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Video/Gopro newbie. Advice on SD cards, mounts etc?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm gearing up for Japanuary. I was given a Gopro (Hero) a couple of years back, it's still in it's box. I thought I'd take it with me this year since it's likely this will be my only trip to Japan.

I'm looking at cards, 32Gb micro SD cards are supported and I was wondering how many to buy. I think one card will take about 4hrs, so was thinking 2 or 3 cards for a two week trip?

Also I'm thinking Philwig gets some good footage from a selfie pole, I remember him posting the longer the better, so I'm going to pick one up. Not so keen on the teletubbie head mount look (both in terms of viewpoint and look) - any other mounts or angles people can suggest? I'm a snowboarder so chest mount not so great.....

Any other video tips appreciated......
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Cards,

depends on if you are going to download footage during the holiday, if so You won't need more than 2 32gb cards. 4 hours is a lot of footage to review and edit, also only buy the cards recommended by gopro and only from reputable suppliers (a lot of the ebay ones are cheaper because they are fakes and either fail or just aren't as fast as advertised. If you are downloading, it's best to take the card out of camera, download, format on Your laptop, put back in card and then do a gopro format. You'll run out of battery well before you run out of storage so consider that also.

Generally I wouldn't connect the camera directly to a laptop as it's been known to cause the camera to go a bit funny as the laptop sees the camera as a storage device and tries to put stuff on it which gopro's don't like.

Mounts, if you don't want to carry a pole then try the wrist mounts or mounting on the board or if you're brave and don't value your teeth the mouth mount Skullie

video tips, lot's of short clips are easier to play with, and don't forget that static shots can be nicely cut into a final edit (eg camera static on the snow and you/friends carving around it, but don't forget that someone will have to pick it up. Slowmo's can work in the right situation as can timelapse.

Get to know the menu system on the gopro as it can be quite clunky (you don't mention which version you have). A


Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 1-10-18 11:06; edited 1 time in total
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Re SD cards, go for ones with good write speeds and always buy from a reputable source - plenty of fakes and low grade units masquerading as higher spec being sold cheaply via Amazon eBay etc. Better spend a little more than have your write buffer overflow after a few minutes or have the whole SD collapse and lose the lot.
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It's best only to shoot good footage. The last thing you want is hours and hours of boring stuff to have to store and scrub through. At the same time in my view it's best not to delete footage "on the road" - it's safer to leave it where it is until you're ready to process it. I have fast 32G cards which fit GoPro/Drone/AR73. As you get better with the device you'll shoot less and less (because you learn what doesn't work). Even so, couple of 32G cards is a lot of space, even shooting with Protune etc.

Long light poles are, in my view, the way to go, although there's a limit to the variety you can get from them. Short poles force you to crop your head or legs off. Most commercial poles are stupidly short. Most are also too heavy to hold easily. Note that if you're using software stabilisation then you can't crop tightly on the rider. If you don't have a pole then a long cross-country ski pole just about works. Sticky tape and one of the in-the-box mounts works fine for that. Getting someone else to video you with the camera on a pole (ski or dedicated) can give good footage, but you need a fair bit of skill to get that right.

What he said about other types of shot. You can of course also mix the footage with stuff from a mobile or DSLR etc for variety.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Shoot in short sections of 10-30s at a time. It’s very tedious to sit through an hour of film. If you are taking a laptop with you, then it’s best to review the clips each evening, delete the rubbish and note the file name and times of good bits.

I put a mount on the end of a ski pole, using wire and duct tape. Works well. Head mounts are rubbish as you head moves a lot.
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Thanks for the replies, I'm not going to have a laptop/iPad for editing/sorting and I'm not going to video every run. I wanted to catch a few runs with variations, night runs, cat boarding tree runs etc. Also some of the flavour of the trip/culture so food, Onsens (although I do appreciate public bath gopro combo might not go down too well) Airports, public transport etc.

Bearing in mind I'm over for two weeks, I think I might buy four (?) maybe a couple of Sandiscs then a couple of others (Toshiba cards from Amazon with good reviews?).

I'm looking at a 120cm go pro pole - is that long enough Phil?

I'll also look into a wrist/board mount option.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Spare batteries are useful as they run out quickly if it's cold. Also have a bit of a practice before you go to get used to using it - even if it's just going for a walk or cyling. If you use the bluetooth connection to your phone to control it and see what you're shooting it goes through the battery much more quickly.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@rogg, I've got a whole bunch of fast and quality SD cards, various mounts including Dakine rucksack strap, GoPro Chesty, long life battery upgrade (no posing pole though).........all minimal use probably 8 hours in total max.....comes as a bundle with my Go pro Black 3+ (again hardly used).

Could buy the lot and flog on the Go Pro if you wanted to buy it all, can email you photos of it if you interested? PM me...?

Am going to eBaaay it soon just havent got around to it, can't be bothered with the faff, and I much prefer stills when skiing. Not willing to split the bundle so please dont ask. wink
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In my limited experience of trying to use a GoPro (Hero 5 Black), I have found that my main problems have been determining whether the unit is recording or not and properly framing shots. It is difficult to view the screen in bright ambient conditions and the red recording light is not visible from all angles. After trying a helmet mount, which was hopeless, as it introduced too much movement in addition to the fore mentioned problems, and a pole mount, which I also found difficult to keep steady, my best results have been achieved with a chest mount. It is still impossible to see the recording light on the front or back of the camera, when it is in its operating position, but one can tilt the camera forward to look at the screen and be fairly confident of returning the camera to its correct shooting position. I think that it may be useful to use the phone app to check the framing of shots and whether the camera is recording but haven't tried using it and am not sure how practical it will be to be pulling out one's phone on the slopes. I am tempted to try using a gyro stabilizer, with a chest mount, but don't know whether a stabilizer could be successfully mounted in this way. Does anyone having any experience of doing this and /or have recommendations for low cost stabilizers?
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My pole (!) (Delkin Kaboom) is a tad over 150cm. You can check what fits in the frame with a tape measure and the camera set in the appropriate mode.
As the sensor is 4:3 aspect ratio but you probably want to produce 16:9, "super wide" is probably the best choice to maximize quality for snow sports.

The new GoPro is supposed to be a gimbal killer, albeit at some cost.
With a pole none-stabilized stuff is quite watchable, but moderate post-processing is easy enough and I think free with Davinci Resolve.

I never really had an issue with "is it on or not". If you set it to "one button" recording, and have the sound on maximum, then you just press it and listen for the confirmation, same for turning off.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Quote:

albeit at some cost.



Tell me about it.... Smile
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Mike S, in terms of framing, there are 2 options.

1. Really get to know the field of view
2. Use a phone for live preview

For the "is it on' question, get someone else to check or get remote (I have a few of the gen1 remotes which still work with the newer models I'd be prepared to knock a couple out cheap if anyone wanted to have one to use.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@ansta1, as you know, the stabilisation on the new 7 Black is quite amazing, including up to 4k60 which might make me upgrade from the 6 I have currently. That feature alone puts the 7 Black head and shoulders about the competition and justifies the price premium that GoPro charge.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@rob@rar, indeed Rob, though not completely perfect it will be improved with F/W releases I'm sure, I've got a couple of 7 blacks, sitting in front of me right now, on the downside one is going back tomorrow due a manufacturing defect (but i do get the early releases from Gopro so not completely unexpected). The upside is that gopro are giving me some free stuff in terms of compensation.

You probably already know that the in camera stabilisation will be disabled when connected to a gimbal. User interface both in camera and through the app is improved. I've tested live streaming via FB and that's a doddle to use. I'd wait a month or two for the niggles that always seem to come with a new hero to get worked out (1st firmware release already released).
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
ansta1 wrote:
You probably already know that the in camera stabilisation will be disabled when connected to a gimbal.
Presumably the Karma grip only? How would it know if it's attached to a non-GoPro gimbal (I have a Feiyu G6).

I'm not in a rush to upgrade from my 6, but will do so at some stage to get the 4K60 stabilisation especially if I see a bit of a bargain after the initial buying phase is over.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

Presumably the Karma grip only


Sorry yes, meant to say that as I know you don't have the Karma grip, actually might make me go and get another Feiyu tech gimbal as would like to try double stabilised footage as well as gimbal stabilised hypersmooth.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@ansta1, double stabilised footage is great, used it (up to 4k30) on roller coasters and you get the big movements minimised by the gimbal and the little shakes minimised by the camera. Amazing quality from something you can easily hold with one hand.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Did anyone want an original gopro remote? They seem to anywhere from £16 ish to £35 on fleabay. Say £10 plus postage.

(Note, these are the series 1 remotes, not the later smart remote version).
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@ansta1 I would like to buy one of your remotes. Are you going to be at OktoberTest South? Otherwise, I'll send you a PM.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Mike,

Wasn't planning on attending the test but can easily drop one in the snailmail. Just pm me.
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Anyone interested in my bundle above before I ebay it?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Markymark29, do you have a rough idea of what sort of price you're after? - someone I work with, who's going for their first ski trip may be interested.

@ansta1, I'm considering upgrading a HB7 - are you suggesting waiting for a revised hardware release, or is it firmware you're on about? I'm not skiing until next year, but would be wanting to use it for our various outings, etc.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@marksymoo, there won't be any hardware changes on the 7, it will be firmware fixes/upgrades. It's always the same with gopro, they release it, then they fix the bugs going forward. They also always (since the moved all the production) to China seem to have some qc issues on the manufacturing side. Of the 2 h7 blacks I have one has a few niggles and has gone back. the other one is fine.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@marksymoo, if you could PM me your email address and I’ll drop you a photo. If it’s of interest happy to do a deal.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Cheers both - have PM'd you Markymark29 Smile.

Just have discovered there's no tether on the camera body of the HB7 which is a bit of a let down. I'm looking at upgrading from my Hero Session (really like the small form factor of it), and have had an adhesive pad fail before (I don't think it was adhered properly), and broken a mount & the housing where the tether / leash loop saved me from loosing the camera! boo.
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