You're wasting your money on lights.....

[Interceptor121]

Wow, a lot of good information on here. I see both sides.. I really do. My primary reason for going with a gopro was I didn't want to sink $2k + into a rig to take videos to show people back home. I'm not trying out for nat geo and when the guy said I would have to drop another $1,500 on lights on a system that has probably $500 or so in it didn't make a lot of sense.

Maybe I should just throw a couple of intova lights on for $120 and see if that doesn't help in a little deeper water. Maybe something like this?
Amazon.com: Tovatec Mini Torch Flashlight: Sports & Outdoors

220 lumens are not good for anything you need at least a twin 800 lumens to make any difference at depth with those intova you could at best do some macro with another camera but not with the gopro that is not good at that

I have one of those Epoque World : products-LED photolight EL-1000L HP A105 1000 lumens 105 degrees (not really 105 to be honest and probably more 800 than 1000) they cost around $250 here in UK am sure in US with less sales tax will be less. With two of those and arms you spend $600 and have some results they are not that heavy either
However in the space of 3 feet in daylight the effect is gone anyway even with 2000 lumens total

 

[toozler]

robbcayman, that light has a 53 degree beam, look at the picture that I posted how a 60 degree looks like - too narrow, you want at least 90 degrees and if possible, two lights. The GoPro has a very wide FOV which makes it even harder to cover the whole frame.

Video lights are expensive, iTorch makes some more affordable options, I just checked their website and there are a couple new models ("venusian" and "carbonic" are new, there are also the Video Pro models and the i-600, which is the most affordable wide angle there).

Give filters a try first before dropping $300+ on lights

 

[Interceptor121]

robbcayman, that light has a 53 degree beam, look at the picture that I posted how a 60 degree looks like - too narrow, you want at least 90 degrees and if possible, two lights. The GoPro has a very wide FOV which makes it even harder to cover the whole frame.

Video lights are expensive, iTorch makes some more affordable options, I just checked their website and there are a couple new models ("venusian" and "carbonic" are new, there are also the Video Pro models and the i-600, which is the most affordable wide angle there).

Give filters a try first before dropping $300+ on lights

For wide angle work around 110 which is what the Gopro does in water you need two lights one is not enough even if it has 105-110 degrees because usually lumens drop off the center quite quickly

And agree with toozler filters are good down to 45-60 feet lights are only needed for close up work (that the gopro can't really do anyway) , caves or night dives

 

[Hollywoodivers]

For Go pro Hero 2 / 3 / and Olympus OM- EM5 with 9-18 wide lens I use two sola 2000's...the go pro hero looks as good as the Oly "almost" when I have the lights on. The lights off, Hero looks like an amateur video. Do you need lights? No. Do you want lights? Yes. Why? Your video will be more fun to watch and more fun to shoot when you know you have more creative control. Anyone and everyone has a go pro these days. It is the answer for most people to have a fun Memory Catcher. ...Do you want your memories to be grey and blue and muted? Or do you want your memories to be vivid. Get a light that covers as much of the shot as you can afford, then when you can afford another light get it. ...If you are still shooting Hero by then, you will see the value of lighting with that camera. I think the lights are more important than the camera. Have fun and don't forget to pay attention to the details of diving.

 

[300winmag]

Don't do what I did and cheap out, as you can see in my pics on page 4 of this thread it almost never works out. Nobody has made a cheap high powered flood light for diving. I have been looking for a few years and nada nothing zero. What I am thinking of doing this time around is trying to get a deal on 4 Laluz L800 lights. Or get a custom job.

 

[robbcayman]

Don't do what I did and cheap out, as you can see in my pics on page 4 of this thread it almost never works out. Nobody has made a cheap high powered flood light for diving. I have been looking for a few years and nada nothing zero. What I am thinking of doing this time around is trying to get a deal on 4 Laluz L800 lights. Or get a custom job.

Wow, the saltwater just corroded that light. You're right, it's probably not worth going cheap as you get what you pay for. On a side note, I like your username; I hunt with a 300 win mag and it is a fine caliber.

 

[RockyHeap]

For Go pro Hero 2 / 3 / and Olympus OM- EM5 with 9-18 wide lens I use two sola 2000's...the go pro hero looks as good as the Oly "almost" when I have the lights on. The lights off, Hero looks like an amateur video. Do you need lights? No. Do you want lights? Yes. Why? Your video will be more fun to watch and more fun to shoot when you know you have more creative control. Anyone and everyone has a go pro these days. It is the answer for most people to have a fun Memory Catcher. ...Do you want your memories to be grey and blue and muted? Or do you want your memories to be vivid. Get a light that covers as much of the shot as you can afford, then when you can afford another light get it. ...If you are still shooting Hero by then, you will see the value of lighting with that camera. I think the lights are more important than the camera. Have fun and don't forget to pay attention to the details of diving. Don't do what I did and cheap out, as you can see in my pics on page 4 of this thread it almost never works out. Nobody has made a cheap high powered flood light for diving. I have been looking for a few years and nada nothing zero.

WISE WORDS OF WISDOM HERE. Yes DIY and experiments are funny for tinkateers and gadgeteers that want to re-invent the wheel. For the rest of us mere mortals, I highly highly suggest buying the Snake River Prototype SRP filter that meets your application, and buy as much lighting Lumens in the Widest beam you can afford. IMHO, it's hard to beat the power and packaging of SOLA lights for the traveler that doesn't want to lug around an extra 5 pounds of large clunky lights that don't perform.

duh, you get what you pay for. Buy the right equipment once, instead of doing it right the 3rd time at just more wasted $$$ down the drain, till you just step up and buy the "right" gear.

I buy right, I dive, I smile.

Case Closed.

 

[300winmag]

robbcayman: I don't regret the purchase over the .308 one bit! Here's a present for you!!
http://

 

[Fota]

Funny, am I the only one that agrees with the salesman? The thing he forgot to say though is that this is very true when you are using a fisheye lens as the gopro. Unless you get very very Close you wont get much color from the 600 lumens lights. Use a red filter in tropical Waters and try to get the sun behind your back and you will get great video from your dive. Especially if you are swimming around and recording this and that and especially when recording things that aren't absolutely up Close. I have a D-SLR video rig with all sorts of lenses, from super macro to fisheye and I have SOLA 1200. But, I seldom use the SOLA when I use the fisheye.

 

[Interceptor121]

In the early 90's underwater cameras did not white balance so everybody was obsessed by fisheye lenses and strobes or light because you were using film or tapes
Then digital camera came and made possible quality ambient light down to 18-20 meters with white balance
Regardless of gopro or not lights are useful to shooting in crannies or overhead environments or at close range in deeper water because lights have limited range
The gopro does not do macro anyway so lights are really for caves, night dives, wreck penetrations
If you do none of that lights are a waste of money for a gopro user
I have two sola 1200 and at close range due to beam width you can really cover max 3 feet with locline arms to cover more you need longer arms that a normal video person let alone a gopro user will not have
If you shoot something that is further away with the type of tray and arms solution you see around for the gopro or other video rigs you just illuminate with your lights the water in front of your subject
whilst this could be ok in clear water it definitely doesn't work in wrecks or anywhere where you have suspended particles
Footage taken in those conditions has that silty effect that looks really ugly with backscatters flashing back to the camera lens snowstorm effect
So who says that lights do miracles and you should spend 1000's should also present the limitations that they present with the arm and tray set up you shoot with and suggest appropriate changes
Typical misconceptions include get two wide beams with a gopro and you will be fine
instead as the beams are wider the lights meet closer to the lens where the gopro is less effective and end up with tons of backscatter
For the type of arms that a video user has that are 12 segments locline a 60-70 degree beam is ideal
Power wise the gopro needs double the light of any other set up as it has a slow lens with small aperture
So say that with a top end lens on daylight you are good with 2000 lumens total with a gopro you need 4000 to have the same effect
Less really the set up does not even feel it in daytime and would only be good at night or overhead
So all of a sudden what you saved with the camera you have to spend times two or three for lights
This is the reason why a gopro set up is more suitable to ambient light shots at max depth of 60 feet with a filter