Hero 3 frame rates

[Lynne Whelden]

Does anyone have a comment regarding the best frame rate to select for a backpacking documentary (ie, where everything is being shot at a mere 2 miles per hour)? GoPro's manual seems to suggest that anything below 1080p60 should only be shot on a tripod.
Are images optimized at p60 and just too much motion blur is seen at 48 and 30 frames?

Also, is editing problematic for 1080p60 with older Macbook Pro laptops using FCP 7? I'd use a lower frame rate if I could get away with it if for no other reason than how it hogs SD card storage space.

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden

Also, is editing problematic for 1080p60 with older Macbook Pro laptops using FCP 7?

FCP7 won't edit 1080P60.

[Lynne Whelden]

I was afraid of that.

Do you happen to know if putting side by side shots done in 1080p60 with 1080p30 look strange? Can you tell the difference, particularly if the motion within the frames are low speed (walking at 2 mph)?

[Marco Wagner]

The brightness may change as you will have half the amount of light coming in at 60fps as you would 30fps.

[Lynne Whelden]

Will that only be noticeable under low light conditions? In other words, anything other than bright and sunny?

[Marco Wagner]

I would guess it would but it shouldn't be that hard to correct honestly. In my opinion and coming from $4,000+ cameras, GoPros SUCK horribly bad in low light and if you're getting good footage in low light, it's not low light, it's just enough light. And if you can prove me wrong please do, I'm tired of getting links to sample videos that either were not even shot with GoPro or that someone shot at 15fps to get more light but motion blur up the wazzooo.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Marco Wagner

The brightness may change as you will have half the amount of light coming in at 60fps as you would 30fps.

Unless you are in a dark environment where the exposure control is at its limit at 60P there should be no difference. Certainly outdoors there will be no difference. I see no exposure difference on my GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition though other than trying the frame rates when I first got it I always shoot 1920x1080 P60. You can shoot for hours on a 32G Class 10 Ultra SD card that costs less than $30 so I really don't see this as an issue. In my experience you will run out of battery long before the card is filled.


Ron Evans

[Marco Wagner]

Time lapse will get you, though, when every image is close to 5MB. I filled up a 32GB card in just over 2 hours.

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Marco Wagner

I would guess it would but it shouldn't be that hard to correct honestly. In my opinion and coming from $4,000+ cameras, GoPros SUCK horribly bad in low light and if you're getting good footage in low light, it's not low light, it's just enough light. And if you can prove me wrong please do, I'm tired of getting links to sample videos that either were not even shot with GoPro or that someone shot at 15fps to get more light but motion blur up the wazzooo.

I agree. The GoPro that I have , the Hero3 Black Edition is poor compared to the Sony HX30V camera I have which is also poor in low light compared to the Sony Camcorders I have !!!! The video from the HX30V is superior to the GoPro too but they do make a good combination that are small and easy to carry. While skiing I have the GoPro either on the chest mount or my helmet and the Sony HX30V in my pocket for when I have time to stop and take good video with a nice 20x zoom available to me and image stabilizer.

Ron Evans

[Ron Evans]

Originally Posted by Marco Wagner

Time lapse will get you, though, when every image is close to 5MB. I filled up a 32GB card in just over 2 hours.

Just about the time the battery will die too from my experience.

Ron Evans

[John Wiley]

Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden

GoPro's manual seems to suggest that anything below 1080p60 should only be shot on a tripod.

Keep in mind that most of GoPro's marketing/recommendations are designed for people with little or no camera experience at all.

For the majority of people, 1080p30 handheld will result in shaky, strobe-like footage. In the hands of someone who knows better, you will end up with footage that has smoother, more deliberate movement and the strobing will not be an issue.