Underwater camera setup

SafariBob wrote:

I am more a swimming with the tide kind of guy.

My first and only trip to Galapagos was in 2013. My wife came in on the low end for experience (60 dives)

That's more than I have done in my life!

So with all respect, you don't want a big housed camera if your dive experience is low double digits and you're happy doing it as an occasional vacation activity. Expense aside, it will be frustrating and a bit dangerous for you and the reef.   And if you do it only rarely, you relearn the wheel each time.   Even I, with ~40 dives per year, expect the first day to be a loss.

> I have footage from a GoPro and I find the output a bit lacking.

Which model is this, if you can recall?  Early generations (I used the Hero 2 and 3 in the mid decade) were astounding compared to what compact cams could do for video at the time, but required a color filter to tone down the blue/green overload, and the lack of IS required a very stable hand to shoot steady video.    I had 600+ dives and could manage this while still doing the acts of diving, but my wife struggled.

When we moved to the Hero 7, the IS did wonders for her, which is good as she determined that she was not crazy about the bulk of the G7XII compact system we got for her.  It also seemed questionable that the red filter was still called for.

We just got the 10 during the holidays.  $400 for the camera, two batteries, 50 more for the dive housing.   You can get the Hero 9 for a bit cheaper, and it would offer nearly the same upside.

We have plenty of lights already.   Normally she carries two 2500 lumen solas.   These days you can get video oriented lights between 2500 and 4000 lumens for a cheapish price (~200-400each).     Strobes are much brighter, but have a much steeper learning curve.

Still performance was terrible in the 2/3, but quite acceptable in the 7 for casual shooting.  If you find after a few trips that the performance ceiling is too low, that would be a time to consider going spendier.   Or as I suggested in the prior post, look at renting instead.  Buying good equipment only makes sense with a minimum dive frequency.