I discovered today that Weefine has a new advanced action camera housing for GoPro 12/13 and DJI Osmo Action 4/5.

https://weefine.com/CameraHousing/240.html

 

It is a solid aluminium housing (depth rating to 100m), includes a built-in lithium battery and two M16 port for connecting an external monitor and/or vacuum valve or HDMI external cable.

It's not compatible to our favourite AOI lenses but you can attache Weefine's own wide angle conversion lens (WFL14):

https://www.weefine.com/WideAngleLens/241.html

it's not terrible expensive and it seems to me a good buy if you need a premium housing for your GoPro or Osmo Action. I'm OK with the plastic housing and coax-cable remote controlling, so I probably won't buy it.

 

I haven't expected a big splash in the water with my post, but I can see why this housing has not generated any comment.

Most of us are happy with the plastic housing for GoPro and if we need a more professional solution we usually choose a a higher end camera with bigger sensor and better lens. So in my opinion it's a niche product but maybe I'm wrong and they sell loads of them.

What do you think?

Hugyfot made a big GoPro housing with an integrated monitor a few years ago, and then AOI followed, so I guess there is at least some market for big action camera housings with advanced features, but it probably doesn't overlap with the membership of this forum, as I haven't seen anyone here - or, for that matter, Wetpixel - post about having one. Likewise for the TG series housing with an extra 18650 battery that Weefine made some time ago - I haven't seen any indications of anyone having one in the wild, but market response must've been sufficient for Weefine to approach GoPros with the same idea.

Hi @Nikolausz

 

Many thanks for sharing this news.  It's really interesting to see this.

 

I have the plastic Go Pro housing and thought it would be fine to add on the Backscatter Macro-Mate and Backscatter/AOI Wide Angle lens to it.  However the housing would fog up on occasions which I was disappointed about as I loved using my Go Pro for wide angle scenes.

 

This looks like a great option for those who want something more sturdy and you can add on Weefine's WFL14's Ultra Wide Angle Wet Lens too.  

 

I loved switching between video and stills with my Go Pro last summer.  Here's a still image captured with my Go Pro Hero 11 and my Backscatter/AOI Wide Angle Lens.

 

Look forward to seeing other's thoughts.

I can see lots of potentials at this system.

 

1) You can use 4 models of cameras with no limitations.

2) The extra battery can allow me to install it in BRUVs and other systems for long term timelaps data collection or for long data collection for underwater photogrammetry (coral reef monitoring, seagrass restoration sites monitoring, etc).

3) The M16 ports can allow me to add extra control or sensors

 

With ~ 2k i can build a versatile system with lots of scientific applications.

The housing looks very well-made, although it's worth noting that the page only features CAD renderings.

I have two observations: the renderings do not show the bottom part, where I assume there is a tripod mount, and hopefully, sacrificial anodes to prevent galvanic corrosion. In the past, I used an Easydive housing for the GoPro 5, and despite having anodes, significant corrosion developed on the stainless steel locking clip. I’ve seen the same issue happen to a friend’s T-Housing GoPro case—again, in the area where the steel clip meets the aluminum body. In both cases, the anodes seemed ineffective.

The housing appears to come with a full range of accessories, making it a real gem. However, in Italian, we have a saying: "è più la spesa che l'impresa," which roughly translates to "the game isn't worth the candle." A few years ago, I had the chance to try the Hugyfot housing with an integrated 5" monitor—an expensive and high-end product. Now, we have the AOI housing, but I don’t recall whether it includes adapters for future GoPro models.

So my question is: with the addition of the lens, vacuum system (and monitor), (GoPro media-mod is complusory to use the extra battery) what price range are we looking at?

 

I tend to agree with @homodelphinius This housing makes me think of many scientific applications.

In recent months, I’ve been using GoPros with additional batteries in icy rivers to document trout spawning. Having 4/5 of these housings 🤑 along with the ability to remotely control the monitor and shutter, would have been a huge advantage.

Besides GoPro Lab, there is now a license available that allows interfacing with the GoPro via the USB-C port.

In the past, I participated in the development of devices for deep time-lapse recordings lasting several days. For that project, we used modified GoPros.

 

P.S.

Recently, I took a family trip to the Maldives and brought with me just a GoPro with an AOI lens and the original plastic housing. I haven't reviewed the footage yet, but I didn’t experience any fogging issues since I sealed the housing in an air-conditioned room and used small moisture-absorbing pads. The battery lasted just long enough for two dives, but on a proper liveaboard, I would have needed to open the housing after the second dive.

What I missed the most was having a monitor to properly frame my shots. It's nearly impossible to capture stable footage while holding the small GoPro in front of my face 👴🏼

@Davide DB adding external screen etc in such a system, it will turn into an "expensive" if you see the price of the camera per se. Remote control of them via a surface buoy and connection with laptop, for your river case, or for shallow water applications, could be solution.

 

for me, and will happen if i will grand the funding for BRUVS in seagrass habitats, for which i don't need such externalities, the battery extension is game changer. T-Housing offer a similar solution as well, but here we have a housing for 4 camera models.