Rig for GoPro 12

[Walde]

I'm planning of buying GoPro 12, now having 7.
Though that I'll build some kind of rig for the 12. So please recommend the parts that will be needed, rig, float arms, lights,... There are many different kind of rigs, so which shape is good and why? Which float arms?
Don't want to use thousands for lights, maybe something decent from ebay? Amazon not so good for delivering to Finland. I dive mostly in lakes in Finland and water is not that clear so probably I need to get the lights quite wide apart?

 

[Green Frog]

I just went through a similar process with my SeaLife Micro 3.0 and ended up buying a Chinese-made arm and tray that just holds the camera and one (Suptig) Video Light. I chose it for its compact size, light weight, and ease of packing for when I travel. When I read the Amazon ad, it was apparently designed for use with your Go Pro.

PS. Here’s the listing on Amazon;

 

[Walde]

Is a rig with two lights more stable?

 

[Green Frog]

I don’t know… I’m moving, the water is moving, the fish are moving… what is this “stable” of which you speak?
There are lots of two arm rigs out there if you feel you’d have a more solid grip, but I’m taking individual shots most of the time, so the arm on the right would just get in my way. I had to look long and hard to find this configuration.
It may be that my history with SLR film cameras in a previous life in the last century that shaped what I’m comfortable with. YMMV!

 

[Walde]

In the lakes water is usually not moving. This time of the year, under the ice, fish are barely moving.

 

[Walde]

This company has some good looking setups
Underwater Camera Tray With CARBON FIBER FLOAT ARM and AND UNIVERSAL LIGHTS Mount
And the prices seems reasonable

 

[grantmac]

I just went through a similar process with my SeaLife Micro 3.0 and ended up buying a Chinese-made arm and tray that just holds the camera and one (Suptig) Video Light. I chose it for its compact size, light weight, and ease of packing for when I travel. When I read the Amazon ad, it was apparently designed for use with your Go Pro.

PS. Here’s the listing on Amazon;

How does that light work for you?

 

[broncobowsher]

I recently stepped up from a Hero4 to a Hero10.
The biggest thing I found was lights make a difference. I tried the economy Suptigs. I even left a review for them on Amazon. They are best for learning what you need for light. The Suptigs were ok for very close stuff. If more than a foot away, not enough power. This year I put a set of Big Blue 7200 Lumen lights on and it was a day and night difference. Went back and looked at the old stuff, I could make out what some of it was. This time I was getting decent pictures from across the room inside wrecks. You need good lights for the camera to work, no way around it.

At this point I am now calling my camera a decent entry level rig. I know I still have the Suptig lights, not sure where they are at. I think I have one on a helmet, put on the GoPro helmet mount. I doubt I will ever put them in the water again.

 

[Green Frog]

@Walde, it looks like you’ve pretty much made up your mind and are just looking for confirmation. OK, if you want to haul all that stuff around, so be it, but all those areas and joints do all sorts of neat stuff and move a lot of different ways, but it seems like a lot of task loading to me. When I’m diving I try not to take my obstructions with me. But you be you.
@broncobowsher, I took one of the smallest Suptig lights with me to Nassau in June, but it was lost in transit so that trip was all shot (successfully) with existing light. Fortunately the water lived up to its legendary reputation for viz. My new one, as shown in the picture above, is Suptig’s mid sized unit and uses 36 LEDs. It came in just before Christmas, so we’ll see how it works out in Pompano and Riviera Beaches in two weeks. I’ll let you know. FWIW, my SeaLife is at least twice as big as a Go Pro, and even in the UW case, the GP is still considerably smaller than the SL.
In the words of that great American 20th Century philosopher, Ricky Nelson, “You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.”
Froggie