GO PRO Hero 2

[S1Steve]

This is cool, got a early birthday gift today. But no memory card came with it.

 

Is the San Disk sdhc OK, our should I buy something else...

 

Any and all tips for using this are very welcome.....

 

Thanks , Steve

[BruceBowker]

Steve - I just became a dealer for GoPro. I plan on bringing one back with me for some car video drives. I have the roll bar attachment.

 

I think any card that fits will be OK. This is the card GoPro recommends. Of course a 32 GB will also work.

 

16GB SD Memory Card (Class 10)

 

Bruce

[S1Steve]

Thanks Bruce, GoPro claims the case is good for 197' ( 60m). Have you had one in the water yet, and if so how deep. We are looking forward to getting down the islands somewhere this summer, and want to bring it in the water with me.

 

Thanks for the reply....

[Croc]

They are great little cameras. I have two of these little devils. Make sure you get at least a class 8 to 10 card.

 

Have a look at http://www.eyeofmineactioncameras.com/

Their roll bar mount is the best I have seen anywhere - simple to use and stable.

 

Their polarizing filter is a neat way to improve the colors which can look washed out in bright sunshine.

Before

 

 

After

 

I also have been exploring the underwater section for my Thanksgiving holiday snorkeling trip looking at the flat lens kit and underwater filter. The mount designed for shark fins might be of particular use to Bruce to get great footage of Jaws snacking on one of his dive clients in Bonaire.

 

All I am waiting for is the wifi unit to be released so I can start all cameras while sitting in my car .

 

The last thing to think about is what editing software you want to use to produce the video. Despite what you may think, you will need to edit down the footage to the highlights. Go Pro has one you can download for free but it is not the best. Windows Movie Maker seems to work for some people but not me. I use Cyberlink PowerDirector.

 

Give me a call if you have any other questions.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Croc

[S1Steve]

Thanks for the link and info Mike. I'll shop around for a 16 gb class 10 SD card, and a mount for the rollover bar.

The editing software was going to be my next question, I'll see what will be Steve friendly .....lol

[BruceBowker]

Thanks Bruce, GoPro claims the case is good for 197' ( 60m). Have you had one in the water yet, and if so how deep. We are looking forward to getting down the islands somewhere this summer, and want to bring it in the water with me.

 

Thanks for the reply....

 

I would trust the water tight claim. Have been well over 100 with one. In many cases it is not if the housing will leak but if the buttons will still work. You will need a flat lens to replace the dome that the case now has. There are many manufacturers of such. GoPro rep told me GoPro at some point have their own flat lens. Apparently at certain settings there is vignetting with the dome lens.

 

Bruce

[MoPho]

 

 

Their polarizing filter is a neat way to improve the colors which can look washed out in bright sunshine.

 

 

 

The problem is for the $15+ shipping they charge you for that little gel filter, you can buy a pile of square gels, of course you would have to trim it which is a PITA.

 

Also, that ND filter isn't nearly enough.

 

I bought this underwater flat lens mount (without the sealant since my case is drilled for the mic and I am not diving with it) so I can mount much more ND on it, or any other filter too.

You need to trick the GoPro into thinking it is darker out so that it changes the exposure and runs a slower shutter speed, this eliminates the "jello" rolling shutter effect and also gives it a more natural look because the background blurs more.

 

This video (watch 740p) is done with running about 8+ stops of ND (the EOM ND is only like 1.5 stops), though I am planning to experiment with less (4-6 stops) as there is some loss of shadow detail and noise is introduced when going into darker areas.

The road is pretty bumpy and I didn't even have to run it through the rolling shutter reduction software on iMovie

 

 

 

The only catch is you need to use a very thin filter or it vignettes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a look at http://www.eyeofmineactioncameras.com/

Their roll bar mount is the best I have seen anywhere - simple to use and stable.

 

The L bracket looks a bit flimsy though, doesn't look like it would be stable enough over bumps

 

 

 

 

.

[Croc]

The L bracket looks a bit flimsy though, doesn't look like it would be stable enough over bumps

 

Its powder coated sheet steel so it is heavy. There is no way I am bending it without a power tool. It is plenty stable on NJ roads which are much worse than your billiard table smooth roads in CA!

 

The alternative I use is a Manfrotto clamp with a ball head adapter which is really nice and stable but oh so heavy....

[S1Steve]

Placed a order for the Rollbar mount and SD Memory Card from GoPro.

 

Placed a order for the WallCharger from EyeofMine.

 

This will get me started next week when I get these bits in the mail.

 

Thanks for the input...

[timax]

The problem is for the $15+ shipping they charge you for that little gel filter, you can buy a pile of square gels, of course you would have to trim it which is a PITA.

 

Also, that ND filter isn't nearly enough.

 

I bought this underwater flat lens mount (without the sealant since my case is drilled for the mic and I am not diving with it) so I can mount much more ND on it, or any other filter too.

You need to trick the GoPro into thinking it is darker out so that it changes the exposure and runs a slower shutter speed, this eliminates the "jello" rolling shutter effect and also gives it a more natural look because the background blurs more.

 

This video (watch 740p) is done with running about 8+ stops of ND (the EOM ND is only like 1.5 stops), though I am planning to experiment with less (4-6 stops) as there is some loss of shadow detail and noise is introduced when going into darker areas.

The road is pretty bumpy and I didn't even have to run it through the rolling shutter reduction software on iMovie

 

 

 

The only catch is you need to use a very thin filter or it vignettes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The L bracket looks a bit flimsy though, doesn't look like it would be stable enough over bumps

 

 

 

 

.

 

Looks like you think the same as me. As a photographer also i'm always looking for ways to make things better. Like your setup but the exposure variation across the image looks strange. Like you had the filter at an angle? Would love to hear your thoughts.. Flare is what i'm battling. Maybe a grad is what i'm after.

Regards Tim

Edited May 8, 2012 by timax

[MoPho]

Looks like you think the same as me. As a photographer also i'm always looking for ways to make things better. Like your setup but the exposure variation across the image looks strange. Like you had the filter at an angle? Would love to hear your thoughts.. Flare is what i'm battling. Maybe a grad is what i'm after.

Regards Tim

 

The exposure variation is likely caused by the fact that I am using a variable ND filter so I can experiment with different settings before settling on one thinner filter, that and the GP lens and chip isn't exactly the best. Mainly I was aiming for eliminating the jagged motion and jello effect of the camera.

With such a wide lens, you wouldn't be able to eliminate lens flare without some sort of lens hood that is likely to show up in the frame. That said, I think the lens flare effects that shows up with this filter on is more appealing than without it.

 

I don't have a picture of my set up, but it looks similar to this but with an ND filter on it

 

http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/image/IMG_0067.jpg

 

 

 

Its powder coated sheet steel so it is heavy. There is no way I am bending it without a power tool. It is plenty stable on NJ roads which are much worse than your billiard table smooth roads in CA!

 

The alternative I use is a Manfrotto clamp with a ball head adapter which is really nice and stable but oh so heavy....

 

 

I probably shouldn't have said "flimsy", I meant it looks like it will transmit vibration. I just ordered one anyway, figured I'd give it a try. I am currently using gear out of my work kit for mounting heavier cameras, and I know one day I will be on a shoot pissed off because the clamps I need are back home on the 7 :banghead:

 

 

.

[jimrankin]

GoPro says to use up to a 32GB card but I have used a 64GB class 10 card without a problem. I don't know why they say max is 32 but if you have a larger card already and it's fast (class 10) it will work.

I didn't notice a big improvement in the video quality from my original HD Hero to the new Hero 2 but by using a set of outside stereo microphones I am finally getting some decent audio. No matter what I tried with the original HD Hero up on the open roll bar all I got was too much wind noise and not enough motor/tire at anything over 60-70MPH. Open or closed back did not seem to matter much.

Just a reference point: Someone on this or another blog had noted that plugging in the outboard mic's did not shut off the cameras internal microphone. I have placed a little piece of double layer masking tape over the camera body mic holes and that seem to have eliminated anything but the two outboard mic pick ups. I bought a "skeleton" case but just drilled a small hole in the standard case for the mic input instead as I was hoping the closed case would do a better job of isolating the sound to just the outboard mics.

[MoPho]

As I suspected the Eye of Mine mount transmitted too much vibration for my liking. Hopefully they will take it back

[powderbrake]

There is an extensive discussion of the external mic on a Go Pro on the Corvette Forum

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/2972386-what-external-mic-for-gopro-hd-hero2.html

[Croc]

GoPro just launched the wifi unit starting today with immediate shipments as they have the units in stock.

 

 

Powderbrake - Many thanks for the Corvette forum link. That is the best explanation I have had of why my sound is not as perfect as I have wanted it to be. I have a stereo mic in a mono plug on the camera - no wonder it is so quiet on the video.

[jimrankin]

GoPro returned an answer to my questions about the 3.5MM mic port. I'm never sure about the online support being correct because they usually sound more confused about the product than the person asking the question but I kept it simple.

Q1: is the 3.5MM microphone port stereo or mono? A: stereo.

Q2: do the two camera microphone openings on the camera body record in stereo or do they record in mono? A: stereo

Q3: does plugging into the 3.5MM mic port with external microphones disconnect the camera body microphone recording input? A: yes.

Take this with a grain of salt because the same querry in December had different responses to Q2 and Q3.

The original response to Q2 was basically "I don't understand the question".

The original answer to Q3 was "the camera body microphones are always recording to allow for stereo with only one external microphone".

In December they confirmed that the mic port was "powered" so no external power for microphones was required. My stereo microphones work well and that seems to confirm the previous "powered" answer as being correct.

GoPro is moving over the hill from Half Moon Bay to my town of San Mateo and I sure would like to get to go in and make a few suggestions about their product. I really like it but there are some real problems with operating it in a noisy car with a helmet on so you can't hear the beeps and it being mounted on a roll bar behind you so you can't see the lights. I will have to look into the new remote to see if that helps. Right now I just turn it on before I start getting buckled in and edit out all the dead time before actualy getting flagged on or in some cases, waiting out some long red flag or black flag all stops. Still a lot of bang for the buck though.

[MoPho]

I am fairly certain that the ext mic port is stereo as I have a mono mic and initially the sound was only coming out of one channel until I bought a stereo adaptor and now it plays both channels.

 

I am also fairly certain that the built in mic doesn't turn off since I was still getting wind noise and chatter from the camera moving around in the case even with the ext mic plugged in. I taped over the mic, sealed the case and put foam around the camera so it didn't rattle and the noise stopped.

 

I have the same problem turning it on, not sure I want to spend money on the remote though and I think it can't be used with the viewscreen

 

 

I wish they made it more of a pencil cam style like their competitors, it looks a bit silly to be sticking a box out into the wind, the other cameras out there are a bit more appropriate in style and "aerodynamics". That said I chose the GP because it provided the best quality and had the most aftermarket support

 

Also wish they made a longer lens version, the FOV is a bit too wide and distorted.

[Croc]

Jim - I actually asked your Q1 when I ordered the wifi and got a different answer - mono! Are you surprised - I am not. It just amazes me that a company can be so stupid and ignorant about their own product.

 

Morgan - The Wifi backpack can only work to the exclusion of the battery backpack and the LCD screen backpack.

[jimrankin]

I have my camera body mic holes taped over to reduce noise. As noted, GoPro (more like GetStoned) has answered the same questions different ways, one says the mics are always on, one saying they turn off when you plug into the jack with outside mics. Could be it's different up grades as they go along.

GoPros are worthless as anything but point of view shooting, no way to get "close to the action" unless you "are" the action. One of the things I want to bring up to them is a simple add on lens to allow for something like a 50-60 degree angle so it will work like a standard video camera. Guess we can't have it all but hate to pack an extra video unit to shoot someone else on track while I'm not in my car.