What is the cheapest 1080p set up?

[kenz0]

Hi, newbie here and Im planning a dive adventure this summer, me and my friends got cams with no HD vid so far..

So what would be the cheapest 1080 videocam and the cheapest housing for it?

Also the cheapest 720 set up..

Was thinking Sony or Canon w/c ever has the cheapest housing for the cheapest cam, however if you guys got suggestions, I may consider for other brands. So basically wc ever is cheaper..

Day dive will do, do we also need strobes or lights for it even in the day on a tropical country (Philippines)??

 

[bennyscuba]

Ken,

There are bunch of threads going on about that. Check :
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-videography/312339-cheap-underwater-video-options.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...305862-crazy-1080p-cam-180-housing-270-a.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...-housing-ikelite-jvc-coming-out-november.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/un...flip-mino-hd-underwater-housing-question.html

And these are just in the past few weeks. These threads should answer most your questions and then some.

The cheapest is probably the setup by GoPro at $299. However the main consensus is that all of these have some drawbacks and there is no perfect one. If you have a P/S that shoots good video (I unfortunately don't) that may be your best and cheapest option.

If you're referring to the Sony Webbie, I don't think there is a housing for it for diving (only snorkling). I'm not sure which canon you are thinking of.

However, considering you aren't diving till Summer, if you don't need it before hand, I would wait till spring, to see if any new cameras or housings come out as I'm sure they will...

hth,

bg

 

[Gombessa]

Benny's got it covered.

My thought is that most people will want decent wide angle coverage for their video, which makes the Flip-class flash camcorders non-ideal. Also, the prices for P&S cameras with 720p video and manufacturer underwater housings are so cheap now that they'll likely be the least expensive option you can find.

I would recommend going with a Canon, Panasonic or Nikon P&S digicam that does 720p, has a lens that is at most 28mm at the widest setting and f/2.8 or faster at wide. Then get the manufacturer housing (typically good to 130-140fsw). That should set you back about $400-450.

I put together an informal spec sheet comparing the various options I'm aware of. It's not complete, and some of the info is probably wrong, but hopefully it gets you started on your research:

Cheap Video

 

[bennyscuba]

Gombessa - you're my hero! I love the spread sheet!

 

[Gombessa]

If you happen to know of any errors/missing information or different cameras with housing that fit the bill (I'm sure there are plenty), let me know and I'll update.

It's kind of arbitrary right now, since it focuses only on the specs that I care about, but hopefully it's useful to others.

 

[kenz0]

@Gombessa thanks!!

So basically how does this work? I mean in photography, aside from the cam/UW housing, you a need a strobe to bring in the real color.. In videography what do they use? Light?

 

[Gombessa]

@Gombessa thanks!!

So basically how does this work? I mean in photography, aside from the cam/UW housing, you a need a strobe to bring in the real color.. In videography what do they use? Light?

Yep, in order to bring out the real color in video, you primarily use video lights, and/or some combination of manual white balance and color filters. Like strobes, good video lights tend to be very expensive, but there are some decent, inexpensive options, such as the Ikelite Pro-V8 LED light. I'm 1) a cheapskate and 2) uncomfortable lugging around a big rig with arms, so I haven't made the jump to using a video light, but I have to admit I'm really impressed with the quality of videos made with good lights.

 

[phillybob]

When I shoot video with my Nikon P/S I have a Ike Mini C Lite mounted under my Ike DS-50 strobe. They make a bracket for that. It's a bit under powered, but it's way cheaper than a real video light and it helps a bit. Plus it really helps shooting stills on night dives.