Gopro Hero 3 Black, now what?

I

itchynackers

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Janesville, WI
I received my gopro hero 3 black the other day. I had been looking for a sale since before Christmas, no such luck. I finally found a discount here.. http://www.westernbikeworks.com/

I got it for $360 shipped, but it looks like you guys could get it for $340 shipped with the 15% discount going on now. I know next to nothing about this camera, and even less about video editing. I did manage to "acquire" Adobe After Effects CS5 editing software, so I'm watching some youtube tutorials, yay. Can't wait to get the bike unpacked from winter and get some action shots.

Anyone have any settings experience/recommendations for shooting on the bike?

Adam
 
Welcome to the ebiking gopro fold :)
Nice acquisition with the black. I've been eyeing one off since their announcment but with a perfectly fine Hero2 I can't really justify upgrading just yet. That said that's a pretty good price you posted, one of the cheapest I've seen.

Mounting wise get yourself the ride hero handlebar mount, it'll make your life much easier. They fit either the bars or the seat post so can achieve a few different types of shots. I recommend hanging the camera upside down (ie on the underside) of the bars - I find it gives more stable footage footage. It's also more covert if you happen to want to record a conversation with someone who may response different if they know you're filming (more fun for posting on the interwebs : P )

The curved sticky mounts they come with are good for full face or smooth surface type helmets. The other flat ones are good for making your own DIY brackets.
Check out these threads for some of the us have been getting creative with it.

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=44151
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42723

As for the style of riding, the advice I give to everyone is you pretty much have to either ride to entertain yourself or ride to entertain an online following. A fixed camera on your bars or helmet is good for documenting your ride and catching unexpected action or mishaps but unless you're riding somewhere or doing something spectacular the whole time it's going to get boring to watch pretty quick (atleast it does for me) Getting off the bike and moving the camera around or leaving it on rocks or trees etc for ridebys makes for more interesting viewing, but it may not be something you can be bothered doing
 
Go-pros are awesome tools for capturing a cool experience that others would like to see and sharing it with them.

That model is pretty much the very best available that a guy with a regular income range can afford.

Now you gotta put it to use going and doing awesome things that other people will want shared with them in the amazingly good detail that rig offers.
 
Cool. Ya I did order a handlebar mount and spare batt at dealextreme. Much cheaper and free shipping. Do you have any suggestions for which frame rate, width etc.. works best for you?
 
I have camera envy. Been looking at these myself congrats on the nice camera.

Luke is that a regular guy with no kids ? Because you guys w/no kids need kids :)

Cant wait to see some videos from ya.
 
itchynackers said:
Cool. Ya I did order a handlebar mount and spare batt at dealextreme. Much cheaper and free shipping. Do you have any suggestions for which frame rate, width etc.. works best for you?
Click to expand...
Ah, I also meant to say be careful with cheap chinese mounts! I had one break on me doing down a hill at 60km/hr and it cost me the camera (my first Hero HD1) :x The genuine gopro tripod mount is probably worth getting too, then you can make any assortment of mounts with just a 1/4" bolt to attach it to. If using the generic ones I'd attach a resuce wire to the camera and your bars, just incase. Seeing your new camera smash into multiple pieces is heart breaking. Especially when the crash has ejected the SD card so you don't even get that final footage of if dying :p
Actually that's something I'd like to see gopro implement, a small amount of internal ram to buffed the footage so if there IS an epic crash you still capture it. I've had my cameras get busted up pretty hard a few times and each time I've lost the footage as the card or battery has been ejected or otherwise corrupted.

Settings wise, depends on how large your card is and how long you plan to ride. The blacks can record in pretty high res which I'd argue most people will never need or be able to properly appreciate. On my hero 2 I often record in 720p so I can do 60 fps for slo mo if I come unstuck. But the black shoots in 60fps at 1080p so I'd probably go with that. Or if you're planning to do slo mo stuff then go with 720 and get 120fps.
For youtube I find 720p is fine. Even on my 120" home theatre screen I can't tell much difference between 720 and 1080. The lighting makes more of a difference. Some of my footage riding along the beach on a bright sunny day looks like it could be a seen in a bluray movie, other times riding along in dark forests it looks grubby.

ohzee said:
Because you guys w/no kids need kids :)
Click to expand...
I have kids and their requirement for constant supervision (when their mother isnt around) severely eats into my riding and workshop fiddling time! :p
 
1) Did you get the viewfinder? ($100) If so you can just sort of use it as a camera, if not you pretty much just mount it somewhere and hope it's right.

2) Learn the difference between shooting a still and shooting a video. It does both.

3) Learn the different resolutions. What a shame to be seeking high quality video and winding up with the low resolution. And vice versa.

4) If you want lots of high resolution video, get the biggest memory card.

5) Learn to transfer video and stills to your computer.

6) Get your computer ready for editing.
 
Dauntless said:
1) Did you get the viewfinder? ($100) If so you can just sort of use it as a camera, if not you pretty much just mount it somewhere and hope it's right.

2) Learn the difference between shooting a still and shooting a video. It does both.

3) Learn the different resolutions. What a shame to be seeking high quality video and winding up with the low resolution. And vice versa.

4) If you want lots of high resolution video, get the biggest memory card.

5) Learn to transfer video and stills to your computer.

6) Get your computer ready for editing.
Click to expand...

Didn't get the viewfinder. I just use the gopro app on my phone if I'm worried about what I'm capturing.
Still learning about resolutions. My kid figured out 720p 60fps shoots good video of the TV (no flutter).
I did order the 60gb card. I worry more about my computer memory than the camera. Transferring to computer is fairly easy. I've practiced some very basic editing. The fancy stuff I'll have to learn later. Seems like I need a 4 year degree to do real quality editing.
 
good inspirations in a gopro user forum here.

mount it and do awesome stuff. but some mundane stuff can be cool too when edited properly. set it to take photos every second and stick it in a corner.

then download and install picasa and make a timelapse movie out of the photos (using timelapse transition). fun stuff!
 
I have the white edition. Used it a few times now. Sound was fine both inside the waterproof case and outside it.

I too use the phone app for framing and start /stop.
I usually shoot in 1080. That way I can always down convert to 720 in editing.

Jason.
 
Shoot and shoot and shoot! The more video you shoot, the better you will get.

Ok, I'm still learning, I've only posted one GoPro video so far, but I'm still learning.

Shoot in higher res than you need. You can turn 1080 to 480 if you want, but trying to go the other way is full of fail.

Get the view finder. I paid $70 for mine. it makes it easy to get the camera setup for the shot you want with out any extra setup. plus you can use it like a normal camera. Great for filming family outings, parties, making blackmail videos, ect...

Keep things moving. Static shots that last longer than 5 seconds are generaly boring to the viewer. If the camera stays still, keep things moving in the field of view. If the thing you're filming is going to stay still, try shooting it from multiple angles and perspectives, then patch them together, changing every 4 to 5 seconds.

A long straight desert highway sounds like a nice relaxing ride, but it could make for a boring film if the camera never moves. Try mounting the camera on your head for shots like that, and keep your head moving. Look at a jackrabbit, look at some clouds, look at a cactus, stair at some roadkill, look behind you, watch that busty blonde girl in the T-bird passing you, pan across the scenery.

And expect to shoot hours of video for every 3 minutes of video you would want to share.
 
Cool tips.

What is your guys' procedure for processing the footage? So far, I do this:

Crop,trim in gopro cineform software.
Export avi file.
Open in After Effects software.
Make adjustments.
Save mp4.

Is this even remotely correct?
 
I bought an armband for my phone. My phone has a 5.5" screen. Connect it to my wifi backpack on my Hero 2...


Badass way to have a monitor while you're riding. Highly recommend if you have an iOS or Android device, becuase I believe the Hero3 has WiFi standard.
 
itchynackers said:
Is this even remotely correct?
Click to expand...
if it works, yeah!

i insert SD card into computer (and plug in gopro usb to charge it)
import/copy gopro files to computer
open editor (import files if nec)
edit
save/export as movie
upload to youtube
sometimes add youtube audioswap song
 
Ypedal said:
how is the mic nowadays ? that's one thing that kept me away from the first versions of the gopro, the sound always came thru muffled..
Click to expand...
Yes, you need an external mic. I can't believe how little attention the audio gets on these devices.... Assuming the Hero has plug-in power (3V), I'd suggest using these: http://www.reddogmusic.co.uk/catalog/product/000714/roland-cs10em
 
I have been playing with a Black Hero 3 and was disappointed to find the playback in the app has a 5 sec delay.
The app is still handy for getting framing right and great for changing settings.
 
Got a new black hero 3 a few days ago, its my first gopro so still learning the basics. Cant beleive how warm it gets during charging and filming can any1 else confirm this is normal?
 
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