Comments

Harold Brown wrote on 7/26/2010, 7:58 PM
Not bad at all.
Earl_J wrote on 7/27/2010, 9:07 AM
Hey Keith,
I went over the company website and viewed all the video there... most excellent. . .
just what I need for documenting my drive to work each day - it's like a raod racing event... (grin)
thanks for passing it along... most excellent and quite the right price as well. . .
2.5 hours of record time ... whew amazing ...

Until that time ... Earl J.
DavidMcKnight wrote on 7/27/2010, 9:25 AM
It's a cool device for sure. Spot has used them to skydive with, yikes.
I've used the suction cup car mount and it just plain works.
farss wrote on 7/27/2010, 2:58 PM
We bought ten of them along with all the mounting options.
These are way more than just a "fun" camera, the GoPro HD is the way of the future. Forget your overpriced, overweight Reds and Alexias. For the cost of hiring a cameraman for a day you can buy 10 of these cameras, stick one on anything that moves from surfboards to horses to the bride and groom. With everything in focus and in shot you're certain to get good coverage of the action.


Bob.
kkolbo wrote on 7/27/2010, 3:13 PM
I am not sure that they are quite ready to be the wave of the future, but they can be useful. I find that they are good for SD widescreen delivery, Web Video and almost passable for 720p, but the picture isn't quite clean enough for me for 1080.

That said, for the price I love them. I have two and then a stable of Kodak Zi8's. Lots of coverage for very little money. For web and DVD delivery, you can not beat them.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/27/2010, 3:42 PM

Question for you, Keith...

I read the User Manual, but didn't find an answer. Regarding exposure setting, it appears that it can be set (manual), rather than adjusting itself continuiously (auto). In the footage of the surfer, for example, the exposure appeared to remain constant.

How is this accomplished?


farss wrote on 7/27/2010, 5:51 PM
Not that I'm Keith but I have played around with this camera a bit.

The only exposure control options are centre weighted average (default) or spot. The response time of the AE system is quite slow which explains the blown out images as the guy goes into the water. The latitude is also low, which is to be expected for a camera with so many pixels in a small sensor. Sorry but I can find nothing in the specs or the user manual that implies there's any form of manual exposure control.

When (if) it stops raining down here I'll see if I can shoot the same scenes with both the GoPro HD and the HXR-MC1.

Bob.
kkolbo wrote on 7/27/2010, 6:18 PM
Farss is correct. There is only center weighted or spot AE. There is no manual control. I do like the choice of adjustment speed they chose. It is about right. Not too slow, and not searching all of the time.
farss wrote on 7/27/2010, 6:43 PM
A couple of tips from our experience with a bunch of them.

Do apply a really thin smear of Vaseline to the latch. Don't use that on the waterproof seal. The manual doesn't mention care of this vital part of the housing if you intend getting the camera wet. Use the proper silicon grease. Be absolutely anal about inspecting the seal for the tiniest bit of grit or sand.

The 'sticky' mounts are great, they really stick. You can remove them by prizing them off with a screwdriver, just be patient and they will slowly lift off. We haven't tried re-using them but it would seem they are IF the surface you apply them to is thoroughly cleaned first. Obviously not recommended on a surface that is valuable e.g. the better half's Beemer.

The head strap mount is a bit of a bust for underwater / surf. It will come off the head pretty easily. We're looking around for a lightweight 'helmet' for this application.

Bob.
Downunder wrote on 7/27/2010, 11:36 PM
HiYa Bob

re: "" The 'sticky' mounts are great, they really stick. You can remove them by prizing them off with a screwdriver. ""

I was looking at purchasing the HD Motorsport Hero pack to use to film on a few different cars. Reading what you say, it would be wise not to use these "stickies" on car bodywork?

From (a wet) Downunder
farss wrote on 7/28/2010, 1:39 AM
"Reading what you say, it would be wise not to use these "stickies" on car bodywork?"

The suction mounts would be a better choice unless the paintwork doesn't matter much.

The other really cheap option is to use the mount that's part of the packaging. You could just gaffe tape that to a flat surface.

Bob.
Downunder wrote on 7/28/2010, 2:04 AM
That sounds like a great idea, gaffe tape.... what would the world be without it.

Cheers from
Downunder
MTuggy wrote on 7/28/2010, 2:38 AM
Yep, the camera is fun to take out on backcountry adventures. The light metering can be an issue. I shot a lot of footage on snow in June requiring substantial work in Vegas to try to correct the over exposure in the center of the video. Here is a one-day project I did last month.

http://www.vimeo.com/12523082

Mike
Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/28/2010, 4:31 AM

Bob and Keith, I appreciate your explanations.

kkolbo wrote on 7/28/2010, 11:07 AM

The suction cup mounts work well. Wipe the car panel clean first. At high speeds I have had zero problems. The suction cup removes without leaving a mark.