Here are a few tips to greatly improve your underwater photography.
The invention of the GoPro camera has made underwater photography much easier for professional as well as novice photographers. The GoPro camera is a diver’s dream because of its size and quality of video files as well as its price point.
There are are currently a few GoPro models available on the market. The Hero3+ has been replaced by the HERO4 Silver and it includes a rear LCD monitor. The HERO4 Silver is quite an improvement over the HERO3+ with nifty features such as a noticeable improvement in image quality and and “auto rotate” feature.
There is also a HERO4 which has a higher resolution capability as well as the ability to shoot at up to 60 frames per second.
Read on for more specific underwater GOPro photography tips about filters and camera mounts for scuba divers.
The HERO4 Silver has essentially replaced the HERO3+, but now includes a built-in rear LCD monitor for the same price. The newer model is a slightly nicer camera, too, in terms of ease of use and functionality. There are a couple of useful software improvements, such as “Auto Rotate,” which tells the camera to rotate an upside down image in real time. There’s a noticeable increase in image quality over the 3+.
The HERO4 Black has higher available frame rates: in 4K resolution you can shoot at 30 frames per second (which is more useful than the almost useless 15 fps offered on the Silver model), and in 2.7K resolution you can shoot at 60 frames per second. If those frame rates are important to you, buy the Black and add an LCD Touch BacPac(this accessory is compatible with the HERO3, the HERO3+, and the HERO4). …..
Divers need to remember that the more water light must pass through, the more color is stripped away, starting with the reds, followed by the other colors of the rainbow. This results in footage with a very blue or green cast. Easily remedied with the purchase of a filter and a video light or two, the resulting footage can be astoundingly different. A red filter will reduce the blue tint of an ocean environment, and a magenta filter will serve to cut back the green tint that tends to dominate footage shot in lakes, quarries, caves, and certain oceans.
Image source: bhphotovideo.com
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