I personally wouldn't unless price is the overriding concern. The Sony is a 2MP camera. The GoPro Black is an 12MP camera that shoots 12MP stills. Or the Silver which is 11MP but also has the WiFi. I think for any of those Action Cams, WiFi is a good idea. The review listed below indicates that one you load the Sony, the only buttons you can access are the start/stop so to change anything requires removing it from the housing unless you have the WiFi. Also one cool feature is they both have video review on your phone or tablet with their app.
Steadycam (Image Stabilization) is generally a bad idea underwater as all the movement confuses it. I turn mine off. The Sony shoots 170
o video standard - if you turn on the Image Stabilization, that changes to 120
o. Not that that's bad, in some cases I prefer it since 170
o tends to impart a fisheye look.
If you're interested in
seeing what you're shooting in real-time, the GoPro with the BacPac is the only way to do that. The "Display Panel" on the Sony is only for camera status -
http://asset1.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1...y_Action_Cam_HDR-AS15_35426716_07_610x436.jpg
CNet's review here:
Sony Action Cam Wi-Fi HDR-AS15 Review - Watch CNET's Video Review
I just watched several of the Sony videos on their website and on many I saw artifacting (pixel break-up in the scene) Wouldn't be for me on an HDTV - it's probably less noticeable on YouTube...And I've shot Sony video cameras underwater for the past decade so would be pre-disposed to like it.
In all fairness I have seen it on GoPro video also but mostly just on lower light scenes like the BMX ride through the forest. There's also another clip on the GoPro site of two freedivers that's as good as anything I've seen.
Also you'll need to buy a $50 flat port to use the Sony underwater. They bundle it with a surface port that allows the mic to be open to the outside while the camera is in the housing. The GoPro already includes one.
The other thing to be aware of is that the minimum focusing distance on the Sony is 12". With no zoom, macro is going to be difficult. The GoPro's suffer from the same problem but I think they improved it in the current "3" series.
For either in Seattle, you'll likely want lights. Due to the 170
o coverage, probably 2 wide angle video lights often they're in the 70-100
o range. Otherwise you'll see a hotspot in the center of your video with darkness around it. For comparison, most dive lights are in the 10-15
o range. A pair of lights - and the tray for them - are double what the camera costs.
my .02 - I don't have any personal experience with any of them.
