The Ingenuity Of The Action Camera

And underwater too... You may never bicycle into an active volcano or be first in the line at the annual Meyers sale but you can be sure that someone has done and there'll be a record of it somewhere on YouTube - taken by an action camera and recovered by the coroner. Likewise the underwater adventures that these cameras get up to are amazing - some completely under the surface and some half-and-half. The sort of image that shows the boats on top and the fish below. How do they do it? With a dome like the Fifty/Fifty from Polarpro. The heading shows the unit for the GoPro 7, 6, and 5 units. It doesn't include the camera - you must have that already - but it is the accessory you need for the shots. Inside the box is a large plastic half dome cushioned in a neoprene cover. This is to keep it pristine until you get into the water. there is a dock on the back of the dome that accepts the Go Pro camera an a port that lets the camera see the inside of the dome - and it is in this dome that the magic of refraction takes place. The image that the camera sees is pretty wide in the first place, but when the dome is under the water it acts as a screen upon which the water portion of the scene forms. Underwater shooters with bigger units know this fish-eye effect with their curved ports. Well, it works a treat with the action cam. There is a plug for the back of the port to prevent contamination but there's always the chance that condensation may form on the inside of the plastic half-dome - so Polarpro include a special cleaning tool - a swab or squeegee that matches the curvature and lets you wick away the moisture. In addition there is a hand grip to allow easy manipulation while you are swimming. You will be the envy of all the other action-camera photographers there in the emergency room.