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GoPro = HERO ??

(At time of writing ...)Seems there are four versions of the camera and NOT three(3). The first one had two(2) versions - one with three modes and another with 1080p and even 60fps at some lower resolutions. Obviously after that there were HERO2 and now HERO3. I bought a used version 1.1 for a very reasonable price. My goal is obviously to take videos out on the water - and not too much in the water :-)

One "defect" of the camera seems to be audio and is slightly corrected in HERO3 - from my readings. This is NOT an issue for me since I will be shooting on the water and adding music.

So, there are three(3) areas of concern:
i.e. require attention

1) attaching - i address this one and speak about various models
2) fog free filming - talk about this one a little bit
3) editing - far too many options and different requirements (could be separate post)

I have the  GoPro head-strap mount and it has been used successfully by Jame Douglass to attach to the end of the boom clew: {actually this seems to be called the vented bicycle helmet attachment}


http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.ca/2010/10/how-to-do-clew-mount-boom-mount-gopro.html

Apparently he got this from Andy McKinney. This is the least expensive since I have the strap. The other least expensive method is to use the handle clamp that also came with the kit ... Actually do NOT have the bicycle strap - will start with the head mount on the helmet and try the clamp on the side of the clew.

image from a site selling "bike post"





There are plenty of home-made attachments as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/halza/6271501151/lightbox/ has all rights reserved and i have asked if i may post it here ... Got the OK :-)
And here are the instructions on how to make one with a better clamp:
http://www.instructables.com/id/GoPro-clamp-mount-for-multiple-angles-with-one-cam/



Then there are the more expensive models ... some require GoPro tripod mount.
And some are expen$ive :-(


1)
image from Sailworld
 2) flymount

image from oceansource

3) trick cam gopro mast mount

image from riggeek
4) gopro mast mount



5) If the sail has an open head - why not use the boom mount ?? Unfortunately the only sail I have like that is a North Sails Zeta 3.7 which i use for teaching :-(



6) Here is a new variation that I just came up with. It is a clamp also - plastic - not so hard on the mast as metal - with the boom mount. I hope to tie the safety rope to the top of the sail...


7) After I tested the above mast mount while out on the ice with my home-made sailboard, the video felt like a figure was gliding over a white sheet of paper. A respected colleague suggested I mount the camera somewhere and sail by. I told him I had seen people do this with a tripod mount and then sail by. And so I ran out and got myself one for $14:


People try all kinds of tricks to keep the lens from fogging. Silica gel, foam, etc Others put the dive housing on and swear it helps with the exaggerated fish eye effect as well.



In terms of default setting for windsurfing, it seems it depends on the person. On land 960 felt too fish eye and 720 less pronounced. This winter I will be doing various clips on ice sailboarding :-)
STAY TUNED. The ice just started up north - almost ready, butt not quite - already 2 dead :-(

In terms of editing, my old PC will be useless ^&*()_
My sons are into this and I hope they do help me.  
HELP !!

Some people are making homemade tripod plates rather than buying them. Also, as you may know, there is NO zoom and NO display on the back.

Well, I found the WingmanHD camera that does 1080p, comes with a tripod mount, display, ZOOM + + for ONLY $200 NEW !!! The BAD thing about the Wingman is the ON/OFF switch is INSIDE the waterproof case ie NO way to change power without opening case - the case opens from the bottom where it is mounted as well = PITA %^&*()_

http://delkin.com/i-7579051-wingmanhd-waterproof-action-camera.html

Here a fellow compares the GoPro withe the Wingman


And here is one with many cameras compared ...


Here are some more Tips n Tricks on mounting the GoPro HERO on vibrating devices :

 

And found this video where a fellow shows us ALL the different points of view POVs with a GoPro. He does not tell us how - just shows the results.

Windsurfing POV on SF Bay from Ian Boyd on Vimeo.

I will summarize all the mounts and what to use .... from what i have seen ...

Since other people do NOT use the GoPro head strap on the helmet the same way I do, here are some pics:


and I hook it to the helmet with the white tie wrap/wire:


Head mount - use GoPro head strap mount $15
Helmet - GoPro Helmet Front mount $13
          -  GoPro head strap mount
          -  GoPro vented helmet strap mount $15
Chest - Chest strap harness $40
Wrist - required special casing  ?? Eye of Mine $40 auzzie
Hand held - hold it or on a stick with $20 GoPro handlebar clamp

and now for sail and board mounts ...
Foot strap - not sure how they do this ?
Board  - front and back - forget under - suction cup $30 - not sure i trust this either
           - surf board mounts $20 - kinda flat ?
           - curved and adhesive mounts $20 - some say no ...works on my winter sailboard
Clew - handlebar mount $20
        - GoPro vented helmet strap mount $15
        - clewview $95
        - homemade spring clamp with tripod mount - clamp + $8 tripod mount
        - bar with tape and $20 handlebar mount
Clew/mast - flymount 69 Euro or $96 Auzzie - North America ??
        - GoPro mast mount $$ ??
        - homemade spring clamp with tripod mount - clamp + $8 tripod mount
        - masthero - Slovenia ? 50 Euros masthero.comor $48 at trickcam !!
Mount on sailor back ??? bar with clamp - K4 Harness Mount from K4 fins $110 auzzie
http://www.k4fins.com/2012/07/k4-harness-mount/

2015 --> there is this back mount now too http://www.sailvideosystem.com/

Here is a pic of the K4base and top:


and ... Here is a homemade version that is VERY flexible in camera positioning and i think Tim of Whitelion Windsurfing made his own as well ...
http://forums.boards.mpora.com/showthread.php/61462-GoPro-harness-mount-revision-2-%28large-photos%29


What do you have to go through to post a video from a GoPro on YouTube from a Windows PC??
1) The sound quality is NOT good on the GoPro - especially when in water proof casing. The version 3 is supposed to be better, butt ... I have been using Audacity to increase the GAIN ie boost the signal without adding equalization ... This takes a WAV out of the MP4.
2) Had a problem and thus had to locate/download in preferences/librairies ffmpeg
3) Windows Media Maker /WMM needs WMV and NOT MP4 !!!
4) Downloaded FormatFactory to convert - is a memory hog on my OLD PC.
5) Enhance the gain in the Audacity WAV
6) Put the WMV into WMM
7) Put the enhanced WAV in WMM
8) Tracks overlap, but that is no problem as they are the same ...
9) Long to save and again a CPU hog on my OLD PC.
10) Save from WMM - Thought i already said that !!
After all that work Georges of the OKA jungle did NOT like my video content and i left it as PRIVATE $%^&*()
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Guess I should post my favourite angles here - not necessarily the greatest clips, butt shows the connections that I prefer. Since I started in the winter, here is the clip with the GoPro mounted on the snow sail board facing backwards:



Windsurf on Ice Sailboard with GoPro aimed to the back from joe windsurfer on Vimeo.

Since we are starting low, this clip was done with the camera mounted on the front of the water sail board , facing back towards sailor (me)...


Mounted on the boom was okay, butt prefer it mounted underneath with the image inverted. Here is an example:


Here is a sample from the helmet mount. It is NOT my favourite mount, but comes in very handy when doing videos describing boards and so, i will put two(2) videos here - one with a little bit of action and one with a discussion of the BIC Techno Formula:




Here is a better helmet mount which I just made - in March 2019 on the local river ...



The next mount to test is the home made mast mount. Since it is now December 2013, this will be tested on ice n snow :-)


So, here is a sample using the above DIY mast mount. In the winter there are few points of reference for that angle - the next one is probably MUCH better - from the end of the clew - we will see. Next summer will try this mast mount and put it a little lower on the mast as well... Also , my wife had a good idea - use the mast mount, but face it forward ...


Here is the same day out on the ice with the mast mount - a little faster in the harness and clipped to make it short n sweet - and added some music ...




I also did a video with the GoPro mounted on the clew where you can see both sides being sailed. It is only a sample and NOT a great video - will make better ones in the winter or next summer: In this video I was trying to get close to the loons and have them on film 
Well, for some reason, FLASH embedded videos are "no longer supported" - oh well then ...
here is one on ice - home mount on top of clew ...


Windsurf on ice at Vaudreuils / near Montreal from joe windsurfer on Vimeo.

Not sure if you get the "picture", but making GOOD videos is NOT easy. You must have footage, mix it up and add some good music. Ideally the music will have a beat similar to the footage, making it look like they went together.  This implies good software, lotsa footage and time on your hands.

For me so far, this GoPro has proven itself as an indispensable learning tool - more than anything. I was working on making a back pack to mount the camera, but i will stop here. I will make videos of myself FOR myself. May even take some of my videos off youtube ...In 2015 found another way to attach GoPro to the Bic Dufour Wing. Imagine hole was meant for attaching rope for tethering. Slid a bolt through and attached the tripod base onto the bolt. Just need to test it now ...





Without the GoPro mount the bolt is a severe danger to sails !!!


GoPro 3 keeps flashing blue light ?? 
With camera OFF depress button on side until blue light stops flashing.
This should take care of it, but if it doesn't, turn the camera on and off and s/b okay !!

Error while retrieving files from GoPro 3 ??
Unfortunately I did NOT document the error , but it was something like wrong disk in the device. I do not worry too much about THM or LRV files, but YES on the MP4 files. I managed to copy them over using DOS CMD prompt and xcopy command... Since I was concerned about the integrity of the SD card , thought it best to reformat. So, how to do ??

  1. Power ON your camera with the SD card inserted.
  2. Press the front (Power) button repeatedly until you see the wrench icon on the camera’s screen.
  3. Press the top (Shutter) button one time.
  4. Press the Power button repeatedly until you see a trashcan icon.
  5. Press the Shutter button one time to select the trashcan icon.
  6. Press the Power button until “ALL/Format” is highlighted.
  7. Press the Shutter button one time to select “ALL/Format”.
  8. Press the Power button until “Yes” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Shutter button one time to select “Yes”.  Your camera’s LED and the trashcan icon will blink to indicate that your SD card is being reformatted.
Once they stop blinking, power OFF/ON your camera, and your file counter should show 00.   
Important – Take a picture.  This confirms that your SD card is successfully reformatted.
Since the card is formatted, the first video starts at counter 1 - how to overcome this ?? Do NOT want videos with the same numbers. Cameras like Nikon allow one to change the prefix from DSC to JOE or whatever you wish. 
Make the next video at the number you wish ??
Make a very short video - this ensures your formatted card is working and prepares for next step. Find the highest number of your current videos on the GOPRO - let's say GOPR0037.MP4. Connect your GoPro to your PC and rename the new video you just made to GOPR0038.MP4. The next video will be sequential and NOT overwrite your existing videos !!! Once you get to 9999, you will have the infamous Y2K issue :-(

UPDATES: After the GoPro 3, there was the GoPro 3+ and now GoPro 4 & GoPro 4 Session. Somewhere around this time there was also discussion of black and silver GoPro versions. People are now starting to publish their videos on the internet with 1080p. In the past 720 seemed to be the standard and the concern was how many frames per second which became 120 fps in 720 for the 3 generation. It seems later versions support faster frame rates even in 1080p. Now there is also talk or newspeak about Video BitRate. Obviously higher bitrates give better quality, but personally feel, in my opinion, that that can be left for the professionals. Microphones and sound are supposed to be better with the 4 generation and we are talking over 10 Mpixels in these models. The GoPro4 Silver is the first to offer/include a built-in touchscreen viewing screen !! The WiFi and blue tooth capabilities are somewhere in these generations as well. Recommendations are the GoPro 4 Black is aimed at professionals and us mortals can save $100 and purchase the Silver model.  Since I already have a GoPro 3 Silver, I will NOT be running out to get a GoPro 4 - in order to take better "selfies" of my windsurf excursions. I will NOT even discuss 4K video resolution as it is beyond me and my PC/TV.

What about the GoPro 4 Session ??
People are saying that dollar for dollar the GoPro 4 Silver is the better option. The Session is a different size, but does attach to attachments one has purchased for previous GoPros. Some are saying NOT the but the session for the following reasons
1) NO screen practically
2) video quality seems lacking - compared to GoPro4 Silver
3) battery life is 2 hours max and spare batteries are not an option
4) there is NO lens cover NOR replacement
5) what i found annoying in the discussion was - power on means start filming

AntonPutman wrote back on iwindsurf:
1) The GoPro Hero3+ Silver is $275 on Amazon.com
     The GoPro Hero4 Session is $199 on Amazon.com

2) Info screen is not needed while windsurfing Smile
    All I want / need is a simple start-stop record button (6)
    I set all my settings off the water, with the GoPro App from my iPad or with the remote. With the       latest firmware update you can also set everything using the camera only.

3) The Hero3+ tops at 25Mbps data rate, same as the Session. It might be that the Hero3+ is better in      low light but I think it's the same looking at the Bitrates.
     What's more, the Hero3+ does not shoot in 1440p, nor does it feature the ProTune camera profile.
     https://gopro.com/support/articles/hero3plus-camera-comparison

4) As for battery life, true, no replaceable batteries. Battery time is about an 1.45h at 1440p using            Wifi and the remote, which is not bad at all.
     https://gopro.com/support/articles/hero4-session-battery-life
     Of course battery life decreases in colder temperatures.
     The nice thing about using the session with the remote is that you can turn the camera off from the      remote keeping only the WiFi connection active (very low consumption) that wakes the camera          back up. That way you hit the record button from the remote when you start sending your board          and save battery life.
     I have the old (non SMART) remote, works perfectly fine.

5) Replacement screen: https://shop.gopro.com/EMEA/accessories/lens-replacement-kit-for-hero4-session/ARLRK-001.html

6) see 2)

The lack of a waterproof housing with the Session is a big plus to me. I tried it yesterday and no fogging (and annoying inserts) or whatsoever. The only thing you need to take care of are water drops. But since the Session has a flat GLASS port you could safely use Rain-X or even car wax. You better watch out with Rain-X on acrylic ports as it has chemicals in it that could ruin your port.

I'll post something later from the footage I shot yesterday. Shitty session but hey it was just to test the GoPro Session.
So far happy with the cam, for $199 a no brainer.

The 1440p setting is a bit of a bummer because it's 4:3 aspect ratio but for analyzing purposes you get a very nice view of yourself with the board.
If you want to publish in 16:9 you can either crop to 1080p or stretch (see link I posted previously)

As for my mount, I have to say that yesterday I sailed with my 7.8 so with my boom at about 200, maybe some extra arm for smaller sails is needed?
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In early 2016 I decided to try a homemade boom extension on the windsurf boom. It is simply an old broom handle with some holes drilled in. The boom clamp is in the way and caused wobble. I am considering corrective options, but for now tried youtube stabilization - action starts around 3:10.



Even after I ground down the section with the boom clamp , pole still seemed to slide

 

The issue seems to be the tie wraps on the broom handle. Put some electrical tape and looked better.


Now ready for next test session 
here's one summer 2016 on OLD BIC Dufour WING
WARNING - stick broke and I lost my GoPro 3 Silver #$%^&*(


and now they have come out with a "smart camera" called the REVL ARC :



And there are other gimbal and stabilizers for the GoPros - NOT cheap @ around $300 US
(another video gone = oh well ...) will put another ...



People do try ALL kinds of mounts - fellow says this one did NOT work out (yet?)


Since I lost my GoPro 3 Silver and the homemade wooden selfie stick in the water ... I started looking at what is out there - on the market. Now there are MANY cheaper options that look like they will do the job. GoPro will need to reduce their prices or greatly enhance their technology. Currently I am looking at the Pictek as a replacement option ... With taxes, shipping, SD card et al. it comes to about $112 Canadian !!

So far that camera has been just okay and is fine for what I am using it for ...

Here Cluffy is using some features of the GoPro 5 and is riding a JP SLW - a board I have in the larger version ...
Cluffy keeps taking his video down - NO MORE CLUFFY #$%^&*(
here is one with GPS embedded - at times .



so now I have a GoPro 1.0 and a PicTek Sports Camera. The PicTek first disappointed me because it seemed to have a hue in the winter outside video - believe this was due to slightly open camera case and going through the case at an angle ...



Also, am NOT sure this camera has an upside down mode - talks about image rotation, but not video rotation ... Found this site that makes that easy tho ... https://rotatemyvideo.net/

Later video did NOT have the hue ...



Update in early 2017... There used to be few back mounts, but now they are becoming popular with names like WizMount and Axiom and are becoming available on Amazon too. People seem to like these views and obviously the drones are becoming popular too - since they are getting affordable !!

At the beginning of this discussion I mention mounts, fog free and editing as the major concerns in sport live action filming . The fog free turned out to NOT really be an issue and cameras + mounts were discussed  in fair detail here. I have been avoiding the edit discussion. I HATE Windows Movie Maker, youtube editor and am upset with companies like filmora who pretend to be free !! There are filmora cracks available on  the internet, but I will NOT go there !!

The next "free" one I wish to try is called Lightworks .... Will keep you informed ...

For back mounts you can always DIY/do-it-yourself, as I plan to do !!
This is VERY similar to my original plans ...

http://www.laphotonet.com/blog/2014/9/diy---gopro-back-pack-camera-mount


Made the backpack selfie stick with a plate in the bag and extended out the back. This was a first run with it on ice n snow ...



for details on this mount see another post:
http://joewindsurfer.blogspot.ca/2017/03/diy-selfie-stick-in-backpack.html

In March 2018 they now have cameras like the Campark ACT74 Action Camera 4K WiFi Waterproof Sports Camera which sells for about $79 from amazon.ca with free shipping and offers 4K/30fps.

Also started looking at other analyses about GoPros ..
here is one from Windsurf Magazine
https://www.windsurf.co.uk/p-o-v-filming-guide/

and in case it disappears, here is a pdf copy
https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ajm-V_FfbaYkhA7n4wWdLQ4Tv02E

GoPros and their mounts are all about filming us in action.
What about filming us in the third person ?
Filming from land requires a person, a zoom camera and probably stabilization. Drones are becoming reasonably priced but may have issues with winds and kites ... There are tools available to "follow me", but they seem quite expensive ...
The coolest one seemed to be the Soloshot 3
here is a sample ..

Soloshot windsurf - 8 bft at Wijk aan Zee from WindsurfReview on Vimeo.


Some discussion here and I will put some summary ...
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33907&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=c9910ea2aef2d8836385f5cd409f5290

The cheapest option suggested was to have someone follow you ...



The coolest video I found while doing this analysis was with a Garmin VIRB 360.
BUT a quick search suggested that these cameras are about $1000 CDN :-(



and i tried a third person view while windskiing - forget the speed - wind had died ...

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