GoPro Hero HD Camera Test
Well I couldn't resist and my new toy arrived 3 working days after I ordered it from ActionCameras.co.uk. So last night I read the instructions played with the settings and charged the battery.
Today I went out and did a circuit on my mountain bike of about 7 minutes, three times, each with a different setting. I also bought the GoPro Chesty too, so the camera is strapped to my chest rather than the helmet.
1. The widest angle, standard definition video (720 @ 30fps).
2. The camera default, standard 4:3 video (960p @ 30 fps).
3. Timelapse sequence (animation below), 1 shot every 2 seconds.
The movie was created using QuickTime Pro as an imported image sequence at 6 fps, the reulting movie was then converted using VisualHub to a Flash file (swf).
I have only two comments so far, one about the strap and one about the camera:
The Chesty strap mount does not allow you to raise the camera angle enough to include the horizon, in my first test it shot mainly the handlebars, my knees and feet and some of the road ahead. With the second it was a better because the 4:3 ratio included a greater angle in the vertical. For the third test I placed a strip of foam rubber under the plate forcing the camera to point higher. Now you can see the horizon, but before I go out again later today for a longer jaunt I will use a thicker piece of foam just to push it a little bit higher.
[ UPDATE 2017 - this chest strap design has been superceded by a better product ]
Maybe it's my posture or the shape of my chest isn't the same size or shape of the average bloke.
My second comment is, and you will see this in the example video, that the exposure can't be fixed to a known source. That is to say, the first picture taken after leaving shade to full sun is over-exposed and the first one taken after leaving full sun is underexposed. So you will notice "flashing" frames during the sequence. It would be nice to be able to tell the camera to use an exposure for one or the other, a manual setting in other words.
[ UPDATE 2017 - note that the model I was using was from 2010 and has since been replaced ]
Today I went out and did a circuit on my mountain bike of about 7 minutes, three times, each with a different setting. I also bought the GoPro Chesty too, so the camera is strapped to my chest rather than the helmet.
1. The widest angle, standard definition video (720 @ 30fps).
2. The camera default, standard 4:3 video (960p @ 30 fps).
3. Timelapse sequence (animation below), 1 shot every 2 seconds.
The movie was created using QuickTime Pro as an imported image sequence at 6 fps, the reulting movie was then converted using VisualHub to a Flash file (swf).
I have only two comments so far, one about the strap and one about the camera:
The Chesty strap mount does not allow you to raise the camera angle enough to include the horizon, in my first test it shot mainly the handlebars, my knees and feet and some of the road ahead. With the second it was a better because the 4:3 ratio included a greater angle in the vertical. For the third test I placed a strip of foam rubber under the plate forcing the camera to point higher. Now you can see the horizon, but before I go out again later today for a longer jaunt I will use a thicker piece of foam just to push it a little bit higher.
[ UPDATE 2017 - this chest strap design has been superceded by a better product ]
Maybe it's my posture or the shape of my chest isn't the same size or shape of the average bloke.
My second comment is, and you will see this in the example video, that the exposure can't be fixed to a known source. That is to say, the first picture taken after leaving shade to full sun is over-exposed and the first one taken after leaving full sun is underexposed. So you will notice "flashing" frames during the sequence. It would be nice to be able to tell the camera to use an exposure for one or the other, a manual setting in other words.
[ UPDATE 2017 - note that the model I was using was from 2010 and has since been replaced ]
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