Action cameras are a common compact solution for capturing great video and occasionally stills. With multiple camera brands and plenty of available accessories — including filters, lenses, and lights — it has never been easier to get great footage.
Action camera users typically fall into three categories: divers who want to record their dive, video shooters looking for the most compact system, and photographers using an action camera as a secondary camera on a larger rig. Whatever the use case, the right settings, accessories, and techniques will allow anyone to get great action camera footage.
Settings
Every action camera brand has its pros and cons, but the main principles of shooting them are the same. Whether you want to document a dive for instant sharing, quickly capture video clips, or use an action camera as your primary system, these settings will provide a starting point.
Setup: Before taking a new action camera on a trip, be sure to register it, download the latest firmware, and preload the camera with your settings while you have a reliable internet connection. This preparation saves time and ensures the camera will be functional in remote locations.
Memory card: Always format the memory card before capturing images. This step fully wipes the card and prevents corruption errors. Never delete data on the card; instead format it to avoid any issues.
Resolution: Resolution determines how much data the sensor collects. The current standard for resolution is 4K, which quadruples the resolution of 1080p, making it better for editing. A 1080p resolution is great for videos you want to share immediately with minimal editing. Those files are smaller and easier to work with, making them appealing if you prefer simplicity. Note that it is easy to save to 1080p from a 4K file, but increasing to 4K from 1080p is not viable.
Frame rate: The frame rate determines how many frames per second (fps) the camera records. The more frames per second, the more you can slow down the video, which requires postproduction editing. To shoot for natural motion and the ability to slow down clips, use 60 fps. If immediate sharing with minimal editing is your goal, 30 fps is the best option.
In-camera stabilization: Most action cameras have in-camera stabilization to smooth out handheld footage. Eliminating shakiness is key, and in-camera stabilization instantly upgrades video quality. Cameras typically have different stabilization modes, and higher settings significantly crop the image. I recommend using the second-highest stabilization settings to avoid significant cropping while providing a less shaky result.
ISO and exposure compensation: ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light. Lower ISOs are less sensitive to light but increase image quality regarding noise (the digital equivalent to grain in high-ISO film emulsions). Generally, I recommend setting ISO to auto to prevent underexposure due to ISO limits. Some shooters use an upper ISO limit, but I have found auto ISO produces smoother results with newer cameras. To prevent highlights from being blown out, set the exposure compensation range to –0.3 to –0.7. Brighter conditions will result in better footage with lower ISOs.
White balance: White balance is critical for good underwater footage. Action cameras typically use auto white balance mode and must rely on lights or filters for color correction at depth. Some cameras have built-in white balance sensors that adjust color at depth and select a color temperature for manual white balance. This innovation is cool, but external lenses on the housing will block the sensor, making auto white balance the best choice. You can use any of these cameras without a housing to a significant depth, up to 60 feet (18 meters), although there is more risk of flooding without a camera housing. The benefit is that you don’t have to worry about an external lens blocking the color temperature sensor.
Display settings and battery life: Display settings and battery life are heavily connected. Maximum screen brightness makes it easier to see but consumes more battery. Set brightness to 50% when diving darker environments or for longer runtimes.
While screensaver mode preserves battery life, disable it to prevent the screen from turning off while recording so you don’t lose sight of your subject.
Sleep modes save battery only when the camera is inactive. Setting sleep to five or 10 minutes keeps the camera using minimal power when not in use. When using an action camera along with a larger system, use the “quick capture” setting, which powers on the camera, rolls video at the push of a button, and turns off the camera when you stop recording.
Picture profiles: Most action cameras offer different picture profiles. For quick and easy footage sharing, use the standard profile, which provides vibrant colors without extra editing. Avoid flat or log color profiles unless you are an experienced editor looking to match footage with other cameras in a larger project.
Equipment
The action camera’s limitations underwater include the ability to focus very close, good underwater color straight out of the camera, and sharp, wide-angle coverage. Fortunately, numerous accessories and tools are available that solve these issues and greatly increase the quality of video footage.
Housings: While most action cameras are waterproof, their battery compartments are vulnerable to flooding. Being submerged can also easily confuse touch screens. Housings protect your camera from flooding and make diving with the camera easier. Use housings that are compatible with filters and accessories.
Filters: Water filters out red, orange, and yellow light at depth, causing footage to appear overly blue or cyan. Color-correction filters restore these lost colors, producing a more natural-looking video. Avoid generic, low-quality filters; higher-quality filters designed specifically for underwater use will enhance certain light spectrums and yield better color.
Wide-angle lenses: Wide-angle lenses are the single best tool to enhance action camera footage. Like the refractive effect of the flat glass of a dive mask, action cameras and housings have flat ports that reduce the field of view by 25%. Water is 800 times denser than air and will have a cyan or green color bias. Getting closer to your subject and shrinking the water column will capture richer blacks and provide better overall color saturation, whether using filters or artificial lights. Wide-angle lenses should be a serious consideration for casual shooters and enthusiasts alike since they correct for the poor optics of the housing’s flat port.
Macro lenses: Action cameras can’t focus close enough for true macro but will benefit from special lenses to capture a reef’s minutiae. Use only specific underwater macro lenses, as models made for land won’t fit the housing. These lenses work best when paired with a video light and tripod. Action camera rigs are small and less likely to startle tiny critters, making them fun to use. The other advantage is that you can slip most of these lenses on and off underwater, which is likewise true for the wide-angle adapters.
Video lights: Video lights are essential for serious action camera shooters. They are necessary for shooting subjects hiding in dark areas and boost color, contrast, and clarity. Filters enhance existing color but cannot add color where there is none. Video lights increase the size (adding a tray and arms to the rig) and cost of a system, making them better suited for dedicated action cameras.
Mounts: There are multiple ways to mount action cameras. The simplest method is using a selfie stick or float handle if a smaller size is the main priority. For a dedicated video system, a double-handle tray with the ability to mount arms and lights is preferable. These trays also provide more stability, allowing for smoother, professional-looking footage.
When mounting an action camera to a larger camera system, the best options are a ball mount and clamp, cold-shoe, or adhesive mount, depending on your housing or port system. Specific brackets are available to orient your camera for shooting vertical video.
Shooting for Success
When using an action camera to quickly share video clips directly to social media, a few tips can provide the best results.
Vertical video: Consider what you plan to do with your video. If you only take short clips and plan to post primarily on Instagram, save yourself the pain and hassle of editing by shooting vertically for your reels and stories. If you crop horizontal video vertically, you will lose a significant amount of the frame. Shooting vertically skips this step and makes composing and framing your video easier. Vertical video gets the most views since it is the format used by most social media platforms.
Apps: You don’t need fancy editing software for your footage. Your camera’s editing app can easily do the job. You can use apps to transfer footage directly to your phone, edit the video, and post it. Remember to always backup your footage on a separate hard drive to keep your video safe and easily accessible.
Buoyancy: Good buoyancy is key to great video footage. Even the best in-camera stabilization systems can’t compensate for shaky, out-of-control footage. Proper weighting will go a long way to improving buoyancy, and periodic weight checks will help shed any unnecessary pounds. If the action camera is attached to a larger photo system, floats and float arms will help keep footage stable. The larger the system, the more stable it is underwater, making it easy to get stable footage when the action camera is piggybacking via a mounted ball joint on a larger rig.
Ambient light: Using as much ambient light as possible will produce cleaner-looking, less grainy footage. Action cameras have small sensors. Even though lowlight capabilities have improved on newer cameras, it is still easy to push them beyond their limits. To make sure as much light is reaching the sensor as possible, shoot shallow and in bright light with the sun at your back.
Action cameras provide a simple way to capture epic video, whether recording a dive, picking up some clips while using a larger system, or shooting a dedicated action camera rig as your main approach. Using these settings, equipment, and techniques, it is easy to get professional-looking action camera footage.
Grab a camera and some equipment, dial in a few custom settings, and dive in to capture terrific video at the push of a button.
To learn more about using action cameras for capturing supplemental video, including breaking down each configuration and covering the best equipment and techniques, see the video at tinyurl.com/action-cams.
Note: This article examines a narrow niche — the very small cameras from familiar sport brands, including GoPro, Insta360, and DJI Osmo — and concentrates on their video functionality. There are other compact camera possibilities, such as the SeaLife Micro 3.0, compact cameras in housings, and even housed smartphones.
© Alert Diver – Q2 2025