Any advice for a true beginner in underwater video with an action cam? Light and Tray stabilizer.

[MarcoTorino68]

Hi All!

I am new in this group and total beginner in underwater video. Can I ask your help ?

I will be on Zanzibar Island in a few days, where I'll be doing some freediving and easy diving. The water should be quite clear, and I won’t be diving deep, but I decided to buy a light anyway to improve color rendering. I am an absolute beginner of video
I have just bought (on the way...):
- cheap action cam (Akaso V50x / 100US$)
- cheap torchlight with 8000Lumen and a 120Degree wide beam angle
- Tray stabilizer. Everything is on the way

I hope this is enough for a really basic setup and that I haven’t forgotten any clamps or brackets. If I understood correctly, I’ll use the 1-inch ball joint to connect the torch to the bracket and all should be included in the Tray stabilizer set.

Has anyone used a similar kit? Any tips on how to use it or beginner-friendly video guides?

Thanks !!

Marco

 

[grantmac]

Worth getting a 8" floating ball arm for both trim and light positioning.

 

[TravisD]

Batteries and charger for the lights? On those lights specifically, take care to thoroughly rinse them after every dive. The switches are the weak point. Check out the "Cheap Chinese Video Lights" thread here for more details.

Media (memory cards) for the camera. Two at minimum - they are a wear item, and if you take the card out to download the files to your computer you will eventually leave it in there and find a camera with no memory at the worst possible time. Take one out, put the other in.

Learn how to change settings on the camera so you can experiment, but don't go crazy. Know how to factory reset it when you realize you've gone too far

For actual shooting - SLOW DOWN - take your time. Smooth movements.

Make sure you have enough in each video 'clip' to edit around. The beginning and end of the clip will be less steady/smooth than in the middle where you've recovered from seeing something cool and rushed to get the shot.

Watch other's videos and take notice of what you like/dislike about them. Try to recreate the stuff you like.

Don't be a jerk - if you're diving with a group it's easy to turn into *that diver* and hog the good stuff, annoy sealife (and other divers). That also includes light discipline - those lights are bright, and it's easy to blind other divers. And, it's OK to use less than full power.

 

[MarcoTorino68]

Batteries and charger for the lights? On those lights specifically, take care to thoroughly rinse them after every dive. The switches are the weak point. Check out the "Cheap Chinese Video Lights" thread here for more details.

Media (memory cards) for the camera. Two at minimum - they are a wear item, and if you take the card out to download the files to your computer you will eventually leave it in there and find a camera with no memory at the worst possible time. Take one out, put the other in.

Learn how to change settings on the camera so you can experiment, but don't go crazy. Know how to factory reset it when you realize you've gone too far

For actual shooting - SLOW DOWN - take your time. Smooth movements.

Make sure you have enough in each video 'clip' to edit around. The beginning and end of the clip will be less steady/smooth than in the middle where you've recovered from seeing something cool and rushed to get the shot.

Watch other's videos and take notice of what you like/dislike about them. Try to recreate the stuff you like.

Don't be a jerk - if you're diving with a group it's easy to turn into *that diver* and hog the good stuff, annoy sealife (and other divers). That also includes light discipline - those lights are bright, and it's easy to blind other divers. And, it's OK to use less than full power.

Thanks! Good tips! The camera is pretty cheap, so no many settings. It does have Electronic Image Stabilization and it offers very few settings apart from zoom and video resolution. I’ll probably set it to 1080p at 60fps and use the wide zoom setting. Any tips on the light usage...? I promise I will not blind other divers

 

[MarcoTorino68]

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