New Go-Pro

[StanS]

I just ordered my new Go-Pro black. I have been shooting video for years with a large camera and housing. I decided to try the new Go-Pro and if it works well I will make a mount for my video lights. I am going to the Caribbean in Oct. and it will be a great place to try the camera out. Plus I do not have to haul that big camera and housing through the airport. It will also be fun to use it for my mountain biking and downhill skiing. I bought the octo mask from Scuba.com that has the Go-Pro mount on top the mask for hands free operation.

 

[bumcikaz]

Let me know how is that mask will work out, fit and seal specifically, thinking about one

 

[StanS]

I have the camera and the new mask for my trip to the Caribbean. I have shot some video riding my mountain bike and so far I am very satisfied. I purchased the battery Bac Pac so I would have plenty of power for two dives. I also just ordered the polar pro red filter to correct the colors. Hopefully I will bring back some nice videos.

 

[Shasta_man]

As usual, review your videos so you can correct any problems before next dive. The back screen eats batteries quickly. It might not make a whole dive if on the whole time. I used the Backscatter filter and while it was good up to say 40 feet, the inability to do MWB at depth still means you need lights otherwise it's the same old deep, little color, videos. Remember to shoot upward.

 

[EBurmester]

Prior to a 2 week dive trip to Bonaire in Sept my buddy and I each bought a Go Pro Hero black, with all the accessories. (You will want the LCD backing too). First dive everything was fine. The battery lasted 30 minutes. So neither of us could use the camera on the 2nd dive. Next day, we both decided to keep it turned off till ready to use. When that moment came at depth, I was horrified to look at my camera and see it was flooded. What a cooincidence. So was my buddy's. We rented a Olympus TG2 for two days at $50/day, and just relaxed without a camera for the rest of the trip. On the plane home my seatmate mentioned her husband's GOPro ALSO flooded on the 2nd dive. Cooincidence? Now I've been home for 2 weeks trying to deal with Go Pro. At this point they have offered to let me buy a new camera for 40% off. I really will not put any more money into this set up, and hope to get the camera, housing, and LCD completely replaced. Then I'll sell it all. We'll see how that goes.

So be careful. It seems to happen at depth, no matter how much you test it in your sink.

The rental camera, Olympus TG2 took far superior Photos. My buddy has already purchased a new TG2, and says the heck with the Go Pro. Honestly tho...if you could see the Go Pro pics from first dive compared to the TG2 it's a no brainer.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

Prior to a 2 week dive trip to Bonaire in Sept my buddy and I each bought a Go Pro Hero black, with all the accessories. (You will want the LCD backing too). First dive everything was fine. The battery lasted 30 minutes. So neither of us could use the camera on the 2nd dive. Next day, we both decided to keep it turned off till ready to use. When that moment came at depth, I was horrified to look at my camera and see it was flooded. What a cooincidence. So was my buddy's. We rented a Olympus TG2 for two days at $50/day, and just relaxed without a camera for the rest of the trip. On the plane home my seatmate mentioned her husband's GOPro ALSO flooded on the 2nd dive. Cooincidence? Now I've been home for 2 weeks trying to deal with Go Pro. At this point they have offered to let me buy a new camera for 40% off. I really will not put any more money into this set up, and hope to get the camera, housing, and LCD completely replaced. Then I'll sell it all. We'll see how that goes.

So be careful. It seems to happen at depth, no matter how much you test it in your sink.

The rental camera, Olympus TG2 took far superior Photos. My buddy has already purchased a new TG2, and says the heck with the Go Pro. Honestly tho...if you could see the Go Pro pics from first dive compared to the TG2 it's a no brainer.

Wow, what a stroke of bad luck you guys had. I used my GoPro black with the LCD on a couple of dives last week in Cozumel. I went to a max depth of 75ft or so. I was even turning the LCD on and off quite often as I was just using it to frame certain shots. I had no issues with flooding. I did have horrible battery life so I stopped using it after that point. The buttons are what I'm more fearful about. A clean backdoor seal is a simple and reliable design . The buttons on the other hand, being a moving mechanism, must be manufactured and assembled correctly or it will flood. Whats worse is that GoPro wont take full responsibility for it.

 

[Scubanoobi]

If you don't want bubbles in your video I wouldn't mount the gopro to your mask. I've found the best results with some sort of pole or extender. Second option would be hand held.

 

[Z Gear]

You could also look at the Z Gear BCD mount. It gives you a hands free over the shoulder view of your dive. Here is video from a happy customer using the mount with our new extension kit on his right shoulder. Diving The LuLu and Navy Tug (6/15 - 16/ 2013) Gulf Shores, AL - YouTube The mount works great on the left shoulder with out the extension kit. For more info go to Z GEAR - Waterwear with a blend of Innovation and Style.
Happy Diving!

 

[StanS]

Thanks for all the advise. I do not have the LCD screen but I do have the extra battery Bac Pac which I tested for recording time. Recording at 1440 and fps of 48 I got 90 min's of recording with some battery still left. This will be plenty of time for two dives. I will try the mask and also try just holding the camera. Hopefully there will be no flooding problems.

 

[mikeb21072]

I have found the battery time is less underwater, even when turning off the wifi, led lights, and sound. The second dive, the battery drained in a hurry using the same battery. I bought the wasabi battery packs for 20 bucks, comes with two batteries, wall charger, and car charger. It's also charges the gopro batteries. I put a fresh battery in before each dive.
For the price, extra batteries are a plus, especially if you plan to use it as a camera or shoot video other than diving.