What do I mean by shallow water?
Shallow water can be any body of water you can fit your camera into; that may be just a few centimetres deep down to a few metres. Much of the video I do is done by wading no more than knee-deep into a stream and placing my camera, at other times it's just reaching down with my arm and putting the camera down. The point is you don't have to even get wet to explore and document the underwater world with your camera. Of course you can also throw on a mask and snorkel to help you film and position your camera, even in knee-deep water you'll be surprised by what lives there and the play of light and colour.But why?
There are myriad reasons as to why you might want to film in the shallows; perhaps you want to document your local creek or river system for a school project, may be you are a native fish enthusiast and you want to see what fish and other creatures live in your local catchment by using a BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) at various sites, or you just want to get some nice creative footage of an underwater world that is readily accessible but rarely accessed. Whatever the reasons, it's a great way to spend time relaxing in the outdoors and learn a bit along the way. I think of it like fishing with a camera, except you never know what you've caught until you get home and download the footage.What gear will I need to get started?
Underwater video is no longer solely the domain of those with thick wallets and expensive cameras. You can get started with a reasonable camera setup for around AUD$150 (eg SJ4000 action camera with a memory card) and create great quality video of your natural environment to share with friends. Although these small cameras will never compete with high end broadcast units, the quality of the video that can be gained with them is amazing and they have become an integral part of many TV productions. Small action cameras are light, durable, affordable and you can get them into places you just can't put bigger cameras; you can also take risks with them that you wouldn't take with more expensive units.All you need to get started is a camera, memory card, a computer and some editing software.
Cameras
There are a range of small action cameras on the market most modelled on the market leading Gopros. The cameras that I use are listed below, and the comments relate to how I use them underwater, not to other uses:- Gopro Hero HD: this was my first action cam and although now 5 years old is still one of my favourites. In good light it produces great footage and seems to be able to focus on closer objects than the newer models – a big plus in the type of video I do. At first it was fraught with focus problems underwater because of the curved lens on the case, but when I replaced the case with a flat lens housing from eye-of-mine it resolved the focus issues. Newer model Gopros came with a flat-lens waterproof housing so no longer experience underwater focus problems.
- Gopro Hero 3 Black: I purchased this when it first came out and after initial problems with the memory cards inability to handle the volume of camera data, it turned out to be a great camera. This was sold as a professional model with lots of options including a RAW shooting option. Although I have tried some of these, I generally just stick with 1080p at 30 frames per second. It performs much better in low light than the earlier gopros, but doesn't focus so closely. i often use it with a close-up lens fitted to the the front. This is my standard go to workhorse camera at the moment – if I'm only using one camera then it is this one. Looking back I could have just brought the Silver Hero 3 as I don't use the full range of options. There have been several upgrades of the gopro range since then (3+ and 4) however the prices have increased considerably.
- SJ4000: this is a Chinese copy of the gopro cameras. I bought it to take a few more risks with as it is much cheaper than the gopros. I was surprised by the quality I got off this camera; again good lighting is a must. I shoot underwater in 1080p at 30fps and it does a good job for the price – it makes a great second or third camera for getting different angles as well. Apparently there are lots of copies of this copy camera on the market, so make sure you get an original SJ4000 if it's what you're after.
- Olympus Tough TG-4: this was a very recent purchase, more for the purpose of it's great macro capabilities and it's tough waterproof qualities. Unfortunately on my first use in water – in only 50 cm of water – it leaked and destroyed the camera! Olympus replaced it but I am yet to develop an overall idea of it's underwater capabilities. I'm unsure how the autofocus will handle the type of work I use it for, although it does have the ability to lock focus in some modes. I'll do a decent review of it at a later stage.
Memory Cards
Don't scrimp on memory cards; beware of cheap deals and fakes on ebay and get the best cards you can afford. The HD video that comes off these small cameras produces a lot of data and cards need to be able to write data very quickly. This is particularly important if you plan on shooting at higher frame rates (> 30fps) or at resolutions higher then 1080p. When the Gopro Hero 3 Black was first released the card that Gopro themselves recommended (Sandisk Ultra) could not handle the data from higher resolutions which resulted in the camera shutting down and locking up. It caused me enormous frustration for several months, and gave the new camera a lemon profile until the problem was properly resolved with a new type of card and firmware updates. The Lexar 633x 32 GB MicroSD card has proved to be very reliable.Computer
Most computers will be able to handle video editing to various degrees, however some of the gopros can now record in 2.7K and 4K, or lower resolutions at very high frame rates. If you plan to film and edit in resolutions or framerates higher than 1080p at 30fps, then you will need a powerful relatively new computer. I encountered this with my first gopro years ago, unable to watch the footage without first converting it to SD footage, I ended up shelving the gopro for a year or so! My computer now is a more recent 3yr old Macbook Pro but it won't smoothly play 2.7K footage off my gopro, so I continue to record in 1080p.Editing Software
There is a wide range of editing software on the market, but if you are just starting out try one that is free and easy to use. You can download Gopro Studio here, and you don't have to own a gopro to use it; it will work with files from a variety of different cameras and there are a number of tutorials available online.A must have program is MPEG Streamclip. In terms of editing it is very basic, and you will need to use another program for titles, sound etc, however it is a real workhorse and is invaluable for quickly trimming rubbish from your files and for exporting them to a wide variety of different formats. It's batch processing function is fantastic. Again there are some good tutorials for using it online.
I currently use Final Cut Pro 7; a professional program although now outdated. When the time comes to get a new computer I'll have to change, that may be Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere.
That's really all you need to get started – the most important thing is that you get started and practice. Throughout the blog, hopefully I'll be able to show you some of the tips and techniques I have learned along the way that will help to improve the quality of your own footage and videos. There is a whole world awaiting in the shallows that remains poorly documented and you and your camera can make a valuable contribution.
Here's an example of a video I shot recently entirely in knee-deep water in a freshwater stream on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.
You can see some other examples of my videos on my Youtube channel
No comments:
Post a Comment