GoPro hints, tips, tricks?

[Ad Astra]

Santa Claus brought me a GoPro Session 4! Ho, ho, ho!

Can any experienced users of the GoPro series share best-practice advice for a new video shooter?

1. I actually carry a DSLR for a living, so it's GoPro-specific info I seek. Video is new to me; noticing my videos are shaky, boring and move too quick. Must be a crash course in video somewhere out there.

2. Technical details of the camera aren't a problem; got the WiFi link to an Android ipad working well ... can't get it to link to an Apple ipad, though. Yet.

Amazing quality video this thing shoots, and that's just on 1080 / 30 fps.

Enjoying still frames at 3/1 sec bursts. My theory is, people blink- shoot three!

Links and info solicited.

Many thanks.


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[bberg100]

Some kind of stabilizer is needed, camera is so small & light handheld shots are tough. I built a PVC ring, about 16" diameter. Put a 1/4-20 bolt up through the bottom to mount the camera, half filled the PVC with lead shot. Hold it like a steering wheel, loosely, and let inertia and momentum work their magic. Shakes are eliminated, some practice and wobbles are minimized.

Somewhat like this http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-PVC-Fig-Rig/

 

[Ad Astra]

Interesting! Thanks.

Did come with the "floaty" hand-held mount- and a few others.

Steady, good video from the dashboard-mount ...

Was surprised to find when I opened the photos in PhotoShop, the dang thing records time and date in "File Info," which is interesting, as I never set any such ... must have got it from the "Camera" software on the Android ...I think!

45" wide at 72 dpi is amazing file size! or 16" at 200 dpi. Focus from a few inches to infinity is quite a trick. Electronics inside must be impressive.


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[BSAGuy]

Sounds like a great gift. Enjoy!

 

[natenaaron]

I almost pulled the trigger on one of these, so I can't help out from personal experience with the camera. I did do a lot of reading and one thing I never thought about popped up a few times. Unless you are doing something wild and crazy that needs the protection of the case, take the little guy out of the case for crisper shots.

I decided my life was not exciting enough to justify the purchase. Have fun with the camera.

 

[Ad Astra]

Thanks! We actually had two giftcards, and wound up paying only about $40 cash for it.

I noticed I've been using my cruddy cellphone camera quite a bit, as getting out the big heavy DSLR is a chore. Hopefully the GoPro will fill that in-between need. Also as a backup/emergency camera, as I do shoot as part of my job.

No excitement here; not a surfer or mountain climber but I am getting a Picatinny rail mount for this.

Also, the official mounts are spendy, but a quick look on ebay indicates a gazillion pirate/homebrew mount setups. Didn't know that.

Going to make a clamp/ "jaws" knockoff soon.

Buddy of mine attached one of these to a gaff or broomstick last year, and shot incredible video while fighting a sailfish offshore in GOMEX last year. One minute the camera was high in the air; next minute he'd plunked it underwater to show the fighting fish. Cool stuff.


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[tpwpny]

Just don't do what I did with the Hero 3 I got a few years ago... for the longest time I used it and wondered why the HD, hi-res video quality was pretty lame when I transferred to my Mac. A couple years later I realized it was because I hadn't been parsing it through the GoPro-provided app. Much better after that!

As far as accessories I would highly recommend the helmet strap and connector/fastener kit.

 

[Ad Astra]

Just don't do what I did with the Hero 3 I got a few years ago... for the longest time I used it and wondered why the HD, hi-res video quality was pretty lame when I transferred to my Mac. A couple years later I realized it was because I hadn't been parsing it through the GoPro-provided app. Much better after that!

As far as accessories I would highly recommend the helmet strap and connector/fastener kit.

Thanks! Do have it. Also the "grab bag" of mount parts.

Do need to study video modes. Been shooting 1080 but there's 1440 and different frame rates ...


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[Ad Astra]

Hot shoe mount for GoPro is coming ... I like the idea of shooting the regular Nikon DSLR and running video, co-axially mounted, above- like a flash, but smaller.

Pic rail mount is coming as well; that one, all the way from China.


AA