Hey Everyone,

I am about to pull the trigger and get my self my first action camera, I have been using DJI's product and ecosystem for a while and I am very pleased with them.


This is why I am considering the Osmo Action as my go-to camera to film my future dives. If I happen to do it I will for sure be investing in extra batteries, the 60mts water-resistant case (more than enough for diving within recreational limits <40mts), neutral buoyancy handle and so on. But I happened to not stumble upon one critical piece of equipment that is almost a must for diving, a "Red Filter" due to depth and the way light travels in water the first colors to be lost from the spectrum are those closer to red, so adding this filter does help to make them pop back and show the true image of the underwater life. Bellow find a table to illustrate better the challenge.



I wanted to hear from you guys your stories, experiences, suggestions and if someone has found a good quality red filter for it. Since this is pretty much what's stopping me from pulling the trigger on it.


Cheers!

AACY

I am also looking at getting a new camera for diving....unfortunatly not this one from what ive seen so far very dissapointing but I suppose this is there first atempt at it, Im not sure where you would get the dive housing either as they havn't got it for sale in the online store!

For a fit for purpose dive camera at a reasonable price I don't think you go far wrong with either one of these, the Paralenz or the TG6

I bought a cheap Chinese UW case for my Action from Amazon because I simply don’t want to submerge it in salt water even if it is wateproof to 11m. Currently only Sunnylife makes filters for the Osmo BUT they attach on the inside AND I haven’t tried them to check the light transmission. In the past, I used removable kits from Backscatter and they were excellent. I will wait until DJI announces their proprietary case and 3d party manufacturers bring the goods (PolarPr, Ikelite, etc). If you’re in a hurry try Amazon as I mentioned. Just be careful with the advertised ratings (I got one that states 61m but from the construction I doubt it).
Ps. I am a dive master and been filming UW since 2002

El Diabolico Posted at 7-11 14:01
I bought a cheap Chinese UW case for my Action from Amazon because I simply don’t want to submerge it in salt water even if it is wateproof to 11m. Currently only Sunnylife makes filters for the Osmo BUT they attach on the inside AND I haven’t tried them to check the light transmission. In the past, I used removable kits from Backscatter and they were excellent. I will wait until DJI announces their proprietary case and 3d party manufacturers bring the goods (PolarPr, Ikelite, etc). If you’re in a hurry try Amazon as I mentioned. Just be careful with the advertised ratings (I got one that states 61m but from the construction I doubt it).
Ps. I am a dive master and been filming UW since 2002

When you say "they attach on the inside" you mean they attach straight on to the camera instead of the diving case, right? Apart from the inconvenience of not being able to remove/change the filter on the go, does this method cause any other disadvantages? I mean is it bad for the image quality?

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I am fish out of water (no pun intended) when it comes to UW video

CemAygun Posted at 7-11 15:06
When you say "they attach on the inside" you mean they attach straight on to the camera instead of the diving case, right? Apart from the inconvenience of not being able to remove/change the filter on the go, does this method cause any other disadvantages? I mean is it bad for the image quality?

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I am fish out of water (no pun intended) when it comes to UW video

Yes I mean they replace the original lens cover. The biggest drawback is that as they’re inside the case and cannot be removed, anything you’l film on the surface will have a nasty red tint.

Regarding image quality, I haven’t tried these filters specifically. Normally, expensive ‘glass’ has better light transmission and barely affects the quality. As Sunnylife make ‘affordable’ accessories this is something to take in consideration.

Woodwanger Posted at 7-11 11:11
I am also looking at getting a new camera for diving....unfortunatly not this one from what ive seen so far very dissapointing but I suppose this is there first atempt at it, Im not sure where you would get the dive housing either as they havn't got it for sale in the online store!

Thanks for your reply and insight!

Would you mind explaining in more detail what have you seen that makes you be disappointed about it?

Cheers!

Woodwanger Posted at 7-11 11:21
For a fit for purpose dive camera at a reasonable price I don't think you go far wrong with either one of these, the Paralenz or the TG6

Thank you very much for these suggestions!

El Diabolico Posted at 7-11 14:01
I bought a cheap Chinese UW case for my Action from Amazon because I simply don’t want to submerge it in salt water even if it is wateproof to 11m. Currently only Sunnylife makes filters for the Osmo BUT they attach on the inside AND I haven’t tried them to check the light transmission. In the past, I used removable kits from Backscatter and they were excellent. I will wait until DJI announces their proprietary case and 3d party manufacturers bring the goods (PolarPr, Ikelite, etc). If you’re in a hurry try Amazon as I mentioned. Just be careful with the advertised ratings (I got one that states 61m but from the construction I doubt it).
Ps. I am a dive master and been filming UW since 2002

Great piece of information, thanks for the recommendations. Actually, when I visited the flagship store here in Shanghai they had the DJI waterproof case rated to 60mts.




Also, PGYTECH seems to be making filters but no red ones PGYTECH FILTERS

I will surely check the Backscatter kits.

Cheers!

El Diabolico Posted at 7-11 22:00
Yes I mean they replace the original lens cover. The biggest drawback is that as they’re inside the case and cannot be removed, anything you’l film on the surface will have a nasty red tint.

Regarding image quality, I haven’t tried these filters specifically. Normally, expensive ‘glass’ has better light transmission and barely affects the quality. As Sunnylife make ‘affordable’ accessories this is something to take in consideration.

Ah, I see! Thanks a lot for the explanation.

AACY Posted at 7-11 23:17
Great piece of information, thanks for the recommendations. Actually, when I visited the flagship store here in Shanghai they had the DJI waterproof case rated to 60mts.

Yes on the website you can see some photos but I believe the product isn’t yet available. You can try one of the cases on Amazon, dive with it without the Osmo installed (put some toilet paper pieces inside) and check for leaks beforehand. Just check the rubber gaskets/seals are free from debris or any lint/hair!

If you’re new to filming underwater, agree with your dive buddy to check on you and your air supply regularly, it is VERY easy to be carried away and run out of air!

Hello and god day AACY. Thank you for choosing DJI and for these information you have shared with us. I hope that you will get the best recommendations and information from our valued DJI Members who owns the DJI Osmo Action and uses this said filer when diving and with regards to these matter. Thank you for your valued support.

El Diabolico Posted at 7-12 07:21
Yes on the website you can see some photos but I believe the product isn’t yet available. You can try one of the cases on Amazon, dive with it without the Osmo installed (put some toilet paper pieces inside) and check for leaks beforehand. Just check the rubber gaskets/seals are free from debris or any lint/hair!

If you’re new to filming underwater, agree with your dive buddy to check on you and your air supply regularly, it is VERY easy to be carried away and run out of air!

Excellent piece of advice. Thank you for sharing it!

Actually, I saw the DJI UW case when visited DJI's flagship store here in Shanghai, so at least I've got that going for me.

Totally right and agree with you on that. I am new to filming underwater and also a very green diver, only 21 immersions. So getting accustomed to frequently check and adding alarms to the dive computer to remind me of checking my gas pressure is something that I had adopted from my early dives. Since my OW and AOW instructor is a filmmaker (mainly underwater documentaries) and took me in a couple of fun dives to do some filming (I was mainly the spotter) it got me hooked and this is why I had picked her brains a bit too to get a better understanding of the good practices for UW photography.

Cheers and great dives for you too!

AACY

El Diabolico Posted at 7-12 07:21
Yes on the website you can see some photos but I believe the product isn’t yet available. You can try one of the cases on Amazon, dive with it without the Osmo installed (put some toilet paper pieces inside) and check for leaks beforehand. Just check the rubber gaskets/seals are free from debris or any lint/hair!

If you’re new to filming underwater, agree with your dive buddy to check on you and your air supply regularly, it is VERY easy to be carried away and run out of air!

Excellent idea of using the paper to first check the housing's integrity. At least the OA has 11mts rated so if it floods at the beginning of a dive this might buy some time to go up and lower the risk of real damage.

Another thing, what's your take on using vaseline on the gasket to improve the seal and repel some water out of the edges of the UW housing?

Cheers!

DJI Stephen Posted at 7-12 08:41
Hello and god day AACY. Thank you for choosing DJI and for these information you have shared with us. I hope that you will get the best recommendations and information from our valued DJI Members who owns the DJI Osmo Action and uses this said filer when diving and with regards to these matter. Thank you for your valued support.

Hey DJI Stephen,

Thanks for your input on this topic. Yup, it seems that the members that are participating in this thread have a great grasp on exactly what Divers are looking for when going underwater with an action camera.

Maybe you and the rest of the DJI team could take a look at this current solution that is on the market and apparently work very well for GoPro and come up with one of those clever solutions that you always have, in this case then for the Osmo Action



Also, in this  link there is more information about what is a good amount of accessories focused on underwater photography with action cameras.

Cheers and thanks to you and the rest of the team!

AACY

AACY Posted at 7-12 09:07
Hey DJI Stephen,

Thanks for your input on this topic. Yup, it seems that the members that are participating in this thread have a great grasp on exactly what Divers are looking for when going underwater with an action camera.

You are very much welcome AACY and thank you for these additional information you have shared with us. Rest assured that I will forward these information to the DJI designated department for further development of the DJI Osmo Action. Thank you for your valued support.

DJI Stephen Posted at 7-12 09:39
You are very much welcome AACY and thank you for these additional information you have shared with us. Rest assured that I will forward these information to the DJI designated department for further development of the DJI Osmo Action. Thank you for your valued support.

Thank you very much Stephen, always a pleasure to deal with you guys.

Keep up the great work!

AACY.

AACY Posted at 7-12 09:52
Thank you very much Stephen, always a pleasure to deal with you guys.

Keep up the great work!

It is always our pleasure to assist and help you AACY. Have a safe diving and a happy filming always.

AACY Posted at 7-12 08:49
Excellent piece of advice. Thank you for sharing it!

Actually, I saw the DJI UW case when visited DJI's flagship store here in Shanghai, so at least I've got that going for me.

Hello again, you are very welcome
I haven’t seen in the flesh the UW case, you are very lucky...I was really hoping they would have released it before summer holidays but it is what it is.

You’re also in very good company, enjoy your dives

AACY Posted at 7-12 08:55
Excellent idea of using the paper to first check the housing's integrity. At least the OA has 11mts rated so if it floods at the beginning of a dive this might buy some time to go up and lower the risk of real damage.

Another thing, what's your take on using vaseline on the gasket to improve the seal and repel some water out of the edges of the UW housing?

Actually I would take the empty case to the limit of recreational diving (40m). If it passes the test then you can rest assured that it will not leak at 18m ;)

Regarding Vaseline I wouldn’t put any on the Osmo Action. In some big camera cases you need to apply a special grease for the seals but there are 3 things to take in consideration:

a. The manufacturer advises to do so and usually includes a small tub
b. Normally petroleum based lubricants l(like Vaseline) could potentially damage the rubber gasket (silicone is more resistant)
c. Vaseline will attract lint, small hairs and debris that could probably brake the seal

I would leave any GoPro or Osmo Action seal clean of any lubricants. Just make sure to visually inspect the o.ring for any cracks, lint or dirt before and after closing the case.

In addition, I if you’re traveling by airplane and when it is possible, it is a good idea not to fully close the UW case (hermetically). Specially with bigger UW camera cases, the slight differences in pressure can create small cracks on the plexiglass, specially at the buttons or hinge area were structurally the case is weaker (even when they say that the cabin is pressurized at 1 ATM it takes time for the passenger / cargo area to adapt to partial differences - that’s why you need to equalize your ears in flight). If for space reasons you can’t keep the case open, at least make sure that the camera is inside to minimize the air volume in it.

Closing, don’t forget to use anti fog inserts and give your camera time to acclimatize to the ambient temperature, specially when going out from a heavily air conditioned environment!

Dive safe friend.

I taught in today's world it was common to tweak colors in post, rather than mess with filters during a dive, i have seen some cameras having a dive setting ramping up the red spectrum i assume.
Never dived with a camera.
Very much doubt i can fit my dry suit now that i am 2 X the weight i have been most of my life.
And i use my tank for filling my PCP airgun.
fins / mask / regulator ASO been in deep storage for a very long time now.

peiter Posted at 7-13 06:36
I taught in today's world it was common to tweak colors in post, rather than mess with filters during a dive, i have seen some cameras having a dive setting ramping up the red spectrum i assume.
Never dived with a camera.
Very much doubt i can fit my dry suit now that i am 2 X the weight i have been most of my life.

"fins / mask / regulator ASO been in deep storage for a very long time now."

And probably as corroded or brittle as your aging arteries! (g)

I personally don’t use red filters when diving. I just boost the reds in post.

So no word on the diving case for the osmo.. Ive been holding out purchasing hoping the diving case would be out soon.. If it's not out soon, I may just stay with gopros and buy the H7. I really like DJI, but action isnt just about skiing, snowboarding, diving and shallow fish watching.. we need a dive case for this..

sifilmaker Posted at 8-1 09:22
So no word on the diving case for the osmo.. Ive been holding out purchasing hoping the diving case would be out soon.. If it's not out soon, I may just stay with gopros and buy the H7. I really like DJI, but action isnt just about skiing, snowboarding, diving and shallow fish watching.. we need a dive case for this..

I’m not to sure dji will be offering dive case anytime soon, best to look out for third party case .

peiter Posted at 7-13 06:36
I taught in today's world it was common to tweak colors in post, rather than mess with filters during a dive, i have seen some cameras having a dive setting ramping up the red spectrum i assume.
Never dived with a camera.
Very much doubt i can fit my dry suit now that i am 2 X the weight i have been most of my life.

You will always have to do some post processing even with a filter on. The red filter for example will give a red tint to your footage on the surface and the first 7-10m depending on the visibility. Basically it will only work well from 10-15m more or less, then you will need to add strobes to bring colors back to life.

On the other hand, a 1/2.3” sensor typically found on Action cams doesn’t give great flexibility when color grading so it will always be a compromise. I used to carry a big underwater housing with a twin light setup that at the end of the day made my dives problematic as I was always thinking on not to bang the gear, how to safely store it during transport, in the boat, etc. Add that to the risk/cost of flooding (always have insurance!) and it ends up been a pain in the a**. I’ve learned to embrace the loss in image quality a little package like this can deliver in comparison to the hassle of a big UW camera system. The VERY good electronic image stabilization is a +

El Diabolico Posted at 8-2 05:33
You will always have to do some post processing even with a filter on. The red filter for example will give a red tint to your footage on the surface and the first 7-10m depending on the visibility. Basically it will only work well from 10-15m more or less, then you will need to add strobes to bring colors back to life.

On the other hand, a 1/2.3” sensor typically found on Action cams doesn’t give great flexibility when color grading so it will always be a compromise. I used to carry a big underwater housing with a twin light setup that at the end of the day made my dives problematic as I was always thinking on not to bang the gear, how to safely store it during transport, in the boat, etc. Add that to the risk/cost of flooding (always have insurance!) and it ends up been a pain in the a**. I’ve learned to embrace the loss in image quality a little package like this can deliver in comparison to the hassle of a big UW camera system. The VERY good electronic image stabilization is a +

Fully agree, it's been a trade off for me too. Had the dslr, housing, dome port, tray, lights etc, got some great pics over the years but the amount of gear you need to travel with is ridiculous.  Now I prefer free diving with a GoPro/Action. Much easier, and happy to accept the trade off in quality for the small unlit sensor.

fanseba42e89 Posted at 8-21 05:21
Fully agree, it's been a trade off for me too. Had the dslr, housing, dome port, tray, lights etc, got some great pics over the years but the amount of gear you need to travel with is ridiculous.  Now I prefer free diving with a GoPro/Action. Much easier, and happy to accept the trade off in quality for the small unlit sensor.

Well said

Hi all,

I am also new to DJI Osmo action (or generally to Action Cams) and was looking for diving accessories coming to the conclusion, that having a GoPro is a big advantage. For the GoPro there are a lot of third party parts for different kind of usage with tests available, but only a handful for the OA...

Nevertheless, I am looking for affordable accessories (red/magenta filter, housing, rigs, etc.) and would like to ask you guys if you have made some experiences with diving equipment and the brands (kitspeed, iTrunk, Ulanzi, ...) and can do some recommendations.

BTW: Do you have experiences with the original DJI waterproof case? The feedback/ratings look similiar to the available third parties. So, is the higher price reasonable or not?

Sorry for my english. I know it is not really good, but I hope you understand what I mean.

Thanks!

ShankZ Posted at 1-13 04:05
Hi all,

I am also new to DJI Osmo action (or generally to Action Cams) and was looking for diving accessories coming to the conclusion, that having a GoPro is a big advantage. For the GoPro there are a lot of third party parts for different kind of usage with tests available, but only a handful for the OA...

Hi there

I don't know about the official DJI UW case but as I wrote above, I bought one generic Chinese offering on Amazon for 25€ rated to 60m. I didn't had any leaks at small depths (could't dive deeper as I was recovering from surgery) BUT I had one BIG issue with it. Due to the Osmo Action getting really hot, I was having condensation on the case lens even with 3 anti-fog inserts! I would suggest you try it first before risking your "filming adventures" by submersing the camera in cold water after operating it for a while in your house. I've seen some "Pro" aluminum cases that seem to dissipate the heat more effectively but they cost as much as the Osmo itself... good luck.

Hey guys,
I´m interested how to setup the WB with the Osmo Action underwater for different immerson depths.
As far as I can see it´s not possible to set it manually, right? I mean I can´t take a shot with an white/gray card to match the WB like it is possible with an DSLR/M.
So whats the best way to have a proper WB. Using the underwater WB? Or is there a way to check the different Kelvin values?

To set the WB manually would be a great feature for the next firmware update And red filters for the original DJI underwater housing.

So in 2019 DJI Stephen said that DJI listens to owners' requests. I just got an Action 4 and DJI's underwater housing and I am unable to find any way to attach an outside macro lens for close ups while GoPro has literally hundreds of options available.
Get on the ball DJI, copy Backscatters flip attachment for the GoPro if you have to but come out with something please.

you can find a adapter for action 3/4
macro lens

Telesin case  45m & JSR  adapter 16x macro lens