Stick with my GoPro?

[Derffie]

I apologize in advance if I'm posting in the wrong forum. I'm relatively new to diving. I wanted to take photos of my dives but, being new, had so many other issues to concern myself with that I just went with something simple. I bought a GoPro Hero3 and put it on a mask with a built in mount. The results ranged from quite good to poor. I'm fairly certain that the problems included camera shake and poor lighting. I still see myself keeping things simple. It seems, though, that any tray & light set up is quite costly and rather specific to the camera. Does it make sense to stick with my GoPro or is there some more logical next step that would serve me better for my next few years of diving? (Folks at Backscatter advised me against using a GoPro for still shots)
Thanks

 

[Scubanoobi]

Nothing can really beat the simplicity of the gopro, at least for video. If video is your focus, try getting some sort of stabilizer (tray / pole) and a filter. You don't really need lights above 50-60 feet. Here is a video I did a couple weeks back, I had a tray for stabilization, and only used the lights for one shot.

Head mounted will not give you good results.

https://vimeo.com/102491493

 

[dmoore19]

You won't get spectacular still pictures from a GoPro, you are able to get some that aren't bad. On a recent trip one of the people had a GoPro and took some stills with it. They were pretty good. Depends on the quality you expect. The price of the GoPro and the quality of the video it takes is impressive.

 

[Derffie]

Thanks very much. I would rather take stills while diving. I've looked at the Olympus TG3. Wondering if anyone has experience with this

 

[dmoore19]

Try the olympus forum. They should be able to help.

The Olympus Outlet

Thanks very much. I would rather take stills while diving. I've looked at the Olympus TG3. Wondering if anyone has experience with this

 

[TheRealScubaSteve]

I only use video with mine. I do have a camera tray and lights, but find it rather cumbersome. If cost is an issue, there are numerous posts on SB and quite a few DIY videos and instructions on how to make your own camera tray with PVC and various other materials. Some look cheesy, some look surprisingly nice. That may be an option if you are reluctant to drop the dough on a ready-made tray.

If I want stills, there is also free software that will convert an entire video into frame-by-frame pictures. This works well enough for my needs, but just keep in mind that you lose some quality with this method.

 

[Pearlman]

Nothing can really beat the simplicity of the gopro, at least for video. If video is your focus, try getting some sort of stabilizer (tray / pole) and a filter. You don't really need lights above 50-60 feet. Here is a video I did a couple weeks back, I had a tray for stabilization, and only used the lights for one shot.

Head mounted will not give you good results.

https://vimeo.com/102491493

Wasn't his from a gopole stick? I don't see any stabilization problems or shaky video. So is a tray absolutely necessary?

I am going to be doing my first attempt at UW videos later this year ...
Sent from MiPad

 

[Scubanoobi]

This video was from a tray, but a pole (with two hands) works fine too.

 

[R-balljunkie]

if you are really interested in stills.....you might want to pop for a simple used micro 4/3rds or point and shoot option. you have the stills as the primary, with the ability to shoot video. i personally like stills. my setup is a cobbled hodge podge of used/refurb stuff.
im well under 650 for my camera setup, strobes included and im happy with my results.

Go-pro's have their place, but dont expect anything too spectacular if you want to extract stills.

regarding the TG-3...i'd rather pop for the XZ-2. the housing cost is less and the camera IQ is much higher.

I shoot an E-PL2. its a few years old but still takes great pics. here's a open reef/nice clam shot taken this weekend.

Single strobe setup. we were on scooters and i couldnt rig up my double strobe setup and run the scooter at the same time.

 

[fire_diver]

Thanks very much. I would rather take stills while diving. I've looked at the Olympus TG3. Wondering if anyone has experience with this

I have an older incarnation of the TG3 and it does good underwater. Takes decent pics as long as you can get pretty close. The flash isn't great because it's so close to the lens you get backscatter but this is common for all PNS cameras. It also takes nice video and the LCD screen is easy to see under water. It's also really nice to not have to worry about extra waterproof cases as long as you are staying shallow.