GoPro HD underwater blur fix

[Marty Cerven]

@jaybob the shallow water is best for depths below 15ft so going to 100ft you'd be better off with the regular filter. I haven't actually tried the SWCY in deeper dives yet so I don't know how it will perform but seeing it isn't as harsh at reducing they cyan it will most likely have much less effect as the blues get more intense at deeper depths.

The disadvantage of that is in shallower sections it will get a red tinge to the video probably around 10ft or less using a regular cyan compared to the shallow water which only has this effect when very shallow just below the surface or when looking directly at the sun when shallow. This can be edited out easy enough in post though much easier then trying to bring back reds that weren't captured in the first place by not using a filter.

I have been using the GoPro anti fog inserts since I got the LCD, I used to have bigger silica packs that I put in the back of the housing but they would be blocking the screen now so I use the little gopro ones with no issues.

The blurfix has the little balls to absorb moisture in the blurfix air pocket but you still need to use an anti fogging method for the main housing to avoid ruining footage with fog.

 

[Wolvan]

Are the filters for the Blurfix removable underwater? I know the one video shown earlier in the thread with the color correction comparison showed the driver taking off and putting the cyan filter back on.

Currently my Hero 2 is in the mail back to GoPro for warranty repair/replace. The small front LCD screen developed a dead vertical line in it. Hoping to get it back before I go skiing. IF we ever get snow.

 

[jaybob217]

@Marty, awesome answer. Thanks so much for all the info. That helps a lot.

 

[irishtn]

I used the GoPRo anti-fog inserts too and they worked well. I had no fog inside at all the entire week.

 

[Marty Cerven]

Are the filters for the Blurfix removable underwater? I know the one video shown earlier in the thread with the color correction comparison showed the driver taking off and putting the cyan filter back on.

Currently my Hero 2 is in the mail back to GoPro for warranty repair/replace. The small front LCD screen developed a dead vertical line in it. Hoping to get it back before I go skiing. IF we ever get snow.

The Blurfix filters cant be removed underwater as its the filter that creates the air space for the focus fix. Stacking filters would cause vignetting from the high fov of the gopro. This is also the reason you should use filters supplied by SRP as they machine down the casing a little to mininimize vignetting.

The video by aquapro was showing an example using a different camera just to show the effect a filter has on video.

 

[scubadiver sparks]

Im really looking forward to getting the backscatter gopro case. I like the fact that one can start the dive with the filter off, put it on and swim around, and then take it off and turn a light on for up close shots. Looking at getting the LCD display for the gorpro, a sola 500 light with backscatter's flex line, Ultralight's 3D gopro tray, and then make a handel for the other side of the tray. Will proably weight the tray down just a bit to try and make it more stable.

Im also wondering about what color filter I need, cy or gr? I live and dive in souther california and most of the time stay shallow. I saw the cy filter said "sunny tropical water." Well socal is far from tropical so the gr filter then?....

Any one in socal using the cy filter with any luck?

Thanks!

 

[hellhole]

i also would like to see an option to have a wetlens filter option...
would making the clear lens bigger help? so that when you do put that filter in on top of the clear lens... it does not vig?

 

[Marty Cerven]

i also would like to see an option to have a wetlens filter option...
would making the clear lens bigger help? so that when you do put that filter in on top of the clear lens... it does not vig?

Unfortunately the clear lens size is limited by the power button on the gopro, 55mm is about the limit before you get to the button. I know SRP are working on a wet filter adapter setup but I dont know how far they are from releasing it. You do have the option of using a filter like what the Backscatter plastic magic filter is with the blurfix, infact I think that should work in either setup as they are both 55mm in size I think. I just would prefer to use a proper glass lens filter over the small plastic sheet that I think would be prone to getting lost or damaged easily IMHO. But I dont know how fragile a small plastic sheet like this is so thats just an assumption.

Using a step up or stacking filters on a GoPro wont work because of the high FOV lens which is the reason SRP machine down the filters a little for best vignetting performance possible while using a 55mm filter. The official Gopro fix is a little different in that its square and it is slightly cut away around the power button to give them the absolute maximum flat lens size possible with the gopro as it is with the power button location. They claim it to be 100% vignette free in all modes but the blurfix as is has only a slight hint using a HD2 in wide photo and 960P modes which is not much of an issue for me. I prefer the round lens look and using a filter on during the full dive isnt a huge deal for me but If your using lights and filters combined a removable filter is needed.

Here is a pic to explain basicly how the gopro limits the size of filters used, if you imagine a line from the Gopro cameras actual lens to the inside edge of a provided SRP filter this will show you the FOV angle to reproduce the same vignetting results. Anything that goes beyond the red line will cause more vignetting then this filter so you need to ensure the filters edge deosnt go beyond this, The angle of where the red lines would meet whould in theory be 170 degrees to match the wid angle modes. Note this image is just an example of the concept and not showing the exact angles to scale.


Click to enlarge pic

 

[jaybob217]

So if I'm using a light source, should I not be using a cy filter (blurfix cy)? Or can they be used together? Looks like I'll have a 220 lumens (not much I know) wide angle torch along (tropical 20-60 ft), so just wondering if it's suggested to do one or the other (e.i. no filter, use light - cy filter, don't use light). I realize I'll just have to shoot lots of stuff and try different things. Figure I'll dive a few days with just the clear filter and then a few days with the CY filter and see what I got when I get back.

 

[Marty Cerven]

You should be using one or the other using a filter and light together will make the parts lit by your torch become red. Tropical 20-60ft is ideal for a filter and your 1 low powered light may only fill half the frame and work only up to a couple feet from the light source during the day.

In daylight dives a very good video light may only work for 3-4ft from the light source where a filter will correct the full scene with a gradual loss of colour further away from the colour depending on depth+distance away from the camera. This total distance should be under 25m for best results with a filter and you need good amounts of natural light.

So even though lights and filters can provide similar results they do it in a completely different way and wont work well together. Filters are much cheaper and in good conditions will do a great job colouring the entire scene. If your too deep for a filter or going inside structures lights will be needed.

With the wide angled lens though you will need 2 lights with a wide angle beam to cover the scene, Using only 1 light may not be enough to light half of the frame