RED Filter with Lights and white balancing GOPRO 10

[diverdiverdive]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on buying dive video lights with 6500 lumens and the flip pro 10 red filters with a macro lens for my go pro. The idea is to use the red filter to film subjects far away in the blue and use the lights with a macro lens to film subjects on the reef, in dark areas or close up.

My question is

1. Can I use the red filter and dive lights at the same time?

2. I usually adjust my white balancing to the Kelvin the temperature of the lights. If I use the red filter can I apply the same white balancing as the Kelvin temperature or should I use auto?

3. Is it worth me to spend $$$$ and buy the filters and the lights for my next dive trip? I'm going to Thailand Andaman sea.


Any help and tips guys, please?

 

[Joneill]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on buying dive video lights with 6500 lumens and the flip pro 10 red filters with a macro lens for my go pro. The idea is to use the red filter to film subjects far away in the blue and use the lights with a macro lens to film subjects on the reef, in dark areas or close up.

My question is

1. Can I use the red filter and dive lights at the same time?

2. I usually adjust my white balancing to the Kelvin the temperature of the lights. If I use the red filter can I apply the same white balancing as the Kelvin temperature or should I use auto?

3. Is it worth me to spend $$$$ and buy the filters and the lights for my next dive trip? I'm going to Thailand Andaman sea.


Any help and tips guys, please?

For far away in the blue, I think it’s better to not use a red filter and just fix in post processing as the filter actually cuts the green/blue light reaching the sensor (so less total light is captured)!

Also - the red filter is only accurate in a pretty narrow depth range, whereas you can adjust as needed in post processing for depth changes (assuming you are Ok with editing/post processing).

I’ve just started playing with it so not very proficient at it yet, but here’s some first passes on a few no-filter GoPro 10 clips from my recent Fiji trip that I edited in DaVinci Resolve:

 

[diverdiverdive]

For far away in the blue, I think it’s better to not use a red filter and just fix in post processing as the filter actually cuts the green/blue light reaching the sensor (so less total light is captured)!

Also - the red filter is only accurate in a pretty narrow depth range, whereas you can adjust as needed in post processing for depth changes (assuming you are Ok with editing/post processing).

I’ve just started playing with it so not very proficient at it yet, but here’s some first passes on a few no-filter GoPro 10 clips from my recent Fiji trip that I edited in DaVinci Resolve:

are the videos with a dive light?

 

[diverdiverdive]

For far away in the blue, I think it’s better to not use a red filter and just fix in post processing as the filter actually cuts the green/blue light reaching the sensor (so less total light is captured)!

Also - the red filter is only accurate in a pretty narrow depth range, whereas you can adjust as needed in post processing for depth changes (assuming you are Ok with editing/post processing).

I’ve just started playing with it so not very proficient at it yet, but here’s some first passes on a few no-filter GoPro 10 clips from my recent Fiji trip that I edited in DaVinci Resolve:

I am not experienced in editing. I usually use the dive plus app for auto color correction.

 

[Manatee Diver]

My opinion, unless you can capture a raw image/video you want the captured image as close to your output color as possible. As any adjustments are degrading the image.

Sometimes that means lights, sometimes that means filters. For color corrections I use a good video editing app, often Lumafusion as it is the only iOS video editor that supports color correction. I have no real system, just make small adjustments until it looks the way I want it too.

I took this video when I first got my GoPro 10.
I don't make any color edits, but I am using the GoPro auto white balance with and without a filter. Taken at approximately 70ft in Jupiter, FL.

IMO the Hero 10 is pretty damn good, it just needs a little kick in the right direction. Compare to the earlier models, which often were dead wrong.

I have some examples which I will post in the next message due to message limits.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Here are some videos with some light color correction but no filter.

Here is a lights only video using auto white balance.

Light only video using manual white balance set to my lights:

Here is one where I wish I had a light with a blue filter, as using lights with the sun as your primary light source creates issues.

And here is a video showing what I mean about the problem with mixed lighting, look at the fish you will see a slight red cast (which is after I adjusted to try to edit it out) it was difficult to get everything to look great. Edit the red cast from the lights and the rest looks too blue. Don't edit it and the fish look bloody.
As noted in the title this is from the Hero 8.

 

[Joneill]

are the videos with a dive light?

No lights at all - just a GoPro 10 on a short handheld grip. Depths from ~45-70 feet in these clips. It’s actually pretty easy in DaVinci and there is a free version.

However, once you get deep enough on a cloudy day or with lower viz, there is no substitute for lights and editing won’t provide great results.

 

[Joneill]

My opinion, unless you can capture a raw image/video you want the captured image as close to your output color as possible. As any adjustments are degrading the image.

Sometimes that means lights, sometimes that means filters. For color corrections I use a good video editing app, often Lumafusion as it is the only iOS video editor that supports color correction. I have no real system, just make small adjustments until it looks the way I want it too.

I took this video when I first got my GoPro 10.
I don't make any color edits, but I am using the GoPro auto white balance with and without a filter. Taken at approximately 70ft in Jupiter, FL.

IMO the Hero 10 is pretty damn good, it just needs a little kick in the right direction. Compare to the earlier models, which often were dead wrong.

I have some examples which I will post in the next message due to message limits.

Assuming one is willing to do some post processing, filters are never better than post processing clips without the use of filters - and usually worse as the image/video has less total captured light to work with.

Also, auto white balance is not good if you plan on post processing as we t can then bounce around quite a bit.

That said, the GoPro 10 is pretty darn good in full auto on shallow (30ish feet) water dives with good viz, especially if the sun is out - much better than earlier models!

 

[Manatee Diver]

Assuming one is willing to do some post processing, filters are never better than post processing clips without the use of filters - and usually worse as the image/video has less total captured light to work with.

I disagree, if the light levels are low enough that using a filter results in lower image quality due to light loss result in higher ISO noise, then you are in an environment where you shouldn't be using a filter but should be using a light as the sun is no longer a viable light source.

And I've seen a ton of pictures/videos where people using post proccessing and it completely blows the pictures/videos out. And that if a filter was used to get the image closer to your desired colors that the resulting image would've been much better.

Heck I got an example (from a Hero 8)

No filter for whatever reason, I attempted to bring the reds back, but it was just too far gone. You can see the blown highlights around the turtle and on its head from the adjustments that I made.

Would normal people be able to see it? Probably not, but those well versed in photography can, and I expect better from myself. Normally I wouldn't have even published it, but I thought it was an interesting behavior even if the quality is bad.

 

[Joneill]

I disagree, if the light levels are low enough that using a filter results in lower image quality due to light loss result in higher ISO noise, then you are in an environment where you shouldn't be using a filter but should be using a light as the sun is no longer a viable light source.

And I've seen a ton of pictures/videos where people using post proccessing and it completely blows the pictures/videos out. And that if a filter was used to get the image closer to your desired colors that the resulting image would've been much better.

Heck I got an example (from a Hero 8)

No filter for whatever reason, I attempted to bring the reds back, but it was just too far gone. You can see the blown highlights around the turtle and on its head from the adjustments that I made.

Would normal people be able to see it? Probably not, but those well versed in photography can, and I expect better from myself. Normally I wouldn't have even published it, but I thought it was an interesting behavior even if the quality is bad.

I was trying to say pretty much the same thing: Not using a filter will pretty much always provide better imaging with the right GoPro settings (native white balance and flat color profile) and good post processing technique as you’ll have more light to work work with than if you used a filter… however, that is only true up to the point where light levels are just too low and lights are the only way to get good imaging (and lights are always good to get the shadow details/dynamic range even in good ambient lighting).