Kit Focus: GoPro Hero 12 with the AOI UWL-03
- Jon Bunker
- 12 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Snapping my knee in February has given me ample chance to consider lightweight snorkelling and scuba photography rigs.
The best camera is the one you have with you, goes the adage, and with the technology being packed into increasingly small packages I thought it an opportunity to report back on my recent dabbling with a GoPro Hero 12 (See ‘The Action Cam is Dead’ blog).
I won’t go over the limitations of the GoPros underwater, having done that fairly extensively in my last blog on this topic, and for the same reason I won't spend too much time on the virtues of the camera itself either.
What I will do in this kit-focused blog is try to go over some of the accessories you might add to make your GoPro a more functional underwater camera and video rig.
Context: My Use
So why did I bother with a GoPro, knowing full well it could not possibly compete with either my compact (Sony Rx100va) or APS-C (Sony A6400) rigs? As mentioned above, despite its very slight increase in size to accommodate a larger sensor, the HERO range has remained compact despite being stuffed with tech. This makes it an almost uniquely portable powerhouse.
With a young family leaving relatively little space in either the Bunkerbus (our camper) or Bunker Senior’s boat, I found whilst I could certainly travel with my compact Nauticam housing and Inon wide-angle lens, I was forever worried about stowing it safely, dropping it or jamming buttons with sand grains. I also realised, as we were forced to sail on by another bait ball, I could do with something that I could potentially dunk with a long pole or even sink in a rockpool. I’m quite partial to a random weekend down in Cornwall or the odd hike over Chesil beach to visit the Royal Adelaide (see blog) and both of these are made easier with a self-contained rig I can just stuff in a duffel bag as needed.
The AOI UWL-03
Above all else, the emergence of a wide-angle fisheye lens readily mountable on the GoPro was the single thing that made me ‘pull the trigger’ on ordering the camera itself last year. The maximum angle of view of my HERO12 Black is around 156° on land which narrows down to approximately 94° when placed in the official GoPro dive housing. Such are the limitations of flat ports with refraction, so here enters the AOI UWL (ultra-wide lens) 03.
AOI have been in business a while now, providing a lot of OEM housings to camera manufacturers under their partner’s names, but more recently teaming up with Monteray-based Backscatter to both manufacture their products, like the Miniflash and OS1 optical snoot and to market their overtly AOI branded Olympus-focused housings to the US and elsewhere. I don’t have a ton of experience with their housings or glass, but I do definitely rate the Miniflash and snoot combo as being an innovative product for compact underwater shooters.
It might not surprise you to learn, given the above, that Backscatter’s own ‘Sharp & Wide’ Gopro lens is a rebadged AOI UWL-03 with an added red filter. The whole thing makes use of AOI’s ‘Quick Release mount 2’ a bayonet mount almost identical to INON of Japan’s ZD mount system. Inon do produce a selection of Gopro-focused themselves of course; their more affordable wide INON UCL-G165 II increases the angle of view underwater to 110°, the UFL-GR140 ZD as its name likewise suggests expands this to 140° - the latter also available in ‘pro’ optical glass, rather than acrylic for rather a lot more.
Under consideration, and having no need for a red filter, I decided to go for the acrylic AOI UWL-03 (there is now an optical glass version available, perhaps taking their cue from INON). This lens seemed to offer the best balance of cost vs. performance from what I had gleaned online, and I was grateful for fellow BSoUPer Kal sharing a video of his in action which helped clinch it for me.
What’s in the Box?
For £199 you get the lens itself with the bayonet port attached, an abs rear cap to protect the optics, with both a small snug neoprene cover for the dome front, with a secondary cushioned neoprene cover with drawstring to go over the above for extra protection. The latter is a really nice touch, and considerate of the fact that acrylic domes frequently do scratch easily.
Mounting
Bought separately, but also required, is the £75 QRS 02 pistol grip. I imagine few will make use of the pistol grip, but the standard photography screw thread on the base of the quick release mount is almost ideal for attaching to a tray. I say almost ideal, as being just a single thread, you have to keep it tight against the tray or else it will be prone to wobble; a second thread would have kept it more stable.
The fit is snug but appealingly so, and you won’t have to wrestle the mount onto your GoPro housing here. I must stress though, it will only fit the ‘official’ GoPro housing here, so make sure you have the 60m rated genuine article. That said, there are enough bits in the box to fit every make of genuine case from the HERO 7 through to the Hero 13. My GoPro 12 fits the 9(+) dive housing
It's also worth noting that the QRS 02 pistol is also now available for the DJI Osmo Action 5Pro, so you’re by no means prevented from using that camera with all the same accessories mentioned here.
My tray is an ancient ‘Shoot’ aluminium affair I picked up eight years ago online, but like a lot of their kit has lasted a surprisingly decent amount of time. Coupled with a few more of their butterfly connectors (similarly good value compared to other ebay offerings: https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHOOT-Handheld-Stabilizer-Underwater-Camcorder/dp/B074XTVTHV?ref_=ast_sto_dp ) I’ve found it works well keeping the GoPro central where the QRS mount has a tendency to shift the camera off-centre. I do think a tray is a non-negotiable with GoPros, equipped as they are with Hypersmooth image stabilisation, being able to keep two hands on the rig helps a great deal with keeping your shots steady.
In shallow water, this is all you need to get going, and as I’ve found myself suddenly limited to gentle snorkelling this year, all I took in to get started. It was the right patellar tendon I ruptured (completely snapped off) towards the end of February, an unnerving injury, as you’re suddenly unable to stand upright on two legs! It’s been a long, gruellingly slow-paced recovery to date, but three months on from surgery I eventually moved from two crutches to one, and then none (just this past week). My pro-footballer days might be behind me, but having a lighter camera setup for these nascent outings has been both a blessing and a practical necessity.
The rocks down by the steps at the far end of Chesil Cove were a suitably accessible first target, and I was suitably delighted to make it back in, first for a solo snorkel, then with dive buddies Georgie and Steph:
Adding Some Macro
Until recently, the macro options were limited to INON’s UCL-G100 ZD, or the even greater magnification of the UCL-G55 ZD. Coupled with a wide-angle lens, these quickly add up, especially if this is intended as an additional or supplementary camera system. Backscatter/AOI produced a much more affordable somewhat soft-cornered +10 and ‘Macromate Mini’. Until a few weeks ago these 55m mounts were exclusively for their ‘Flip’ system, but Backscatter have recently announced a $49 adapter that will let you take both wide and macro on the same dive. You can check it out at about four minutes into their video here:
Adding some lights… and possible some fluro?
Whilst strobes are out of the question being without a flash to trigger, video lights can easily be mounted on trays and spaced out with arms and more butterfly 1” connectors. I still have a load of perfectly functional, 18650-powered, LED lights that play nicely with the 1” ball mount system. Many of them have blue light mode that- at least in theory- could play nicely with the FLIP fluro filter I picked up for £16 on ebay. I don’t hold out very high hopes for this, the GoPro sensor being so small and florescence being a comparatively weak effect to observe underwater, yet I would like to experiment with it at some point.
Conclusion/Links
I’m not endorsed by or affiliated with AOI in any way (mores the pity), but I have no regrets in picking up their ultra-wide lens, which has already proved invaluable in restoring the functionality of GoPros underwater. I’m really excited to trying out the new macro mount with my existing macromate mini, hopefully before we head off to the Channel Islands aboard Bunker snr’s boat this summer.
Thanks to:
Kjetil Kalla, for your reassurance r.e. the choice of AOI lens
Sean Elliot (Australian diver) for his useful youtube video on best in-camera settings
And to Colin Garrett who’s always inspired me with his GoPro videography and photography
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