Video cameras

[rtbates]

GoPro. I use mine for underwater video. Mounted on my roll bar for car racing video. Mounted on my rc planes for aerial video, mounted on the stern or bow pulpit for sailing videos, mounted on my head for whatever I'm doing videos...

Get all the mounts and have fun...

[rtbates]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

Keep in mind that the GoPro only has a wide angle, or fish eye, lens so shooting certain videos will be affected. Chuck

NOT TRUE

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

Keep in mind that the GoPro only has a wide angle, or fish eye, lens so shooting certain videos will be affected. Chuck

My Cannon DSLR shoots nice video, but I never really take it out underway. Super easy for a wave to send spray up and give it a quick salt water bath. The GoPro on the other hand you can basically treat like crap and it comes back for more.

Walking around on shore I bring the Cannon. Underway it stays in tupperware.

[Reefmagnet]

I was thinking about getting a Go-Pro, but instead I picked up a Panasonic Lumix FT4 because I figured this offered the most versatility for my needs. It's good for 12m underwater, is 2m drop proof and is a still camera with full HD video as well.

I used it for the first time this last weekend. Compared to my wife's (couple of years old now) Sanyo waterproof video camera, it takes surprisingly better quality video. My only complaint with it is it doesn't like catching direct sunlight, which tends to produce purplish vertical streaks. I've purchased a G clamp type mount for it that allows connection to 1" rail, amongst other things. I tried this out too, mounted to the solar panel arch, and, aside from needing to be a contortionist to be able to see behind the camera to frame the shot, it gives it Go-Pro functionality albeit without the ability to go extreme wide angle.

[mbianka]

I'm using a GoPro, a Swann and my Cannon Power Shot camera. The GoPro is real nice but, programing can be a pain if you don't have a cheat sheet for the button clicks. The Swan is a GoPro knock off but, comes with a lot of extras including an LCD monitor and remote which are extra with the GoPro. I find it a little easier to setup and it has two buttons one for video recording and another for stills. With the GoPro it's either/or. I also find my Cannon Power Shot camera nice for video shooting. I usually have it in my shirt pocket so it's always available when the mood strikes like in this video:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: HAPPY AT THE HELM!

[Cotemar]

Contour+2

Contour | Products | Contour Plus 2

[rover88]

After loosing an expensive point and shoot with video to salt spray I bought a Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camerafor for under $100 that took great video on our recent cruise. Highly recommended!

[maytrix]

Finally a thread I know quite a bit about

I'm a video enthusiast and take a lot of videos and pictures and have edited them over the years for home videos shared with family and friends.

I am familar with the GoPro. I don't own one, but I do own the Contour which is basically the equivalent competition. I think the Contour offers a better form factor as well, but I wouldn't recommend that unless you want it for something where your hands can't be free. Skiing and snowmobiling are what I've used mine for. Sky diving, bike riding and stuff like that are other great uses since you can't have your hands free. Diving or snorkeling I find not so much as it is really helpful to have a viewfinder.

In regards to using a DSLR for video - I wouldn't recommend this either. The reason we have so many choices, is because each device is really good at one thing and ok at the others. I've seen some great video from DSLR's, but usually it is on very stable ground (i.e. not on a boat) or with a tri-pod.

So, what I can highly recommend (and I was a Sony camcorder owner nearly 10 years before going Hi-Def) is a Canon HD video camera. The current model series that I'd recommend is the M5X Series. I'd probably go with the M50 myself if I was buying today (I have the M30 and love it). The difference between the 3 models is the built in memory and the M50 has built in, plus an SD card. You can take stills with it and they do come out decent, so I always record video to the SD Card and stills to the built in memory.

Another big plus is that Canon makes its own under water housing. It's nearly half the price of any 3rd party options. In the end, you'll still spend $1000, but that alone is the cost of many of the 3rd party underwater housings alone.

I have the housing for my M30 and love it. The camera also has an underwater mode which helps correct the colors. Take a look at some videos I've taken in the past. You can see when I am close to the surface it gets red and that's due to the color correction. If its really bright, it isn't really needed. I often just correct after the fact when its like that. The camera also has very good stability options so even on a moving boat or walking around, its not hard to keep it steady.

See some videos here maytrix007's channel - YouTube

While I think they look decent, they really aren't done justice until you watch them on a 1080P TV.

I've had my M30 2 years. I'll probably look to upgrade next year perhaps just because the optics do improve. The M50 has a larger sensor so it does well in lower light.

Hope this helps, you really can't go wrong with this camera.


EDIT - I should also add - one of the benefits to the built in memory and card is that since you likely won't take a ton of pictures, you'll never fill the internal memory and with the card, you can swap it out as needed. In a week long trip in the carribean, I might swap a 32GB card once. And today, you can use a 64GB card. I'm not a fan of the hard drives as I think the cards are faster and more reliably.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Freedom45

I have a Gopro, haven't used it much yet, but am happy with the quality, there are 3 settings, wide, medium and narrow view, it comes with waterproof/underwater case. It's pretty cool, I also have the remote for it. I got the hero 2 with autosport mounts.
I'm thinking this will be all I need for video

Chuck

Thanks for the info. Does it have any zoom capability at all? Its nice to know there is a remote as well ... seems perfect for mounting on a s/v to capture what is happening on deck. Have you got any idea how long the battery will last whilst recording?

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Thanks for the info. Does it have any zoom capability at all? Its nice to know there is a remote as well ... seems perfect for mounting on a s/v to capture what is happening on deck. Have you got any idea how long the battery will last whilst recording?

Not to knock the GoPro, but be sure to check out the Contour. Like I said in my post, its not something you'd want to really use for general recording - I think its a must better special use kind of item. But the Contour (I believe in response to GoPro's popularity) has really pushed things in the past year and added a lot of new features. Image quality and recording options has really been very equal all along too.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by maytrix

Finally a thread I know quite a bit about

I'm a video enthusiast and take a lot of videos and pictures and have edited them over the years for home videos shared with family and friends.

I am familar with the GoPro. I don't own one, but I do own the Contour which is basically the equivalent competition. I think the Contour offers a better form factor as well, but I wouldn't recommend that unless you want it for something where your hands can't be free. Skiing and snowmobiling are what I've used mine for. Sky diving, bike riding and stuff like that are other great uses since you can't have your hands free. Diving or snorkeling I find not so much as it is really helpful to have a viewfinder.

In regards to using a DSLR for video - I wouldn't recommend this either. The reason we have so many choices, is because each device is really good at one thing and ok at the others. I've seen some great video from DSLR's, but usually it is on very stable ground (i.e. not on a boat) or with a tri-pod.

So, what I can highly recommend (and I was a Sony camcorder owner nearly 10 years before going Hi-Def) is a Canon HD video camera. The current model series that I'd recommend is the M5X Series. I'd probably go with the M50 myself if I was buying today (I have the M30 and love it). The difference between the 3 models is the built in memory and the M50 has built in, plus an SD card. You can take stills with it and they do come out decent, so I always record video to the SD Card and stills to the built in memory.

Another big plus is that Canon makes its own under water housing. It's nearly half the price of any 3rd party options. In the end, you'll still spend $1000, but that alone is the cost of many of the 3rd party underwater housings alone.

I have the housing for my M30 and love it. The camera also has an underwater mode which helps correct the colors. Take a look at some videos I've taken in the past. You can see when I am close to the surface it gets red and that's due to the color correction. If its really bright, it isn't really needed. I often just correct after the fact when its like that. The camera also has very good stability options so even on a moving boat or walking around, its not hard to keep it steady.

See some videos here maytrix007's channel - YouTube

While I think they look decent, they really aren't done justice until you watch them on a 1080P TV.

I've had my M30 2 years. I'll probably look to upgrade next year perhaps just because the optics do improve. The M50 has a larger sensor so it does well in lower light.

Hope this helps, you really can't go wrong with this camera.


EDIT - I should also add - one of the benefits to the built in memory and card is that since you likely won't take a ton of pictures, you'll never fill the internal memory and with the card, you can swap it out as needed. In a week long trip in the carribean, I might swap a 32GB card once. And today, you can use a 64GB card. I'm not a fan of the hard drives as I think the cards are faster and more reliably.

Thanks for sharing your experience with your kit. I will definitely have a look at your suggestion.

[maytrix]

Originally Posted by Bluewaters2812

Thanks for sharing your experience with your kit. I will definitely have a look at your suggestion.

Have any specific questions let me know. Also - here's some video I took with my contour (mine is a few years old, so I'm sure the quality is a little better with newer ones) - and of course youtube is never a great way to view, but just a general idea.

First ride of the 2011-2012 Snowmobile Season - YouTube

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by maytrix

Have any specific questions let me know. Also - here's some video I took with my contour (mine is a few years old, so I'm sure the quality is a little better with newer ones) - and of course youtube is never a great way to view, but just a general idea.

That certainly has sufficient quality. I will consider it together with the GoPro, thanks.

[Bluewaters2812]

My thinking is to get a GoPro or Contour for the underwater stuff and the filming whilst under sail (attached somewhere to the rear on a wide angle), and get a Sony HD quality for filming other stuff. I will also have my trusty Nikon D80 with us. This way I will have all the "stills" capability I need, the robustness/underwater capability of the GoPro or Contour and the versatility with zoom etc of the Sony? Anyone think this is the way to go considering I am not attempting to get into professional recording. I merely want a record of our experiences for later viewing and to leave our legacy of adventure for our kids and our Grand children (one day when they arrive).

[maytrix]

I think that's a reasonable solution. Only change I'd make is I'd go Canon over Sony. Two reasons - 1) Canon typically has better optics. 2) If you ever do want to use it under water, it will be far less costly to get the Canon housing than a 3rd party housing for the Sony.

I also highly recommend (whether you take my advice and go Canon or not) that you don't go with a hard drive but go with RAM. Hard drives have a much higher failure rate for that type of use. There's also the transfer time to consider - if you fill the hard drive, it takes time to empty it. Fill a card, you can swap it in seconds. And cards are cheap these days so having a few is not a big deal.

Only downside to either the GoPro or Contour for underwater use is that you'd need to attach some sort of screen (I think both offer this) but it likely is not as easily visible. In addition, if you use it for diving, the colors will be off - That's a huge plus to the Canon - it fixes that for you.

And realistically, unless you want to wear a camera, any camcorder could be mounted to the boat for recording - especially if you have an underwater case. I've mounted mine in the help with a very strong suction cup (plus a tether as backup). Like I said, I think the GoPro/Contour are really an excellent special use type camera.