About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I've a wedding in a cathedral coming up in December and I think it's time i invested in a GoPro - would be great in this situation - I can buy the Hero 2 for £100 less than the 3 - is it worth it?

Also anyone got advice on mounting it on a hotshoe? they seem to come with a ton of various 'extreme' mounts but not any way of getting one onto a shoe

Thanks

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

They're absolutely worth it, but only under decent lighting conditions. I use my GoPro's at every wedding, and they've added tremendous value to the final product. I use them sparingly, though.

As for a hotshoe mount, you'd probably have to get the tripod mount and then adapt that for a hotshoe, which is fairly inexpensive I think.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Though the Hero2 is cheaper the Hero3 does come with the LCD back and the WiFi remote, both of which are extras for the 2. I bought a motorsport edition of the 2 but ended up buying an LCD back for another £80 as aiming it was a bit hit and miss otherwise. They do come with a fair few attachments, but not a tripod mount, they are another £8 or £9 and you could use one of those with one of these to attach it to a hot shoe.
New Pro Type 1/4" mount adapter for tripod screw to flash hot shoe UK | eBay

The wifi app is out now so having built-in wifi and the remote would certainly make the Hero3 a better option for me as it would be much easier to frame the shot with a smart phone or tablet and trigger it with the remote..

I believe that the 3 is better in low light, which I agree can be a problem with the 2.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Thanks guys - I'm going for the 3 - the LCD and remote have swung it - just need to decide between the silver or black edition.

I shoot 1080i (50i) - anyone had any issues mixing the footage?

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

The Silver doesn't come with a remote, it's an extra £80.
The Black will shoot 1080p50, the Silver is 1080p25.

I've mixed 1080p25 from the Hero2 with 1080i50 from various sources without a problem on CS4.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Thanks George - where have you seen the Hero 3 with the LCD back? - I'm still seeing it as a £70 add-on

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

You're right Peter. I thought that I had read that it was included but just checked the spec and it is another 80 quid, the same price I paid although it is now a touch screen.
I'd check the app for remote viewing. It seems that whilst it is available now for the 2 it won't be available for the 3 until mid December. So going on GoPro's track record don't hold your breath for it.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi George

The App for the Silver Hero3 is supposed to be here in December (so make that March at least) The Black model App will be even longer.

Just make sure that you have an iPhone ..They are STILL messing around with doing an app for Android for the Hero2 so the 3 app will probably take until 2014.

However if you don't really need that side, the Hero 3 is supposed to be better in low light too...that being said I'm off to my second wedding this weekend and I'll have my Hero 2 on the Church balcony too!

Mine cuts well with my 1080 50i footage but keep the Hero on Medium angle in a Church (not wide)

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I shot one in York Minster in August and would have loved a GoPro in one very specific place.... but couldn't get one in time.

Anyway, low light has always been my concern, so I'm looking at the Hero 3 with interest so please keep us updated with your results.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Dave - Mine's at Ripon Cathedral on 1st December - the Hero 3 estimated ship date is 29th November so I'm looking at the Hero2 with WiFi bacpac - as long as I can get it working with an Android phone that is

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Ah, Ripon's nice too, been there a while ago, though not since they had all the new works done. :)

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Peter, my Hero2 works fine with both the official Gopro app for Ipad and the 3rd party android app called RemoteGo.

It also works fine with the new Protune option, which I use at 1080 25T and a Sandisk 32gb class 10 45mb/s card (yes it is "T"). I plan to use Neat Video to tidy up noise should the need arise; I suspect that this combination of Protune plus Neat Video will rival the Hero 3's performance.

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Worth checking out the Sony HDR-AS10 Action Cam, it has IS built in and will shoot 60/120 frames/sec. The quality is excellent in good light, but limited if you use higher frame rates.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2 - but wait
 

The Sony Action Cam AS15 has buit-in WiFi and there is free Sony WORKING Android (and iPhone) app that lets you both control the camera and view in real time (tiny lag unlike for the GoPro) what the camera sees.

The low light performance is much better than the GoPro 2 (back-illuminated sensor). Normally shoots 108030p. It also has stabilization and a good stereo mic (unlike the Go Pro, whose sound is awful).

better low light performance, sharper, working remote control and view, stabilization, better audio, cheaper. You might want to consider this alternative.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Mark - I was just about to order the GoPro but now I'm seriously looking at the Sony - better low light performance might swing it for me - not really bothered about the audio - I notice it's got steady shot, can this be turned off?

Protune on the Hero is pretty compelling though!

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Peter

For long Church services the Sony limit of 1 hour might be an issue....I did a LONG ceremony on Saturday with the Hero on the balcony of the Church and it's stunning!!! A 32GB card in the Hero will still give you 4 hours recording with ProTune off.

I simply love all the extras with GoPro ...my tiny cam actually resides in a big aluminium case surrounded by accessories!!

I also think the form factor of the Hero is much nicer unless you are helmet mount person...Most of our TV production teams here still use Heros rather than Contours or Sony's ....I'm sticking with my kit !!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Wow Chris I'm really torn - have just looked at some side by side comparisons and the Sony does seem to be a sharper image and better low light performer - so many Hero users swear by them though!

Also I can use the Sony wifi straight away but the Hero3 doesn't have an app for Android yet - I don't really want to get the LCD BacPac as viewing it on my phone will probably be a better option as most of the time it'll be up high on a light stand

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Yes, stabilization can be turned off.

I read in the Hero Pro threads that the firmware with Pro Tune has problems.

"so many Hero users swear by them though!"

Of course, for a long while they were the only game in town. And now they have made big investments in accessories...

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Peter

I have an easy answer..Buy one of each!! Yes Mark is right there..I have a huge case of bits and pieces and that is something I do like about the Hero 2 ...lots of fun gadgets. My Sunday wedding was in a beautiful Church and the GoPro worked it's magic AND I shoot with Protune off....I would say rather check which camera will match your existing main cams...maybe the Sony would match better with Sony main cameras ?? I shooting on Panasonic HMC's and the colour matching is absolutely seamless!!! Then again it might not be the same with a different brand.

Mine is on a ball head on an 6' light stand with a WiFi back and remote..I shoot at medium angle and seriously you don't need to frame...it's still wide enough to just eyeball the framing ...If you get a Hero DON'T buy the LCD back!! It's so tiny you cannot see much ..I used to put a loupe on mine to help!
Also bear in mind you cannot have the WiFi and the LCD together...I just eyeball from the balcony and then use the remote at my main camera position up front at the second pew and start the GoPro from there.

On the GoPro a far more practical solution for me is a 4" LCD monitor and battery (car reversing LCD...$20 on eBay!!) and I clamp mine to the bottom of the stand tube and plug it into the Hero up top..I mainly only use the LCD if I am working with the Hero at outdoor weddings and it's close to my main cam but 8' up in the air..NO photog can walk in front of or block the Hero..saved my bacon quite a few times too!!

It's much like buying a car ....a lot all around the same price and you have to choose one!! Good luck!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Thanks guys - I'm convinced - The GoPro it is - I'm going to get the new Hero 3 and have some fun!!!

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

It seems like a few people are having issues with the Hero 3 seizing...

Chris...how do you connect up this LCD car backing screen?

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Guys

I really do find that despite the big hype on ProTune, the image quality is good enough with the Hero 2 with Protune off...improvement is mainly with high speed action so unless I have a skydiving bride then I really don't need it ..it also drops your card capacity by 75%!!!

Renton? I bought a 4.3" car reversing LCD on eBay and strap it to a Li-Ion 12v battery pack so I have an all-in-one module that I can either clip to my stand or just hold in my hand to check framing for critical shots. You can buy the GoPro TV cable that has the RCA cables on one end and a 2.5mm quad jack plug on the other...I made my own cable ....it's a tad neater as I only need the single cable for video feed.

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

The official Android App is now available for the Hero 2 on google Play via GoPro's site.

Seems to work fine :- ) It also does a fullscreen preview in landscape mode - which the excellent 3rd party RemoteGo app for Android cannot do at this moment in time.

Latency seems a tad shorter than with the official Ipad App.

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Peter

Awesome! It works fine on my Android phone too!! Yeah it is rather slow and pathetic but it's plenty good enough for framing so I don't have to use my LCD monitor when setting up. (It's also used on my main camera on the cold shoe so I can glance at the main cam to make sure that the framing on that hasn't changed.

Thanks for the heads up!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I get told the App won't work on my phone Android 2.1

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Renton

They say the minimum is 2.2 but talk about most Android systems with the 3.1 upwards to 4.0 system.

Now, this is a perfect excuse to buy a new phone for yourself??? My Huawei was only $69.00 for a prepaid phone and works great..you could probably get one even less than that!!

My only issue now is that I have a new Remote that I won't use..darn!!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I'm not a big user of my phone, and it has GPS native to it which is handy - don't need to be connected for the gps so I never use it roaming, only sometimes through my wifi at home...not planning on getting a new phone...looks like I'm out of luck...No upgrades above 2.1 for it...

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

advantages of GoPro cameras come down to size and underwater shooting ability, as for the image quality and low light performance, any point and shoot with 1080p will beat it hands down, will you be comfortable to shoot wedding professionally with the camera that guests attending the wedding have in their pockets - that's another question.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Buba

I have firstly never seen a GoPro at a wedding carried by a guest. A few might have Handicams but most have still cameras and phones. Comfortable??? Darn right!! I still use my pro cameras to shoot the wedding and the Hero is normally up on the balcony doing a semi-aerial shot of the ceremony..My brides love the wide angle look and the fact they can see the entire wedding in action...It simply adds another FOV to the footage but I do use it sparingly. Then again when the MOB's ample backside gets shoved against your lens hood or a photog ducks under your camera not realising that their flash is above their head THEN the footage saves your bacon...In a crowed ceremony I can cut to the Hero footage when readers walk down and back to their seats and the main cam footage is just too close ..with the Hero footage I can capture the entire walk back without anything being blocked.

I did say I use it sparingly and sometimes not at all, but I actually had a bride who loved the Hero footage so much she asked if I could do her a special edit using all the wide footage and then just add closeups of the couple doing vows! They are certainly worth taking along to any wedding!!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I wonder if the GoPro Hero 3 will have better image quality. The specs and the video they put out looks awesome.

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I was referring to P&S cameras :)

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Well it arrived this morning - very impressed, awesome footage and can't wait to use it asap - they've launched the Android app as well today but...

...not impressed I have to spend another £8 on a tripod mount and (unless I'm missing something) £25 on a yet to be released frame so I can mount it without the waterproof housing!

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Pete

I use a different system..I have a ball head that screws onto a lighting stand and on the top plate I just stick one of the adhesive shoes to that so the camera housing can just click in and the ball head allows adjustment AND a decent height. Where the Church/Venue has no balcony I put the stand beside my aisle camera and hoist it up 8' into the air!! It's free from any photogs blocking my main camera and gives a nice 3rd camera angle as a semi-aerial shot....!! I'm using the optional skeleton housing at weddings so the camera doesn't mist up (it has much more ventilation) and also allows a mic to plug in too (mainly just to sync footage...Never used a tripod yet as my application is to use it as a 'top" camera!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

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

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Chris
Can you post some pictures?

stelios

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I prefer to have a tripod adapter permanantly attached to the case so that I can readily mount the Gopro on a wide variety of accessories rather than just on a lightstand. Two of my lightstands have ballheads on the tops but I also use friction arms with nanoclamps to attach to furniture and fixtures in the room etc as there are times when a lightstand is just not possible or is not the best way of placing what you want to be a non-obtrusive cam. Sometimes I use those mini table top tripods as well. Its surprising how often there is a high ledge on a pillar in a church on which you can perch the Gopro.

Pete

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Peter, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the results from the GoPro since I'm currently investigating them myself. There's been a few times I've thought about them but the low light capability has always made me cautious. So, don't forget to report back after the weekend :)

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

I'm about to complete an edit of a wedding today so I'll pop a Church balcony shot here for you so you can see Stelios ....for smaller weddings I tend to keep the stand just around 8' in the air so I get a semi-aerial view of the entire front end of the ceremony.

Nigel Barker also uses a Gorilla for his GoPros...you can wrap the flexible legs even around poles and pillars and it works well...I must get one of those too!!

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Hi Stelios

This is a really high up shot from the rear balcony of a Church done last Sunday with the GoPro...I use the FOV on medium not wide ....shots using the 8' stand are the less drastic ones..I turn the camera around for guest shots and then forward for bridal party shots.

Chris

Re: About to buy a GoPro HD Hero 2
 

Thanks Chris for the images. The look great! but actually I was asking for an image(close up) of how you mounted the GoPro on the 8' stand.

stelios