Downsizing video rig --- the comparison

[robint]

Well, I did it, I bought the GoPro. I went ahead and bought the Backscatter underwater housing, tray, and arm also.

So here is a photo comparison of the systems:

My old rig on left, the GoPro rig on right

this is my rig, without the lighting system


here you can see how much I had to travel with, including the light rig


the GoPro rig I will be traveling with now
there is a dime there for size perspective

which would you rather travel with?


I will be testing the GoPro topside and underwater this weekend, hopefully. And I will post some comparisons.

robin

 

[Rainer]

Can't wait to see what footage you get with the new rig. You definitely were able to go a lot smaller; should make travel a breeze.

 

[ronscuba]

Mini Me

 

[TSwain]

I just went the other way! From my little GoPro set up to a full blown set up some what like yours. I will still use the GoPro for some diving or even mount it to my new housing. Depending on how deep you go you are still going to have to add light to the GoPro set up. I love the GoPro for traveling and the size of it, but I was blown away with the quality of video my new system produces! Cant wait to see some video from your Gopro set up!

 

[robint]

well, I am at the point that I don't see any "big" dive trips in my future. Everywhere we are going in the next 5 years is a place we have already been or similar, so I have already shot those videos with the HD rig. I found after my last trip, to Bonaire last April, that I had to force myself to edit the video footage. Never before had I felt like that regarding a dive trip. I came to the realization that I was still enjoying the diving, but the video "capture" has lost its intensity for me... at least underwater.

So, downsizing is a good thing right now. Yeah, the quality is not going to be the same. I know this.
My Canon HG-21 is freakin' amazing, does so many things that most video camcorders cannot do. But at this point, my 8th trip to Cozumel coming up at the end of the month, why would I really want to take more video of the same things? I have 90+ videos on Vimeo alone.

I haven't decided yet if I will sell the old rig.. but I really dont' think I am taking it on this upcoming trip.

robin

 

[sinistar]

I'm also looking forward to your actual use comparison. I just hauled a 5D2 down to Cozumel for a week - I love the dynamic range and when focus is on it rocks but it was a chore hauling it down and even worse walking 3 blocks from the hotel to the pier with about 15lbs of enclosure, port, camera, strobe, etc - with a minimal ikelite setup.

A guy next to me on the plane took a the latest version GoPro down on 6 dives. He wasn't aware of the blurfix and the red filter in time before he left so focus was off quite a bit and anything below 25' or was in need of a mega amount of color correction.

What I really, really, really liked about his footage was being able to capture all the antics on the boat and jumping in - basically stuff on the surface and on the boat that is a big PITA with a large camera in an enclosure. Above water the shots with the skies and water really look rich and nice.

If I had to make one single comment (after looking at about an hr's worth of GoPro HD Cozumel footage) is that keeping that darned little camera level and jumping all over the place can really degrade the viewing experience. Maybe others like it - but just too much shake to watch or recover in post.

Also, one thing I really noticed was that any pans of the GoPro from looking down to up really blow out everything. There was no way for him to know until he looked that night. So maybe you want to capture a few test scenes on your first dives by panning up and down to see how much you can get away with.

I am seriously tempted to get one just for antics on the boat, at the pier etc. And then haul down something bigger for the deeper stuff.

Also, can the latest Go Pro's be whitebalanced manaully - if so that would would be awesome.

Since you're already a videographer (and I really like watching your videos!) I'm sure you'll be much more aware of just how much camera shake and being level effect the final look - but people new to this who jump in with their new Go Pro probably don't realize for some time.

It's as if you need a big handle where you can add a few 1lbs of weights from the boat to dampen motion a bit. Actually, a dual handle (just like the Ikelite handle) would probably best because the video rig being held with both hands is probably more level and stable. Maybe you could bring you along your Ikelite enclosure handle and mount it there for a few dives to compare stability and level???

I bet you'll have fun with it!

 

[irishtn]

Something like this?: Tray

 

[TSwain]

Here was the set up I had for my GoPro with the Eye of Mine housing. It was nice to have the two handles, it really helped keeping the video from jerking around so much and it took me a lot of practice moving the set up very slow. You have been shooting video for quit some time so you should have no problem getting used to how the GoPro reacts. This was before I got the Blur Fix lens. Both work great.

 

[Marty Cerven]

Something like this?: Tray
View attachment 117841

A tray is a great option and this particular tray does work very well, I will try and get it neutral next time I dive and see if that helps even more then it does just on its own without any bouyance adjustments. I found it a joy to dive with and makes it very easy to get pretty stable footage even for a rank amateur like me lol.

Ive tried a single handled DIY grip and found even that still worked best with both hands on the grip for stability so a good 2 handled tray setup is a better option.

The little gopro cameras are so small and lightweight that trying to hold it in your hand without any extra hardware be it a tray, mono-pod or mounted to anything else its almost impossible to get stable footage. The tray setup itself is still light enough that I just tether it to my BCD via an extendable cord and if I need both hands free I just let it hang loose and I dont even notice its there.

 

[robint]

I had looked at the two handled tray, but I don't think I will need it. I have lots of practice with stiff arm holding my old rig. Plus I figure I will be bracing it with the free hand as I shoot. We will see how it works out in a few weeks in Cozumel. Since I am not a beginner at underwater video, I may have better results that some... or I may have unrealistic expectations of what I can do with it. Never know until I get to Cozumel.

As far as selling my old rig... I will probably wait until after this Cozumel trip, so Mid-April before I decide. The camcorder has been discontinued, so I would probably need to sell it as a package deal. That is part of the problem, as I really love the camcorder itself. So I will see how it goes for the next few weeks, and then decide.

robin