Filter for deep dives?

[Lopez116]

Anyone know of a good filter for dives deeper than 60 or so feet???

 

[KeithG]

it is called a "light".

As you go deeper things happen:
1) the available ambient light decreases
2) the water filters out certain "colors" from the sun (red being the first i think...)
These are 2 distinct concepts. Utilizing a low light camera will not restore lost colors at depth.

It is useful to note that 2) above is the most important. Not only does it get dark, but the color "balance" of things is WRONG. (gone!)

Other info:
- filters attempt to correct color by removing some light
- filters can NOT restore lost color due to depth

As you go deeper (way less than 60 feet) you will need to provide artificial light to allow your camera to capture "real" colors.

A simple example is my wetsuit. It has a black body and red arms. At 30 feet it appears all black. No filter will restore the color of the red arms.

---------- Post added May 27th, 2015 at 03:23 AM ----------

P.S. So what I was actually trying to say is that you will need either strobes for stills or a video light for video.

I just checked and this post in in the video forum so you will need big A** video lights that cost about 10 times your camera.

Stay shallow grasshopper!

 

[Key Lime Diver]

Anyone know of a good filter for dives deeper than 60 or so feet???

I just started using the Flip Filters 3.1 from Backscatter. They're actually pretty cool. They send you three filters for various depths and you can mount any two. I recently dove on the Vandenberg in Key West where the average depth was around 95 feet. I used their darkest filter for 50+ feet and it worked great.


I discovered pretty quickly that the light I was using showed up bright orange. So unless you gel the light, it's either the filters or the light, but not both.

 

[Hatul]

I agree with giffenk, when the ambient light is low the solution is a video light not filters. BigBlue makes nice video lights at reasonable prices, less than the price of GoPro.

 

[KeithG]

I agree with giffenk, when the ambient light is low the solution is a video light not filters. BigBlue makes nice video lights at reasonable prices, less than the price of GoPro.

and there is a scientific reason for lights versus filters.

filters "take away other colors". they are passive. a red filter does not add back red light, it blocks other colors, giving you a darker picture making any remaining red look brighter. But, once a color is gone, a filter can not add it back. at depth, red is black. no filter will make red and black look different.

a light adds back colors. lights are active. lights work at all depths. but there is no free lunch, lights are costly compared to filters. you are carrying your own little sun with you.

filters are a simple low cost solution for situations where there is still some of the desired color available to be detected. filters are perfect for shallow dives. not much use for deep (below 20ish feet) or cloudy days.

if i was a snorkler i would only use filters, lights would be over kill. 60+ feet requires lights.

 

[Lopez116]

Thanks all for the replies. I'll look into some lights.

I generally prefer wider angle over macro. What am I to look for in suitable lights for this type of video? High number of lumens? Wide beam?

 

[mikeb21072]

I use both, the Backscatter filters and a wide beam video light. It depends where I am diving, in Key Largo on shallow reefs, the filter works great, but deeper 60+ ft dives in Pompano, FL. the filter and light works for me. My light was on the low side cost wise, since it was only 400 lumens, but if I was looking to replace it, I would start at the 1000 lumen range.
My reason for the Gopro was the size, I don't like carrying a lot of equipment under water so my setup was kept compact. It is easy to end up with a much larger setup once you start adding light(s) with a tray or stick. It all depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[ronscuba]

....filters are a simple low cost solution for situations where there is still some of the desired color available to be detected. filters are perfect for shallow dives. not much use for deep (below 20ish feet) or cloudy days.......

Filter is not much use deeper than 20 feet ? What video camera and filter do you use ?

When you are deep, yes, lights are the way to go, but 20 feet is not deep.

 

[dpspaceman]

When I dive deeper than 60-70 feet, I take the filter off and turn on the lights. I spent $80 for 2 Archon dive lights that are working great.

Check out the RSB-1 Dive, notice how the color correction takes hold once I allow the lights to hit the wreck.

youtube.com/gpdadventures

 

[Key Lime Diver]

Anyone know of a good filter for dives deeper than 60 or so feet???

FlipFilters from Backscatter are an excellent option. They make one for 50+ feet that work great. just be sure to set the white balance on the camera to Daylight (6200K). If you use auto white balance, the colors will drift as the camera tries to figure it out and the result can be less than optimal.