can take shots of subjects as small as about 70mm long or so and at reasonable distances a big fish and at a stretch a diver - but you need to back up quite a bit. In UW photography water is the enemy and you are trying to minimise the distance between you and the subject. The range of a strobe UW tops out at about 1m or 2m at a stretch in clean water.

If you find you want a wider view you can add a lens that will expand the field of view to about that of an 18mm lens UW - for the reasonably priced models. If you want to take shots of really small stuff you can add a a macro wet lens which lets the camera focus closer. You can take them on and off UW or have them attached to a flip holder. They will fit in the hand easily, you don't need them but may find you want them down the road. There's various restrictions on these lenses which you can get into once you decide you want them, for example the basic wide lenses only work properly at minimum zoom - some cameras you need to zoom in a little to stop vignetting etc. The advantage is you can do any subject on any dive with a full setup - you can do something approaching this with a full frame rig but the expense is much higher and more limitations.

I'm not sure why you think a G7X is a big step from a TG-6 - it's basically the same, the housing is just slightly larger and the strobe/arms would be the same unless you opted for a macro only torch option on the TG-6 - but that is restricting you to quite small subjects. The big step is from a compact to a full frame DSLR.

where do you live in the US? - there are big underwater stores in Seattle, Monterey CA, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale FL and B&H photo will have some UW gear. I know it's inconvenient but getting someone to show you how to service o-rings properly and set things up is really invaluable if you can get to a store.

 

[Barmaglot]

A G7X sounds like a big step up from the TG6. If I go with either a TG6 or G7X, I absolutely need a camera and a housing, and a probably need strobe, but is there anything else I absolutely need?

You will need, in no particular order:

• Camera
• 2-3 batteries
• 2 memory cards
• Charger
• Cleaning kit
• Housing
• Vacuum system for your housing, if one is available
• Tray or at least a handle
• Optionally, a shutter trigger extension
• If you have eyesight problems, a screen magnifier hood is highly recommended
• Coil lanyard
• One or more arm segments, possibly float ones, depending on how your setup trims
• Two or more butterfly clamps, depending on how many arms you have
• One or two strobes of the best type that you can afford
• Depending on strobe model, mounting adapters for the strobes (some strobes are sold without a mount, and you buy your choice of ball or YS mount adapter separately)
• Fiber optic cables for strobes
• Two full sets of rechargeable batteries for strobes; typically AA but some use proprietary packs or 18650 Li-Ions
• Charger(s) for the batteries
• Focus light with a mounting system; it can go on your housing's cold shoe if you have two strobes or free arm if you have just one. A red light capability is a bonus. Auto-shutoff is offered in some models but is generally useless.
• Two sets of batteries for your focus light and, if needed, another charger.
• One or more close-up wet lenses, typically a +5 for medium-sized subjects and +10 or more for the very small stuff. Not needed if you use TG-6, it does macro just fine on it's own, but a Canon G7X or a Sony RX100 won't do macro without one.
• Wide-angle wet lens - Nauticam WWL-C is the best, but AOI and Kraken/Weefine produce credible alternatives at a lower cost
• If you don't want to be screwing and unscrewing lenses underwater - some sort of flip, swing, bayonet or magnetic adapter system for your wet lenses
• A lens dock to mount on your strobe arm(s) is highly useful if you use bayonet or magnetic mount, especially if you carry multiple lenses
• Spare o-rings for everything plus a supply of grease
• Some kind of bag to carry all that safely, without it turning into a jumbled mess and/or losing critical pieces

Underwater photography is very gear-intensive. As you can see, the camera itself is just a minor blip in that list.

 

[Glenn Williams]

Hi all:
I just kinda perused this thread and if I understand the OP’s original comments about the GoPro and still pictures being blurry.

I believe you said you had a GoPro Hero 6. (Is it the black version)? It has burst picture capability. Which if you have set up properly should do a decent job. A good website you might enjoy and one I go to often is Micbergsma.com or look him up if that doesn’t work. The man is a guru on all things GoPro.

I also have a 5 and the 7 versions and enjoy my footage.i take video not stills. I also use a rather inexpensive LED light setup that attaches to the top of my GoPro and it does ok with a red filter at depth. I always use the waterproof case. Make sure if you do as well to have the strips put in so it doesn’t fog up.

Another option is the Paralenz. It is more expensive than the GoPro but what you get with it is automatic adjustment of color and no filter needed, it also show your depth and other items during playback which is cool.

Looks like your digital camera would work well and is probably better in picture quality but your going to need a housing and they ain’t cheap. I priced one for my digital canon and the housing was about 600 dollars. If you can afford it, that is probably the way to go for superior stills. Just ensure you have adequate lighting and the case supports you adjustments under water.

The GoPro once inside its case can’t be adjusted on the touch screen. The side button is a pain to operate while diving.

Mic is the one though for instructional videos and will get you the best picture quality out there on the GoPro side. Turn on subtitles when you watch him.

Wish you the best

Glenn

 

[bvbellomo]

The TG-6 and G7X both have fixed lenses - the G7X is a 24-70 equivalent zoom. 24mm is fairly wide on land but behind a flat port it is equivalent to about a 30mm lens on land. The G7X as it stands can take shots of subjects as small as about 70mm long or so and at reasonable distances a big fish and at a stretch a diver - but you need to back up quite a bit. In UW photography water is the enemy and you are trying to minimise the distance between you and the subject. The range of a strobe UW tops out at about 1m or 2m at a stretch in clean water.

If you find you want a wider view you can add a lens that will expand the field of view to about that of an 18mm lens UW - for the reasonably priced models. If you want to take shots of really small stuff you can add a a macro wet lens which lets the camera focus closer. You can take them on and off UW or have them attached to a flip holder. They will fit in the hand easily, you don't need them but may find you want them down the road. There's various restrictions on these lenses which you can get into once you decide you want them, for example the basic wide lenses only work properly at minimum zoom - some cameras you need to zoom in a little to stop vignetting etc. The advantage is you can do any subject on any dive with a full setup - you can do something approaching this with a full frame rig but the expense is much higher and more limitations.

So the G7X has a non-removable zoom lens, but people can buy additional lenses to use over top of it?

I'm not sure why you think a G7X is a big step from a TG-6 - it's basically the same, the housing is just slightly larger and the strobe/arms would be the same unless you opted for a macro only torch option on the TG-6 - but that is restricting you to quite small subjects. The big step is from a compact to a full frame DSLR.

People told me to look at photo galleries online. I like the G7X photos better. It has a larger sensor, but I agree these are otherwise not that different on paper.

where do you live in the US? - there are big underwater stores in Seattle, Monterey CA, Los Angeles, and Fort Lauderdale FL and B&H photo will have some UW gear. I know it's inconvenient but getting someone to show you how to service o-rings properly and set things up is really invaluable if you can get to a store.

I live in Cleveland Ohio. I'd have better luck renting ski equipment in the middle of the Sahara.

 

[Barmaglot]

So the G7X has a non-removable zoom lens, but people can buy additional lenses to use over top of it?

The lenses go on the outside of the housing rather than the camera itself. Look up Nauticam CMC-1, CMC-2 and WWL-C. The CMC (Compact Macro Converter) series lenses allow your camera to focus on subjects closer to the lens than it otherwise would, allowing you to fill the sensor with smaller subjects. However, they also limit how far away you can focus, giving you a window of perhaps an inch or two in which you can operate. The stronger a close-up lens is, the closer is that window to the camera, allowing you to shoot smaller subjects, but preventing you from shooting larger ones. Olympus TG cameras have a lens that can focus from its front glass to infinity, so they don't need those.

Wide-angle wet lenses expand your camera's angle of view from typical 65-80 degrees to 110-130, allowing you to frame larger subjects from a closer distance, where strobes are more effective, and water has less of an effect on image quality.

 

[bvbellomo]

If I go G7X, I could get a Fantasea housing for $360 or $460 with vacuum or ikelite for $549 + $185 for vacuum. Is vacuum optional or something I really need? The camera retails at $750 but should be available significantly cheaper, so I am $860-$1485 for just the camera and housing.

If I go TG6, either a ikelite or Olympus housing is $300. The camera is $450 and the price seems firm. So I'd be $750.

The TG6 seems like a much more durable camera, which is a huge advantage, especially if it goes anywhere on land instead of the DSLR.

Are these the housings I should look at? I have a trip in 2 months, depending on COVID. I'd like to make it with the absolute barebones setup that makes sense and is better than my go pro.

 

[Barmaglot]

SeaFrogs is another option for housings, although their G7X III model lacks a vacuum port. Their TG-6 Housing actually has some advantages over Olympus native and costs less.
Sony RX100 series is another option that you may want to look at; they are very well supported by the SeaFrogs Salted Line of housings.

 

[bvbellomo]

Thanks, so SeaFrogs gets me $670 for TG6 or or roughly $750 for a G7XIII if I can live with an "Inbuilt leak detection sensor" instead of vacuum. This seems like the best option.

SeaFrogs also makes a G1X housing, is that a good option?