Got free go pro 6 what do i need?

[ronski101]

I just got my hands on a Go Pro 6 without manual which i assume I can download from the internet. My big question is what case and accessories (red filter brand), etc do I need to be able to take decent pics and videos? I am a bit lazy and rather than dig through the forum for hours was hoping you go pro experts could cut through the superfluous stuff and point me in the right direction. Thanks.

 

[ReefHound]

Simple. You need the Super Suit. The base camera is only waterproof to 30' and I wouldn't trust it for even that. The official Gopro case and it's clones will require you to remove the front lens. I hated that idea and went with an alternative that allows the camera to fit in the housing with it's lens. There is always a quality risk with going with the knockoffs. The case I mentioned above is going strong after 30 or so dives but I flooded a Hero4 a few years on dive 2 with a knockoff case.

For filters, I use Backscatter Flip 3-filter system. It supports at least 3 shades of red for blue water, magenta for green water, and yellow for fluoro diving, available in both screwed-on filters or 55mm version. It also supports several macro lens in 55mm. In the past I've used Polarpro snap-ons with good results but only ever found one shade of red and they don't fit the Hero6. Not sure if there even is a clip-on version that fits the Hero6.

 

[ReefHound]

This is the pro package for $180. You can get it for $99 without the macro.
FLIP6 Pro Package with SHALLOW, DIVE & DEEP Filters & +15 MacroMate Mini Lens for GoPro 3, 3+, 4, 5, 6

 

[ReefHound]

Here this a better link to show the full range of options.
Backscatter Underwater Filters - Backscatter

 

[ReefHound]

While we're at it, can anyone provide the outside lens measurements of the official Super Suit?

The Fitstill case mentioned above is 1-11/16(43mm) x 1-1/2(38mm)

 

[snowdog61]

I bought the cheap housing for the 6 - works but it wouldn't allow the use of the Flip 3 system (3/4/5/6 are all the same frame assembly 'system' but use inserts to correct for the different housing lens dimension). Bought the correct SuperSuit since we had money invested in the Flip + Macromate and did spend the extra $ to get the correct adapter from BackScatter. Shipping was way more than the insert btw. But, she's now good to go. eBay is your friend.

 

[ReefHound]

They are close but not the same. I have a Flip3.1 and a Flip 4 frame.

Inside length of Flip3.1 is 42mm, Flip4 is 43mm.

With the adapters, the Flip4 fits onto my Hero6 housing, the Flip3.1 does not. Sounds like the official Super Suit is a hair smaller and the frames tighten up to take up the slack. But the Flip3.1 is just a hair shy of fitting over your cheap housing, right?

 

[kelemvor]

Here's a requirement that is often forgotten. I discovered this bit of unfortunateness after using my hero6 in Mexico this summer. If you're shooting any of the high end video modes (4k or high framerate) it uses a codec called HEVC. Unless you have an Intel CPU that is about a year old or newer, your computer isn't going to be capable of playing back the video very well. There is a codec you can download to make them play but it's totally unwatchable on my i7 6700k desktop computer. The videos do play fine on the Galaxy S9 (and above) or iPhone X (and above). Older phones will have the same problem for the same reason. Codec not supported by hardware, and cpu's aren't powerful enough to decode HEVC without specific support. It doesn't work in Media player, VLC, Adobe Premiere Pro, nothing..until you get that hardware support. Even the included gopro software won't work with the videos (I opened a case with their support and they confirmed it). Their software doesn't even show the HEVC videos as existing.

Here's a more detailed article about HEVC: Guide to HEVC/H.265 Encoding and Playback
Caution: The article includes supported processors in their list that aren't really supported. My i7-6700k is "skylake" but doesn't have HEVC. Only one or two skylake chips support HEVC. It didn't go mainstream until Kaby Lake.

Since transferring 256GB of video to my cell phone isn't reasonable I can't watch my Coz videos until I get a PC upgrade. Don't be like me Choose a lower setting with your Hero6 unless you've got the latest device to watch/edit your videos with.

 

[ReefHound]

There are free converters out there. I use one called "Any Video Converter" to allow my HEVC videos to play on my Kindle Fire.

 

[snowdog61]

She had the Flip 3 and the cheap housing was way too big. The new Flip 5/6 come with the adapters to fit on the Hero 3 and up (none for 3, thick for 4, and skinny for 5/6) not sure about the 3.1. There's nothing magic about what BackScatter did with the adapters. They have tabs and a cutout to make installation easier and fit better. Nice features and well made but for what the intended purpose is, not completely necessary. If I was to do it over, plastic shim material and some scissors. If your 4 can fit over the housing lens, then just find some plastic shim material and you're set.