Which ball mount and/or adapters?

[Vindobona]

I just bought a GoPro Hero4 Silver and am now looking into buying the rest of the equipment needed for good underwater videography.
I am not entirely sure which ball mount or adapter I would need for my light(s) though.

• Let's assume I want to buy the Light & Motion Sola Compact camera tray with a 1/2" LocLine arm:
  

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Motion-Compact-Camera-Mount/dp/B006M5UABG

• and a Light & Motion Sola 800 light:

Amazon.com: Light and Motion Sola Dive Light (800-Lumens, Blue): Sports & Outdoors

What will I need to mount the light on the flex arm?

Only this?
Amazon.com : Light And Motion Sola Locline / Video Mount & D-Ring Combo Kit : Boat Propellers : Sports & Outdoors

or also some kind of ball mount in addition, like this?
Amazon.com : Light And Motion Sola Ball / Photo Mount & D-Ring Combo Kit : Diving Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

Thanks very much!

 

[tbone1004]

you have two conflicting mounting systems. The locline mounting system is different than a ball mount. If you buy that specific camera tray, you only need the locline mounting kit.

That said, if you don't have any lights, and want to stay with Light and Motion, I'd just buy the Sola Video 2000 Action Kit with the two lights and be done with it. I'm not a huge locline fan and much prefer ball mounts for video because once they're set, you don't really want to move them from the camera, but that's just me.

 

[Vindobona]

Thanks a lot for the advice!

I will think about buying the Sola Video 2000 Action Kit with the two lights, although it's a bit more expensive than what I planned on spending.

 

[diversteve]

You are looking at a compact camera tray with a 1/4 20 mounting screw designed to attach to a small point/shoot still/video camera not a GoPro since it has a proprietary mounting system. So you need either ONE of these to adapt it for use with your GoPro:

https://www.shootingunderwater.com/...unt-to-attach-to-1-4-20-thread-adp-gopro.html
Amazon.com : GoPro Tripod Mounts : Gopro Accessories : Camera & Photo

So now you've got the GoPro fastened to the tray securely. Let's talk lights.

If you buy the Sola 800 Dive Light and remove the hand mount (although you can probably buy one without it, you still now need something to fasten the Sola light to the Loc-line arm segment. That's the item you listed under Only this? L&M also sells an 800 Video Light (and probably an 800 Photo) so maybe buy the right one instead and not pay for a handle you may never need.

More importantly for video - the light you're looking at has a 60^o beam output. The GoPro you own has a 170^o wide-angle view standard that can be electronically altered to 120^o? in narrow mode. So your camera sees 2-3X more than your light provides resulting in black circles around everything you shoot. Even two Sola's wouldn't provide sufficient coverage except in narrow mode shooting they might produce acceptable results with some overlap.

A better option would be one of the GoPro specific lights are over 100^o beam spread - some go to 110 or 120 - which still necessitates having 2 lights for complete 170^o coverage by overlapping the patterns. Something like the ITorch offerings - here's one: Amazon.com : New I-Torch Video Pro 5 1600 Lumen LED Underwater Scuba Diving Video Light with 110 Degree Beam Angle & 2 Mode Switch : Sports & Outdoors It uses a YS mount so you'd need a loc-line adapter if you go with the Locline tray/arms on your original choice. Something like this: https://www.opticaloceansales.com/i-das-ys-to-locline-mount.html?gclid=CMXT_JOk_8kCFUOVfgod7fYKxw

Google GoPro lights for other systems, there's probably 3-4 more out there with wider coverage.

As tbone mentioned, you don't need the last item you listed at all, the ball adapter - since it's to adapt a Ikelite or ULCS ball/clamp arm system to your light(s).

Also Sola's in your price range are only rechargeable. (maybe they all are?) Sometimes it's convenient to be able to change batteries between dives. Of course more likely to flood also.

 

[JackConnick]

The Ikelight "Steady Tray" is a nice option with their pistol grip for GoPro. It allows you to hold the rig quite steady ;-).

We have it as an Ikelite Steady Tray with with LockLine arms that includes YS mounts for iTorch Lights for $176.40.



We also have another I-DAS GoPro Lighting Package that's on sale for $100 off with either one or two Big Blue 1800 lumen lights that uses ball and joint arms. The lightweight 1/2 lockline arms won't hold heavier lights very well. $725.95