![]() ![]() Past this, you will need to look for other solutions. The one thing you need to be aware of with video lights is that, when shooting in daylight, even the most powerful lights may only be good to a distance of a little less than 1.0 m/3.0 ft, depending on conditions. The trays on which you mount your camera and lights have the further benefit of adding much-needed stability to compact cameras like the GoPro. The advent of LED technology, coupled with lithium-ion batteries, has made these lights both compact and affordable. Underwater video lights used to be bulky and expensive, and required the use of large, separate battery packs. These are available from a wide assortment of manufacturers. If you shoot close-up or macro subjects, in overhead environments or at night, one of the best ways to achieve natural-looking color is to use video lights. This means that, if you are shooting one, you need to pursue other options. Unfortunately, the GoPro currently offers no options for setting white balance. By doing so, you are telling the camera, “This is what white is supposed to look like under these conditions.” The camera will do the rest. To do so, you point the camera at a pure white surface, such as an underwater slate, then push a button. ![]() The Holy Grail of white balance is the ability to adjust this setting manually.In many cases, you can scroll through the various white balance options until you find the one that works best for your current depth and conditions. If your camera doesn’t have a specific underwater white balance setting, the setting for cloudy or overcast conditions may help improve matters.These automatically compensate for much of the color loss under water and may be all you need to achieve pleasing color. Dedicated underwater camera systems, such as those from SeaLife, come with one or more underwater white balance settings.The result is the flat, monochromatic look we see in all too many underwater videos.įortunately, most digital cameras allow you to adjust the white balance for better, more natural underwater color. Under water, colors such as reds and oranges are absorbed almost immediately, leaving the camera struggling to make sense of a world in which the only apparent colors are blues and greens. Your camera’s white balance setting determines how it will interpret the colors it sees.īy default, most cameras assume you are shooting above water, in daylight. The starting point in achieving the most natural-looking color for underwater stills and video is white balance. There is a wide assortment of accessories and techniques that can help any aspiring underwater videographer achieve more pleasing, natural color. Imagine their disappointment, then, when they discover that, unless they shoot in very clear, very shallow water, their footage comes out a flat, monochromatic blue or green. No doubt, many first-time videographers dream of how they will dazzle their friends and loved ones with brilliant, colorful underwater footage. And, in so far as the GoPro is primarily a video camera, we see an ever-increasing number of divers trying underwater video for the first time. Today, it is unusual to see a dive team enter the water without one of these compact, versatile units. The camera we see most frequently is the GoPro Hero series. Today, divers can choose from a wide assortment of compact, affordable underwater cameras for both still and video. The price tag for video would be even higher and, worse, the size and weight of such equipment made it something you couldn’t take with you on every dive. ![]() In the 1990s, a basic camera system for still photography would set you back at least US$1,500. Few things in diving have changed as much over the past 20 years as the equipment for underwater imaging. ![]()
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