GoPro Hero4 for professional tandem video?

[BeauRiebe 0]

Hey all,
With the recent advances in GoPro video quality, I'm curious if you think they have a place in professional tandem videography yet. I do not have a lot of in-depth camera knowledge, but from asking around people have told me that a Hero4 Silver, shooting 1080p/60fps on medium view will work great for shooting tandems, especially with the addition of a ringsight. I know that in the past, GoPro's have not been up to par with other camcorders and thus looked down on for shooting professional video, but what about with the updates in the newer models? While it seems that audio recording remains the largest drawback of the Hero4, can a camera-flyer using a Hero4 for video delivery as high quality of a product as someone using, say, a Sony CX?

I've searched through these forums and couldn't find anything directly related to what I'm asking. If there is, I apologize for wasting your time.

Thanks, have a good day! :D

[parachutist 1]

My take on it:

No. Like you mentioned, you can use the Med setting to eliminate the superwide view on a Hero, but then any camera shake is magnified (literally because you're now zoomed in). A Sony CX deals with that using digital stabilization, but the Heros don't have anti-shake, so the video looks jittery compared.

[jtiflyer 0]

I solved the "jello" on my sony as-100v bu using a .6 ND gel filter. Quality is still perfectly fine. I have tested this on clear and overcast days camera handles it like a champ. I imagine if you are using a solid mount on the GoPro and use a ND Filter there would be no shake as well.

So in answer to the OP Yes the quality is fine, however some adjustments are needed.

The CX is far from perfect as well. EIS makes the shaking worse. OIS is pretty much dead and gone. BOSS is not on every camera. Also few of the CX series can use an add on lens. HD lens options are very limited. If you also consider weight and space needed that's also another notch against a CX.

The cameras released in 2014 and hopefully 2015 is a crossover year where action cams are surpassing consumer cameras in terms of quality and potential.

[Maxx 1]

We are sometimes using Hero4's for parts of professional tv commercial shoots so I don't know why it shouldn't be good for tandem videos.
Shake also depends on your flying style and on your helmet. I saw videos from G3 mounts that had a terrible shake in headup and even bellypositions.
It all depends on what you want to deliver to your costumer.
If you want super slow and smooth camera movements you can also tweak around a little bit with more fps, warp stabilize it in the postproduction or even use a gimbal for the ground footage. If you want to keep it more realistic and authentic some fast movements and tilting are imho also allowed.
Regarding the picture quality I would say a Hero4 is superior to some of the earlier CX Cams.

[BMFin 0]

I think the go pro hero 2 already surpassed the CX line of cameras in terms of image quality.

The go pro hero 4 is an excellent choice for tandems.

[stayhigh 2]

I don't know what rock this guy crawled out of, but many dz has been using gopro for tandem video and still since GoPro 2 days.

Now that Trunk's GoPro indicator is out, many more will opt to use dual GoPro for work.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[BeauRiebe 0]

stayhigh

I don't know what rock this guy crawled out of

*insert your mom joke here*

Thanks for the info everyone. I appreciate it

[parachutist 1]

stayhigh

many dz has been using gopro for tandem video and still since GoPro 2 days.

And many poor outside videos have been shot with GoPros. Very few videographers are good enough to maintain the 3 foot distance required between them and the subject. That's what's required to use a GoPro in its native wide angle mode. Otherwise the student takes up only 10% of the screen, and you get a poor video IMO.

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

Chris

[jtiflyer 0]

parachutist

***many dz has been using gopro for tandem video and still since GoPro 2 days.

And many poor outside videos have been shot with GoPros. Very few videographers are good enough to maintain the 3 foot distance required between them and the subject. That's what's required to use a GoPro in its native wide angle mode. Otherwise the student takes up only 10% of the screen, and you get a poor video IMO.

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

Chris


http://vimeo.com/115136461

Sony AS100V with .6 ND filter shot in med (120 degrees) wide is 170 degrees. Not my best flying (about a month layoff)

[parachutist 1]

jtiflyer

http://vimeo.com/115136461

Sony AS100V with .6 ND filter shot in med (120 degrees) wide is 170 degrees. Not my best flying (about a month layoff)

That looks great. Was the anti-shake option enabled, or just the ND filter used?

Any GoPro'ers in Med mode?

[BMFin 0]

parachutist

And many poor outside videos have been shot with GoPros. Very few videographers are good enough to maintain the 3 foot distance required between them and the subject. That's what's required to use a GoPro in its native wide angle mode. Otherwise the student takes up only 10% of the screen, and you get a poor video IMO.

I think its much easier to shoot a decent video with a wide angle such as go pro than with a narrower FOV camera. IMO Narrow FOV takes much more skill than wide.

If one does not have the skills to stay close enough a tandem to shoot go pro, then he shouldnt be filming tandems to begin with. Narrow FOV for such a person is only going to make things worse in my opinion.

[BMFin 0]

parachutist

***many dz has been using gopro for tandem video and still since GoPro 2 days.

And many poor outside videos have been shot with GoPros. Very few videographers are good enough to maintain the 3 foot distance required between them and the subject. That's what's required to use a GoPro in its native wide angle mode. Otherwise the student takes up only 10% of the screen, and you get a poor video IMO.

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

Chris

Here is a sample video shot with go pro2. Dont mind the shitty music. Our DZO was very strict on copy right issues.

http://youtu.be/IKzJ7adXz7A?t=1m16s

[stayhigh 2]

that's legit camera flying without a wing.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[jtiflyer 0]

parachutist

***
http://vimeo.com/115136461

Sony AS100V with .6 ND filter shot in med (120 degrees) wide is 170 degrees. Not my best flying (about a month layoff)

That looks great. Was the anti-shake option enabled, or just the ND filter used?

Any GoPro'ers in Med mode?

anti-shake mode limits the fov. With anti-shake on its 120 with it off its 170. So in that video its on

[jtiflyer 0]

BMFin

***
And many poor outside videos have been shot with GoPros. Very few videographers are good enough to maintain the 3 foot distance required between them and the subject. That's what's required to use a GoPro in its native wide angle mode. Otherwise the student takes up only 10% of the screen, and you get a poor video IMO.

I think its much easier to shoot a decent video with a wide angle such as go pro than with a narrower FOV camera. IMO Narrow FOV takes much more skill than wide.

If one does not have the skills to stay close enough a tandem to shoot go pro, then he shouldnt be filming tandems to begin with. Narrow FOV for such a person is only going to make things worse in my opinion.

IMO you have that backward. Its easier to be farther away with a narrower FOV and get better footage. The closer you are the more magnified any changes are. Narrower FOV means you can stay a little further back making changes less noticeable. However I do agree you must be able to fly your slot whether its 6 feet or 6 inches from your subject.

What this boils down to, is shitty flying is shitty footage. You can hand a $10000 pro-sumer camera to a somebody who flys like crap and the footage will be crap, and vice versa hand a bad ass flyer a PC105 or mini 8 and they can get amazing footage.

[BMFin 0]

jtiflyer

IMO you have that backward. Its easier to be farther away with a narrower FOV and get better footage.

I guess we see this a little differently. IMO narrow FOV camera demands you fly at the right distance AND you are able to aim the camera perfectly all the time. With a wide FOV camera you only need to fly at close distance, but dont need to really worry about aiming that much. One less thing to worry about.

I think if I was given a narrow FOV camera to shoot tandems, I would most likely screw up my videos in the beginning. I definetly would have to pay attention much more than I usually do with a go pro.

[markbdaniels 0]

Quote

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

How would an ND filter help here?

[parachutist 1]

markbdaniels

How would an ND filter help here?

I have no idea if it would help or not. A previous poster was saying that an ND filter fixed his shake problems on a Sony Action cam, and he suggested it may do the same for a Hero when the Hero is set to the Med FOV.

Chris

[parachutist 1]

BMFin

Here is a sample video shot with go pro2. Dont mind the shitty music. Our DZO was very strict on copy right issues.

http://youtu.be/IKzJ7adXz7A?t=1m16s

Looks like the Gopro is still in Wide mode there.

Flying underneath someone in freefall is a very bad idea.

[jtiflyer 0]

BMFin

***
IMO you have that backward. Its easier to be farther away with a narrower FOV and get better footage.

I guess we see this a little differently. IMO narrow FOV camera demands you fly at the right distance AND you are able to aim the camera perfectly all the time. With a wide FOV camera you only need to fly at close distance, but dont need to really worry about aiming that much. One less thing to worry about.

I think if I was given a narrow FOV camera to shoot tandems, I would most likely screw up my videos in the beginning. I definetly would have to pay attention much more than I usually do with a go pro.

Paying attention is the whole point. Being a professional means more than just getting paid to do it. Close attention to even the smallest details can make or break a video. If you can't do it consistently then you shouldn't consider/call yourself a "professional". Selling a lesser product because the video flyer lack the skills or equipment to do a quality job says a lot about the operation and operator about quality standards. When I first started flying video I was pulled from rotation and told my videos weren't up to standards. I practiced and got my act together. I see videos that are accepted now that were WORSE than what I was putting out when I was pulled.

But if whoever is in charge of video sales/quality doesn't care about consistent framing and quality of image, then you might as well use the smallest, lightest, cheapest camera you can find.

[jtiflyer 0]

parachutist

***
How would an ND filter help here?

I have no idea if it would help or not. A previous poster was saying that an ND filter fixed his shake problems on a Sony Action cam, and he suggested it may do the same for a Hero when the Hero is set to the Med FOV.

Chris

Not so much shaking from poor mounting. But the shutter roll or "jello" you get in the corners. That is what is corrected by using the ND filter. A shaking camera is either a loose helmet or poor mounting. This is one spot go pro still has not got right. Its not possible to solidly mount the camera using the equipment they offer. The clamping screw does not prevent a forward or backward roll of the camera. It has to be mounted on a flat based mount or be pressed up against something to keep it from moving.

[jumpsalot-2 3]

This question is for anyone. After a few hundred work jumps with my Canon Rebel and several hundred with my Sony NEX 5n, I'm thinking of GoPro for " stills only ". I will continue to use my Sony CX 110 for video. I like the pics I've seen with GoPro's, but not sunset load pics or heavy overcast days. These become grainy. Did Hero 4 control this problem ? Can anyone post deep sunset load pic qualities ( even fun jumping ) ? What have you seen in these conditions ? P.S. My Sony got trashed one day, so something new is in order.

Life is short ... jump often.

[DSE 3]

markbdaniels

Quote

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

How would an ND filter help here?

ND filters virtually always help in high motion, outdoor shots.
They allow for lower shutter speed, which helps in jello and shake. Contrast is also reduced. PolarPro makes a 2 stop and 4 stop ND for the Sony (and GoPro).

[jtiflyer 0]

DSE

***

Quote

So there's the option of using Med setting to eliminate the need for being right on top of the subject... but all the shots I've seen in Med setting looked unsmooth. People are texting in this thread about possibilities of smoothing that out, but I'd like to see a good freefall video shot in Med on any GoPro. Maybe the ND filter can help. Any presenters?

How would an ND filter help here?

ND filters virtually always help in high motion, outdoor shots.
They allow for lower shutter speed, which helps in jello and shake. Contrast is also reduced. PolarPro makes a 2 stop and 4 stop ND for the Sony (and GoPro).

wish i had known about polar pro. I bought a 4'x4' sheet and cut my own nd filter to fit inside the housing. Might need to invest on this clip on filters. On that note DSE do you think using gel sheet cuts down on IQ compared to using the clip on filter from polar pro?

[BMFin 0]

parachutist

Flying underneath someone in freefall is a very bad idea.

Thats BS. I always do it, and there is no reason why it would be a bad idea.