GoPro camera experience

[TOM]

Hey gang,

I'm trying to decide on the possible purchase of a GoPro camera for self filming a bit of this years safari. Does anyone have experience with a GoPro? Are they fairly easy to use? Download and edit? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Mine is coming along again.
I did not use it enough last time.

They are straight forward to use.
Use it a bunch before you go so you do not have to think in the field. If it is not second nature, you will not want to use it. It becomes a distraction and an annoyance (like all equipment).


I would take extra memory cards along instead of trying to download every video. It is somewhat time consuming. It is USB, not firewire (IEEE). Edit at home unless you are doing it for business purposes and need particular footage on the storey board.

If the critters are up close you will get some decent footage. If they are rifle distance away you see little dots. (No zoom.)

It helps tell the story, but it will not be the whole story.
For production you'll need other cameras.
For personal memories of the stalk up on a critter, they are perfect.

 

[TOM]

Thanks Wayne. I'll start looking at prices and see what I can find. Anyone else have advice?

 

[teenhunter]

i had one mounted on my bow and the hero 3 has really really good quality ( i think ). they are very easy to use and you need to have a very little knowledge to download and edit but basically easy. if you plan to mount it on your rifle or bow it's the best camera you can get but then if someone else will film you better get a real camera with zoom.

 

[TOM]

Yeah, this will be for fun shots, etc. I have a cameraman coming along to make me look even more studly!

 

[Bobpuckett]

Yeah, this will be for fun shots, etc. I have a cameraman coming along to make me look even more studly!

Your the Man! Mr Studly DoRight. :laughing: Me being ElCheapo I'm handing my PH my Nikon coolpics Camera and saying here film this. That'll have to get it.

 

[Buff-Buster]

Come on Bob....tell the truth..Deb will commander the rifle, you'll be handling the camera!!..lol!!

 

[Bobpuckett]

Come on Bob....tell the truth..Deb will commander the rifle, you'll be handling the camera!!..lol!!

Tattle-Tail!:small: Ok she's got to sleep sometime.

 

[desertloper]

Check this video out..short but shows different mounting capabilities and audio from pretty extreme scenarios. We use them quite a bit for work
I think it woul be sweet to capture a hunt!

 

[TOM]

That's pretty cool!

 

[Bobpuckett]

New GoPro HD HERO3 Video Camera Camcorder - Black Edition 1080P WiFi CHDHX-301

You talked me in to it just bought one. To Cool!

 

[huntsolo101]

I personally use a contour GPS camera mounted to the side of my hat. Contour has Bluetooth and I can watch a live feed on my phone or iPad to make sure everything is straight and pointed in the correct direction. My wife can also hold the phone while on a stalk and see what I see . I use it for pheasant hunting and snowmobiling also. I love my contour. When I edit the video back home the GPS model I have lets me see where I was. I have had mine in Africa once before and it will be with me in July for sure on the next trip. I know someday there will be a way to get the videos into a shutterfly book along with my pictures.

 

[Ardent]

Gemsbok POV long double rifle iron sights shot, first person perspective GoPro camera

Kalahari Gemsbok hunt, after two solid days of following tracks and getting busted, stretched the Merkel .375 H&H's legs over the irons on this shot and dropped a nice bull. Yes, it is indeed the Kalahari despite all the green, the seasonal rains had arrived just prior and were extremely plentiful. We couldn't see what happened with the Gemsbok at range as the shot rang, fortune was smiling and he lay where he was shot.

 

[Wheels]

Great shot with open sites. Quietest 375 I have ever heard.

 

[Ardent]

Here he is propped up, and indeed that gopro doesn't pick up sound too well in the standard housing.

 

[Johnny7604]

A few things I have learned with mine.

-Get extra batteries, you will run out of juice before you run out of memory. I am getting about an hour of filming on 1080. A 64 GB card gives about 4 hours worth of storage if I remember correctly.

-Use the skelotonized housing if you want good sound.

-The LCD touch screen that mounts on the back is worth it's weight in gold. It allows you to use the narrow view more often which makes it easier to get a centered shot and doesn't make things look like they are a million miles away.

-Go Pro has downloadable software that lets you convert the file and get rid of the fish eye effect. It has some limited editing capabilities as well. Note that it works best to download the file onto your computer and convert it from there. When I try to convert it directly off of the camera it freezes my computer up solid.

-If you want to slow down a scene try filming it in 720 at 120 fps. You still get high quality and decent frame rates when you slow it down.

I'm sure other folks with more camera experience can give better tips but those are a few I have learned so far.

Cheers,

-John