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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | I just picked up a GoPro this weekend and am looking for some general tips from you experts out there. Shorten the learning curve please!
Edited by dtaijo174 5/8/2012 9:34 AM
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Posts: 132
| Im having trouble with mine not really being able to see into the water very well. Obviously it doesn't have a polarized lens like sunglasses, but is there a setting that will help with that? |
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Posts: 833
| I just mounted mine this weekend and gave it a trial run. Not an expert by any stretch. It is very easy to use. The big thing I plan to do with it when I get some time is hook the laptop up so I can determine ideal viewing angles/positioning for my console mount.
I've got so many ideas for the thing, just not enough time. |
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Posts: 501
Location: Norway | The underwater focus with gopro isnt all that, you can either buy an aftermarket house with a flat lens, or make one yourself:
http://jazzandflyfishing.com/?p=2256
I do have some ole circular polarized filters laying around, and have been thinking about making a mount like the one in the link, but with pola filter.
Michael |
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Posts: 35
| Get yourself some editing software, and become somewhat familiar with it. YouTube was invaluable for shortening my learning curve here! Get at least a 32G sd card for a decent amount of recording time. At first, I left mine on all the time. The boat rides can be interesting footage, but I've gone to stopping the recording while traveling. Even short hops burn up room on the card. If you catch a fish, have a follow or a blow-up, after things settle down stop the recording and start a new one ... makes it a heck of a lot easier to find the good footage when you're editing. Purchase a couple spare batteries as well, each one lasts 2 - 3.5 hours on average. Get yourself a decent case for carrying everything (inexpensive is fine, just make sure it's padded at a minimum, and has extra pockets). Do a search online for a "cheat sheet" ... a PDF file with a snapshot of what the button-pushing sequences perform. The GoPro does not have a real friendly menu system. I found one, laminated it and keep it in the case for quick reference when needed.
Oh yeah, careful when taking off your hat to scratch the noggin'. Mine almost went for a swim last year, at times you forget it's up there! Take it off and submerge for underwater release shots ... no flat lens here and it performs great, no complaints! Have fun, hope this helps a little! |
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Posts: 31
Location: Pa. | Here is a web site for a polarized filter that fits between camera and clear case , blocks the glare very well and you can see follows and fish in the water etc.. http://stuntcams.com/shop/gopro-polarized-lens-filters-p-143.html |
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Posts: 31
Location: Minneapolis, MN | Do any of you mount it on the windshield? I have the rail mount but can't figure a way to get it on the windshield properly. |
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Posts: 833
| I have a side console, but I used the arm mount and the flat surface adhesive and it worked great, even at 40MPH. You could probably also use the one of the suction cup mounts, but I haven't given that a try. |
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Posts: 146
Location: where the fish are... | I used mine a good chunk of last year. I wore it on my head most of the time, I recomend wearing a hat as well and and point it at a slight angle down. I captured quite a few follows when the light was right without a polarized lense. Some of my favorite footage I took last year was when I had it mounted on the top of the outboard, it really lets you see the bad habbits you have while fishing lol. I just got a suction cup for it and let my partents use it on their mini cooper last weekend as they did the dragons tail in NC, I was suprised how well that suction cup held and the camera never moved much even at speeds over 80.
Good Luck |
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Posts: 101
| I was having problems figuring out how to mount mine also. I came up with this as an inexpensive solution and it has worked very well for me. You can mount them anywhere and they actually hold very well for a cheap harbor freight clamp.
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Get a floaty backdoor for sure. Anybody know if the suction cup mount will stick to the side of the cowling on a motor, might be a cool shot for the guy fishing in the back of the boat. |
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Posts: 2024
| This is a very cool camera and we've been using it to film some of our fisheries field work. It will take some getting used to the settings and how to maneuver through the menus. Make sure you keep the manual/guide handy or even make a copy of it. I am still consulting it periodically after a few months of use. Expect to mess up at least once before you become comfortable and familiar with it.
I was told by a GoPro rep that the jump from 780HD (setting R2) to the higher 1080HD is a marginal jump at a cost of increased storage space usage. Lots of opinions out there in the Cloud and I will be playing around with it more in the future. The problem in R2 is that it shoots at 30fps and if you want silky smooth slow-motion shots you may not be pleased with the results. That's where R3 should do better, shooting at 60fps and slowed down 50% you still have 30fps. R3 could pose a problem if you're shooting in low light because there's less time between frames, which means the camera needs to use a faster shutter speed in between frames. R4 has a different frame dimension (4:3 vs. 16:9), basically giving you more vertical height and not so much a widescreen shot. You can still crop/trim and accomplish a widescreen shot. R5 is 1080p HD and has a narrower field of view by about 50 degrees.
I'd suggest getting a bunch of extension arms and different mounts. The chest mount is comfortable and you won't see yourself moving as much as with a head strap. I use the handlebar or rail mounts a lot with various extension arms. I bought a suction cup mount, but after trying it on different surfaces at home I don't trust it. There are after-market brands that make Ram suction mounts which are supposed to be better. Underwater shots suffer greatly from the curved surface of the housing the GoPro comes with. I have a flat housing purchased from EyeOfMine, and I am very happy with the results. I also have a drop-in circular polarizer from EyeOfMine. The Battery BacPac is also quite helpful when shooting for long periods of time. I'd say with video you could probably expect to get 4-5 hours with the Battery BacPac plus the original battery when both are fully charged. Get a 32GB memory card, too.
The price will add up very quickly. This is a specialty camera and you are paying a premium for add-ons. However, you can get some extremely unique shots, both video and stills, simply because the camera can go places other cameras cannot. Use your imagination and have fun! I really like the above poster's mod to the curved adhesive mount. Going to have to make a trip to Home Depot and pick up some of those clamps!
www.eyeofmine.com for aftermarket accessories. |
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| I don't own any, but they look like they'd be a ton of fun to play around with. Not super expensive compared to other cameras, but I feel like you'd need a couple going at once to get the full effect. A bass guy in my area has two or three running at a time and made a few videos. His are like music videos. Pretty cool. The links are below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1MCzd_QaHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx7oB74Q-Ck&feature=fvwp&NR=1 |
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| that dude's vids are awesome. not sure what's better though... the footage or the beard. |
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| Yeah, they're pretty addicting. His editing skills impress me the most. I like the whole concept of videos. You don't get the whole experience with a still picture. And when you show an entire vacation's worth of fish to people that weren't there and/or don't care about fishing all the fish look the same. With the video you can understand what's going on better. Not the same thing, but still pretty cool.
By the way, the guy that makes the videos does his editing "on a Macbook Pro and using an editing program called final cut pro X. I generate effects with Motion 5 and mlooks2 plug ins and compress with Compressor 4.0.2." Not sure what that means exactly, but I'm sure anyone that is doing this has some understanding. |
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| Final Cut Pro X is a professional program valued at $300, and I'm guessing the plug-ins are fairly expensive, too. I took a look at iMovie on my Macbook Pro and you can generate many of the same effects in that program. For most people, iMovie ($15 if it didn't already come with your Mac) is a good enough program. For PCs, Windows MovieMaker (should come with your computer) is the equivalent. |
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Posts: 18
| When fighting a fish with a go pro mounted on your chest doesn't your arms get in the way of it? |
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| Fishin'Fanatic - 5/11/2012 10:36 AM
When fighting a fish with a go pro mounted on your chest doesn't your arms get in the way of it?
I would assume so. I've never seen anyone with it mounted there for fishing, but I have seen the mounts themselves on their website. The cameras were mounted on hats or in the boat for the clips that I've seen. The hat cams can make you a little nauseous after awhile depending on who's doing the filming. The video links I put in an earlier post were filmed with stationary mounts with the occasional hat-view mixed in. It's much easier to watch.
I'd be really interested in seeing a video with a chest mount. It seems like you wouldn't get as much movement and you would see the rod/reel movements. It might get stupid for casts and hooksets, though. If you find any examples post the links. |
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| I haven't fished with it mounted to my chest, but have filmed with it using the chest mount. I thought the same thing before getting the chest mount (that it would be in the way), but found it sits higher than you'd think and is completely out of the way. I'd say it sits right in the middle of your sternum. Grab a rod and pretend to set the hook; your hands and the rod should be well away from that part of your chest. |
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Posts: 619
Location: Verona, WI | Anyone have any tips or mount recommendations for putting this thing under water to catch following fish? |
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| ShaneW - 5/13/2012 5:07 PM
Anyone have any tips or mount recommendations for putting this thing under water to catch following fish?
Yes, then don't use the chestmount.
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| The bass guy in my area just got done making another video. These cameras are awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ObmhV89v0w |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Just got mine in the mail the other day, got the polarized filters with it, floaty back door, extra battery and 3 16GB sd cards. Will put it to use on monday. Maybe post some video if it comes out pretty cool. |
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Posts: 134
Location: Central Wi | Everyone should have a suction mount...
Works great for putting on the motor, windshields, or side of the boat.... I would recommend getting a float and clipping it to the camera and mount, just in case you dont get good suction.
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