For a number of years, I’ve been using my GoPro to make videos that I’ve
been hosting on my YouTube
channel, and more recently my Vimeo
channel. Despite using Windows Movie Maker,
and more recently iMovie to edit my videos, my GoPro has traditionally been
mounted to my primary light that produces either a hot spot at the bottom, or a
beam running through my video. I
certainly wished I had some better lighting for my TDI Full Cave course.
I’m a fan of the Light-for-Me
range (hence why I sell their products) and have been impressed by
their GoPro Video
Lighting System so I thought it was about time I got one for
myself in preparation for my upcoming trip to Egypt (report here). In addition I also purchased the GoPro Protective
Case.
Light-for-me underwater video set for GoPro
Hero and GoPro HD Hero2 consists of:
· 2
underwater video torches (3XPG MINI video).
· 2
bezels with ball joints.
· 2
butterfly connectors.
· 2
ball joints attached to a goodman handle.
· 1
goodman handle.
· 1
set of screws.
The lighting system designed to make
underwater videos consists of two light sources - 3XPG MINI:
· Lumen
output: 1800 lumens (two sources of 900 lumens each).
· Light
angle: 120 degrees.
· Light
colour temperature: around 6000 K.
· Made
from anodised aluminium with laser engravings.
· Switched
on by twisting.
· Powered
by 1x 18650 Li-Ion battery each.
· Pressure
tested for 100m.
· Weight
and dimensions: body diameter: 3cm head diameter: 3.8cm length: 13.8cm weight
without battery: 175g weight with battery: 220g.
The set does not include:
· Batteries
18650 Li-Ion - visible in photos.
· Battery
charger - visible in photos.
The items arrived well packaged from Light-for-Me, there was no way anything was
going to get damaged. No manuals are
included however these are available to download here; this ensures that if you ever
lose it you’ll be able to download another free of charge. I also activated the warranty on the Light-for-Me website here.
In addition to the GoPro Video
Lighting System and GoPro Protective
Case, I ordered some batteries and a charger off eBay (there’s plenty
to choose from). Next I had to attach my
GoPro. For this I used the standard adhesive pad on
the top of the goodman handle. I’ve used
one for years on my primary light and it’s never come unstuck, just make sure
firm contact is applied whilst sticking it on.
If you don’t fancy this, I know of others who have used the tripod mount
and screwed it on. Finally I had to make
an attachment to clip it off when not in use.
Rather than having a large bungee coil, I opted for a simple bungee loop
and double-ended boltsnap (how-to here).
The
quality of the GoPro Video
Lighting System is easy
to see and it feels solid. But like anything
aluminium it could scratch easily. There
is also a wide range of adjustment on the lights. Personally I found the further apart the
better. The set is really
simple to use as it’s turned on by a twist operation. And with a double O-ring, the chance of
flooding is minimal. The lights were as
a rule kept switched off until I used them to save battery life. The lights are very effective with their 120o
beam and produce an even spread of light, no hot spots to worry about. The lights are extremely effective at night,
during wreck penetration and for macro work, especially at depth. The lights are less good for wide-angle
landscapes as the light does not penetrate through the water, but I’ve yet to
see a system at this price range that does.
For these shots I used a red/blue water filter.
When filming, you can use the goodman handle,
however I preferred holding the set by the butterfly connectors as a 2 handed
operation gives a more stable result.
You could upgrade and add the Light-For-Me
Camera base as
this has 2 vertical handles, and if you wanted a wider spread of light you
could add their butterfly
connectors and
arms (available in 8, 10 and 20cm
lengths). Personally I would only do
this if I were going to upgrade the lights as well, to something like the 3XML Video Light
3600 lumens,
but then you’re looking at spending thousands of pounds rather than only a few
hundred.
I am
very happy with the GoPro Video
Lighting System,
especially after having my GoPro torch mounted for a number of
years. I personally believe that the
combination of that and the filter has given me the best results to date and I
can’t wait to try the set out in the murky green waters of the UK.
My
first attempt using the set can be found on YouTube (here) and
Vimeo (here). The video was filmed on a Hero 3 Black
edition, but can be used with any of the GoPro cameras, or any action
camera that will fit between the 2 butterfly connectors.
To show the strengths and weaknesses of the GoPro Video
Lighting System, I
have highlighted some examples below that used either a filter or the lights:
·
Wide
angle reef (filter) – 00:50.
·
Wide
angle wreck (filter) – 05:57.
·
Macro
wreck (filter) – 08:20.
·
Macro
reef (filter -20m) – 01:00.
·
Macro
reef (lights -20m) – 00:35 and 00:45.
·
Macro
reef (lights 20m+) – 01:10.
·
Wreck
penetration (lights) – 03:00 and 08:48.
·
Night
diving (lights) – 06:00.
Overall, the GoPro Video
Lighting System is
an excellent accessory to your GoPro, or indeed any small
camera. And at only £283.00 RRP its not
going to break the bank. If you have any
questions, or are interested in purchasing either a GoPro Video
Lighting System,
or any of the Light-for-Me
range then please get in touch.
I can recommend the housing base, as it gives confidence that your GoPro will not become unstuck, and is a welcome accessory to the GoPro Video Lighting System. If you already have a GoPro Video Lighting System, it can be purchased for less than a tenner.
EDIT – 2 August 2015
Since purchasing this system, all Light-for-Me GoPro video lights now have a housing base as standard. Machined from delrin, the base itself is fixed to the existing Goodman handle by 2 screws (provided), although you will have to remove the adhesive pad first (which is easier than it sounds).
Since purchasing this system, all Light-for-Me GoPro video lights now have a housing base as standard. Machined from delrin, the base itself is fixed to the existing Goodman handle by 2 screws (provided), although you will have to remove the adhesive pad first (which is easier than it sounds).
 |
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Before fitment
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Housing
base
|
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After fitment
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With iQ sub housing
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I can recommend the housing base, as it gives confidence that your GoPro will not become unstuck, and is a welcome accessory to the GoPro Video Lighting System. If you already have a GoPro Video Lighting System, it can be purchased for less than a tenner.
The
boring bit!
All opinions expressed in my articles are my own
and may differ to other instructor’s and agency guidelines; by no means are
they wrong and I would not wish to disrepute any of them. This article is for information only and
should not replace proper training.
Safe diving!
Timothy
Gort
BSAC,
PADI and SDI/TDI diver training
