GoPro for backpacking?

[Don Litten]

The landing is the big problem I encountered Chris. Making a 45 degree bottom mount for the GoPro is relatively easy but without the case (It adds too much weight).
The coating on the bare GoPro lense is as soft as butter and scratches if you look at it hard. A cage of some sort is needed and that adds bulk and weight.

The Replay just seems made for the AR Drone. I mounted it, added a Velcro collar around the lens and it lands on the Velcro collar. Industrial zip tie legs on the rear level it.

I found the AR handled forward weight better than rear weight, which makes it a lot easier to mount.

That at least gives me a reason not to regret buying the Replay.

[Chris Harding]

Thanks Don

At the current moment I have my Hero 2 but no drone yet hence the thinking on mounting the hero on the AR Drone. You certainly don't want to have to land on the camera ... maybe a cage made from a composite material would be strong yet super light... the foam sandwich technique is very light.. I wonder if one could make a foam mount (with a protective cage for the camera) out of say 1/2" square strips of polyurethane foam coated with a thin resin/coth or just resin sealed...that would be both stiff and strong!!

Pardon my ignorance but what does the indoor AR body weigh?? is that just foam or a hollow cast ??? Maybe that could be re-built totally to form a cage and still not add to the weight???

Chris

[Nigel Barker]

The Replay HD does look more suitable for flying on the AR.Drone as it is lighter than a even a naked GoPro. Putting the GoPro in its protective case just about doubles the weight.

[Chris Harding]

Hey Nigel

I don't want to have to buy another cam AND something to lift it and the idea of the AR Drone appealed to me!! Then again I know guys are using kites and a parafoil has enough lifting power to pick up a baby elephant.

I'm essentially looking for smooth estabishing aerial footage rather than any fancy stuff ....what would happen if we went more "antique"?? I was maybe think something as simple as a square cage that is picked up by a helium balloon... like a sorta "mini zepplin" ?? Would one be able to control it if there were 4 control lines from each corner of a suspended cage?/ I would have thought so!! Balloon suspended footage should be pretty smooth. For weddings all I want is a semi-aerial shot of maybe the front of the Church but it would also ne neat to have aerial footage of the wedding party BUT not too high.

I seriously only need views from maybe a 2nd storey balacony so getting the Hero up to say as little as 20' above people's heads might not need such a sophisicated system!

Any other ideas

Chris

[Ian Newland]

Chris, there are extendable poles you can use for this. I've used both 30m carbon fibre antennae test poles and 6m aluminum types all hand held. The 30m one telescopes down to 1.8m. Painters poles are also good to 6m+. Much better control than a model plane and you can run with it smoothly/pan etc.

[Chris Harding]

Thanks Ian!!

That's a LOT cheaper than a quadricopter too (excluding crashes!!) I just figured it might be nice to have an aerial shot of the bride arriving in front of the Church so I could probably go for a 6m aluminium pole (Hmmm now who owns a swimming pool with a nice long pole!!)

With the wide angle 6m might even be high enough ...I would have thought the 30m (that's nearly 100' up!!) would be quite tough to hold due to the windage alone!!

Thanks!! I will definately try some shots and next month is very sparce for weddings (nobody likes getting married in 42 degree (celcius!!) heat!!!

Chris

[Nigel Barker]

I have a 7.3m (24') Manfrotto lighting stand like this one MANFROTTO 269HDBU SUPER GIANT STAND BLCK - Thomann UK Cyberstore that I use sometimes with an electric pan/tilt head from Hague Hague Modified Remote Pan & Tilt Power Head MPH

BTW That Manfrotto lighting stand also gets re-branded as a super tall tripod/camera support at double the price http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/525379-REG/Manfrotto_269HDB_3U_Super_High_Camera_Stand.html

[Chris Harding]

That's given me an idea!! The Mickey Mouse 6' lighting stands that come with kits are way too flimsy to use with a big head so I took the docking stand that came with my stedicam and 'grafted' on a lighting stand 2 section pole and that when the docking stand and dual section are extended goes way past ceiling height (I have never been able to extend it at a venue)

I must look at that and simply make a mount on the top for the Hero!! I'm sure I could get that up to around 8 metres which would give a nice overhead and wouldn't need an operator if I'm doing a solo wedding..just set it up at the outdoor ceremony or in front of the Church and let it run!!! Always better to use what you already have and it comes with me anyway for lighting at the reception!!

Thanks Nigel!!

Chris

[Ian Newland]

I used to do transmission surveys at 30ft with the mast i posted above. I did post metres but meant ft. Yeah 100ft is definitely beyond me...haha
These are the ones i'm talking about.http://www.geodatasys.com/pole.htm

Damn imperial USA, when are you gunna catch up to the rest of the modern metric world. :-)

[Lynne Whelden]

Back to the GoPro, does anyone know a good reason why the Canon Elph:

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black): Camera & Photo

 

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black): Camera & Photo

for example, couldn't be used in place of the GoPro? Seems to have all the qualities, including an LCD panel on the back for half the price. What might I be overlooking, other than the weatherproofing?

[Roger Shealy]

Lynne,

I have the GoPro Hero2 and have had several older Elph's. I think the GoPro makes sense if you want to mount it on your body or gear or want to use the weatherproofing feature. It shoots very wide, even in its narrowest setting. The video quality is good for the small package, ultra-wide angle and durability/weatherproofing. If you can protect your camera, you will be able to get better images from a traditional camcorder or perhaps a camera like the Canon S100. The GoPro is very light hungry, so don't expect good video at much less than full daylight.

You may want to consider the Panasonic TM900 which is currently on deep discount at B&H for $599.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749839-REG/Panasonic_HDC_TM900K_HDC_TM900_High_Definition_3MOS.html

Fantastic camera in a very small package. It doesn't, however, excel in low light, but is much better than the GoPro's and probably the Elph. The zoom and IS should prove very valuable and you can get by without a tripod unless you are shooting serious footage. The optional high capacity battery it will give you about 3.5 hours of record time between charges. It has 32GB of onboard memory and an SD slot to store footage.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden

Back to the GoPro, does anyone know a good reason why the Canon Elph:

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black): Camera & Photo

for example, couldn't be used in place of the GoPro? Seems to have all the qualities, including an LCD panel on the back for half the price. What might I be overlooking, other than the weatherproofing?

This would be a far better choice than a GoPro which is designed for strapping to a snowboard or being immersed in water. There are many compromises in photo & video quality that go along with that robustness.

It's a little confusing as Canon have different product names for their consumer cameras in the US & Europe but it looks like the PowerShot ELPH 300 HS has identical specifications to the IXUS 220 HS. My wife has the previous model (IXUS 100 HS) & it is fantastic. So small & light that it is always in her handbag & records really quite decent 720p video (the IXUS 220 HS does 1080p). Still photographs are good too. It's a great camera to take backpacking. When we ordered it from Amazon it was a bit of a shock to discover quite how small it was as we had only seen photos but it's about the size & weight of an iPhone 4. If you really want to give it some rough treatment then there is an optional waterproof case available that is good down to 40m (130ft).

[Lynne Whelden]

Interesting perspectives from you all and I appreciate it.
Regarding the Elph, I'd use it as a "body cam" strapped to my chest (while backpacking but specifically while interacting with other people to record the conversation). But I wonder if the 24mm wide angle setting is too "tight" to accomplish that. (I'd have to rig up some sort of means of hooking a harness onto it.) Perhaps that ultra-wide angle is where the more expensive GoPro would excel.
Yet I don't need the weatherproofing capabilities of the GoPro set-up and, if I ever did use GoPro, I'd of course feel compelled to also get the LCD backpack (which adds more to the weight, battery consumption and hassle factor) to be able to monitor shots.
Which is why a cheaper set-up like the Elph is appealing.
As for the Panasonic 900, I'm still partial to my old Sony HC-3 because of its bluetooth audio capabilities. (I strap the wireless mic onto my ankle and it picks up my footsteps on the ground as much as 1/4 mile away.) I guess if I wanted to upgrade to a better Sony image it would be their 700 model with the hot shoe.
Unless, of course, Panny has the same sort of very light wireless mic feature...

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden

Back to the GoPro, does anyone know a good reason why the Canon Elph:

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black): Camera & Photo

for example, couldn't be used in place of the GoPro? Seems to have all the qualities, including an LCD panel on the back for half the price. What might I be overlooking, other than the weatherproofing?

I can't believe this thread got this far...

ANY real camera is better than a GoPro. They are terrible video/still cameras. TERRIBLE. I own a bunch of them. Buy a Canon S100 (or S95). It's the camera of choice of DVinfo moderators. Seriously. I guarantee you you will be thrilled with it. If you hike in the rain you can buy a soft waterproof case for $30.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Buy a Canon S100 (or S95). It's the camera of choice of DVinfo moderators. Seriously. I guarantee you you will be thrilled with it.

I find the array of different models that Canon produce bewildering. What advantages does the S100 have over the ELPH 300 HS (IXUS 220 HS)? Most specifications look the same (12.1 MPixels, 5X zoom 24-120mm 35mm equivalent etc) except the S100 weighs about 30% more than the 300 HS & costs almost double the price.