Next step in video/photos underwater.

[justindaniels]

Hello, I am hoping to get feedback on what my next best step is to help improve my underwater photos/videos.
I currently have a go pro 12 with underwater housing. I have used it as primary video on our first trip and this last trip I did more photos with a few videos. I found with large amount of videos the editing process to get stills and clips took too long so I quit. The second I found the photo quality was just ok and overall know the video quality is more improved. I do like taking pictures/videos of smaller creatures as well as larger and felt the macro was the most limited on photos. I used a red filter for the first couple dives and then took it off and didn't notice a huge change but did use the quik app for post processing so that may be why.

I'm trying to decide for my next steps in my underwater photo/video is:

Option 1 and the one I'm leaning most toward: add a macro lens and tray with a light(s) for the go pro and do shorter video clips to pull stills from as a blend of the first and second trip rather than taking still shots.
Option 2: add a wide angle lens with lights for more videos knowing macro will still be more limited.
Option 3: We have an older sony nex3 that I could get a housing for $100-$200 for still shots.

Open to other options as well and feedback! Thanks for any input.

 

[NatOver]

If you are interested in photography, ditch the go pro, especially if you want to do macro.
Get yourself a TG 5,6 or 7, you should be able to find a used one. Also, get yourself a macro light. Macro photos without light are not that sharp.
Next watch the videos and tutorials in youtube, backscatter and www.uwphotographyguide.com
If you can afford it, backscatter and bluewaterphoto have photography workshops in resorts and liveaboards and you get instruction and critique while doing those trips.
Also, spend some time learning about the basics of UW photography. With all those you will be well on your way to doing photography.
I do a lot of macro photo for fun, I teach the padi course (good start but anyone can become an instructor so not recommended unless it is actually taught by someone who does photography)
feel free to ask anything, I love sharing my love for photography, even as an amateur. see some of my pics in overbounderwater.com

 

[Rat Diver]

I followed your first option of adding a tray and the best video lights your budget allows and was very happy for a lot of dives. You can add a macro lens from Backscatter to provide more flexibility. Later, I did eventually buy a TG6 for macro, which is terrific, and was able to use the previously purchased lights. One twist with the TG6 and 7 is that you can mount your go pro to the cold shoe so you have flexibility to capture both macro with tg and wide angle video with the go pro. It also has the benefit of leveraging your investment in gear. That is a good rig that will serve you well and, if you are inclined to invest your time in learning editing, carry you forward until you are ready to make the big leap into much more expensive cameras and housings.

 

[grantmac]

Phone housing, video light/tray and macro diopter can do some VERY good shots. This is a Pixel 6a which is very outdated.
Also takes excellent wide angle photo and video.

I'm currently moving onto a mirrorless but that's more because we have low light here and the little sensors (including TG) struggle.