PARALENZ Dive Camera+ - waterproof, underwater camera, military grade aluminum housing and depth & temperature video overlay.

Quality design and build. All the features a diver needs in a compact camera you can clip to a D-ring as one would a backup light. For higher performance, you would need to spend $1000s on an aluminum housing and camera ( which I did 20 years ago).I did have to update its firmware to the latest version using a laptop (like a thumb drive) before it would connect with my iPhone. But this is just life in the digital world. Excellent iPhone app.

Great camera but mine arrived with a fault so spoke to paralenz and now it’s on its way to being replaced by them, really quick response via emails over Christmas period and have been really helpful.

Great quality camera that produced some stunning footage - certainly loads better than earlier GoPro’s though I’ve not compared with the very latest model.What sets Paralenz apart from their competitors however is the support for any issues, I voiced my concern about a glitch on Facebook and was contacted by Paralenz directly who offered support and ultimately arranged for collection & redelivery of my camera with the issue fully resolved.

The makers website starts out saying "Paralenz's patented DCC automatically corrects the colors to match the depth you are at.".All well and good but the manual says "The deeper you go the more colors will be absorbed. The camera cannot add colors that are not present, so beyond 20 meters de-activate the DCC™ and use a flashlight instead".So for good results using DCC it has a real range of 0-20 metres.Next disappointment was EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation) or the lack of it.The camera and the app lets you select EIS to on for all modes up to 4K - good stuff and what one would expect.6.5.3 EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization)You can enable EIS, which reduces shakes and vibrations in video, by using pixels outside the border of the visible frame to provide a buffer for the motion.However support has confirmed and by an article posted 18 days ago the following facts.EIS only works in the following settings:Resolution: 1080p, Framerate: 30 fpsResolution: 1080p, Framerate: 60 fpsResolution: 720p, Framerate: 60 fpsSo no 4K EISAnyway time to actually use it. I ordered at the same time one of the recommended memory cards which seems to have worked with no issues.I made test recordings at home in 4K for over an hour and all works well and like most action cameras it makes files just under 4Gb in size.Now time to go scuba diving in the Red Sea...I started with the mask strap mount and the camera is quite heavy but of course this will be reduced in the water.For ease of operation I set it to automatically record when you enter the water.I had the manual (which is also in the app) and found the how to use this mode a little vague.6.6.6 Auto recordWith Auto record enabled, the camera will start recording video as soon as your are below your depth mark (1 ft./0,3 m.), (3 ft./0,9 m.) or (5 ft./1,5 m.) The recording will stop 20 seconds after you are above the mark again. (*This only applies to video).What it does not tell you if there is anything else required so I just went for having the camera powered on.That I now know was wrong and no recording was made of my first dive.Next dive I tried the lock position but this time I un-clipped the camera from the mount mid dive to see if it was recording. It was not so I manually started it.I then stopped recording to try and take a photo and at that point it locked up on the snap screen not changing whatever you did.Back to the manual...12.1 IF THE CAMERA FREEZES OR WON'T TURN ONIn case of the camera freezing and not responding, you can always do a hard-reset:1. Turn the selector ring to power position.2. Plug in the charger.3. Hold the activation switch for 10 seconds. - The camera will now reboot.That works and keeps the date and time but of course cant be done underwater (I also now know that sometimes when it locks up rotating the control to power position and holding the control for 10 seconds also will force it off. That is not in the manual).I have more cameras than I can count and one thing the all have in common is they do not lock up. Only this pretty expensive camera gets that award.For Auto Record to work the camera has to be powered on and the rotary selector set to video (rather tricky I guess to explain in an instruction manual).So yes, my first dive video which was hardly worth watching as exhaust air from my second stage would make the camera vibrate making the video mostly unwatchable.By the way, if you un-clip the camera form the mask mount it is quite a challenge to try and clip it back on underwater.So the mask mount was a flop so went for the stick option with it handheld.That worked and I gave up on still pictures as they seemed to make it lock up.Once recording in 4K memory cards soon start to fill and time to copy files off.Then my next problem. Guess what, the camera is so basic that it does not remember the last file number so if you change cards or format the card in the camera it goes back to file number 0001.I asked support and the feature to store the last file number (like every other camera on the market has done since the early days of digital cameras), They say it is planned for a future update.Such a feature should have been in the basic product designed and not have to be added two years later!It does have a real-time clock, they managed that.So when you copy off your videos you cant just put them in one folder or you may overwrite some videos of photos you have already taken.Time for my next dive and a new problem...We got close to a hammerhead shark and cool, this will look good with DCC (Depth Color Correction) and in 4KHowever, on transferring the files which was unusually fast on watching them I realised they were in 2K and the colours looked worse than normal).I then found the camera had lost my settings and yes you could set them it to 4K video and DCC on when you turned it off all the changes were lost. Something else none of my other camera have ever managed.Well out of range of the mobile phone network so no support and the reset option did not help.Thus at dive start I then had to manually activate DCC and use the custom mode which seems to default to 4KWhat did I think of the results?Very mixed views, the sand on the seabed often appears over exposed and washed out be it 3 metres deep or 20 metres deep.Others in my group with more normal underwater cameras obtained better results and comparing with my last trip where I used a Cannon PowerShot D30 and a white slate also gave better colours and more detail.Now back home support tell me to reinstall the firmware to fix the settings issue (not unknown it would seem) and to fix the lockup taking stills.Yes, settings now saved but on my forth still photo is locked up.One last thing, after the battery has charged, the camera still draws over 0.25amp (1.25watts) which also seems very strange to me.I shall be sending it back...

Love it.

Love this camera! I’ve used it extensively as a dive camera. What I love about it is that it autocorrects colour in blue or green water. I also used it on holiday when walking around. It’s unobtrusive so you can hold it in your hand and take photos when you want

The paralenz is a great camera, the combination of auto colour correction, temperature and depth information is a unique offering. Having dived the paralenz in a number of different conditions I’m impressed. I did have a minor issue with the camera, addressed in speedy fashion by the company without quibble.

Had my Paralenz for a few months now and have got some great footage. It's very easy to use and mount on my mask.The build quality is also impressive.Totally recommended.