Getting Good Footage With a GoPro?

[Julian Frost]

I received my GoPro Hero HD camera a few days ago. I got it because I've seen some pretty good footage shot with it, mixed with footage from various other cameras (see any episode of Mythbusters and/or devinsupertramp's *outstanding* videos on youtube... The Dirty Dash - World's Muddiest Race or Kauai - The Lost World - Canon 5D Mark II for example).

Is there any secret to getting good footage out of this camera? From my limited experience with it so far, the footage I'm getting is pretty noisy, heavily saturated, and not very sharp, in pretty much any lighting condition.

In Devin's footage, the colors really "pop", and he gets sharp images, the like of which I'm just not seeing in my GoPro footage. He says he doesn't do much, if any, color grading, and that those are the images he's getting out of the camera. He uses a circular polarizer on his DSLRs, but there aren't any for the GoPro.

In addition to the GoPro, I have Premier Pro CS5.5 and Cineform Neo, so any advice would be appreciated.

[Ian Newland]

Heavy saturated images is fairly normal with the GoPro in good light, but if sharpness is an issue you may have a slightly off focus lens (there have been quite a few reported and usually from the same batch). I think for clarification you need to submit a sample.

Noisy, yes again the sensor is quite noisy, i use Neat Video to clean all my GoPro footage of processing artifacts and noisy shadows.

Keep in mine the GoPro is primarily a Sports Action Cam optimized for bright sunlight, tiny size and is fully featured but master of none.

You will will find a ton of info here GoProUser.freeforums.org • Index page

[Julian Frost]

Thanks, Ian. I'll get some samples up in the next day or two. I want to give the camera a fair trial before I come to any conclusions.

As for the GoPro forum... I'm already a member! :-)

[Julian Frost]

Here are 3 stills taken from my GoPro (without the waterproof housing attached). The stills were taken from a short video clip, and are a few seconds apart.

What do you think? Are they typical of the GoPro?

[Ian Newland]

This is to sort of quality you should be seeing from your Gopro Julian.

I'm part way through a comprehensive report on our first product to featured in the Gopro Forum Review Section and a nice side effect revealed itself. I can't name the product yet but check out this video, people pay huge money to get a lens flare like this. Unedited uploaded straight from the camera.

GoPro lens Flare with Modded attachment.

GOPR2597 on Vimeo

[Ian Newland]

That's not too bad for the GoPro, it could be very slightly out of focus (the center looks a little blurred) but it's about average from this camera. I've seen better examples and much worst.

[Ronald Jackson]

So the implication is that not all GoPros are the same? Quality control issues?

If this is the case, how does one purchase a GoPro that is "okay"?


Ron

[Ian Newland]

I don't think the implication is they are not all the same as such, no more than any other camera, it's just you hear more about the problems on forums than happy people.

This out of focus issue has only been reported by 3 out of nearly 5000 GoPro forum members and they had their cameras replaced, so it's a minor issue.

[Annen James]

I have heard, not sure if it's true, but what you frame the first shot on, your face or the subject matter, will help determine the white balance. So, point the camera at the subject at hand, not your face, for the most accurate white balance.