GoPro for underwater camera?

[purbeast0]

i have an underwater housing for my canon s95, however this past week while i was snorkeling i found out it's cracked. the camera works underwater but after i get out after an hour or so of snorkeling, it fogs up inside and some water is in there. i tried using some plastic epoxy to fix it, but the crack is in hard to reach areas.

i have also seen some videos show with gopro cameras underwater and damn, they look MUCH better than the underwater videos that my camera takes.

the thing i'm not sure about though, is how the still pictures are.

has anyone here used a gopro camera underwater before? i just searched a bit and see the hero 3 is the new one, and there are 3 different versions. as i'm not in a desperate hurry to get one i have some time to research, but i figured i'd ask here as well.

 

[fralexandr]

the canon s95 looks like it does pretty well underwater based on youtube reviews.
What enclosure are you using?
Do you have a sample video from your s95? Maybe the difference is from sediment (or other factors that diffract light) in the water, or an issue with the enclosure?

A lot of the nicer videos and pictures online are processed to make them more vivid and such.

 

[Young Grasshopper]

there should be a new gopro 4 announced next month fyi

 

[SecurityTheatre]

i have an underwater housing for my canon s95, however this past week while i was snorkeling i found out it's cracked. the camera works underwater but after i get out after an hour or so of snorkeling, it fogs up inside and some water is in there. i tried using some plastic epoxy to fix it, but the crack is in hard to reach areas.

i have also seen some videos show with gopro cameras underwater and damn, they look MUCH better than the underwater videos that my camera takes.

the thing i'm not sure about though, is how the still pictures are.

has anyone here used a gopro camera underwater before? i just searched a bit and see the hero 3 is the new one, and there are 3 different versions. as i'm not in a desperate hurry to get one i have some time to research, but i figured i'd ask here as well.

The GoPro Hero3 Black is the one with the integrated waterproofing.

The video quality is really far better than most consumer grade cameras, but the cost goes along with that to some extent (the Black is $329) - but you save on an external housing.

They're also not stellar for still photos. They're really just a video camera. Great options for strap-on rigs for head mount, chest mount wrist mount and a bunch of other types of mounts. They even have a pre-made surfboard and snowboard mount.

On the same page, the GoPro 4 is coming out soon (this is probably why the 3 is on sale right now, down from $399).

But as was stated, a huge part of the underwater filming experience is the right light, the right water and the right post-processing. You need some AMAZINGLY clear water to make underwater not just look like milky poo.

 

[sswingle]

Hero 3+ was just announced

 

[Imp]

Just saw the Hero3+ available online today... Did some research just now: they changed the housing. Wonder if any of the older accessories work. I have an LCD screen on order right now.

 

[BrightSideSC]

The gopro is awesome for any type of action - under water or not. the stabilizers help to make that 'action' quality awesome, and the price is remarkably low for such a thing.

 

[purbeast0]

alright i'm bumping this again because i'm once again contemplating getting this before i go on my trip to turks and caicos in 17 days.

 

[drbrock]

Are those DiCaPacs WP 570s any good? I want an underwater housing for my RX100 but don't want to blow 160 on one. Heading to Thailand on May 22nd and plan on doing at least some snorkeling.

 

[Throckmorton]

The GoPro sucks. The fisheye distortion is just horrible and makes it nothing more than a novelty-- unless you have the lens professionally replaced for $400.

 

[tdawg]

I have a 3+ Black and think it's outstanding. Awesome video quality in such a small package. Used correctly, the fisheye effect isn't a factor. Everybody's seen footage from these things; they can be amazing.

I haven't used it underwater yet, but above water, I am more than satisfied with the output.

Still photos, on the other hand, are just ok in my opinion. My Moto X does better and it doesn't hold a candle to the output of my d600 (it shouldn't, but still, it doesn't produce still photos I want to actually use or even save).

 

[tsupersonic]

I had a HDH2 and now have a HD3 Black. The GoPro action camera is just unprecedented when it comes to being the best action cam. The mounts (can be expensive) provide great flexibility, and video quality is excellent. You really can not go wrong with one, just read all the reviews online.

Ah damn, someone bumped this thread!

 

[tdawg]

...Ah damn, someone bumped this thread!

Yes, the OP bumped the thread.

 

[AViking]

Make sure you're comfortable with the buttons on a gopro. I found it to be a complete and total pain in the ass under water. I don't remember which one I used but it was not cool at all. Definitely make sure you check out the buttons and talk to people who have used it underwater.

 

[OctaneZ]

I've used the GoPro3 Professional (Marine Biology/Oceanography) in the Golem Gear Housings down to 200m. Personally I think the Video is great quality, and never had a leak in these housings:

http://www.golemgear.com/p-686-gopro3-deep-housing-for-hero3-camera-rated-to-1000ft.aspx

We use tripod mounts with through taps on aluminum frames to strap them on equipment.

I know this housing is a little extreme for snorkeling, but even in this housing the Video is GREAT as long as you have enough light.

 

[purbeast0]

yeah i think the thing that makes gopro so much better for underwater video is the image stabilization. all of my videos look fairly shaky and it's hard to stay still when you are swimming and with the currents and stuff. also on videos the color is off a bit, it looks very blue, but from what i've been reading a filter can fix that.

however, the still pictures i think are more important to me than videos are. and from the sounds of it, the gopro still pictures won't be as good as what my camera can do. and when taking pics i put it in "underwater" mode and the colors are pretty good for the most part.

so since still pics are more important i think i might just go with my current one and either try to fix the leak or just buy another housing for it. and my current camera is the canon s95 just fyi (also mentioned in OP)

 

[Throckmorton]

yeah i think the thing that makes gopro so much better for underwater video is the image stabilization. all of my videos look fairly shaky and it's hard to stay still when you are swimming and with the currents and stuff. also on videos the color is off a bit, it looks very blue, but from what i've been reading a filter can fix that.

however, the still pictures i think are more important to me than videos are. and from the sounds of it, the gopro still pictures won't be as good as what my camera can do. and when taking pics i put it in "underwater" mode and the colors are pretty good for the most part.

so since still pics are more important i think i might just go with my current one and either try to fix the leak or just buy another housing for it. and my current camera is the canon s95 just fyi (also mentioned in OP)

The GoPro doesn't have image stabilization

 

[purbeast0]

The GoPro doesn't have image stabilization

i thought it had something like that to make the videos not look as shaky a little bit?

overall the videos that i've seen from the go pro definitely look a lot better than my camera and definitely don't look as shaky. i wonder if it's also because it takes higher quality with FPS and resolution. granted, my camera is a point and shoot and the gopro is mainly for videos, so it makes sense.

 

[Throckmorton]

i thought it had something like that to make the videos not look as shaky a little bit?

overall the videos that i've seen from the go pro definitely look a lot better than my camera and definitely don't look as shaky. i wonder if it's also because it takes higher quality with FPS and resolution. granted, my camera is a point and shoot and the gopro is mainly for videos, so it makes sense.

It's because it has such a wide angle of view. Small vibrations don't show up

You can apply digital stabilization in postprocessing http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2012/11/17/gopro-hero-3-black-edition-price-steady-cam-market/