Bonica Snapper HDDV Poor Video

[dukeh20]

Not being a photographic expert but having good eyeballs, the images seem quite sharp and definitely acceptable.

The only complaint I would have is that greenish tint in all the videos. Anything one can do about that?

Also, at what depths were these videos taken and what is your opinion of the integrity of the waterproof housing?

Thanks,


Sy

Most of the videos were shot in the 30-60 foot range. I shot most, if not all with a red filter. I upgraded to the HD camera from the "regular" Bonica camera about a year ago and got their upgraded housing also. I have had no problems with either housing. The housing is very compact since the camera itself is relatively small. It is very easy to dive with. I have not used any video editting software to try to get the "green" out. I would certainly welcome any suggestions as to software.

Thanks
Duke

 

[sytech]

Thanks for your comments.

I like the size and price of the Bonica Camcorder. LeisurePro has this:

"Bonica Snapper HDDV, 5.0MP, 3x Optical Zoom, Digital Still/Media Camcorder with Silicone Skin and Underwater Housing, Waterproof to 180'".

Their price is $750. I assume that's the model you have?

Actually I had just recently purchased an Olympus U/W camera as well as the Olympus PT-035 U/W housing but sold it on Ebay (at somewhat of a loss) because I really didn't want to dawdle with taking "still" pictures.

I wonder what your videos would have looked like without a red filter. Not knowing much about photography, why any filter and a red one at that. I think that greenish tint would bother me if it pervaded all my videos, but I'm sure there must be some software to correct it somewhat.

How much video "time" can you get on that or does it depend on the size of the memory card and battery strength?

Sy

Most of the videos were shot in the 30-60 foot range. I shot most, if not all with a red filter. I upgraded to the HD camera from the "regular" Bonica camera about a year ago and got their upgraded housing also. I have had no problems with either housing. The housing is very compact since the camera itself is relatively small. It is very easy to dive with. I have not used any video editting software to try to get the "green" out. I would certainly welcome any suggestions as to software.

Thanks
Duke

 

[dukeh20]

Thanks for your comments.

I like the size and price of the Bonica Camcorder. LeisurePro has this:

"Bonica Snapper HDDV, 5.0MP, 3x Optical Zoom, Digital Still/Media Camcorder with Silicone Skin and Underwater Housing, Waterproof to 180'".

Their price is $750. I assume that's the model you have?

Actually I had just recently purchased an Olympus U/W camera as well as the Olympus PT-035 U/W housing but sold it on Ebay (at somewhat of a loss) because I really didn't want to dawdle with taking "still" pictures.

I wonder what your videos would have looked like without a red filter. Not knowing much about photography, why any filter and a red one at that. I think that greenish tint would bother me if it pervaded all my videos, but I'm sure there must be some software to correct it somewhat.

How much video "time" can you get on that or does it depend on the size of the memory card and battery strength?

Sy

I bought the red filter from Bonica at the suggestion of bonica and others. I also got the pelican case with it (very handy for batteries, filters, memory cards, etc.).

For what it's worth, it also takes decent pictures. Here are a few I took in the Keys that I touched up a little:

 

[dukeh20]

Thanks for your comments.


How much video "time" can you get on that or does it depend on the size of the memory card and battery strength?

Sy

I bought a couple 4 gig cards. They are good for a little over 2 hours. I also picked up a few batteries and a charger off ebay. The batteries get through an hour dive with time to spare.

 

[dittohead]

When you say you are not interested in editing the video, are you meaning no editing whatsoever, or that you are not wanting to do professionally edited style footage? Honestly, all video needs to be edited if you want to show people and keep their interest. The basic video editing software that comes with windows and macs will work fine for editing and only take a few minutes to get good with. Definetly worth the small amount of time to learn and use.

 

[diversteve]

I wonder what your videos would have looked like without a red filter.

They'd have been a whole lot bluer.

Not knowing much about photography, why any filter and a red one at that.

Red is the first color to be filtered out underwater. So shooting through a red filter restores the color balance. In bright water it's very effective. More info can be found on the UR/Pro website.

To completely control the color you'll need access to Manual White Balance on the camera. White balancing underwater allows you to "tell" the camera what is white. Usually it's done by shooting something white - a MWB slate, sand, etc. temporarily while accessing that function during filming.

Another option is to correct it while editing. Many of the sub-$100 programs do at least basic color correction, I use Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, it does a good job but has a steeper learning curve than some of the others.