INTOVA HD Sport 2 TIPS

[scubajunky17]

HI all,
Thanks for every ones help and advice so far. I have plunged for the Intova over the GO Pro.
Anyway I was just wandering what tips and advice anyone can offer for using it. I have bought the red filter too and am off diving to protea banks and tofo over easter so I hopefully don't need lights !
Anyway what is the best way to hold the camera when diving ? Is there a good effective system for a head mount ?

 

[TONY CHANEY]

IMHO a good choice. Use a tray, it that it is the best way to keep the camera steady and allow you to view the LCD. The head mount harness is good but you trade off being able to view the LCD as well as most divers look around too much. I have used the Intova for about two years, with the "Intova tray," on the helmet with light, tray on DPV and now a rather new Goodman style tray. I am shooting in both open water and caves.
Advice: Keep the lights away from the camera in silty conditions.
Settings: Audio: off
Size: 1080
EV: 0
White bal: Auto
Metering: average
Contrast: standard
Sharpness: Hard
Effect: Vivid
I hope that this helps.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks for that, can the helmet moutn be used on the head ? what is a tray ? never heard of that term before.

 

[Donnah]

Tony,
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking about getting the Intova. I shot film for years until I had 2 bad floods. Don't want to make the investment for a serious camera -- who knows how much longer I will be diving? I miss not having a camera, want something more than a "toy," but don't want to make a big investment.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Thanks for that, can the helmet moutn be used on the head ? what is a tray ? never heard of that term before.

A camera tray is a mount that you mount the camera, lights or both to. The list of them is about endless. Here is a picture of one....not mine: Intova Double Base Tray by Intova - DiveLife They can be one handed or two handed or, lime mine, a Goodman handle style.

 

[scubajunky17]

I fancy the head mount to be honest. As I dont really want to look at the view and spoil my dives , I would rather switch it on, dive and just capture what I see. Does the head mount actually work on a head with no helmet ?

 

[TONY CHANEY]

I fancy the head mount to be honest. As I dont really want to look at the view and spoil my dives , I would rather switch it on, dive and just capture what I see. Does the head mount actually work on a head with no helmet ?

I believe that it will but I have yet to try it. Since most almost all of my buddies dive with hoods it is rather hard to tell that it has fallen off. (I motioned to my buddy in the shallow water that his GoPro with head strap was lying next to him in the water). I have thought of having the head strap sewed onto the hood.
Also, when using the tray you really are just checking the LCD from time to time and the Intova will actually shut down the LCD to save battery life. It really comes into play when wanting to catch a special moment. You can frame it with the LCD to ensure that you do not cut off pats of the animal or buddy or enviroment.

 

[DesertEagle]

Don't use a head-mounted camera if you want the video to look good. Looking down on reef creatures during ia dive is great. Watching it on video makes it look unflattering and dull.

 

[Lake Hickory Scuba]

Hey there scubajunky17, here are some of my favorite mounts for the Intova HD Sport, hopefully these will help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-_i2uCqXyk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4AVFayzoik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78g8rYUU1JY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wxZJadMZCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffFkRBCOBBc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94KnOzpG5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoM2g29HgBY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyTZhWOAX8c

A couple of pointers:

First on the mask mount, you must have a mask that has a frame to mount. I prefer the mask mount over the helmet mount because of its simplicity, and very easy to adjust. The helmet strap you will change depending on whether you are diving a hood, helmet or going bald. Plus the helmet mount, though I deal with it, tends to get in the way in the event I need to remove and replace my mask. Down side, I use a full facemask (Ocean Reef) a lot during Public Safety Dives, and the mask mount will not work with it, thus I have to use the helmet strap. The camera does come in handy while filming under water crime scenes.

Second if you find a GoPro mount you like better, Intova makes an adapter to fit those mounts and still use the Intova camera.

Also one last thing, the red filter is great, but on the newer models, there is a built in setting to add red back in. And if you are doing a lot of diving in freshwater, say lakes and quarries, look into the magenta filter. It tends to do a little better than the red filter.

Hope this helps.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks all, are de fog strips required ?