About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2

[Dave Partington]

Do the cameras shipping support 25p / 50p and not just 30/60p ?

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Dave Partington

Do the cameras shipping support 25p / 50p and not just 30/60p ?

I am sure that they do. On the Hero 2 you need to select between NTSC & PAL.

[Dave Partington]

Thanks. Is this a menu option on the camera?

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Dave Partington

Thanks. Is this a menu option on the camera?

It's a bit grand to describe the rudimentary user interface as a menu but yes I suppose that it is.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Dave

When you go into the "menu" and enter via the "spanner" icon that will take you into the base menu as you are scrolling thru (much like setting a home weather station actually using just two buttons to advance/select) you need to go into the "More" part of the menu to find the NTSC/PAL option

Chris

[Dave Partington]

Thanks Chris. I'm waiting for the Hero 3 Black to be available then I think I'll pick one up for testing.

I have to admit I'm still a little skeptical regarding the quality, and how it will mix with other cameras, but I'm willing to give it a go and can see lots of possibilities for new shots :)

[Peter Riding]

It can be a frustrating experience to use the on- camera controls to set up or to check or change settings because the screens are so small; plus the cams are more often than not placed in positions which do not make quick easy access feasible, and light on the screens adds to the problem.

This is why the new apps to control via phones and tablets are terrific even if you don't currently get previews during actual recording.

I used a Hero 2 today during a rehearsal and used my Galaxy S3 android to check fields of view and to try the difference between the wide and medium settings.

An added bonus which I had not anticipated was that the vicar was somewhat anti-obtrusive video cams, but on seeing the actual live preview through such a small device as the Hero 2 was suitably pacified.

Chris, can I be lazy and ask whether you see a significant quility drop when shooting in medium rather than in wide. I was under the impression that medium simply crops the sensor in-camera so might just as well be done in post. Must admit I hadn't even considered shooting in medium until you mentioned it but now I realise that there are many siuations where medium is more pleasing to the eye than wide.

Pete

[Chris Harding]

Hi Pete

I have never really done a wedding live so I have no idea if there is a quality shift between wide and medium? I would assume it's cropped on the sensor but it's not much and we are talking about a CMOS chip here so I think they get away with cropping as the image is also pretty wide still!! I really have no idea on the chip size but you shouldn't lose too much resolution..the way the larger sensor cameras are working now is actually offering lossless digital zoom!! If your sensor is 16 megapixels and you crop/zoom the image even 4 X you still have a 4 megapixel image..which exceeds 1920x1080 res anyway.

I do you the Hero footage in edits (especially if my other cams are blocked!) and haven't really seen anything to be worried about. The wide FOV is simply too distorted for a wedding I think

Chris

[Paul Wags]

The Hero 2 crops the sensor and the quality goes down.
Just shoot wide and crop it in your NLE.

Did you just have a cable to your S3, its a great phone,
Even plays the RAW 35mbps Protune files from the Hero 2.

[Renton Maclachlan]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

...Chris

Hi Chris...a bit of change of tack...

You've said a number of times that the GoPro LCD bacpac is a waste of time...or something like that...

I was just thinking about that today...because I have been using the GoPro as a still camera to get shots for the project I'm working on and having the LCD is great for framing the photo I want. Just taken a few today which are going to be on screen for about a second and it was real handy. I take a regular camera and the Gopro when I go out to get such photos because sometimes the wide angle of the GoPro is what is needed, whereas other times a regular or telephoto shot is best...

And..on another note...I have been searching the web for Royalty Free photos for my project, and am slacked off by all these sites which google finds offering 'free photos' and virtually all so far have turned out to be charging heaps...I've just about given away the idea of getting photos off the web, and will shoot my own instead...

[Chris Harding]

Hey Renton

It works pretty well but in the great outdoors you cannot see a thing....Now a simple loupe over the LCD back would certainly be a huge improvement and you could actually see your framing in sunlight. Truthfully I have never taken a still on the Hero (except by accident) and I really wanted the LCD for framing only ...Otherwise I might suggest go to the art store and buy a sheet of black foamboard and make a little box for the LCD to try to keep out the bright light....I must admit it worked fine in a Church but was useless for outdoor weddings. I sold it and bought the WiFi back and remote with the "spoils"

Chris

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Well Chris my tripod adapter is on it's way - I've a small wedding this weekend where I'll debut it, but in a few weeks I've a Cathedral wedding on - hopefully I'll get some great results from it - it's sort of what I got it for.

BTW the wedding this weekend, the groom is a grip for a large TV company - I'll be under scrutiny from him and some of his workmates no doubt!

Pete

So Peter, I'm hoping you have some feedback of how this went :) How does the footage compare to what you thought/hoped it would be like?

Did you shoot in a dark church ? :)

[Peter Riding]

Originally Posted by Paul Wags

The Hero 2 crops the sensor and the quality goes down.
Just shoot wide and crop it in your NLE.

Did you just have a cable to your S3, its a great phone,
Even plays the RAW 35mbps Protune files from the Hero 2.

Thanks for the clarification.

I used wifi to preview the composition on my S3, holding the Gopro up in one hand and the phone in the other. There is very little lag in the latest version of the official android app so it worked well even with other people watching :- )

Didn't even think to try using a cable. The app doesn't work with it but yes I was able to play the videos on the S3 direct from the Gopro. Even the ProTune ones. Brilliant.

The special USB cable adapter I used is this:

Samsung USB Connector to microUSB for Samsung Galaxy S2: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

Samsung USB Connector to microUSB for Samsung Galaxy S2: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Thought I'd try that with a TM900 as well but sadly no deal.

Pete

[Peter Rush]

Originally Posted by Dave Partington

So Peter, I'm hoping you have some feedback of how this went :) How does the footage compare to what you thought/hoped it would be like?

Did you shoot in a dark church ? :)

Hi Dave - yesterday's wedding was in a hotel so quite modest but loved the footage from the GoPro - even though I might only use a few shots - it will definitely add something extra. I also love how I can control it from my Android phone.

The only thing that threw me was that it splits files when they get to 2GB - apparently it's been implemented in the new firmware to allow for better WiFi support. Easy enough to join back together on the timeline though. Also it captures MP4 files which makes Premiere wait a while (pending) to import them every time I open the project but it's no biggie.

In 2 weeks I've a wedding in a Cathedral - can't wait :)

Pete

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

In 2 weeks I've a wedding in a Cathedral - can't wait :)

Pete

Definitely looking forward to hearing your thoughts after Ripon :)