Why GoPro?

99% of the time I get back from a weeks long dive trip, I rush to the computer to begin editing all my footage to make videos like the one below for those that were with me and for everyone else to enjoy.

During a typical dive, my typical gear includes my primary camera which changes between a Canon Powershot G16 in a Fantasea FG16 housing and my Olympus TG-6 in an Olympus housing.  Both of these camera mount onto a generic camera tray which also has a GoPro mounted to the bottom of it as you will see in the picture on the right.

While the TG-6 and G16 both take perfectly fine video, they are primarilly used for capturing photos.  When I am moving around the reef, wreck, etc., and something intersting catches my eye I tend to start capturing with the GoPro.  I can do this with a single press of a button as quick capture turns the camera on and starts recording.  When I am done with the video, I press the same button and the recording stops and the camera turns off.  It just couldn’t be any simpler than that.

So, are GoPro cameras good for underwater footage, in my opinion I think they are perfect for this.  They have a small form factor, are nearly indistructable, and anyone can use them.  That said, new divers should focus perfecting bouyancy before they ever consider taking underwater photos or videos.

To show the power of the GoPro, the entire video below was captured using a GoPro Hero7 with no red filters applies and with minimal work being done in post.  So, you should be able to easily tell the difference between the deep and shallow dives.

Hopefully you agree that a GoPro can be a great camera to have on every dive.