Adding 2x Sola 1200 to GoPro; useful or waste of money?

[Blackcrusader]

Go Pro Hero4 and one Big Blue VL4200P on a wrist strap for my first test.

I just bought a TG6 and have two Big Blue VL4200P and will mount my go pro on the TG6 housing as it's still good for 2.7k wide screen video. Screen shot of my DIY camera platform with the TG6 but had the Go Pro where the TG6 was before.

 

[Boglefish]

Here’s some video I made last month with a Hero7 two 1200 sola lights setup on a Tray.

 

[mostlyirish]

Nice work. I like the shot of the fins and sunlight at the end. In the beginning there were a few shots where the light angles need adjusting (shadow in the middle of the frame due to beams not overlapping)....but shorter distance shots later in the video you had fixed this.

I have been using dual SOLA lights with multiple GoPros for the past 3 years (2100) - really like them. Not sure what to say about battery life....I can normallly get 2 dives in cold water on one charge with the lights on low brightness and turned on for most of each dive.

This is from a few weeks ago here in Boston, USA. GoPro Hero 6 with Backscatter macromate macro lens and my dual Sola lights. Water temps were about 46F / 8C at 60 feet/20 meters depth that day. You can get really nice results with a GoPro and good lights, especially at macro distances. Visibility that day was about 15 feet / 5 meters

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What housing are you using for the Hero 6?

 

[drbill]

Personally I find the Sola 1200s and 2000s quite adequate for close shots. As for the ultra high lumen lights, I think they are a disaster for marine life.

 

[large_diver]

What housing are you using for the Hero 6?

I use just the supersuit housing that came with the 6. The obvious good news about the 6 and newer GoPros (at least for the flood-prone like me) is that the cameras themselves are waterproof to about 30 feet without the housing. I flooded the housing this past Satuday during a 2 dive charter...fortunately on dive 2. Pretty much as soon as I got to the bottom I could see a line of water sloshing aruond in the housing. The camera did function on dive 2, but the moisture in the housing blurred the footage (I do use the moisture munchers on every dive). Battery and memory card were fine. Below are images extracted from the footage on dive 1. We only dove to about 35 feet on dive 2. I did change the battery on the boat between dives....which is where I must have caught something in the o-ring. I did not change the memory card between dives.

I bought the 6 in July 2018 and have used it for exactly 50 dives. I've flooded this model 2x in that time.....camera survived both times. I noticed a hair on the first flood....this time I didn't see any obvious cuprit for the flood. This is pretty much the story I've experienced with GoPro OEM housings - they are OK with loving care, but eventually they will fail. I've flooded a Hero 3, a 4 and now the 6 during the past 5-6 years. The 3 and 4 did not survive even when following some of the resuscitation proceeds (rice, etc.)

These were taken with a Hero6, dual Sola 2100 video lights, Backscatter macromate mini lens and Backscatter green water (magenta) filter for the selfie shot. Recorded at 60FPS, linear, 2.7k.

 

[mostlyirish]

I use just the supersuit housing that came with the 6. The obvious good news about the 6 and newer GoPros (at least for the flood-prone like me) is that the cameras themselves are waterproof to about 30 feet without the housing. I flooded the housing this past Satuday during a 2 dive charter...fortunately on dive 2. Pretty much as soon as I got to the bottom I could see a line of water sloshing aruond in the housing. The camera did function on dive 2, but the moisture in the housing blurred the footage (I do use the moisture munchers on every dive). Battery and memory card were fine. Below are images extracted from the footage on dive 1. We only dove to about 35 feet on dive 2. I did change the battery on the boat between dives....which is where I must have caught something in the o-ring. I did not change the memory card between dives.

I bought the 6 in July 2018 and have used it for exactly 50 dives. I've flooded this model 2x in that time.....camera survived both times. I noticed a hair on the first flood....this time I didn't see any obvious cuprit for the flood. This is pretty much the story I've experienced with GoPro OEM housings - they are OK with loving care, but eventually they will fail. I've flooded a Hero 3, a 4 and now the 6 during the past 5-6 years. The 3 and 4 did not survive even when following some of the resuscitation proceeds (rice, etc.)

These were taken with a Hero6, dual Sola 2100 video lights, Backscatter macromate mini lens and Backscatter green water (magenta) filter for the selfie shot. Recorded at 60FPS, linear, 2.7k.

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Thanks for the reply and information regarding your experience with the GP OEM housings. It will help with my decisions. Your shots are great and I'm glad I made the decision to add the Macromate mini lens to my purchase.