Davide DB

Follow us for more tips on how to waste your bank account 😁 Usually (usually) the problem is the springs of the buttons don't hold the pressure and they get pushed down, making the whole thing unusable. Anyway, grab a nice reel, attach the housing and a small weight and do it from the boat. Just fill the housing with absorbent paper and check it after the dive.

I'm sorry if I'm being a nitpicker but I'm not sure if I understood correctly, or there's an important mistake in the explanation. If you click on an area that is already white (RGB: 255, 255, 255), the software does absolutely nothing. White is white. The WB (White Balance) function is on the "Color" page. Once you select the "eyedropper" tool, you have to look for an area in your image that you know should be white, but in your picture, you see it as another color, aka with a color cast. By clicking on it, you are telling the software to adjust the color palette so that that area becomes white. This operation usually requires more than one attempt on different areas, and if you don't get a perfect result, you then use other tools.

Which depth? How many Lumen has your light? I mean, if your light is too weak for the environment conditions (shallow, tropical, green water) you find yourself in what we call "mixed light conditions". IIRC. we have several topic on different subforum on this topic, but I strongly suggest to get a cup of coffee 😉 and read this long format article by @bghazzal which summarized everything (and has links to original topics): https://waterpixels.net/articles/articles_technique/afterhours-magic-ambient-light-video-workflow-for-action-cameras-r161/ Regardless of the suggested solutions, the article describes very well what happen underwater in the different conditions. Of course, the above links on the tools in this thread are valid.

1ft cable? You have a lot of space inside. In my GH5 I have the original Nauticam (maybe 15cm) and it's nearly too long. Could you post the Amazon Link? From Italy I can't find it. Thanks for the feedback

If you aren't like me 🙃 https://waterpixels.net/forums/topic/1650-rtfm-read-the-f-manual/ Joking apart, I have big hands and I'm not able to remove its hard cap either...

Everything is ok now

Hi Nando, I'm on vacation, I'm on the phone and I haven't a desktop with Davinci Resolve with me so I can't work on them for the next week. BTW as I wrote this has nothing to do with the article's topic. Here we are discussing mainly about having a neutral image modified by a filter in ambient light or with mixed ambient light with blue filters on the lights. You have clips shot with only artificial lights with two different color profiles. A completely different matter. Could we discuss this in another thread on the forum? You could open a new thread or just using one of the already opened threads on the compact sub-forum. Just a comment: a log file should go through a CST (color space transform) node. If you are using a custom log profile, I don't know how to handle it. I could just use the GP-LOG as input color and gamma profile. Did you do this step? Please move everything on the forum. Ciao

Well, they are cousin 😄 Chris said what I was about to tell you. That's why I asked my questions, and I didn't remember that you had bought an Insta Ace Pro 2. Yes, unless you have professional/cinema cameras that shoot in RAW (and even there you have to make some distinctions), we have much, much less possibility for correction with video clips compared to photos. This is why you need to get good images to start with, so you have to do as little work as possible on them later. To get this, you have two paths, which are also a bit like two philosophies (Blue pill vs Red pill) 😁 Optimize the camera settings to get images that are as close as possible to the desired final result so that once you download them, you can proceed with the desired editing and not much else. We could call this approach SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera), and it's definitely the most popular trend on YouTube because it's the reason why so many people get into underwater photography and video with action cameras and their smartphones: film > edit > post or even film > post. Optimize the camera settings to get an image that is as neutral as possible because you plan a workflow to correct the clips in post-production. Since, as I said before, your options for editing are limited (respect to photography), You try to have a starting image that makes the next work easier. This is the classic way of working at all levels: from simple enthusiasts to blue-chip productions. Who is right? Probably no one! I prefer the second option, but I'm trying to hide that and be as impartial as possible in this explanation 😇 Really, it all depends on the results you want to get and the priorities and skills you have. If the goal is to come back from your dive, lie on a sun lounger, and immediately post your underwater adventures to your friends, that is, film > post, it's natural to follow the first path. But you have to be realistic about the level of results you can get. Many of us see beautiful Reels posted on social networks and are convinced that all you need to do is buy the same gear, dive in, and get those results. What's that meme series called? "Instagram vs. Reality"? When we're disappointed, we keep chasing the SOOC unicorn and run after the latest gadget model with that new feature they are missing. This is also a game played by manufacturers who release new models every year, like fashion collections. Be careful, I'm not saying that what we see is fake. It's just that many of those fantastic videos we see, are made in more than ideal conditions by people who very often do it for a living. Meanwhile, we use our GoPro for that "one week of vacation" in the Maldives where the water was green! I also want to add that in both paths, the people who get great results are those who know their camera settings very well and know all the fundamentals of photography perfectly. This is the only way to make the best use of the features and also the limits of these little beasts. Instead of chasing the latest gadget, we should often stop and study the basics of photography and color. Think of dividing the work on color into two big categories. One category is where you make your clip look normal, which means you correct obvious mistakes: it's too dark/light or has too much of one color. This is basically what you did. You had those greenish fish and you brought them back to a color that seems balanced and real to you. After you do this, the second category (which is completely optional) gives your clips a more personal look. After all, within certain limits, the perception of color is basically subjective. Another analogy on secondary correction (aka grading) is what most people do with their phones posting on IG: they apply filters. Regardless of the product, I find this simple explanation very good: Color Correction vs. Color Grading | What's the DifferenceDiscover the distinctions between color correction vs. color grading. Learn how each process enhances your footage. Get to know expert tips and techniques for achieving the perfect visual balance.

Hi Chris, Welcome aboard!!! Ciao

Hi Kristin, It's difficult to give you here some advice on an encyclopedia like Davinci Resolve. At the moment, I can't think of any specific color grading tutorials. I should recheck to see if I've saved anything in my YouTube links. Anyway, I don't remember seeing an underwater color grading video that fully satisfied me. They all end with mediocre results. And many of the ones for land footage aren't very useful because they start from situations completely different from ours, or, if you notice, the clips they start with are technically perfect, many times shot in raw. Not exactly common cases. Anyway, let's say that, in general a sequence could be: Color: If your footage is in Log or RAW, the first thing to do is convert it into your working color space (for example, Rec.709). This is essential for correctly viewing the colors and brightness on your monitor. Skip this one if you shoot in Rec.709 White Balance: Use the eyedropper or tools like the color wheels or the "Temp" and "Tint" options to remove any color casts and make the whites and grays truly neutral. Exposure Correction: Adjust the image's brightness. Use the "Lift" (for shadows), "Gamma" (for midtones), and "Gain" (for highlights) controls to fix the general contrast and exposure. Saturation and Contrast: Add or remove saturation and contrast to get a clean and defined image. All of this is usually called "Primary Correction". Once your clip looks balanced and technically correct, you can move on to the creative color grading phase. And that's a completely different story. In the end you apply the final touches as noise reduction, sharpening or midtone sharpening etc.. The tool you used is very powerful and should be used sparingly. I almost wouldn't call it a primary correction tool, and in any case, I would use it for specific interventions on certain parts of the image after adjusting everything else. From what I can see, you're using it like a WB tool. Do you shoot in Rec.709 or Log? Do you use lights or natural ambient light? AWB or MWB?

Welcome aboard! I hope you like the forum. I feel cold just from reading you! 🥶

Welcome aboard! Wehope you like the forum. We have a Norse invasion! 😄

Hey Nando, Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me just say something first. We've talked about this a bunch of times on the forum. I'm convinced everyone has their own position and that it's tough to change minds. But hey, that's life. "Agree to Disagree" is our motto, right? 😉 I just want to point out, though, that the two excerpts from the links you posted have little to nothing to do with what the article is saying. I mean, nothing stops you from using one log curve over another or using slightly different colorimetry (flat, natural, or other mojos) and still following the advice in the article. By the way, the article is full of real-world underwater examples, and honestly, the images from Ben's YT channel just speak for themselves. But actually, does using GPLog make the workflow from the article useless? I don't think so. Is using the natural color profile incompatible with using filters in the ways the article suggests? I don't think so. Actually, it would be awesome if some member did some tests and brought examples to back up their claims. We'd all benefit from it, especially since almost none of us have access to the all latest cameras and uw environments to try all the combinations 🤩 I, from my experience, haven't found any improvements using the GoProLab color related options. But it's me. I get clips with different colors, that's true, but they're absolutely not better than the normal ones shot in flat; they're just different. All the examples I see are shot on land with oversaturated color grading. Are there any underwater examples shot with these settings that we can all agree are beautiful? Personally I still haven't seen a pleasant color grading from YT influencers out there. As for DR (Dynamic Range), I personally think it's one of the most overrated things in underwater shooting. In underwater natural light, the water column acts as a "huge diffuser": it cuts out the reds, then the oranges and yellows > it reduces the spectrum; it lowers the contrast > scenes appear flatter compared to on land; in fact, the sensor doesn't have to handle extreme contrasts like those you find, for example, between the sky and shadows on the surface. so the DR becomes less critical. The real problem isn't the contrast, but the selective loss of colors. At just a few meters deep, everything turns blue/green, and that's where it becomes essential: to use red filters (see the article) at certain depth/conditions, artificial light sources, and in post-production, to work on the white balance and color reconstruction. With lights, it might be a different story, but in reality, the main thing is to light the foreground scene well (making it lit and colorful). No one expects to recover the shadows from the unlit, monochromatic background. I could understand if we were talking about a Sony A7SIII, but we've got a GoPro. Ciao

No, because the person who was supposed to lend me the lens sold it in the meantime, and I didn't get a chance to try it. Isaac hypothesized that they probably all work, but you'll get different FOVs. It would be great to know for sure.

Nikon RumorsNext Nikon announcement is rumored for September 10th (Ni...Nikon is rumored to have another new product announcement on or around September 10th, possibly for the rumored Nikon Zr video-oriented camera (R for RED) with RED tech inside (not a new RED camera wi BTW few weeks ago I watched this amazing documentary on Netherlands!

Welcome to the community, Hilmar! We're glad you've finally joined. It's awesome to have another passionate underwater filmmaker in the mix. The jump from a TG-6 to a Z CAM E2 is a serious one. The dream of a RED camera is a familiar on. Start saving now! I think we will have some big news from Nikon - Red in the next few weeks. Maybe the current models will become cheaper? Feel free to share some of your videos and projects when you get a chance. Ciao

Welcome aboard Lyle! Actually we have an ongoing thread about Tonga, it would be nice if you could add your suggestions:

Ok got it! As soon as I have some spare time I will update the table with your data. Thanks

And do not forget you (probably) have strobes or lights and arms...

Hi Roman, really good addiction. If you have the spreadsheet file I could try to add those info on our table. P.S. Why do you need a specific flip button? I thought some monitors have an auto flipping fature. Ciao

@Gudge Congratulations on the result, and the photo is truly stunning! It looks like a painting! Bravo!

Why four?

Yes once the usb-c was removed, the camera continued flawlessly recording using the internal battery, so it's a completely use case from the video you posted. Here the internal battery act a sort of last reserve. Good question, I guess it depends on how much current the camera draws while recording. So I can choose between serial or parallel circuit. I haven't a tester here now. I'm not at home so the only test I could do is putting the camera battery in that space.The battery (55mm) fits only lengthwise, and just one millimeter more and the housing won't close. So with the 18500s, I wouldn't have space for the battery holder. If I use "bare" batteries instead, I have more freedom of choice. Another option is using LiPo packs that usually have squared shapes.

I did a quick test of the first option, connecting the camera with a full battery to a normal USB charger. Upon connection, the camera warns you that the connected power source is weak and can only charge the battery when the camera is off. I started recording in FHD (otherwise I would have filled the card) and after 50 minutes the recording was still going and the battery was still at 100%. When the USB charger was disconnected, the recording continued without issues, using the battery. So I would feel confident in confirming that a couple of small batteries in parallel with a step-up converter with the proper protections would be enough. In my housing, the main problem is space.