Can't Decide

[THRASH]

I agree with @uncfnp. We have the GoPro Silver with the Backscatter Flip filter package and are really liking it thus far.

 

[tursiops]

r

camkole, if I may make a gentle suggestion... if these will be your first 20 dives, consider focusing on the mechanics of diving and shed the inevitable distraction that comes with taking a camera/GoPro along. You'll have plenty of opportunities for UW photography after you're very comfortable conducting a safe dive.

I've been kind of negative so far, but this advice is really good.

 

[uncfnp]

r

camkole, if I may make a gentle suggestion... if these will be your first 20 dives, consider focusing on the mechanics of diving and shed the inevitable distraction that comes with taking a camera/GoPro along. You'll have plenty of opportunities for UW photography after you're very comfortable conducting a safe dive.

I've been kind of negative so far, but this advice is really good.

First let me say there is a lot of logic in this and that for many divers this would be true.

But I am very glad I didn't read this often stated SB opinion before I started diving. I used a camera from dive 1 post OW. I wanted to record our fledging attempts to become real divers. I didn't die. My fellow divers didn't die. I didn't kill any reef or marine life. I enjoyed myself and I have a photographic record of those early days. I think the camera actually encouraged me to get good at buoyancy and trim to improve my shots.

The diver makes the diver, good or bad, not the camera.

Edit: I wasn't even rude to my fellow divers. At least no more than usual.

 

[Littlerayray]

If your a professional artist the go pro will frustrate you also I suggest getting a lot more dives in before you consider a camera of any sorts I have over 150 dives now and I am looking at getting my first camera
I am buying it used it is a sealife camera with an aditional fisheye lens and strobe as well as a protective catrying case all for a decent 350 dollars it also shoots videos if your really interested I would look at a used one if I were you

 

[camkole]

First let me say there is a lot of logic in this and that for many divers this would be true.

But I am very glad I didn't read this often stated SB opinion before I started diving. I used a camera from dive 1 post OW. I wanted to record our fledging attempts to become real divers. I didn't die. My fellow divers didn't die. I didn't kill any reef or marine life. I enjoyed myself and I have a photographic record of those early days. I think the camera actually encouraged me to get good at buoyancy and trim to improve my shots.

The diver makes the diver, good or bad, not the camera.

Edit: I wasn't even rude to my fellow divers. At least no more than usual.

Words out of my mouth.

I have reviewed TONS of footage from Youtube that were shot with a gopro. I loved the quality and the ease of just having a mount you can hold in your hand.

The amount of dives I have under my belt is extremely irrelevant to the question. My very experienced boyfriend who's been diving for 10 years is actually going to be the one holding the gopro. These aren't my first dives. They will be my first Cozumel reef dives. I want to document my first dive trip with my boyfriend.

I've read a lot about the Red filter and how it's really usefull underwater. I think we are going to go with the HERO + LCD package. it has everything we need. Not sure what hand mount I want to get.

 

[sea_ledford]

Hero 4 silver. The black has no monitor and has a shorter battery life for the trade off that it shoots in "4k." The standard housing should be fine. I'm not a fan of the red filters as they cause a noticeable decrease in sharpness, but there is no way to get good color without a filter or lights. So damned if you do, damned if you don't.

As a professional photographer, I don't have any frustrations with using GoPros since I know what they are and are not capable of. Can you add a bunch of stuff to them to take closeups? Sure, but that isn't what they are made for. They've got a fixed focus wide angle lens and if that isn't the type of shot you want, it's the wrong tool.

You won't get frustrated until you try to put together a camera,housing and lights for less than $10k.

And some sort of handle is required for any sort of stable shots. Pete Bucknell posted something about using one of the flex clamps as a handle with a 2 lb hard weight as a counter balance. Brilliant (but don't drop it).

-Chris

 

[camkole]

Hero 4 silver. The black has no monitor and has a shorter battery life for the trade off that it shoots in "4k." The standard housing should be fine. I'm not a fan of the red filters as they cause a noticeable decrease in sharpness, but there is no way to get good color without a filter or lights. So damned if you do, damned if you don't.

As a professional photographer, I don't have any frustrations with using GoPros since I know what they are and are not capable of. Can you add a bunch of stuff to them to take closeups? Sure, but that isn't what they are made for. They've got a fixed focus wide angle lens and if that isn't the type of shot you want, it's the wrong tool.

You won't get frustrated until you try to put together a camera,housing and lights for less than $10k.

And some sort of handle is required for any sort of stable shots. Pete Bucknell posted something about using one of the flex clamps as a handle with a 2 lb hard weight as a counter balance. Brilliant (but don't drop it).

-Chris

Thank You sir! that was the one I was looking at first but the 4k really sounds pleasing. I've concluded that im going with the HERO + LCD version. It has everything I need!