Go Pro cameras

[George Kilroy]

Thanks for your input Simon though you can probably appreciate that the situations I want to cover at weddings are somewhat different as I'll probably be placing it high in the air on a stand or shoved in a corner or against a back wall with no line of sight to the back and difficult to shoot, check and then replace exactly. The monitor I'm considering is self powered and weighs only 600gms. so not a great deal extra to carry I just need to be certain of the connection to the camera before I order one. I'm still unclear as to whether or not it will connect direct to the HDMI socket on the camera or if I need the skeleton case even when using a HDMI cable.

I may be being too cautious but when I use the CX550 in this way even though it has got a screen which I can angle to see the view it still takes some manipulating to get the shot set up to get exactly what I want so that I don't chop heads or other body parts.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by John Knight

http://gopro.com/hd-hero-accessories/wi-fi-bacpac/ to send the image to your smartphone wirelessly.
http://gopro.com/camera-accessories/...leton-housing/ run a cable from the camera into a small monitor.

Originally Posted by George Kilroy

1 - I don't have a smart phone

You don't need a smart phone. It could be a tablet or video iPod. GoPro also talk about streaming video to the Internet so I am guessing that any computer would be able to display he image perhaps one of those little netbooks would be suitable

Originally Posted by George Kilroy

2 - That housing looks a bit cumbersome and will draw attention. I was hoping for a more discrete way of maybe attaching a small HDMI monitor. It looks from the information on the site that there is a mini socket on the side. I only want to use it for initial set-up not leave it connected. I am wondering if something like this might work:
Lilliput UK · 668GL-70NP/H/Y · 7 inch field monitor with HDMI and internal battery

The naked GoPro doesn't have a tripod screw or any other means of holding the camera which doesn't matter for many uses of course as you want to keep it in its protective waterproof case. The skeleton housing is like the waterproof housing in that you can use it to attach the GoPro to various mounts but it also allows the A/V cables to be connected.

I can confirm HDMI out to my 10.2" cheapo portable LCD screen displays what the GoPro sees/is recording. This is the monitor 10'' HDMI monitor media player, with 1024*600 resolution, support VGA input,HDMI inpu I am sure that other cheapo LCD monitors with HDMI connections will work fine too.

[George Kilroy]

Thanks Nigel, that's very helpful.

[Corey Graham]

John, Nigel, and George:

I bought the WiFi Combo Kit for the specific reason of monitoring/controlling the GoPros on my phone and tablet. However, there is no app now (even though the packaging claims otherwise), no live streaming, and no bluetooth. None of this is due out until the fall at the earliest. So, all the wifi bacpac does is start/stop recording via the remote. A total ripoff, and lots of people (including me) are furious over these false claims by GoPro. I returned it.

[Peter Riding]

I'm wondering if the WiFi function will ever be available :- (

The reason is that although ways have been found to shoot stills direct to the Ipad, no-one has yet to my knowledge figured out how to do the same with video even though there would be a huge demand from Ipad3 owners (like me) who want to use the Ipad as a monitor.

Seems like GoPro may have jumped the gun and cannot actually deliver. I'd settle for an Android only App as then I could at least use my Galaxy S3 which has a decent 4.8" screen.

That monitor Nigel linked to looks decent. I was on the point of clicking to order then decided to check out the Lilliput range. The Lilliput 5DII version is quite affordable if you buy on Ebay and has a fold out screen shade. And at 7" rather than 10" it would suit me better - the Ipad is of course about 10" and that seems very big to me. Decisions.

Meanwhile I think I had a narrow escape as I ordered the GoPro WiFi kit but it was lost in the post and the vendor has refunded me. Phew!

BTW the field of view you get with the GoPro is not a lot different to that of the Canon 15mm fisheye (though the distortion is a lot different). I've had the old version which is f2.8 for many years. Its so wide and the f-stop so open that you don't need to worry about focusing much. I use it a lot for 1st dances as it can perform in very low light on the 5DII. And its good for inclusive atmospheric scene establishing shots at any stage of the day. Big difference in maintenance though - the GoPro replacement lens is £10 whereas when I got the vunerable front element of my 15mm replaced it was into the £hundreds.

Pete

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Peter Riding

I'm wondering if the WiFi function will ever be available :- (

The reason is that although ways have been found to shoot stills direct to the Ipad, no-one has yet to my knowledge figured out how to do the same with video even though there would be a huge demand from Ipad3 owners (like me) who want to use the Ipad as a monitor.

It's not strictly using the whole full screen of the iPad as a monitor but the new Canon WFT-E6 (for C300 & 1DX) & WFT-E7 (for 5D3) wireless widgets allow you to access & control the cameras just using a web browser & ad hoc WiFi connection so can be used with an iPhone or iPad. At a slightly cheaper level the Parrot AR.Drone quadricopter streams a heads-up view from its on-board HD camera to the iPhone/iPad/Android app controlling it AR.Drone 2.0. Parrot new wi-fi quadricopter- AR.Drone 2.0 Parrot new wi-fi quadricopter - Fly with iPhone and iPad, Record videos in HD, Share on YouTube. So there is no fundamental technical obstacle to GoPro doing something similar.
[/QUOTE]

[Peter Riding]

Thanks - thats great news!

Pete

[George Kilroy]

Has anybody used these with the Hero2?

Eye-Fi card PAGE 2 for the HD Hero camera

Supplementary question, I tried to monitor out from the composite/video out socket on the side of the Hero2 but I get a scrambled picture. I am in UK and have set it in the PAL format. I can't find anything to indicate that I need any other set up to monitor through that socket, has anybody else found this or have a solution?

[Peter Riding]

I have an Eye-Fi card on its way to me as I'm also interested in their use in the 5DII for both stills and video - and possibly the little Pannys as well. It doesn't look too promising for the 5DII as Eye-Fi only supports SD cards rather than CF cards but some people have had success using SD to CF adapters so I've ordered a couple of versions of those as well.

I've now got another GoPro WiFi pack following Nigel's post and a reassuring discussion with a main dealer in the UK. So far so good. A real pain updating everything but that may be something to do with Cineform's connection with GoPro. I've used Cineform off and on for a few years and always found their updating procedures awkward and infuriating (though the support is quick).

Pete

[George Kilroy]

Pete, Please keep us posted with your opinion of the Eye-Fi card.

[Kyle Root]

I've got a photographer buddy who bought a GoPro (I think V2) a few weeks ago and he's going to let me borrow it to check out the HD Video capabilities so I can see how well it interchanges with my NX5U footage.

I went to the GoPro site and viewed their demo video, and I will say it is very impressive. Grant it, it's at something like 600x400 resolution on the web... I'm really curious to see the 1080 footage on a HDTV and my timeline in Premiere.

I saw BandH offers a package that includes a steadicam for the thing, and footage I saw of that looked pretty impressive as well, for being <$400 total.

[George Kilroy]

Well I used it at the wedding yesterday but found it difficult to aim without a monitor when using on a high stand or in awkward positions, I definitely need to be able to see what it is 'seeing'. I used the medium angle as the full wide image looked too distorted at the edges for anything other than a special effect or novelty shot and I'd only use such a shot once or twice. Having to take a guess at what would be included resulted in getting either too much foreground or too much ceiling and even a slight off-horizontal is an exaggerated slope.
Does anybody have any helpful tips for getting a good aim when the camera is in a position which is not easy to reach.

With a nod towards Kyles reservations, the quality is fine on computer but on a large TV it is noticeable different to regular footage and in anything other than perfect lighting it is soft and grainy, and the auto-only exposure burns out highlights; some way of locking exposure would be helpful.

My initial conclusion is that for it's designed use, getting otherwise difficult or impossible or cool funky shots and putting them into productions that will be viewed online it is perfect but disappointing for quality use in HD which will be viewed on large screen TV.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by George Kilroy

My initial conclusion is that for it's designed use, getting otherwise difficult or impossible or cool funky shots and putting them into productions that will be viewed online it is perfect but disappointing for quality use in HD which will be viewed on large screen TV.

I refer the honourable gentleman to my reply #16 earlier in this thread where I reached the same conclusion.

[Art Varga]

[QUOTE=
Supplementary question, I tried to monitor out from the composite/video out socket on the side of the Hero2 but I get a scrambled picture. I am in UK and have set it in the PAL format. I can't find anything to indicate that I need any other set up to monitor through that socket, has anybody else found this or have a solution?[/QUOTE]

I had the same problem. Couldn't find any reported issues but for the heck of it downloaded the latest firmware update - Viola - it now works!

[Chris Harding]

Hi George and Nigel

Just bear in mind that the original post was about using a GoPro for Renton's ski holiday not as a primary wedding camera....if that worked my equipment costs would plummet...!!

I always place a GoPro on a Church balcony but I often don't even use the footage...It makes a nice establishing shot before the wedding and if the MOB walks in front of my main camera in the aisle so I have 30 seconds of her ample behind in my viewfinder I can use 30 seconds of the Hero footage as a cover shot. It obviously also depends on the lighting in the Church... UK Churches do have a tendency to be very dark, so if my main cameras were going to struggle then I wouldn't even bother with the Hero.

For me it's very little extra effort to set up the balcony cam and it has already saved my bacon once!!

Chris