GoPro declining usage?

[Diving Dubai]

I used to have a Hero 3, but the quality wasn't great, especially the while balance, and the filters weren't that great. Then I moved to a G15 With and Ikelite case. God knows how many videos of clown fish I have.

The G15 flooded when the housing gave up after 3 years of Middle East Sun (funnily enough my wifes had the same issue a year later - stretched acrylic doesn't like our climate)

I didn't really miss it, I'd spent too many dives hunking around a housing - I get more enjoyment just looking now, rather than trying to get the perfect shot and having hrs of un watched video.

That said, I'm considering the Hero 6 if I can be convinced that its improved significantly. It would be nice to have something small in my pocket for those special moments, but gone are the days when I'll be a slave to the camera again

 

[J_Rod]

No more still pictures

I just roll for the entire dive. Any cool stills can be pulled out of the video, anyway. Gotta agree with you there.

 

[divinh]

That said, I'm considering the Hero 6 if I can be convinced that its improved significantly. It would be nice to have something small in my pocket for those special moments, but gone are the days when I'll be a slave to the camera again

From some YouTube footage I saw of the 6 compared to the 5, the underwater white balance looks a lot better, tending more toward blue than green. The 6 has a first gen image processor though, so perhaps wait for the next one?

 

[Rob Bibber]

I have a gopro knockoff (Ivation) that I love for both videos and still photos and bring it on every dive. I have a pole and use that occasionally but I usually just put the camera on a retractable tether hanging from my BC and pull it out when I want/need it.

I'm still pretty new to diving so I do want to document my dives and the camera is perfect for that. I hope I never get so complacent with diving that I no longer want to take photos...

 

[kmarks]

It's possible that you are not seeing that many people with GoPros anymore because they are all getting lost.

 

[Steelyeyes]

It's possible that you are not seeing that many people with GoPros anymore because they are all getting lost.

I found a Hero 2 at the Mala Pier on Maui. Never could find the owner.

I bought a Hero 5 Black after taking crappy video of a tiger shark with the Hero 2 I originally bought to video skiing. I'm still not super impressed with the color when I get deeper than 50 feet. Possibly I could learn to correct the white balance, assuming the software isn't too spendy.

 

[kmarks]

I found a Hero 2 at the Mala Pier on Maui. Never could find the owner.

I bought a Hero 5 Black after taking crappy video of a tiger shark with the Hero 2 I originally bought to video skiing. I'm still not super impressed with the color when I get deeper than 50 feet. Possibly I could learn to correct the white balance, assuming the software isn't too spendy.

The best thing I've found for correcting white balance in video is Lightroom. Lightroom won't edit videos for you, but if you select both a photo and a video (hopefully taken in nearly the same conditions - or cut a still from the video) and use the photo to set white balance for the batch, you can then process both and get a properly white balanced video out at the other end to take into your video editing software for whatever else you do.

I haven't done it in a while, so I might be forgetting a step... something creating a stack, maybe?

 

[Compressor]

My impression as well that their usage is going down. The company not doing very well and did not innovate more. But it is a very capable and easy to use video camera. For still photography, I think its not very good.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Something newer and cooler surely must be replacing the GoPro because I just finally finished getting my GoPro setup together, and I'm always several years behind the curve on everything. I bought a new Hero4 and Flip4 filters/macromate a couple of years ago but rarely used it. Then I bought a tray. Still rarely used it. I recently bought a pair of Sola lights and arms and finally feel I have the "classic" GoPro setup for macro. I plan to use it on the trip I'm about to leave for. We shall see how much I actually use it.

 

[tridacna]

Company definitely in the sh1tter. I remember that at some DEMA shows, they had about 50 perky stock-rich millennials scampering around their 200 foot long booth. Not that many at the last show in Florida.

It took me a while to figure out that my dives were more enjoyable when viewed through my mask instead of the “viewfinder” of a camera. Even when I got good footage, my family were about as interested as I was when I was schlepped to my Uncle Joe as a kid to see his Euro-vacation slides.

There are a few folks on SB that get it right. @robint and @uncfnp and @Soloist stand out. I hope they keep shooting!