I haven't posted here in a while. I've been messing around with a Gaui 330X and a Gorpo. Most, but not all shots are with the GoPro and a 330X Quad. I have some ground shots from a 7D that I used as transitions and for a little continuity.

El Campeon Farms Aerial on Vimeo

The GoPro quality isn't that good, nor are my piloting skills but this is about as much fun as you can have with your pants on.

WHOA!

Dude thanks for sharing this. This is awesome! Excellent work!

I'm really tempted to have a go at this - I've been looking at the Gaui and I think it will take a Lumix GF1 with a 20mm lens.

How easy is it to fly? did you have experience with RC heli's before?

I notice some of the shots have stabilisation applied but other don't and look pretty good (it all looks pretty good but some shots stand out)

I've purchased a flight simulator to have a go and a mate has suggested a few models of RC helicopter to cut my teeth on but it sounds like a big learning curve. I don't want to spend the $ if I'm going to flatten it against a tree the 2nd time out.

Thanks Chuck,
I've been thinking about adding this to my kit with a GoPro.
How is this thing to fly with a bit of wind?

How are you mounting the GoPro?

Cheers

I'm really tempted to have a go at this - I've been looking at the Gaui and I think it will take a Lumix GF1 with a 20mm lens.

How easy is it to fly? did you have experience with RC heli's before?

I notice some of the shots have stabilisation applied but other don't and look pretty good (it all looks pretty good but some shots stand out)

I've purchased a flight simulator to have a go and a mate has suggested a few models of RC helicopter to cut my teeth on but it sounds like a big learning curve. I don't want to spend the $ if I'm going to flatten it against a tree the 2nd time out.

Sorry for not replying sooner.

I tried flying RC Helicopters but quickly came tot he realization that it was much harder than it looked. A friend emailed me an article about quad copters so I gave that a shot. I've been doing this for a little over four months, so I'm not a pro but I'm encouraged how quickly I could get to the point where I could shoot aerial video [even if its only with the GoPro].

Its not that difficult to fly in a breeze, 5-10 knots but the wind greatly reduces your odds for good video. When I purchased mine there weren't a lot of choices for flight controllers, the GU344, which is the FC for the 330X, doesn't have altitude or position and hold, two features that would help improve AP work, but there are more FC's available now.

Here are a couple more of the same type of practice videos:

330X and GoPro Aerial Photography of a house. on Vimeo

Gaui 330X, GoPro w/Sunex Lens on Vimeo

I just used the GoPro tripod mount and bolted it directly to the bottom of the quad.

Damn you Chuck! You've just added an RC Helicopter to my 'To Buy' list!

I love that footage and you've given me loads of ideas for upcoming projects! Well done! And thank you, but damn you!

What other flight controllers are available for this thing?

Chuck - have you somehow magically bought the only GoPro in the world that doesn't have barrel distortion figures up in the 40% arena? Or are you doing clever things on your timeline while you're stabilising the images?

tom.

You can use a barrel distorsion filter in virtualdub, but of course this blur the picture a little at the edges.
I also like to buy RC airplane or this Gaui. Which is the best for smooth movement?
An Easystar airplane or Gaui 330?

You can use a barrel distorsion filter in virtualdub, but of course this blur the picture a little at the edges.
I also like to buy RC airplane or this Gaui. Which is the best for smooth movement?
An Easystar airplane or Gaui 330?

The Easystar is probably smoother and a little easier to control. but obviously it wont hover so it really depends on the type of shots you want to get. There are some great alternatives to the Gaui 330X now that make them better for AP work.

Chuck - have you somehow magically bought the only GoPro in the world that doesn't have barrel distortion figures up in the 40% arena? Or are you doing clever things on your timeline while you're stabilising the images?

tom.

Tom, no magic I just changed from the stock lens to the Sunex lens to get rid of the barrel distortion, because of the narrower DOF it makes it more difficult to get smooth shots. I'm looking for a camera that can shoot 1080P60 of course then I need to build a bigger multi-rotor. It never ends : )

"There are some great alternatives to the Gaui 330X now "

tell me more about it!

If you want the kind of stability required for good AP work with enough payload to carry a DSLR your probably going to have to build it yourself, but there are some great flight controllers and frames available to build exactly what you might need.

Here's a couple:

OpenPilot CopterControl Board - OpenPilot - Open Source UAV Autopilot (http://www.openpilot.org/product/coptercontrol/)

MultiWiiCopter — Frontpage (http://www.multiwiicopter.com/collections/all)

Here's some pictures of the quad and hexacopter I'm building.

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket (http://s871.photobucket.com/home/Av8Rider/index)