Need Help with GoPro Camera

[joe g texas aggies]

I need some serious help from the Camino community with my Hero4 GoPro my son gave me for Christmas. I will be using it with an IPhone 5. Anyone know of a good primer or have a URL link that will take me from the beginning? GoPro does not provide much in the way of documentation.

I am desperate as I will be starting the Camino in about three weeks.

Thanks in advance.

 

[rlang290]

Hi Joe,

May I ask what the GoPro will be used for? Are you riding a bike and want footage or will you be using it as a camera?
I have a GoPro as well and although I love it and use it when I ride my motorcycle with my friends, I wouldn't consider bringing it on my Camino.

Ron

 

[Annie G]

Hi Joe,

May I ask what the GoPro will be used for? Are you riding a bike and want footage or will you be using it as a camera?
I have a GoPro as well and although I love it and use it when I ride my motorcycle with my friends, I wouldn't consider bringing it on my Camino.

Ron

Check this out:

Hi Joe,

May I ask what the GoPro will be used for? Are you riding a bike and want footage or will you be using it as a camera?
I have a GoPro as well and although I love it and use it when I ride my motorcycle with my friends, I wouldn't consider bringing it on my Camino.

Ron

Tried to copy/paste from Camino Photos but not able to do it for some reason. Go there and then to "Highest Rated". Pick "Hyperlapse". It's a Go Pro. Like it very much.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Check this out:

Tried to copy/paste from Camino Photos but not able to do it for some reason. Go there and then to "Highest Rated". Pick "Hyperlapse". It's a Go Pro. Like it very much.

Hi Ron. I will be walking the CF. I would like to find written instructions on how to use the GoPro. Seems like everyone wants leaves it to the YouTube crowd to write their operating manuals. Very frustrating.
Thanks for the response.

 

[rlang290]

Hi Joe,

I think the GoPro people assume everyone enjoys learning by trial and error. There was a little booklet with basic instruction with my GoPro. Couple that with the app and it shouldn't take more that a few minutes of fiddling around.
Sorry Joe but I'm still kinda curious why you would bring a GoPro if you're walking. As I mentioned before, I own one as well and wouldn't consider bringing it (I'm actually in my hotel room in SdC having just finished my Camino).

Ron

 

[rlang290]

Hi Annie,

I've seen that before. Although it is kinda neat, I think that would be a horrible way to walk the Camino.
You'd have to place the camera in your body and keep your body pointed straight all the time. I was walking over here to see this, walking over there to see that.
I think having to be so aware of my body position to get a good shot would've driven me (and my wife) bonkers!
Just my $0.02
Ron

 

[jeffnd]

Joe, what exactly do you need help with?

This is a pretty good primer if you're just getting started. http://abekislevitz.com/gopro-getting-started/

I think a GoPro would be great for the Camino and I'll be bringing mine on my next one to serve as my backup camera. The main reason is weather. The camera I brought was not weather sealed, and it was such a pain to unpack it and repack it just to get a picture that I often didn't. Plus there was the danger that one stray raindrop could find its way into the electronics and ruin it. GoPros are great because you don't have to worry about that. Or if you drop it, you might scratch the housing, but the camera will be fine. They are small and lightweight and are very versatile.

 

[kmp]

I need some serious help from the Camino community with my Hero4 GoPro my son gave me for Christmas. I will be using it with an IPhone 5. Anyone know of a good primer or have a URL link that will take me from the beginning? GoPro does not provide much in the way of documentation.

I am desperate as I will be starting the Camino in about three weeks.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Joe,

I downloaded the manual from the GoPro site. Go to GoPro.com, Support, Product Manuals. I downloaded mine (Hero 3) on to my phone. I've used my GoPro a few years, but still reference the manual on occassion to try new things. I recommend taking the GoPro out and try it in many of the settings. Take lots of video and pics and you can address in post production.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

q

Joe, what exactly do you need help with?

This is a pretty good primer if you're just getting started. http://abekislevitz.com/gopro-getting-started/

I think a GoPro would be great for the Camino and I'll be bringing mine on my next one to serve as my backup camera. The main reason is weather. The camera I brought was not weather sealed, and it was such a pain to unpack it and repack it just to get a picture that I often didn't. Plus there was the danger that one stray raindrop could find its way into the electronics and ruin it. GoPros are great because you don't have to worry about that. Or if you drop it, you might scratch the housing, but the camera will be fine. They are small and lightweight and are very versatile.

Hi Jeff, I can't thank you enough. Your link was exactly what I was looking for. You are also correct that the GoPro is well protected against water and rain. I plan to walk with it attached to my back pack.

In answer to other questions as to why I feel compelled to take it, my son, who is walking with me on the Camino for the first week or so, gave me the GoPro for Christmas with the expectation that I would use it on the Camino. It also meant that I had to upgrade from an I Phone 4 to and I Phone 6. Oh well, the 4 was about four years old.

 

[Camembert]

A friend of me brought me a Gopro Hero 4 Silver from an US airforce base in Alabama where he was training.
I hadn't the chance to try the camera out due to the bad winterwheather so yesterday was a nice and sunny day. Living in a big city only 5 minutes of our home is a unique piece of nature ,an island in the river Rhine here in Rotterdam the Netherlands so it was a good chance to try out the camera just before we leave for our next caminho. I used the 1080 setting ,framerate 30 , middle wide angle.
I think a good setting for landscape vids .super quality. I will wear the Gopro on a chest harnass .

I edited the video on my Apple Imac in Final Cut Pro.



Bom caminho

 

[Magwood]

Oh dear @Albertinho, I have been suppressing my desire for one of these toys, and now you are making me reconsider.
I like the new avatar by the way!

 

[Camembert]

Oh dear @Albertinho, I have been suppressing my desire for one of these toys, and now you are making me reconsider.
I like the new avatar by the way!

Thanks Maggie !
The Gopro is a good buy. I do video recording and editing for many years ,worked with allmost steam powered videocams but this Gopro is a great device. high quality and very small and light
Mine I got with a closed skeleton housing , changed the backside with the included open backdoor but had the idea the sound was poor so thought about buying an open skeleton housing for better sound quality but the sound it records , is great.so no need to buy extra things exept for the batteries and later will buy an extra mounting bracket for using on our bikes if we go biking after the caminho.

I bought the Gopro with an extra battery but I am going to buy two more batteries and a dual batterycharger because 2 batteries will not be enough for one day walking and filming . I have a very light small tripod with me For some selfies as shown in the vid from last sunday and a self made chestharnass.
I bought a lightweight compact storebox, so everything is easy to take in the backpack.

If you should buy a Gopro, do not throw away the box ! In the box is a mountingplate on which the Gopro is fixed in the box .see link below . with this plate a chestharnass is easy to make if you are a bit handy . My wife made one for me and one for our son in law.

Um abraço

Albert

 

[Camembert]

In addition a picture of the box. All including the Gopro, batteries and tripod it weigh 300 grams.

 

[jrm]

q


Hi Jeff, I can't thank you enough. Your link was exactly what I was looking for. You are also correct that the GoPro is well protected against water and rain. I plan to walk with it attached to my back pack.

In answer to other questions as to why I feel compelled to take it, my son, who is walking with me on the Camino for the first week or so, gave me the GoPro for Christmas with the expectation that I would use it on the Camino. It also meant that I had to upgrade from an I Phone 4 to and I Phone 6. Oh well, the 4 was about four years old.

Congrats on the nice gift! I use GoPros all the time in my job and they are fantastic little cameras. May I suggest something however? I've found that after a time, the chest strap can get somewhat uncomfortable and awkward. Double shoulder harness get annoying after some time. I think something like this might serve you better:

It's a clip that fits on a shoulder strap for a backpack. They make these for cameras all the way upto DSLR sizes so that the camera is always at hand. They can be found here: https://peakdesign.com/store/capturepov . Yeah, it is one more thing to buy, but I think it would help make the GoPro much more comfortable and usable. Plus, it is one less thing to wear. You just attach that clip to your bag and you can attach, remove the GoPro at the press of a button. It's a very versatile system.

Good luck!

-jon

 

[Camembert]

Congrats on the nice gift! I use GoPros all the time in my job and they are fantastic little cameras. May I suggest something however? I've found that after a time, the chest strap can get somewhat uncomfortable and awkward. Double shoulder harness get annoying after some time. I think something like this might serve you better:

It's a clip that fits on a shoulder strap for a backpack. They make these for cameras all the way upto DSLR sizes so that the camera is always at hand. They can be found here: https://peakdesign.com/store/capturepov . Yeah, it is one more thing to buy, but I think it would help make the GoPro much more comfortable and usable. Plus, it is one less thing to wear. You just attach that clip to your bag and you can attach, remove the GoPro at the press of a button. It's a very versatile system.

Good luck!

-jon

I noticed this clip and asked about it here in the Netherlands. They are quite priced here . Besides that my son in law asked my wife to make the straps for the diy harnass and after acomplished it I liked the design.I will give it a try during our 3 weeks on the next caminho and allways can buy a clip like you suggested.

What is the size of the memorycard you use. 16, 32 or 64 GB ?
I use now 32 GB card but consider buying a 64 GB card.
I take an Ipad mini with me on the caminho for my travelinfo and my travelblog.
I do not know how much videoshots I can transfer to the ipad before the memory is full so maybe a bigger (extra)memorycard is a good option.

Bom caminho

 

[jrm]

I noticed this clip and asked about it here in the Netherlands. They are quite priced here . Besides that my son in law asked my wife to make the straps for the diy harnass and after acomplished it I liked the design.I will give it a try during our 3 weeks on the next caminho and allways can buy a clip like you suggested.

What is the size of the memorycard you use. 16, 32 or 64 GB ?
I use now 32 GB card but consider buying a 64 GB card.
I take an Ipad mini with me on the caminho for my travelinfo and my travelblog.
I do not know how much videoshots I can transfer to the ipad before the memory is full so maybe a bigger (extra)memorycard is a good option.

Bom caminho

It depends on the shoot, but I generally use 32g at max. I don't like to have all my eggs in one basket in case the card corrupts or something. But it really depends on the shoot. I just went on a trip where I shot about 2TB of images and video. No matter what, you've gotta spread that out! But as a general rule, I use 32g cards and keep everything on the card until I get home. Transferring to the ipad is nice for viewing, but I wouldn't get rid of the original footage/pics until I have a couple backups in place. Plus, using the GoPro app on the ipad I can view images straight from the card and kind of clear space as needed (if needed). I'd recommend always having a spare card. You never know, and they weigh absolutely nothing.

 

[Camembert]

It depends on the shoot, but I generally use 32g at max. I don't like to have all my eggs in one basket in case the card corrupts or something. But it really depends on the shoot. I just went on a trip where I shot about 2TB of images and video. No matter what, you've gotta spread that out! But as a general rule, I use 32g cards and keep everything on the card until I get home. Transferring to the ipad is nice for viewing, but I wouldn't get rid of the original footage/pics until I have a couple backups in place. Plus, using the GoPro app on the ipad I can view images straight from the card and kind of clear space as needed (if needed). I'd recommend always having a spare card. You never know, and they weigh absolutely nothing.

Thanks for the advice so I will buy an extra 32 GB card !

 

[Fritz]

Hi joe, I've used a Go Pro 3 for about a year now, mounting it on marching band instruments, and using it as a second video and still camera for performances. Even with the build in monitor on the newer cameras, download the GoPro app for your iPhone5 so you can control the camera and see the viewfinder remotely. Being able to turn it on or off and see your framing makes it much easier to use. With a few of their mounts you can put the camera lots of places to get video or stills of you on the trail, in cafes, and if you venture out on the right night, some stunning time lapse images of the Milky Way. With the clamp mount, almost everything from fence posts to table edges becomes a tripod.

I have several different mounts but find I use the Jaws flex clamp and gooseneck 90% of the time, and the handlebar seat post mount on trombones, trumpets, and the occasional flute.

Three weeks is plenty of time to do some trial and error to see how it works and what you like. Each day on the camino is the most beautiful photography school you can attend!

Have an awesome trip.
Fritz

 

[Joe Poblador]

Groovy! Great ideas. I plan on taking my GoPro along with my 20MP Sony dig cam when I set off on the Camino Frances on May 2, 2015.
Main reasons: I get better resolution with the Sony, but I get weatherproofing with the GoPro.
Each is loaded with a 128GB card -- should be plenty for the trip.
Am now nervous/eager/excited for this camino to start, and am already planning another one for maybe October (Portugues?).

 

[Camembert]

Hi joe, I've used a Go Pro 3 for about a year now, mounting it on marching band instruments, and using it as a second video and still camera for performances. Even with the build in monitor on the newer cameras, download the GoPro app for your iPhone5 so you can control the camera and see the viewfinder remotely. Being able to turn it on or off and see your framing makes it much easier to use. With a few of their mounts you can put the camera lots of places to get video or stills of you on the trail, in cafes, and if you venture out on the right night, some stunning time lapse images of the Milky Way. With the clamp mount, almost everything from fence posts to table edges becomes a tripod.

I have several different mounts but find I use the Jaws flex clamp and gooseneck 90% of the time, and the handlebar seat post mount on trombones, trumpets, and the occasional flute.

Three weeks is plenty of time to do some trial and error to see how it works and what you like. Each day on the camino is the most beautiful photography school you can attend!

Have an awesome trip.
Fritz

The only desadvantage by using a remotecontroll is the wifi mode on the Gopro
It consumes a lot of the battery capapcity to maintain the connection with your iphone.
And if you forget to switch off the wifi mode , next morning your Gopro battery possibly will be flat.
So I tested my Gopro the other day just pushing the camera button to start and stop the camera . the sound is bit noisy but if you edit vids in f.ex Imac Final Cut Pro it is easy to trim the beginning and end so you have a clean sound in the middle.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

The only desadvantage by using a remotecontroll is the wifi mode on the Gopro
It consumes a lot of the battery capapcity to maintain the connection with your iphone.
And if you forget to switch off the wifi mode , next morning your Gopro battery possibly will be flat.
So I tested my Gopro the other day just pushing the camera button to start and stop the camera . the sound is bit noisy but if you edit vids in f.ex Imac Final Cut Pro it is easy to trim the beginning and end so you have a clean sound in the middle.

Thanks to all for your suggestions and encouragement. I am not a camera-person on a good day, nor can I do much more with my I Phone but send text messages and use the phone. Now, I have this complicated little camera with instructions that even an ant couldn't read - the print is so small.