Opinions on GoPro2

All of the GoPro clips I have seen have horrible sound. If sound is important I think you need to consider the competitors.

 

I've been getting into filming lately and in no way a pro. I have one of the older gopro's and you are correct that sound is not that great. I does have 2 mic settings that you can choose between, so if it doesnt sound good on some vids then it might have been set up wrong. I have seen a couple rigged with what looks like a mic coming off of it.

If you want something easy just use the gopro. It is versatile and has so many attachments for mounting. I use mine for surfing. It is made very well. The picture on the new one looks incredible.

If you are looking for pro quality, then you should be recording with a separate sound set up and match it up with editing software. It and my iPhone have gotten me much more into film making. Check out some of Hans gt4 videos on YouTube.

 

Agree with above. On-board mics are never going to get you fidelity sound. A few $ invested in a pair of omnis will do wonders.

I've used stuff from Giant Squid successfully. Currently, I use a Tascam DR-100 which has decent enough onboard mics (omni and uni) but I prefer to use unbranded lavaliers from Micronic in the UK. With long leads, you can place these wherever you like with a little duct tape.

You then match up the audio in post-prod. Very easy if you record on-board so you can match up the sound waves. Or just clap your hands visually in front of the camera before each take.

 

I got the Contour HD GPS instead and love it.

It's easier to use with gloves on and it has a much slimmer, cleaner profile if you ever want to mount it on a helmet or wear it on some goggles. I also got the suction cup car mount from their site and it is awesome.

 

I have the GoProHD2 and HD1. The Hero 2 is just as GoPro said it, it is 10x better than the original and the layout on how to use it broken down and is easier to figure out than the first one. My website site videos were all shot with GoPro's and this one which is the Hero 1 for a fellow fchatter http://vimeo.com/31056129 I love the new one and can make a same video for you to see it if you want. I primary use it for automobile use and for my Ferrari clients It is a hell of a lot sharper, the sound is crisper and the low light is much better than the Hero 1. The Hero 2 can have an external mic as well as a remote that is coming out in February that can control up to 4 GoPro's. The remote itself can also be any android or iphone as well which is pretty cool.

 

Off the record I may or may not have used it on a Ferrari traveling in excess of 140+ and have seen it operated at 180mph. Let me reassure you, if you properly attach that suction cup to glass or a panel it will not come off, you would need a direct impact for it to come off. I have had it sit directly behind my exhaust which given it's 3" no cat converter design heats up hotter than an engine and it was fine. If anything, heat would help it. When you look at the design of the suction cup. It is not like attaching a Garfield cling on suction cup to a window.

With the GoPro Suction mount you place it for example on a window. Looking at the photo below will help. Once it is on the window you will press the middle area (that says press) pretty hard (will not dent panels) that will create the initial suction, then while that is pressed you will push down on the "lever" will create a suction to whatever it is on that will not come off.

Here are some examples I can offer you. I have had it on over 6 Ferrari's moving very fast, a WRC Rally car going very fast while a metric ton of mud hit the camera (See photos below), It has been in the air at over 100ft, I have had it fall off a rally car because he hit a tree. That would be the only time it would un-suction and it also does not suction to fiberglass.


If you have any other questions I would love to help you out
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Has anyone found a good option as far as an external mic goes?

I tried a cheap clip on mic and had issues with unwanted disturbances in the audio.

 

it takes a 3.5mm jack so if you go on amazon and look for plug in mic's there are many options. Sony makes one. I got one for $25 called the i-microphone on Amazon that looks like it would work with the GoPro.

I was in the 308 forum and came across this video done with a GoPro with some sort of mic extension that Sledge4.2 put together.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348708

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X2awtQuTMv0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

PS - This is my 100th post! Am i in the club yet?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2awtQuTMv0[/ame]

 

I have both a ContourGPS and a ReplayXD1080

Both shoot in full 1080P and have great video. I prefer the Replay over the Contour for most things but the GPS built into the Contour comes in handy. Replay has an input for an external mic.

Both the Replay and the Contour can shoot in 60 fps so the video is smoother at speed.

Replay is at http://replayxd.com/

here is a image. Small and mounts easily.
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Am considering getting a suction cup mount for my HD Hero and have a few questions:

1. For those of you who mount it externally: Does it leave a mark on the paint?

2. For those of you who mount it internally: Where? On the leather dash? Will it "pull" the leather?

I ski with a chestmount, so I suppose I could do the same while driving, haha!

 

Here's some videos I took using my GroPro@ HD mounted on my helmet...www.youtube.com/fparkertv

 

The suction cup does stick. I was nervous at first, but got some great shots from various angles and it stuck at speeds of up to 150mph, as fast as my 996 racer could do at the track.

 

I have not had any problems with it leaving marks on my black car but I always have something to brush off the area before sticking it on. I don't have a Ferrari so it would be different but I have mounted from the sunroof and passenger window. It would probably work best to mount it on the inside of the front windshield rather then the dash.

Some videos I have done with my go pro 1 are here www.YouTube.com/user/NLPSpeedPhotos

 

Small world lol In your video on that page the LOVEFAB NSX are my friends Cody and Tabitha who will be climbing Pikes Peak in 2013



I PM'd this to the OP, but might as well put it here. I made this to show you the quality of the Hero 2. If you watch to the very end, I tested fate and suctioned it to plastic tail light and well that didn't work very well lol All videos on the right hand side are shot with the GoProHD1

http://vimeo.com/34179011

 

In my experience, the LCD bacpac just eats up battery like crazy, I don't know how long your canonball run is, but if you plan to keep the bacpac mounted while recording, you might want to do a test run of the battery life in that config.

 

Audio has never been a strong point of the GoPros. However, IMO their graphical output is unrivaled at that price range. Really good lens with strong focus and color, comments on the HERO2 have generally been that a few people find the new lens a bit to "bold", i.e. it has an overexaggerated fisheye/POV effect. I personally don't think so. It's a big improvement image quality wise from the original HERO.

Sound I don't think is improved upon the original but has never been an issue for me. In theory, if I wanted premium sound I would use the mic output (I do believe all GoPros have this) and tape a fuzzy-mic (bug) over the exhaust and run that instead.

IMHO, you will need a few accessories before you get started. The LCD BacPac so that you can adjust the GoPro on application. Otherwise there is no way knowing what your footage will look like since the HERO has never had a monitor or live view. You don't need to have this permanently added, as that will just eat away battery life. If you plan to run multiple cameras, the Wi-Fi BacPac would be of great help as you can synchronise and start/stop all your cameras simultaneously. Although it is not strictly a necessity like the LCD. Same goes with the Battery BacPac, if you want longer shooting times, it will be required. Also remember to have a premium memory card, that can be quite expensive but worth it when it all comes to it.

For racing, you might like the Rollbar mount. Other than that, the Motorsports package is great value for money and pretty much covers it all!

Best of luck,

Herman

 

Check out the Swann Freestyle HD as an alternative. www.swann.com

Comes with lots of extras, including playback screen and remote control. Still playing with it, but so far so good. Remote is a nice touch to turn record on and off and for still photos.

 

Hi, captain obvious here.

Do Not use any suction cup mounts on vinyl wrapped body panel.

Sincerely, captain obvious.

 

I recently purchased a Hero2, HD1 external mike, and one of the popular dead cat wind screens for the HD1. I also picked up a skeletal case for the Hero2.

I've been trying to get some good exhaust recordings, but can't seem to get rid of the objectionable background noise. I can't say that it's definitely wind noise, because one of the recordings was made without the external mike, and with the Hero2 in the trunk of the car, and it had the same noise!

My preferred configuration is to have the Hero2 mounted on the inside rear window - looking forward, to get the right POV, then have the HD1 mike mounted on the rear bumper, near (within 2 feet or so of) one of the tailpipes.

Here's an early video crusing around the neighborhood in the 550: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0498oaHU7Y[/ame]

The noise I'm referring to sounds a bit like the seashore in the background.

I've tried various other muffling techniques, and have changed mikes, to no avail.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Forgive me if you've already tried it, but are you using the open vented back cover or the solid waterproof one? In my experience, strangely enough the open back cover offers better wind buffering than the sealed waterproof one.

 

Thanks, I'm using the skeleton case, which is similar to the open back, but is even more open. It's required when using external mikes, etc.

http://gopro.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/HDSkeletonHousing2.jpg

I had sent the URL of that first video to GoPro for their suggestions, and in case there was something defective with the camera, and their response was "Sounds OK to us!" Doh....