GoPro Qs

[_Paz_]

GoPro Qs


Sadly, I haven't come across any Black Friday Super Duper GoPro deals.... but, If there really is a Santa Clause he ought to bring me a GoPro, right? So... which one? I especially want to be able to video:

1. around and under fresh and salt water, maybe from the top of a mast

2. high quality slow motion, such as water drops

3. attach macro lenses a la Sidd, to fry ants (kidding!)

4. fly (someday)

===========================

Do they all come with the same lenses? Some of the GoPro footage I've seen has remarkable clarity.

Can they be set for more than one zoom level, or width zoomed in? There must be a better way to express that. Sorry, coming out of a long headache. I've seen some footage that looks like fisheye, other footage that looks really zoomed in. Can the camera zoom?

Can they be dunked right into the water or do they need a special housing? If so, does the housing come with them?

Can they be edited in either Premiere Elements or Premiere Pro?

Will other programs, such as Mercalli's stabilizer work with the footage?

Is stabilizer processing necessary? How on Earth do the folks riding motorbikes, etc., get such clear, not jerky footage?

Some of the models say they are Bluetooth ready. My laptop is Bluetooth capable, whatever that is. Does that mean the camera and my laptop would be able to communicate and I'd be able to see what the camera sees on my laptop?

Did one of the older models have better slow motion than the newest ones?

I like the idea of being able to get higher quality still images directly from footage with the 4k model, but don't expect I'll have the computer power to process 4k any time soon.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'd investigate on my own if I felt better and I figure lots of you know all this already,

Paz

[sidd finch]

Paz I am sure Santa is listening attentively.

I have to say that within the context of what they do, I feel that they are outstanding cameras for what you get. But it is not a DSLR replacement and you are not going to be finding lenses for the camera, nor does it have any zoom. Also because it is a single CMOS chip it does not do low light very well.

Choosing the model you want is has a few factors. If you are really excited about 4K recording then the 4 Black is the choice. If that is not the motivator then the 3 Silver is the way to go in terms of the new GoPro line. If you are shopping by price and want a great camera, there are some deals to be had finding the 3+. If you just want to get your feet wet and want a solid 1080P action cam then the new Hero is a safe bet.

I have attempted to answer your questions below.
Q: Do they all come with the same lenses? Some of the GoPro footage I've seen has remarkable clarity.
A: No. The 3 Black is clear near and far. The 3+ They adjusted the lens to be sharper near field than the 3, but not as sharp at the 3 far field. The 4 has a new more advanced processor for clearer video but it looks like they went back to the 3 in terms of near field and far field being the same. And yes they are quite clear. In addition the 4 is better in low light than its predecessors.

Q: Can they be set for more than one zoom level, or width zoomed in? There must be a better way to express that. Sorry, coming out of a long headache. I've seen some footage that looks like fisheye, other footage that looks really zoomed in. A: The cameras have 3 settings. Wide, Medium and Narrow, The 3+ and the 4 have the additional "Superview" which is wider than the Wide setting. The wider the setting the more the fisheye effect.

Q: Can the camera zoom?
Strictly speaking no they cannot. But, you can record in 2.7K of 4K and import that footage into 1080p timeline. This gives you some wiggle room to pan in the larger size image.

Q: Can they be dunked right into the water or do they need a special housing? If so, does the housing come with them?
A: The camera is not waterproof but they do come with a waterproof housing that the camera fits inside. Be aware that the camera itself does not have any mounting options. You must use either the waterproof or a GoPro frame case to mount the camera.

Q: Can they be edited in either Premiere Elements or Premiere Pro?
A: Yes to both.

Q: Will other programs, such as Mercalli's stabilizer work with the footage?
A: Yes as well as After Effects.

Q: Is stabilizer processing necessary? How on Earth do the folks riding motorbikes, etc., get such clear, not jerky footage?
A: The answer is very subjective. It is dependent on how you are using the camera. When mounted objects that are in close range will appear to be not as shaky because of their proximity and your frame of reference. Also it depends on who is producing the video. GoPro has a staff of 30 editors that do some amazing things to the footage. I have also seen a lot of junk that needs stabilizing.

Q: Some of the models say they are Bluetooth ready. My laptop is Bluetooth capable, whatever that is.
A: While the GoPro 4 does have Bluetooth there is currently nothing in the camera that is taking advantage of the Bluetooth technology. Consensus is that it might show up in an additional firmware update in the future

Q: Does that mean the camera and my laptop would be able to communicate and I'd be able to see what the camera sees on my laptop?
A: Maybe at some point in the future but not currently. As of now the cameras have WiFi.

Q: Did one of the older models have better slow motion than the newest ones?

The 3 and the 3+ do 120fps at 720P the new 4 does 120 fps at 1080P. That is the most useable setting. If you are interested in really slow motion there is a plugin for your editor called Twixtor that can get some really slow footage.


Sidd

[momoffduty]

Looks like Sidd had some great answers to your questions Paz! To add to his comments:

Most of my projects are 720p and if I shoot in 1080p then there is room to zoom a little or at least level the horizon and compose the shot.

As for the shakiness, well hit or miss. I had shots from a harness on a Segway and the footage was way too shaky. The footage from the Barbie car was much better.

I wonder if the Black 3+ prices will drop now that the 4 has arrived. You may find some good deals on used from people who bought the 4.

Out of all of the gadgets I've purchased the LCD BacPac is wonderful! Most of my shots are me shooting scenery and the grandkids handheld. It really helps to set up the shots for time-lapse too. On vacation I used the GoPro on a Joby Gorilla pod and on a monopod. Next trip I am leaving the DSLR at home, too big to carry around.

[_Paz_]

Thanks, both of you.

Looks like I'm going to want a 4. Now to decide between silver and black.

Paz

[Bob]

Q: Does that mean the camera and my laptop would be able to communicate and I'd be able to see what the camera sees on my laptop?
A: Maybe at some point in the future but not currently. As of now the cameras have WiFi.

Just to add to that, if you have a smartphone or tablet, there is an app available that you can use for that purpose.

[_Paz_]

My headache is almost gone and I can think again. Thank you all so much!

I'm still trying to decide between the 4 silver or black. Sidd, thank you for posting your thread about Understanding the Hero4 and this link:

http://abekislevitz.com/new-features-of-the-hero4/

The ability to adjust white balance, color profile, etc. are important to me. Still on the fence about 4k, but I like the black for better slow motion.

I've been reading about Bluetooth and learned that it is indeed a form of wireless communication, as I suspected, but the range is only 30 feet. That won't work from the top of my 45 foot mast.

I have a dumb phone. And I like it. It's a Motorola, double minutes for life, TracPhone. I only turn it on when I need it, have over 1,300 minutes available that roll over as long as I purchase a new $20, 60 minute (120 minute) card every three months. I get great reception everywhere I've traveled and mostly use it when we're at the beach. It can receive text messages, store phone numbers, gives me a list of recent calls... all I need. Except seeing what a GoPro sees!

No tablet and I don't see the need for a tablet when I have a laptop I take with me when I travel... but then it looked like apps only work for smart phones and tablets... but I found this video on how to transfer from GoPro directly to a computer via wireless:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dTyxSQZPro[/youtube]

So that might work.

decisions, decisions...

[sidd finch]

I think given that it is only $100 more I think I would go for the 4K black. The HD to 4K decision seems to be similar to the SD to HD from a few years back not that there is anything wrong with the 4 silver.

For me the appeal is that they are so small and so sturdy and that taking some decent video is pretty easy to do. A lot of the video I shoot seems to be spur of the moment so I like the ease of use that the camera brings to me. I also really like that I can place the camera in some very unique places to get shots of things I was not expecting. The spontaneity of the footage is part of the fun.

The wireless transfer is a pretty big drain on your camera battery. I have a USB 3.0 card reader that I use to transfer my files to my computer. It is very very quick.

But whatever you choose I am sure you will be happy.

Sidd

[Ron Hunter]

As for 4k, I love it! I shoot in 4k on my GH4 and then post-process to 1080p in FCPX. This allows me to zoom into a clip with no discernible loss of quality. Once you do this you'll be hard pressed to go back to shooting in 1080.

I presume you can do this on the 4k-capable GoPro?

[karri]

Is anyone using Premiere Pro (pre-CC versions) with their 4K GoPro footage to pan/zoom on a 1080 or 720 timeline? If so, which sequence preset do you use? TIA

[sidd finch]

I shoot in 2.7K using CS5 and CS6. I just open a 1080P @ 30fps template and import the footage. In CS6 the program asks you if you want to convert and I say "no". Output to the desired setting.

Sidd

[_Paz_]

Great question, Karri. Thanks for the answer, Sidd.

I believe the relatively inexpensive program, Power Director, can edit 4k. Steve will be certain. He's written a book about it!

I've decided on the black because of the higher slow motion rate. A couple of days ago, B&H included a SanDisk - 64GB microSDXC Extreme Plus Class 10 UHS-1 Memory Card with microSD Adapter, FREE. This morning it was $50. Now it's $75. bummer. I suspect using 4K will fill a card rather quickly.

Somewhere I read that Mom bought the GoPro back viewer accessory. How does it attach? Does it plug in for power? Can it be used separately?

I've found this wrist strap version made by another company. It looks great because it is designed to be used separately and can get wet - not doused, but splashed.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P9UER3W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AGOQ5HPOI923S

Whenever the camera is physically out of reach, you'd be able to see what it was seeing. Maybe even if the camera was in its case, underwater???

Q. The wrist strap version works via wi-fi. ummmm.... doesn't that mean you have to be able to connect via your cable company? They picture a guy on a surfboard using this.

Which leads to another

Q. How does the GoPro focus? My camcorders have the ability to touch the screen where you want to have focus and lighting set. Does the GoPro do this or is everything all in focus, all the time? Is it all automatic?


Q. All I've seen mentioned is f/2.8. If that doesn't change, how can there be a great depth of field?

[Bob]

The GoPro lcd viewer attaches to the back of the GoPro. It uses the GoPro's battery for power. The GoPro LCD viewer comes with a replacement back piece for the case so you can use the unit attached to the GoPro in the GoPro cases including the waterproof one.

The WiFi connection is an ad hoc connection between the two devices. It doesn't use your wireless access point.

The lens is a simple fixed focus, fixed diaphragm lens. It has a great depth of field because the focal length of the lens is very small.

The sensor has a 4:3 ratio. The various capture sizes you can select are achieved by electronically cropping the sensor and in some cases resampling the image to a smaller size. For example, the Hero3 1440p and 960p video modes use the full 4:3 sensor -- the 960p is a down sampling of the 1440p. Field of view is a function of the focal length of the lens and the size of the sensor. When you crop the sensor, a smaller portion of the image projected by the lens onto the sensor is captured. This cropped image contains fewer pixels than the full sensor thus lowering the resolution and, at the same time, covers a narrower field of view.

[_Paz_]

Thanks, Bob. You know EVERYTHING!!! Even better, you have a great ability to transform technical information into something 'normal' minds can comprehend!

I ordered the Hero4 Black from B&H, but not the card at $75. If anyone hears of a better deal...

I really like the wrist strap viewer idea. Pull the GoPro up the mast and frame you view without having to use a bosun's chair. (A terrifying prospect!) Put the GoPro in a tree, maybe wrapped around a limb using a Gorilla Pod, looking into a bird's nest or squirrel nest. The GP is waterproof. It could stay outside overnight, if necessary. You can 'see' and record or not depending on what is going on up in that tree top. Two springs ago we had a robin's nest. I took some video from a ladder but the parent birds wouldn't come when I was there so eventually I set the camera up on a tripod with 'motion activation' selected and only took video of the parents coming and going. Not nearly as much fun as feeding the babies.

There was a fabulous video posted here once about a squirrel's dramatic escape from a hawk. Wonder if the in the nest scenes and the hawk on his favorite perch scenes were filmed with GoPros up a tree?

This is going to be fun! We have several creeks in the area that have canoe trail rentals. I've never been willing to take my camera out in a canoe though. I'd love to do a four seasons set. On a river not too far away there is a lovely flower that blooms in spring and this is the only known location of it in the world. We've driven over there before to take pics but the river is swift and the rocks are slippery. I don't mind if I get wet, but too dangerous for my camera. Footage from there can be another good addition for my Alabama history collection.

Can't wait!

(Off to look for more goodies. This thing has more accessories available than Barbie!)

Thanks everyone!

Paz

[sidd finch]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13522

Sidd

[momoffduty]

Congrats on your GoPro decision! Yes, more accessories than Barbie. The BacPac attaches to the camera and you need to use the older size housing. I bought the BacPac with the housing as a set.

The BacPac left on will drain the battery. There is a small button on the side to turn off after you set up a shot. The WiFi also drains the battery. I've used the app on my phone and there is a small time delay.

There are times that I cannot see the BacPac because of the GoPro position. I either snap a photo or set to timelapse and take a few photos. Remove the camera out of position and check the photos on the LCD screen and then place the camera back into position. Some of this is guess work.

The Gorilla Pod is great. I use it to wrap around things and as a stand. It makes a nice handle for hand held. It can also be used as a makeshift steadicam. Place one prong into your shoulder and hold onto the other 2 feet.