Chris, I note that you have a or several Go Pro cameras. Care to give me your thoughts on these. I'm thinking of get one to take on a ski holiday in a months time.

Love my GoPro2!

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools - YouTube

Hey Renton

John actually started me off on GoPros!!! They are truly amazing and at each and every wedding the first thing I do is put a GoPro on a stand either on the Church balcony or behind the guests at an outdoor wedding. In fact Philip Howells has 3 or 4 and actually clamps them on the side of his Sony EX1R's and they shoot together.

What can I say BUY ONE!!! Something I would like is some sort of grip for the camera ?? Maybe one exists but if you want to handhold it, it's awkward...I think a standard mount and a short strip of aluminium under the camera with a handle either side would be really useful on holiday... sorta like a still camera side flash bracket ... mine usually are mounted and ignored so I don't do any handheld!!

Very shortly the Hero2 is getting a firmware upgrade which makes it even better and it will shoot at 35mbps (same as the pro cams)

I always have one with me at least...there is no zoom of course and fixed focus on the basic unit but they are an essential in your kit!!

Chris

I have tried to love them and have bought a GoPro twice now and returned them both times. Bugs me that the underwater footage is blurry unless you buy a different lens attachment to fix the problem..

I wound up buying a underwater case for my Nex5N for a 1/3 of the price and my footage is now incredible! I think the form factor is great and you can clamp them to just about anything and the size is a big plus because you can really tuck those suckers into tight areas. Just really wanted better UW footage personally and had to go a different road. Not bashing, Just trying to give some food for thought if UW footage was your main goal.

Hi Dan

All you really need is a second housing and fit a flat lens to it!! It's a pretty cheap mod...on normal "just under the water" footage the standard housing works fine but difraction once you go deeper does become a problem. My issue is that if a housing leaks/cracks or drops down a 500' an underwater cliff you have only lost a couple of hundred dollars ... it's not quite a disposable camera but due to the price you won't cry for weeks if it gets wrecked so we tend to take more risks and get better footage.

Renton..all you will need is the Outdoor version not the Motorsport one and that has a helmet strap..put it on your head and you will get some awesome skiing footage!!

Chris

Chris, I've just ordered the GoPro Hero 2 - awaiting delivery.

In very many years I have never shot an underwater wedding so I'm not concerned about that :- )

But I have had trouble finding a reliable opinion on its performance in low light. I guess many mainstream GoPro users do not make the demands on their equipment that we do and many say it is good but - for example - Bloom says it is not much of an improvement on the original Hero.

What would your own opinion be?

I also wondered whether you use one of the clip on LCD viewing screens so that you can check your framing. Could be very useful when utilising the user adjustable field of view which is coming in a firmware update.

I also ordered a GoPro tripod mount. This will enable it to be attached to any of the usual brackets and other stabilisation devices.

I ordered the Motorsport version mainly because the suction cup attachment arm is something I would use quite a bit. If its anything like the Delkin Fat Gecko suction mount it will be pretty useful on windows and other smooth surfaces:

Fat Gecko Dual Suction Camera Mount (http://delkin.com/i-5829837-fat-gecko-dual-suction-camera-mount.html)

Pete

Hey Pete

In my opinion the Hero2 is a HUGE improvement..the original had no selectable FOV angles and no 1080 either and the footage quality is really good..I can shoot inside a Church with no issues at all.

Yep I have the LCD but it's no use outdoors...I think you need a loupe and eyepiece stuck on the back to make it viewable...outdoors you cannot read it...what I did is make up a TV out cable and (as my Go pro is often up a pole) and just plug into a cheap car LCD monitor from eBay..it's cheaper.

I'll actually see if the hoodman loupe can be adapted easily..I have a couple spare.

Chris

Love my GoPro2!Last time I was in the Hamner pools - couple of years ago - we had snow all around us on the ground. Fantastic. Mum and Dad had a holiday cottage there for a while...Scarbourgh Tce as I recall...

I've had an outfit quote me a good price - $671NZ - on the Outdoor Edition, plus LCD BacPac, tripod stand, suction cup mount. Have to decide tomorrow whether to go with it...

Thanks Chris, thats very reassuring.

I generally have a Zacuto hood with me plus a spare Hoodman so I'll try those. I like the idea of the TV out and LCD monitor. Could be useful for other cams as well especially where they don't have rotating screens e.g. the 5DII's and the view is only needed for framing and the quality of the LCD doesn't matter.

I guess the helmet cam version could be interesting on the dancefloor :- )

Pete

EDIT: just found this interesting snippet regarding the upcoming WiFi pac:

In early 2012 GoPro hopes to launch its new Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi remote control - see photo opposite. Fit the Wifi BacPac to the original HD Hero and you can use the remote control to trigger the shutter. Fit the same Wifi BacPac to the new HD Hero 2 though and you'll alternatively be able to control it with a tablet or smartphone, and even use their screens to see what the camera's capturing.

So the rather limiting GoPro LCD accessory may no longer be necessary. I hope the app will work with Androids - I have the galaxy S3. I also have the Ipad3 but that could be a bit too big on location.

I'm curious about these cameras as well...mostly curious to see how the footage mixes with our other cameras. We shoot on HMC - 150s, but I would be curious to see if anyone has a short clip of mixed footage, no matter what other cameras you shoot with? (preferably wedding footage?)

But I have had trouble finding a reliable opinion on its performance in low light.The Hero2 has a little better sensitivity than the original, but IMO GoPro cameras are suitable for well lit scenes and are not much good for low light / high contrast. Your only metering option is standard vs spot, which may or may not help depending on the particular scene.

As what I'd consider a failed experiment, I set up two original Hero and two Hero2 cameras recently at a symphony concert and found little difference in the images between the original and the "2". In this high-contrast environment, the footage from all four cameras was unusable due primarily to grossly blown out highlights. I couldn't possibly cut that footage in with properly exposed Canon XF images. Then again, the GoPros were only marginally worse than the footage from a consumer AVCHD palmcorder set to "auto everything" which also blew out the highlights pretty badly.

I didn't try spot metering on the GoPros but I'm doubtful it would have helped in this situation, since you can't really spot meter faces and white shirts in a group of people with this kind of camera.

So perhaps this was a long answer to a short question, but in summary I wouldn't count on GoPro footage for indoor events to be anything more than bonus footage -- if you get something useful, great, but likely it won't cut well.

I'm not knocking the GoPro. As I indicated above, I have 4 of them and they get good use -- especially in places I'd never take an XF! So to answer Renton's original post, a Hero2 (or two) will be ideal for a ski vacation; and for Peter, for indoor ceremonies, I'd think not so much.

Thanks for your input Pete.

For the volume video work that I do - weddings - the technical quality does not have to be stratospherically high for clients to be gushingly delighted. For them the content is far more important than the absolute quality. I'm frequently surprised at the positive feedback I get in some very demanding shooting conditions both for visual and for sound.

So fingers crossed on the GoPro 2 :- )

Pete

Hi Katie

I have mixed in without any correction with my Panasonic HMC82 footage and also with the newer AC-130's but with those the colour went crazy and un-natural (I have since dumped them!) With the HMC150 as long as you have reasonable light you will be quite amazed at the PQ!!! I shot a Church wedding last month and my IQ on the GoPro was just as sharp (if not sharper) than the AC-130 ...I actually had to colour correct the expensive camera as it decided the Church walls should be yellow..the GoPro was deadly accurate....absolutely amazing for the size and price and believe me, when the brides mother sticks her ample behind into the lens hood of your aisle camera you will appreciated the footage taken up on the balacony with the GoPro!!!

I definately think at least one in your gear is a worthwhile investment...if you were shooting on an HPX your P2 data card would cost more than the GoPro

Chris

I just started using at weddings and I can see how useful they can be, The cool thing is they'e so small you can stick them anywhere. I put one up high on a lightstand for this beach wedding and got some good safety footage. At 2:45 in the clip, I was moviing the light stand with the GoPro and saw the bride was about to throw her bouquet so I quickly hoisted the cam over head. Lucky shot but couldn't have got it without something like the GoPro.

Art
Nicole & Jon Wedding Highlights on Vimeo

Thanks for the clip Art, exactly what I was hoping to see...seems like for $300 bucks for some "safety" footage (which is exactly what I'm looking for) you can't really go wrong with these! I may have to look into adding one - or two - into our kit.

I have a GoPro HD Hero 2 but am not half as enthusiastic as some of you guys. The image quality is OK-ish but in any other than really good light it isn't great. It doesn't really match in with 'proper' video from DSLRs & camcorders. It's OK for an interesting angle for just a couple of seconds & I prefer to use the medium semi-fisheye look so that it is clearly different from the decent video footage. Art's shot is a perfect example. There are plenty of far better quality cameras to use for safety/C-roll e.g. my wife has a Canon Ixus point & shoot that records far better video than the GoPro at about a third of the price. The GoPro is very good for what it was designed for, attaching to snowboards, immersion in water, sticking on the bonnet/hood of a car etc Art's clip is the perfect example of how I like to use the GoPro just a couple of seconds for a very unusual point of view & he also has the benefit of strong sunshine which we have been missing in the UK for the last couple of months.

I love my go pros! i have both the hd and the Hd hero 2.... The hero 2 is MUCH better then the hero hd. Here's a video i shot a few months ago as a test but you can see the difference between the hd and the 2 not the best video i ever did but its a sample ( keep in mind the hero video had MAJOR color correction) see if you can figure out what ones what: 3-15-12 - YouTube

Im excited to get the the Go Pro remote.

This has really interested me. As a wedding videographer, I want to have cameras that are nearly hidden and as unobtrusive as possible. Churches in my area are very strict, and very difficult to place cameras in. So, after reading about the GoPro, and attending a rehearsal tonight, I zipped to the nearest Best Buy to pick one or two GoPros up.

But I didn't. Not even one. And here's why.

1. The price of $199 for a naked model is enticing. But you get the bare bones camera and an adhesive mount. That's it. I have a problem sticking anything to church property. I want something mountable to a tripod/light stand or a clamp.

2. Additional mounts (read: cheap plastic pieces) run you $20-40.

3. No way to tell what you're shooting. Unless you spend eighty more bucks for a very small LCD attachment, or the $99 wifi thing.

4. As I was examining the GoPros, some random guy came up to me and said that he didn't recommend them, in favor of a Contour. He said they're cheaper, yet better overall. However, upon checking them out, I'm not any more impressed with them for my uses: a fixed, wide, hidden, 1080p camera for mounting in all kinds of crazy spots, that I can actually see what I've framed. I'd rather duct tape a Flip Camera to the wall (at least I can see what I'm shooting).

For my money, I'd just as soon buy a GH2 and a magic arm (for about a grand total). Much more flexibility, better quality, albeit less "hidden."

Sorry for the anti-GoPro rant, but those are just my thoughts. Perhaps I'm in search of the Holy Grail here.

Hi Corey

I just have a bike mount and stick it on a light stand! I like the idea that you turn it on and that's that..an hour later you turn it off. Seriously with a FOV of even 127 degrees, it's pretty hard to miss your target. At the back of a Church I can hoist it on a light stand, angle it at around 45 degrees and it will take in the floor, roof and everything in between.

The idea from the OP was for a ski trip so the GoPro is ideal...clip it on your head and run down the slope!! I was the one who said I use it for weddings...sometimes I don't even use the GoPro footage but sometimes it's really great.

I still love my GoPro's !!!

Chris

I haven't done any filming for ages and no weddings for longer...I'm not doing any of this for an income...except for my long term project which got me into this in the first place...which is now in post-production. So I'm not looking at the Go Pro for weddings, though if I did one it would come in handy. I want a rugged, indestructable, totally water proof camera, initially for a ski holiday my family are having next month, but for any occasion I would hestitate about using my other cameras...tramping, and such like. Perhaps some of this action footage I will be able to use in my project to illustrate points...or just for interest...

I'm getting a suction cup mount with my Go Pro [along with a tripod mount] thus can use it on cars, etc. With a suction cup at a wedding, you could stick the GO Pro on a window somewhere - any glass - and film from there. Because I want to use it as a still camera as well, I'm getting the BacPac also...

The 'Naked Go Pro' I take it is the Hero, not the Hero 2...

Hi Renton

Yep the Naked Hero was the first model so it doesn't have the ability to change FOV and I think it's only 960 as well. My buddy Chip bought one and on-sold it rapidly..I have an idea the older ones use alkaline batteries..the Hero 2 uses Li-Ion and they last ages!! However buy a spare battery!!!

Definately get the Hero 2!!

Chris

It's on the way... :-) Haven't ordered a spare battery though...

Just watched a video of some guys of the Bahamas baiting a Go Pro with fish to entice sharks to come and chomp on it...to see how it withstood the treatment...filmed right inside the sharks mouths!!!

Pretty impressive under water filming with the flat lens case. I guess you could use them to film an under water wedding!

I worked with the guys at Reel Vision on this wedding in Ibiza, I hope they don't mind me posting this.

This is day 3 of a 3 day wedding in Ibiza.
The GoPro was used on day 1 to get some shots of the sea lapping up the beach, on day 2 we mounted it to the front of the Rolls Royce and on day 3 I spent pretty much the whole day in the pool.
I always travel with my GoPro for that just in case moment but without it this film would be nothing.

They really are a versatile little camera that always travels with me.

Ibiza Pool Party on Vimeo

That shot of the drinks being poured into the cocktail at the start was magic! Great use of the GoPro. (Although Corey would just use an EX3 - aye Corey?)

Andrew: amazing video.

John: it's the creative stuff like this that is really tempting me. I guess I had seen the GoPro as a means for one specific purpose for me -- an easily-mountable, discreet camera that shoots 1080p. I'm not so sure that's what I would use one for now. After seeing Andrew's video, I'm definitely rethinking it.

Cory, I'm still awaiting delivery of the Hero 2 I ordered a week ago - they appear to have been in short supply at Amazon UK - but I have received the separate tripod mount.

Its £8 but this tiny addon to the bottom of the GoPro enables you to use any number of ways of attaching as it has a standard metal 1/4"20 socket. So lightstands, magic arms etc are all possibilities.

I used a Delkin Gecko double suction mount for a camcorder at yesterdays wedding. I attached it a few inches below the top of a door. It gripped the painted surface perfectly. It went completely unnoticed. I had to point it out to the registrar so she would not inadventently block its view. The bride and groom didn't even realise it was there as I discovered when i was discussing the ceremony with them afterwards. Obviously a GoPro would be even more discreet.

Framing and levelling with the camcorder was a bit fiddly because of not being possible to get a good view of the screen. I anticipate that framing with a GoPro will be much easier with its 127 degrees field of view. I will however probably use the 90 degree view and the smartphone app to aid framing.

This was just one of three cams running and it makes such a difference to the final video to be able to cut between all those different viewpoints. The GoPro would be a fourth.

Pete

Looks to me like the Go Pro suction Cup is identical to the Delkin ones...though of course there is only one of them...

One thing that convinced me was John telling me that he would put a Hero and suction mount on the back of his car and let the limo follow him. Then he would stop and transfer the cam and suction mount to the inside of the limo and let it run.

I never saw any footage but I really liked the idea..those sort of situations couldn't be done on a normal camera unless you made a custom mount and had a fisheye lens on it...with the GoPro you just stick it onto the window, point it at the bridal party and let it run!! Would be some unique footage!!!

Chris

I love mine! Lots of fun with it.

I had it in my hand holding it the whole time riding roller coaster :)
Roadrunner Express at Fiesta Texas - YouTube

Also use it in a wedding clip here (at 3:12)

Vivian & Charleston - The "Coming Soon" Trailer on Vimeo

This is a Greek wedding from yesterday

Wedding in 30 seconds on Vimeo

Regarding the F.O.V. choices (I apologize if anyone said this already, I just skimmed the thread).

The medium and narrow angle options merely crop the footage so there is a big price to pay in resolution. That said, on the medium setting it is a decent trade off because although you lose pixels it is before the compression (at 17Mbps), so you get less resolution but you don't have to magnify the compression artifacts by cropping during the edit.

This wedding trailer has two gopro hero 2 shots mixed with footage from HMC150, HMC40 and Canon T2i (550d). Kayla & Mike's Wedding Trailer on Vimeo

Hi Art...nice video there...how many shots did you take with the GOPRO Hero 2? are all the extreme wide shots taken with the Hero 2? What did you use to shoot the main wedding? It looks so clean and lively.
I just started using a Canon XF300 for my weddings but I mix footage taken with a Canon T3i.
I'm wondering if a HERO 2 would add a new dimension/feeling to my videos..
thanks
Erick

Looks to me like the Go Pro suction Cup is identical to the Delkin ones...though of course there is only one of them...

I've now received my GoPro complete with the suction cup. It is not identical to the Delkin ones. The GoPro one has a proprietory join with which to attach the camera, no doubt specially made to withstand the pressures that this apparatus encounters. You can however attach the GoPro tripod adapter to the GoPro suction cup arm and it then has a 1/4"20 female socket and can be used in any of the usual ways n.b. stick it on a lightstand / magic arm / tabletop tripod etc.

The Delkin already has a 1/4"20 male adapter so you can use it straight into the GoPro tripod adapter.

You could modify a GoPro tripod adapter by fixing your own extra long piece of 1/4"20 into its female socket so as to change its gender from female to male.

http://gopro.com/camera-mounts/tripod-mount/

The Delkin is a longer bracket and rather more configurable than the GoPro in addition to having two suction cups - which themselves can be set at different angles such as those found on a sloping metal vehicle body. It is more configurable than its Delkin brother the Gator, which really needs a small ball and socket head for maximum wiggle room:

Fat Gecko "Gator" Clamp Camera Mount (http://delkin.com/i-5829840-fat-gecko-gator-clamp-camera-mount.html)

Pete

Looks to me like the Go Pro suction Cup is identical to the Delkin ones...though of course there is only one of them...

I've now received my GoPro complete with the suction cup. It is not identical to the Delkin ones. The GoPro one has a proprietory join with which to attach the camera, no doubt specially made to withstand the pressures that this apparatus encounters...I was referring to the actual suction cup, not any arms or the various means of attaching cameras...sorry...

For those DIY guys

You can make a brilliant suction cup device (two actually) by going to your auto spares shop and buying a "dent puller" ..Mine cost $15.00 and the two cups can hold at least 100kg!!! I have a car windshield rig using the twin cups that holds my 8lb cameras quite safely so they will hold a GoPro!!!

The GoPro one is rated for aircraft use up to 200MPH!!! That's one tough sucker!!

Chris

I've been debating getting one recently, seen a few go cheap on craigslist. Cool for fun shots, doing some videos for a summer camp and stuff, but also nice to leave as discrete cameras, or easy time-lapse cameras. I was wondering if they were strictly auto cameras or if you had any control over white balance-fstop-so on. Loving seeing the examples of how you guys used them! That filling the glass shot if my favorite for sure.

Got mine today. Filmed a short video successfully onto 32GB SD card. Attempted to update firmware from 08-12-70 to 08-12-124. Repeatedly failed the update...saying I needed to install SD card. SD card is installed. Anyone else had this issue?

(Like 'Jeb Corliss grinding the crack' with three Go Pro's on him. Don't think I'll try that...Anyone for filming a base jumping wedding? Would be over quick. Maybe the marriage would be also...)

EDIT: Fixed by GoPro...very fast...

I just started using at weddings and I can see how useful they can be, The cool thing is they'e so small you can stick them anywhere. I put one up high on a lightstand for this beach wedding and got some good safety footage. At 2:45 in the clip, I was moviing the light stand with the GoPro and saw the bride was about to throw her bouquet so I quickly hoisted the cam over head. Lucky shot but couldn't have got it without something like the GoPro.

Art
Nicole & Jon Wedding Highlights on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/43077066)

Hey Art, you shot that whole thing on the GoPro?

Hey Art, you shot that whole thing on the GoPro?

No- I had a standard fisheye going too. You can see some of the GoPro shots at 1:19, 1:45-1:55, 2:29, 2:33, 2:44

Art

Well hell . . . I just couldn't stand the pressure anymore and I bought one. At the rehearsal last night for the wedding I shot today, I simply had nowhere to place a camera in the back for a wide shot -- a tripod would have been in the way no matter where I put it, and there was nothing to clamp a magic arm to.

So I decided this morning to run to Target and get the Hero 2, then went to Best Buy for the Wifi BacPac thing with the remote. Needless to say, I had very little time to charge and set everything up, as the wedding was an hour away.

My experience was very positive, except for one big nuisance: the firmware updates. None of them have gone right. For the GoPro body itself, I had to resort to a manual upgrade, as the one through their proprietary software kept failing. Then, when I tried to update the Wifi BacPac, it simply froze mid-update. I ran out of time to mess with it, and just left the BacPac and remote at home.

I'm impressed with the results. For a tiny camera that I suction onto a wall, this is simply amazing. I don't know how well it will mix with my HMC40's, but I'll make it work.

I attached a screen grab. I love the wide angle, nearly fisheye look. With some noise reduction and levels correction, I think it will turn out pretty decent. And yes, that's my weird head in the bottom right corner with the camera.

Hi Corey

They are good aren't they... I like the fact that you have nothing to lose running a hero and a lot to gain!!

I don't shoot at the very wide angle but the middle one (I think it's 127 degrees???) Yeah I have had stuff in the shot that I never realised the very wide angle would get to but it still doesn't detract from the overall shot!

I'm shooting weddings on two HMC82's which are basically HMC40's in a shoulder mount and XLR audio and the Hero mixes in very well!! (I gave up on the new AC-130..just didn't cut it for weddings!!)

In Summer, watch out for fogging on the GoPro if you use the waterproof case!! I had a few outdoor weddings where the case fogged up so I bought a skeleton case with the open sides, and just to make sure I take off the front dome so the camera can breathe! Never had an issue in Churches but outdoors might be an issue as I run mine from way before the ceremony..then do the briidal congrats and only then get back to turn the Hero off so it sometimes runs for nearly 2 hours!!!

John Knight uses the camera inside the limo too..I haven't tried that but there are dozens of innovation uses for it!!

Chris

Used mine yesterday at an outfit called Adrenaline Forest where you climb around on all sorts of scary wire bridges and heaps of flying foxes up to about 30m off the ground...used the head harness...turned out great. Didn't have it on wide screen unfortunately, and the battery ran out after about one and a half hours...will get a battery bacpac...also need some stuff on the lens to disperse droplets... it rained a bit...just great not to have to worry about water...

Then this morning filmed two of my daughters finishing a 10km fun run with it...and took stills of them together after. I like it...

Do the UK models shoot at 50p?
All the information I've seen seems to indicates they shoot at 60p. If so how do UK users find it mixes in with 50p footage?

George, one of the menu options is 1080p 25 PAL

Just download the manual from the GoPro site. There's not much to know - unlike most cams :- )

Pete

Thank you Peter.

I just bought a second Hero 2 because I'm so excited about the first one I bought. The possibilities boggle my mind now that I've been playing with them. Thank you all for helping to convert me from "not really interested" to "disturbingly obsessed."

Not sure how it could be used at a wedding but one of the ways of getting different shots is to put the GoPro on the end of a pole - the most interesting skiing/snowboarding shots use them to get the person filming in the shot, or stuck out in front looking back when on a chairlift...I need to get a telescoping one or a compact monopod to carry in a day pack, or perhaps modify something from a hardware shop. Rain-x on the glass certainly keeps water drops from distorting the image. The flat lens case looks good if you want sharp underwater shots transitioning to above water...more cost...sigh...

I can think of a few uses for these at weddings. The first thing that comes to mind is having one up front, when you have a church that won't let a camera guy be up front. It could be discretely hidden just about anywhere. The other thing would be for some unique shots with it mounted to a monopod. It could be held up really high for some cool stuff maybe. Also, could be used as a safety shot mounted to a pew getting the wedding party coming into the church etc.

I'd like to get one, and see how well it works.Gotta get the cash first! lol

Hi Corey

The more you use them the more you discover uses for them...What worries me is the big aluminium case I'm using, full of backs, cases and mounts. Despite their rather unprofessional look they soon become an essential part of your gear .... I think I need to also get another one..and yes it's easy to hide in a Church!! My mate Philip in the UK is trying to convince GoPro to loan him 15 units to shoot a wedding with the WiFi kits totally remotely....That could be interesting.??

Chris