The Best GoPro Settings for Diving
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GoPro cameras are a great option for both beginners and experienced cinematographers. This camera is auto HD making underwater moments simply breathtaking and incredible. You need to have the right settings in place for you to produce high quality images and videos. Let us delve more into this: Before we dig deeper into the best gopro settings to use underwater, let us look as some general things you need to have in place. Firmware GoPro updates its camera firmware regularly. It is advisable to have the latest, for optimal performance. Memory Cards The company recently posted a support document which outlines the new memory card recommendations for GoPro cameras on their website. This will help you make an informed choice on the card to choose. LCD Touch BacPac You need to have the LCD BacPac to frame your shots. The touch screen will not work underwater, but you can use it to set the jump settings before insertion into your housing. You should never use the 'touch or skeleton doors' with the LCD BacPac, as this will flood your camera in no time. Anti-Fog inserts Sealing your GoPro in a low humidity environment and then using anti-fog inserts will go a long way in ensuring that your GoPro camera does not fog up during a dive. Batteries Have several fully charged batteries which you can swap out as needed. It is also crucial to inspect your camera’s rubber seal for debris and to ensure that nothing is inhibiting the housing lid from obtaining a tight seal. After taking care of the basics, we can now look at the GoPro settings that you need for diving. Resolution and Frame Rates Run the GoPro in 1080p 60fps mode and sometimes in the 2.7K resolution 30fps mode. The 2 modes will come in handy when you want to slow down some captured action. The former will allow you to put the footage into a 30fps timeline in video editing software and play back at slow motion. If you want to have the right latitude to re-frame your footage, crop in a little tighter, or even run image stabilization, you can use the 2.7K resolution on a 1080 p timeline. It is also important to turn spot mode off. This allows the camera to evaluate the entire scene for better exposures. Pro Tune should also be turned off, as the feature will require more work when you are editing in post. You can experiment with video settings, 60 fps or faster frame rates. It is however crucial to know that using a very high resolution and frame rate makes editing more demanding. It may not be advisable to record 4K video the entire time only to realize that your PC doesn’t have the processing power to edit the footage. |
Color correction filters
The cameras are able to capture wide angle, HD footage outside water, where lighting is no challenge. However, underwater, your images could easily become all green or all blue. This is precisely where the red color filter comes in. if you are using a GoPro Hero 3; the best filter to go for is the Flip 3.1. This filter has both a top and side filter. You can choose which one to attach based on what your dive plan is. You can choose the shallow filter, dive filter, deep filter, or the green water filter. Red filters bring red color into blue water and Magenta filters are for green water.
Learn GoPro Protune here.
Video Light
Video light also brings color and contrast into underwater scenes. However, despite being very powerful, they only reach a few feet. It is best to use them with a prominent subject that is close to the camera, for instance, school of fish, coral, a reef, and coral. To mount the video lights, you need to purchase a tray and handles for the housing. The lights attach to the ends of the handles directly or with arm clamps and extensions.
Time-lapse video
Time-lapse video is created during post processing. Record a series of images using the interval timer. The Hero3+ has several interval settings, which are useful for different time-lapses, depending on the action’s intensity. For instance, you can use a.5s interval for a packing time lapse, and a 5 or 10s interval for a sunset with moving clouds. During post processing, you can import the series of photos and turn them into a video.
Over time, you will develop your own style, and learn the settings that work best for you.
The cameras are able to capture wide angle, HD footage outside water, where lighting is no challenge. However, underwater, your images could easily become all green or all blue. This is precisely where the red color filter comes in. if you are using a GoPro Hero 3; the best filter to go for is the Flip 3.1. This filter has both a top and side filter. You can choose which one to attach based on what your dive plan is. You can choose the shallow filter, dive filter, deep filter, or the green water filter. Red filters bring red color into blue water and Magenta filters are for green water.
Learn GoPro Protune here.
Video Light
Video light also brings color and contrast into underwater scenes. However, despite being very powerful, they only reach a few feet. It is best to use them with a prominent subject that is close to the camera, for instance, school of fish, coral, a reef, and coral. To mount the video lights, you need to purchase a tray and handles for the housing. The lights attach to the ends of the handles directly or with arm clamps and extensions.
Time-lapse video
Time-lapse video is created during post processing. Record a series of images using the interval timer. The Hero3+ has several interval settings, which are useful for different time-lapses, depending on the action’s intensity. For instance, you can use a.5s interval for a packing time lapse, and a 5 or 10s interval for a sunset with moving clouds. During post processing, you can import the series of photos and turn them into a video.
Over time, you will develop your own style, and learn the settings that work best for you.