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MarTex

By MarTex,
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shootr

shootr

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Just broke down and purchased a Hero 3+ Black Edition for our upcoming cruise in March. Along with the camera, I also purchased the LCD Backpack, Battery Backpack, Anti-Fog Inserts, a 32 and 64 gig San Disk Extreme SD cards, Head Strap mount and a Polar Pro underwater color correction filter. For all of you experienced GoPro users, are there any mounts, filters, that you might suggest I might need? I would like to do some time lapse, but the primary use will be for underwater and normal video. I'm not planning on using it for still photography as I have a Canon 40D for that. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

Thanks Mike sounds like we are in a similar situation. I have a Sony NEX 6. I'm considering some of the accessories I'll need as well.

 

One thing I'm trying to figure out is an alternative to the chest strap mount for normal walking around POC filming. The chest mount looks like way to much for non action cruise events and walking and most importantly way way too geeky. So I've been looking for a necklace/lanyard mount. I've found very few options. My idea is this. Get one of those past port travel neck wallets on uses a quickclip to mount the Gopro on that. Wonder if it would be stable enough? Any thoughts from those with more experience?

 

You have it pretty well covered guys. For a chest mount I am using a Peak Camera mount https://peakdesignltd.com/store/capture (not cheap, I know, but you get the idea) clamped onto my shoulder bag (walking through town, through the ship - those kinds of B roll scenes). It's a 1.25" heavy webbed strap so it's stable - IMO a lanyard like on a passport wallet would allow the camera to flop around quite a bit, and that's hard to watch.

 

Otherwise I plan on diving, water slides, snorkeling with a home-made wrist mount and/or hand holding on a short handle. I have a magnet base mount that will stick to the side of the ship for scenic shots into/out of port, or for time lapse' of deck activity. No filters, I don't go deep enough to need one and I am in the "polarizers don't work with GoPro cameras" camp.

 

Also bringing a 4AH aux. battery and a modified case to power it for 4hr projects, a 3' extension pole that collapses down for storage, and all the normal accessories like video back, extra memory cards, etc. - if you see that video I posted earlier in the thread of all the stuff I'm packing you can bore yourself to death with that :) .

 

Good luck and have fun - these things are a blast even if you're not a daredevil skier!

Edited by shootr
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shootr

shootr

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That's a great and informative article

but super-technical for a guy who's been a still-photographer for 45 yrs. now

-bordering on scary! :eek:

 

...........................

 

I'm thinking of buying a GoPro

on my upcoming Carnival Valor cruise up and down the Southern Caribbean islands, Feb. 19th. to 26th.

-most likely in St.Maarten (at Boolchands on Front Street).

 

In anticipation of that possibility, I bought a 16 Gb. Micro-SD card today (cost about US$ 30)

but after reading you guys speak about Class 10 cards

I now see my new card is a Class 4. :cool:

 

OK so I've bought junk

but at least I can use it in my Nikon DSLR and/or the wife's Nikon point-and-shoot.

 

Will it be any use for the GoPro? :confused: --at least it'll get me started, right?

 

.

 

Seems like I read somewhere that, and the old 8GB Class 4 out of my cell phone confirmed this, will work ok with 1080/30 or 720/60. I'd give it a whirl on some tests, even 720/60 looks pretty good when it's slowed down in post production.

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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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You have it pretty well covered guys. For a chest mount I am using a Peak Camera mount https://peakdesignltd.com/store/capture (not cheap, I know, but you get the idea) clamped onto my shoulder bag (walking through town, through the ship - those kinds of B roll scenes). It's a 1.25" heavy webbed strap so it's stable - IMO a lanyard like on a passport wallet would allow the camera to flop around quite a bit, and that's hard to watch.

 

Otherwise I plan on diving, water slides, snorkeling with a home-made wrist mount and/or hand holding on a short handle. I have a magnet base mount that will stick to the side of the ship for scenic shots into/out of port, or for time lapse' of deck activity. No filters, I don't go deep enough to need one and I am in the "polarizers don't work with GoPro cameras" camp.

 

Also bringing a 4AH aux. battery and a modified case to power it for 4hr projects, a 3' extension pole that collapses down for storage, and all the normal accessories like video back, extra memory cards, etc. - if you see that video I posted earlier in the thread of all the stuff I'm packing you can bore yourself to death with that :) .

 

Good luck and have fun - these things are a blast even if you're not a daredevil skier!

 

Thanks Shootr!!! I like the Camera Clip and POV kit. I was looking to get the Jaws Flex Clamp so I can clamp the camera to the balcony railing. We are in the Captains Suite and there is a window on the balcony which blocks the wind so I would need to cantilever the camera around that window to get a time lapse shot of us coming into port. What are your thoughts?

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Tommy3putts

Tommy3putts

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Thanks Shootr!!! I like the Camera Clip and POV kit. I was looking to get the Jaws Flex Clamp so I can clamp the camera to the balcony railing. We are in the Captains Suite and there is a window on the balcony which blocks the wind so I would need to cantilever the camera around that window to get a time lapse shot of us coming into port. What are your thoughts?

 

 

Ha! I have the exact same concern. I'm on X Reflection this summer In the Med. I'm in AQ class on "the hump" and want to take time lapse photos from the balcony. The railing looks thick and wide. Was planning on gorillapod but glass may interfere. Looks like clamp may work.

 

Also looking at he Anker Astro E5 15000 mAh for external power source on balcony for longer time lapse.

 

Thoughts?

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shootr

shootr

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Let's see...

 

Before I go any further and forget again - BRING A TETHER! I use paracord and bring enough so I can have the camera tied to something, anything securely in case the mount fails - and they do fail from time to time.

 

Gorillapod (the real ones, not knockoffs) and clamps are both good. Not bringing my gorillapod as I won't have a use for it, but am bringing a spring clamp I made (I make a lot of stuff to offset the price of things I HAVE to buy) and may have to use it from time to time, depending on how the railing is, what else is available to latch the camera on to, etc.

 

I'm in a Cove on a Carnival ship and it's basically a balcony cut into the steel of the hull - that's why the magnet should work for me.

 

15000mAh battery - that's HUGE (capacity wise), I'm using a much smaller 4000mAh battery, and just got 4.5 hours of 720/60fps video off it - and the camera battery still had a full charge, just to give you an idea of how long they last (without the video backpack on)

 

NOTE::: You HAVE to get a battery that has the ability to be "left on". What I mean is, almost all batteries like what you are considering will charge a device's depleted battery back up to 100%, but after it does, it shuts itself off to conserve power. With our cameras, what will happen is the camera battery will go to 100%, the back up battery shuts off, the camera battery then gets used up, and the back up battery will NOT turn itself back on by itself - YOU have to turn it on again (by unplugging and plugging it back in most likely).

 

I use a Voltaic V15 (there are larger models) that absolutely have this feature and I'm glad I found out before I spent money on something else. I bought direct from them, but this site explains what I'm talking about:

http://cam-do.com/Batteries.html#V39

 

On the Peak clip, I didn't bother with the POV mount, I just use a GoPro tripod mount (cheapo me again) and it works, just fyi.

 

Cantilever-ing around obstacles - that's a toughie if you're trying to keep things compact for travel. If you just mean clamping the camera to the edge of the window/partition you should be ok. If you need to extend away from the glass/partition 12" or more, that's a lot of force being transmitted to the clamp and I don't know how "grippy" they are in a horizontal orientation. Vertically, like up and over something, would probably work. Suction cups are another option if it is glass - the one I made uses this: http://www.harborfreight.com/dual-cup-suction-lifter-46134.html . You couldn't pull that off of glass without a heck of a fight - I'd trust it (tethered) with 18" of cantilever sideways. (Stuck to the roof of the truck great at 90mph for 3 hours one time...)

 

Definitely stick with class 10 cards, you are correct, the data transfer rate stinks on anything less. I'm getting tired of my Ultra's - 35Mb/s transfer speed still takes a loooong time to download.

 

Good luck.

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shootr

shootr

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^^^ Thanks!

 

I took the shoulder bag / Peak clip on a tour of an art festival yesterday. Worked pretty good, but still a little bouncy - I now see why vertical (around the neck) as well horizontal (around the back) straps are on the chesty mount.

 

After that experience I will probably just use the hand held mount and shoot what I want rather than leave it on - 2hrs of art festival on video is BORING - even sped up considerably! :-) I can see using it in a colorful shopping bazaar though.

Edited by shootr
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Tommy3putts

Tommy3putts

Posted
Posted (edited)
^^^ Thanks!

 

I took the shoulder bag / Peak clip on a tour of an art festival yesterday. Worked pretty good, but still a little bouncy - I now see why vertical (around the neck) as well horizontal (around the back) straps are on the chesty mount.

 

After that experience I will probably just use the hand held mount and shoot what I want rather than leave it on - 2hrs of art festival on video is BORING - even sped up considerably! :-) I can see using it in a colorful shopping bazaar though.

 

 

Ugh. Not good news. Was hoping not to have the go the chest mount route. Looks way too geeky for day to day travel stuff as opposed to action sports. Still may try the peak clup on a back pack.

 

Pulling the trigger on my Hero 3+ black today via Amazon.

Edited by Tommy3putts
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shootr

shootr

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Ugh. Not good news. Was hoping not to have the go the chest mount route. Looks way too geeky for day to day travel stuff as opposed to action sports. Still may try the peak clup on a back pack.

 

Pulling the trigger on my Hero 3+ black today via Amazon.

 

I think the passport wallet might still work if you can figure out another strap to go around your torso. I'm thinking like those heart rate monitor chest straps or something. The wallet will support the camera's weight just fine, now it just needs help from flopping around as you walk.

 

One thing that contributed to my test was that the pack was pretty empty - I didn't have the usual 1-2lbs of accessories in it to help hold everything in place better - being that light I think it allowed more movement than normal so I'm going to play around again this weekend and see if there is a difference. I wiped the card before I saved any of the prior footage - I'll post the stuff I get this weekend sometime so you can judge.

 

Congrats on the camera - I just dig the $&!# out of mine.

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Tommy3putts

Tommy3putts

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Supposed to arrive tomorrow. I can't wait to start using mine when it arrives but will likely have to wait until next week. I am already planning to mount it to my Caddytrek (motorized remote golf art--like a big remote control car for golf clubs ) to take some picks of the golf course. That and some time lapse experiments. All this to get prepped for the June cruise.

 

As for the passport wallet I was wondering if a clip or some other fastening mechanism to the shirt would reduce shake some. The idea is hang it from the neck bit also fasten the wallet to the shirt I'm wearing? If that doesn't work I'll do the backpack mount. Don't like the idea of wearing a chest mount.

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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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Camera and all the accessories arrived today. I never realized just how small the camera was until I held it in the palm of my hand. Now to take it to the beach this weekend and see how she holds up in the Gulf of Mexico. I bought a gadget case from Amazon to hold all of the little parts and pieces, but there seems to be a lot of parts and pieces like extra underwater housings and back doors that I'm not sure what to do with. I guess I'll need to purchase a bigger gadget bag for my D40 and put the extra GoPro parts in there.

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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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Shootr,,I found this cool magnetic mount which may do the trick for my time lapse shots from the balcony of our cabin. I watched a few videos of our suite and it looks like the glass windows are encased in steel. So I could use a magnetic mount and cantilever the camera just past the edge of the windows to get a clear shot of the port. Here is the link to the mount,,let me know what you think.

http://www.rigwheels.com/product/rigmount-magnetic-mount-with-head/

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shootr

shootr

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Camera and all the accessories arrived today. I never realized just how small the camera was until I held it in the palm of my hand. Now to take it to the beach this weekend and see how she holds up in the Gulf of Mexico. I bought a gadget case from Amazon to hold all of the little parts and pieces, but there seems to be a lot of parts and pieces like extra underwater housings and back doors that I'm not sure what to do with. I guess I'll need to purchase a bigger gadget bag for my D40 and put the extra GoPro parts in there.

 

Shootr,,I found this cool magnetic mount which may do the trick for my time lapse shots from the balcony of our cabin. I watched a few videos of our suite and it looks like the glass windows are encased in steel. So I could use a magnetic mount and cantilever the camera just past the edge of the windows to get a clear shot of the port. Here is the link to the mount,,let me know what you think.

http://www.rigwheels.com/product/rigmount-magnetic-mount-with-head/

 

Oh man, I like that magnet mount - you found a winner there I believe. Just saying, but since it is a 1/4"-20 screw mount, do you have an adapter to go from it to the GoPro style mount on the housing? It's the little things that can get overlooked that ruin the party. And still figure out a security tether, just in case.

 

On some of the back doors - I keep the stock one and the heavy bacpac one handy - I don't see a need for the skeleton back door and I don't trust the thin-film back door that comes with the video bacpac - but that's just me.

 

Have fun with that little sucker - I couldn't get over how small they are until it finally arrived but it has been worth every penny so far.

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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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Oh man, I like that magnet mount - you found a winner there I believe. Just saying, but since it is a 1/4"-20 screw mount, do you have an adapter to go from it to the GoPro style mount on the housing? It's the little things that can get overlooked that ruin the party. And still figure out a security tether, just in case.

 

On some of the back doors - I keep the stock one and the heavy bacpac one handy - I don't see a need for the skeleton back door and I don't trust the thin-film back door that comes with the video bacpac - but that's just me.

 

Have fun with that little sucker - I couldn't get over how small they are until it finally arrived but it has been worth every penny so far.

 

 

I'm thinking I'll just pick up the tripod mount from GoPro as well as their tethering kit. I'll definitely need to tether the camera to a chair or table on the balcony just in case.

Unfortunately I can't use the underwater case that came with the LCD backpack cause the housing over the lens won't allow my filter to mount to it, so it's either find filters that will mount over the backpack case or use the filter I already have and use the stock case without the LCD backpack unless you can point me to some filters that will mount over the lens housing of the backpack case.

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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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So I was thinking of using the gopro jaws flex clamp on the railing on the Reflection for time lapses. Is this not feasible? Looks like the top railing isn't too wide for the clamp or a gorillapod. Am I wrong???

 

I wanted to try and use the jaws clamp as well, problem was that the glass meets the bottom of the railing so instead of clamping top to bottom, you'd have to clamp side to side which I wouldn't feel comfortable with. Luckily in my situation I have a metal window structure which I can attach a magnetic mount to and cantilever the camera beyond the window.

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4826758515328864&w=252&h=180&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4614647281288582&w=246&h=171&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7

Edited by Mikesa1721
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Mikesa1721

Mikesa1721

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Hmm I'm in AQ on deck 11. Don't think the magnetic mount would work for me. So it's the jaws or joby. The glass divider could work as a spot for me if I can't mount on railing. Assuming neighbors don't mind.

 

Tommy,,how about the suction cup mount to the glass and tether the cam to something on the balcony for insurance?

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shootr

shootr

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I'm thinking I'll just pick up the tripod mount from GoPro as well as their tethering kit. I'll definitely need to tether the camera to a chair or table on the balcony just in case.

Unfortunately I can't use the underwater case that came with the LCD backpack cause the housing over the lens won't allow my filter to mount to it, so it's either find filters that will mount over the backpack case or use the filter I already have and use the stock case without the LCD backpack unless you can point me to some filters that will mount over the lens housing of the backpack case.

 

I'd just forego the bacpac when diving, with the limited run time on the battery, I'd leave the bacpac off to maximize recording time (plus I don't know much about filter mounts). I won't be going deep enough to need one (just snorkeling and helmet diving) so that's why I haven't researched them more. As you get some practice in I'll bet you'll "point and shoot" pretty accurately.

 

I don't know if I missed it, but which filter system are you going to be using? EDIT: Ah, found it. Polar Pro - nice.

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belmontcrew

belmontcrew

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I have had my GoPro for a little over a week. The "Understanding Your New GoPro" is very helpful. Plan on using it on our cruise in March and wanted to do some time-lapse shots. It looks like the best setting may be 4K 15 Wide or 4K 12 CIN. When shooting time-lapse departing or coming into port, what do you set the delay (.5, 1, 2, etc)? Some of your videos with time-lapse have looked so smooth, not herky-jerky like others I have seen.

 

Suggested settings for snorkeling would be helpful as well. I don't want to get back and have a "Dang" moment because I used the wrong settings.

 

This thread is great!

 

Thanks.

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