With its watertight housing, wide lens and button controls, many people would say that the GoPro HERO is a good actioncam for scuba divers. A group of Danish entrepreneurs, however, have developed something that they think is even better. Among other things, their Octospot Dive Camera is reportedly the first to offer pressure-controlled auto white balance, so that images don't look bluer the deeper you go.
The Octospot has a maximum resolution of 4K/30fps, it can also shoot 12-MP stills, and one charge of its foam-insulated battery should be good for up to two hours of recording. Its military-grade aluminum body is watertight without a housing, down to 200 m (656 ft) – by contrast, the GoPro HERO 4's "crush depth" is 40 m (131 ft) with the standard housing, or 60 m (197 ft) with its dive housing.
Additionally, the Octospot is designed to be operated by users who are wearing thick neoprene gloves. Shooting modes are selected by twisting a ring on the back of the camera, and recordings are made simply by sliding back its main magnetic control switch – the camera vibrates to confirm that it's been activated.
Although there is no viewfinder, a small OLED screen on the back does display data such as mode, depth and battery life.
Other features include electronic image stabilization and lens distortion correction; a snap-on/snap-off mask mount; and, a dive log data video overlay including depth, duration and temperature. And yes, there's the depth-sensitive white balance. Utilizing a pressure sensor, it determines the depth at which the camera is shooting, and then compensates for the amount of the visible light spectrum that's being filtered out by the water.
An accompanying iOS/Android app allows users to wirelessly adjust settings such as video resolution, plus it lets them view, edit and post footage.
If you're interested in getting an Octospot of your own, it's currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of US$349 will presently get you one, assuming all goes according to plans. The estimated retail price is $599.
You can see footage shot with it, in the video below.
Sources: Octospot, Kickstarter
