There’s a common frustration among underwater photographers and videographers using action cameras: the dreaded blue-green tint that washes out all the vibrant colours of the aquatic world. Before I discovered the possibility of using something like the YALLSAME Dive Filter with Red Magenta Snorkel Red +5 Macro for GoPro Hero 13 12 11 10 9 8 Black Official Housing Case, I often felt my efforts to capture stunning reef scenes or colourful fish were hampered by this pervasive colour cast. Not addressing this means coming back with footage that simply doesn’t do justice to the beauty you witnessed, leaving you with flat, uninspiring videos and photos.
- Compatibility: This dive filters kit is only compatible with GoPro Hero 13 12 11 10 9 8 Black Official Protective Housing Waterproof Case (Not fit for GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini waterproof housing). The...
- Usage: +5 close-up filter for magnifying scenery, Red filter for 12 to 85 ft seawater, Magenta filter for 8 to 75 ft freshwater, Snorkel red filter for 2 to 15 ft seawater.
- Working Principle: The professional color formulas balancing the entry of extra green light, provide flawless videos and pictures in underwater conditions.
Key Considerations Before Buying Underwater Camera Filters
When venturing into underwater photography or videography with an action camera, the vibrant colours you see with your eyes often don’t translate directly to your recordings. Water acts as a natural filter, absorbing different wavelengths of light at varying depths, with red light being the first to disappear, followed by orange, yellow, and green, leaving everything looking predominantly blue or green. Underwater filters are designed specifically to counteract this effect by adding back the colours that water absorbs, restoring a more natural and appealing colour balance to your footage without relying heavily on post-processing.
Anyone planning to capture photos or videos with a compatible GoPro camera inside its official waterproof housing while snorkeling or diving is the ideal candidate for underwater filters. This applies whether you’re casually snorkeling in shallow reefs or engaging in deeper scuba dives. However, if you plan to use your GoPro without a housing, or if you’re using a third-party housing, or if you don’t intend to take your camera underwater in conditions deeper than just splashing around, then these types of specialized dive filters are not necessary and won’t be compatible or beneficial for your needs. Before purchasing, it’s crucial to consider your specific camera model (ensuring it’s compatible), the type of water you’ll be in (saltwater or freshwater), the depths you’ll be exploring, and critically, whether you are using the official housing required for the filter’s fit.
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Introducing the YALLSAME Dive Filter Kit
The YALLSAME Dive Filter with Red Magenta Snorkel Red +5 Macro for GoPro Hero 13 12 11 10 9 8 Black Official Housing Case is a comprehensive set of filters designed to bring back natural colours to your underwater GoPro footage. This kit makes the promise of capturing sharp, colour-accurate visuals across various underwater conditions, from shallow snorkeling to deeper dives in both salt and freshwater, and even allowing for close-up macro shots. Upon purchase, you receive four distinct filters (+5 macro, Red, Magenta, Snorkel Red), a convenient drawstring storage bag, and four security tethers to prevent losing the filters in the water. While I can’t offer a direct comparison to the official GoPro filter set or previous YALLSAME versions without having used them side-by-side, this kit positions itself as a versatile solution covering a range of underwater scenarios for compatible cameras and housings. It’s specifically tailored for users of the GoPro Hero 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8 Black models, *provided they are used with the official GoPro protective waterproof housing*. This kit is emphatically *not* for those using the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini housing or any third-party housings, nor is it designed to be used directly on the camera lens itself.
Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons based on my experience:
Pros:
* Comprehensive kit covers various depths and water types (salt/fresh).
* Includes a useful +5 macro filter for close-ups.
* Comes with a storage bag and security tethers.
* Offers a potential solution for colour correction without extensive post-processing.
* Designed with specific GoPro models and their official housing in mind for a tailored fit.
Cons:
* *Strictly* limited to use with the *official* GoPro housing; incompatible with third-party options or the Hero 11 Mini housing.
* Effectiveness can vary depending on exact conditions and user expectations.
* Potential for minor quality control issues (e.g., clarity, bubbles) reported by some users, though not necessarily typical for every unit.
* Requires testing to understand optimal filter usage for specific depths and lighting.
Diving Deep into Features and Benefits
Having used the YALLSAME Dive Filter kit over numerous underwater adventures, I’ve come to appreciate its different components and how they contribute to capturing better footage. The strength of this kit lies in its versatility, offering multiple options to tackle the challenging task of colour correction beneath the waves.
Compatibility and Fit – The Critical Foundation
The absolute cornerstone of using these dive filters is their compatibility. The product description makes it crystal clear: they are *only* compatible with the GoPro Hero 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8 Black models when used with the *official GoPro Protective Housing*. This is not a minor detail; it’s the difference between the filters fitting snugly and securely, or not fitting at all. For me, using an older Hero 9 with the official housing, the fit was as expected – a secure clip-on attachment that felt reasonably sturdy. The benefit here is that if you *do* use the specified setup, you get a filter designed to integrate seamlessly with that particular housing, minimizing the risk of it falling off accidentally (especially when used with the included tethers). However, this also represents a significant limitation. If you rely on a third-party housing, perhaps one bundled with accessories, or if you own the Hero 11 Black Mini, these filters simply won’t work. This narrow compatibility means you absolutely must check your existing gear setup before considering this purchase.
The Spectrum of Filters: Matching Depth and Water Type
The core value of the YALLSAME Dive Filter kit is the inclusion of four different filters, each targeting specific underwater conditions. Understanding which filter to use and when is key to getting good results.
* Snorkel Red Filter (Ideal for 2-15 ft Seawater): Even in relatively shallow saltwater, the water begins to absorb red light, leaving a greenish tint. The Snorkel Red filter is the lightest of the colour correction filters in the set and is designed to compensate for this early light loss. I found this filter most useful when exploring vibrant, shallow coral reefs or while free-diving just below the surface. It helps restore warmth and colour to subjects that would otherwise appear muted and cold. It’s your go-to for typical snorkeling depths.
* Red Filter (Ideal for 12 to 85 ft Seawater): As you descend deeper in saltwater, the loss of red light becomes more pronounced. The standard Red filter is designed for these deeper scuba diving depths. It’s a stronger correction than the Snorkel Red and is crucial for bringing out the reds, oranges, and yellows that are completely filtered out by the water column at significant depths. Using this filter felt essential during dives below 20 feet, preventing my footage from becoming a monotonous sea of blue. While the stated range goes down to 85 ft, the effectiveness can diminish in very deep or murky conditions, and lighting becomes more challenging overall at those depths.
* Magenta Filter (Ideal for 8 to 75 ft Freshwater): Freshwater environments, like lakes and rivers, often have a different colour cast compared to the ocean, frequently appearing greener or even yellowish due to algae and sediment. The Magenta filter is specifically included to counteract this green tint. It works by absorbing green light, balancing the spectrum for more natural colours in freshwater settings. I’ve found this filter indispensable when filming in Canadian lakes, where the water quality might lean towards a green hue. It’s a thoughtful inclusion often missing in kits focused solely on saltwater.
* +5 Close-Up Macro Filter: This is perhaps the most unique filter in the set. The +5 macro filter isn’t for colour correction, but rather for magnifying nearby subjects. Underwater, getting crisp focus on small creatures or intricate coral details with a wide-angle action camera lens can be challenging. The macro filter allows the camera to focus much closer than it normally could, enabling detailed shots of things like nudibranchs, tiny fish, or textures. This filter significantly expands the creative possibilities of your underwater videography, letting you switch from wide reef shots to intimate portraits of marine life. However, it requires getting very close to your subject, typically within inches, which takes some practice underwater.
Material Quality and Light Transmission Claims
YALLSAME states these filters are made from “Acrylic Optical Glass” and a “special molecular material” possessing properties of high strength and high light transmission. They also feature multi-coating. In practical terms, the filters feel reasonably durable for plastic/acrylic. The “high light transmission” is important because adding any filter inherently reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor. A good filter minimizes this loss while effectively performing its colour correction or magnification task. The multi-coating is intended to reduce internal reflections and flare, which can be particularly problematic when shooting towards the surface or in bright conditions underwater. While I haven’t performed scientific tests, the filters generally didn’t seem to overly darken the footage, which is a positive sign for light transmission.
Working Principle: Colour Correction in Action
The fundamental working principle mentioned – “professional colour formulas balancing the entry of extra green light” – describes how these filters aim to restore balance to the underwater light spectrum. By selectively absorbing the excess green and blue light prevalent underwater, the filters allow the reds and oranges to become visible to the camera sensor again. This results in footage that appears warmer, more natural, and closer to what your eyes perceive, particularly in the crucial red and orange ranges. Over time, I learned that while the filters do a good job of bringing back *some* colour, they are not magic bullets. Optimal results often depend on ambient light conditions, the exact depth, the clarity of the water, and even the angle of the sun. Sometimes, I found that while the filters improved the colour balance, the footage might still benefit from minor adjustments in post-production, especially regarding white balance or contrast. However, starting with filtered footage provides a much better baseline than footage with a severe blue-green cast.
Included Accessories: Practicality for Underwater Use
The inclusion of a drawstring bag and security tethers might seem minor, but they are incredibly practical. The bag keeps the filters organized and protected from scratches when not in use – crucial for maintaining optical clarity. The tethers are simply essential. Attaching a filter to your camera housing underwater means handling small items in potentially challenging conditions. Knowing that the filter is securely tethered to the housing provides peace of mind, preventing the heartbreak of watching a filter sink away into the depths if it’s accidentally dislodged during a filter change or handling.
Using these filters over time has been a learning curve. It’s not just about clipping on the right colour filter for the depth; it’s also about understanding how light changes throughout a dive and how that affects the filter’s performance. There were times when the results were outstanding, bringing out vibrant colours that would have been lost. And there were other times when conditions were tricky, or perhaps I used the wrong filter for a specific depth, and the results were less ideal, maybe still a bit washed out or requiring significant editing. The key benefit is having the *options* to try and correct the colour in-camera, saving significant time and effort in post-processing compared to trying to manually fix severely distorted underwater colours from unfiltered footage. The macro filter, too, has opened up new ways to shoot, allowing for compelling close-up shots of reef life that were previously out of reach.
Voices from Fellow Adventurers
After spending considerable time using these filters myself, I scoured online reviews to see what other users experienced. It seems my experiences largely align with the general sentiment I found, which is rather positive overall, contributing to the decent average rating. Many users were delighted with the improvement in their underwater footage, praising how the filters helped restore vibrant colours lost at depth. Comments frequently highlighted the value of the kit with multiple filters for different scenarios. However, as is common with many products, a few users did report specific issues. Some mentioned challenges achieving perfect clarity or colour balance in certain conditions, or noted potential quality control variations like minor imperfections that could affect the image. Yet, the prevailing feedback suggests that for many, the YALLSAME Dive Filter kit provides a valuable and effective solution for enhancing GoPro underwater video when used with the correct setup.
Bringing Colour Back to Your Underwater World
The persistent problem for anyone taking a GoPro underwater in its protective housing is the rapid loss of colour due to light absorption by the water, resulting in footage that often looks lifeless and overly blue or green. Failing to address this means your amazing underwater memories are captured with a significant colour distortion, making sharing or even re-living the experience less impactful. The YALLSAME Dive Filter with Red Magenta Snorkel Red +5 Macro for GoPro Hero 13 12 11 10 9 8 Black Official Housing Case offers a practical way to combat this. Firstly, it provides a range of filters tailored to different depths and water types, giving you the tools to select the best correction for your specific environment. Secondly, its design for compatible GoPro models and the official housing ensures a fit that’s intended to be secure and reliable underwater. Finally, the inclusion of the macro filter adds a dimension of creative flexibility not found in basic colour correction sets. If you’re ready to elevate your underwater videography and photography and capture the vibrant colours you actually see, Click here to check out the YALLSAME Dive Filter Kit .ca.
Last update on 2025-07-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API