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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Riding a Ural on a Frozen Lake with a GoPro HD

I finally received my GoPro HD last week and have been having a great time with it so far. I purchased the motorsports version which is the same as the basic GoPro HD, but with extra mounting options included.
It came in a nice package which was harder than it should have been to open.
Unboxing GoPro HD
As you can see, there are a lot of mounting options and cables. It connects via USB to the computer. It can also connect directly to a TV via component or composite. The video really looks great on the TV when captured in 720p at sixty frames per second (60fps).
Unboxing GoPro HD
The suction cup mount is the same suction technology as my PanaVise 809, but without all of the flexibility. The GoPro HD mount can’t spin. It even says “PanaVise” in small letters on the side. I bought a tripod adapter for $7 to resolve the lack of rotation.
Here is the GoPro HD mounted to my Super9 with the GoPro mount. The footage from my first ride from the GoPro would have been great.
GoPro HD Mounted on Super9
I nearly crashed on an icy patch, but managed to square the corner off and save it. Unfortunately, I was using a class 2 SDHC card which was too slow. The video became corrupt, so nothing to see. I bought a 16GB Class 6 SHDC card which solved that problem.
For my second ride with the GoPro, I mounted it to the bottom front of my Ural sidecar. I think the video turned out pretty nice. I had the camera set at 720p 60fps which seems to be the best setting for my use.
Thanks to the transcoding from Windows Live Movie Maker and Youtube, it doesn’t look nearly as good on the web as it does on my computer. I’m working on fixing that, and should have some better quality videos posted in the future.
Enjoy!
Youtube Video:
Posted by Chris Luhman at 11:00 PM
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15 comments:

  1. Very nice Chris....may I suggest perhaps mounting the camera on the sidecar's grab rail?
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  2. I will eventually. I've mounted it many places and many more to go! I'm thinking under the sidecar and then perhaps in the spare tire. It's such a small camera, you can stick it almost anywhere.
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  3. Wow.. the image stabilization is very good.. you see the front tire bouncing all over but the snow tracks look very still and don't make you sick watching it. NICE!!
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  4. Chris:

    very nice to see the ice and snow. I haven't tried the 60p yet but from what I have read that is the mode most users like. I'm going to look for a tripod swivel too, that way I can turn it to the side for more scenic views

    bob
    bobskoot: wet coast scootin
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  5. Bash3r: Yes, it's pretty good. At 1080p it looks a bit like jello on the edges. 60p smooths things out considerably. When are you getting one? Click on the GoPro link in this post to buy it and Amazon will send me some gas money. :)

    Bobskoot: The tripod mount is awesome. Not being able to turn the camera on the provided mount was very annoying to get things aimed right. Premier Elements is nice too, but the interface feels slow compared to WLMM. Lots of new learning I need to do!
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  6. Chris:

    I like PREL7. I don't find it slow but perhaps I haven't used anything faster so I am unaware. I used to use WMM but there are no output options. With PREL7 you can 'alter' the output options and bit rates and save as a new preset. I downsize mine to 6 Mbps for YouTube. I used to use Pinnacle Studio and Dave in Turkey uses PD8 (Power Director 8) I think. It sort of uses Layers similar to Photoshop where the top layer is the one visible, you can change transparency to whatever percentage. I was thinking of mounting 2 videocams so I can change camera angles and have them both in Sync. I am going to try this with some performers where I have them playing, then a PIP of them strumming the strings on a closeup. I need another set of arms and hands

    bob
    bobskoot: wet coast scootin
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  7. Chris - I just opened my GoPro box and I see what you mean. Challenging, or what?? I am going to lie down for a rest now.....
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  8. Gary: Wow, you've had it for a week and just opened it?
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  9. Chris/Gary:

    I am not one to destroy packaging. I tried to save the outer covering and in the end had to rip it apart on one side. Then I noticed the foamy 2 sided tape. At least we know it hadn't been opened before.

    Chris: I've been thinking about your 60p video. I think it is playing in slow motion, ie: half speed. Normally it would play at 30 frame per second, so going at this speed you are playing it back over 2 seconds instead of one second. That was the reason I didn't try 60p yet. I wasn't sure I had the option to change frame rates in PREL7. I will have to go into a preset, there may be a place to change the setting. Try to output the video directly to a HD TV and see if it plays correct speed directly out of the camera

    bob
    bobskoot: wet coast scootin
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  10. Bob: 60p plays as expected on a TV, PS3, comptuer, etc ie: not slow, but normal speed ie: like 30p. I think the problem is with Premier's required use of Quicktime for H.264. The videos from the GoPro play great in WM, VLC, WLMM, PS3, and on the TV. They are laggy with quicktime. Yes, you can change frame rates in PREL for both input and output.
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  11. Chris / Bob - yes a week! I have been a bit busy and I just knew that if I opened the box, I would get stuck into it and ignore the other things I had to achieve.

    I didn't destroy the packaging either and yes, I had the same two-sided sticky tape. I have just posted my first test video and it isn't as good as your "riding on the lake" Chris, nor your "We just won the hockey" video Bob.

    Great fun though.....

    Gary
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  12. Gary: Probably a good move leaving it in the box. The GoProHD has consumed a lot of my time lately...
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  13. *grovels before you* You, my man, are awesomely adventuresome. Crazy (and I mean that in the good sense of the word) :) I really like where you mounted the cam. The angle was nice. Lots more places to mount to get some interesting footage when you're riding around with a sidecar. :) I have the same model cam. I also bought a 16GB high-speed card for mine. It's a nifty little thing. I'm loving mine. =D
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  14. Missbusa: Thank you. I think you are adventuresome too, and am waiting to see you officially break 200mph. :)

    Do you have any of your footage posted? I'd like to get some more ideas of where to stick it on two wheels. Did you have any vibration problems on your busa?
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  15. I'm so sorry. I wasn't aware you actually replied and asked me a question. On the 'Busa I stuck it to the tank, the place forward of the frame sliders on either side of the side cowlings, or the steering stem nut. Also use it on top of my helmet or the right side of it. On the S1000RR I have no room anywhere but the helmet or the flared tail section, which results in much appreciated butt-cam vids. =D I used to mount it on the tank there, too, but now I have a tank bag bracket there, so the suction cup mount doesn't fit anymore. But it does interfere there with tucking in anyway, since I sit much further forward on that bike than I did on the 'Busa. I have some RAM mount balls and a gooseneck but haven't installed them yet. But with a little ingenuity you can put the thing just about anywhere, even facing you while you're riding, which is weird and (in my case) pretty ugly considering the wide angle and my big nose. LOL

    Since the new firmware upgrade you can now turn it on while riding (before I had to pull over for that) and they've added the upside-down feature so you can mount it inside your windshield and still have the picture right-side up when you watch it. Now it's prefect!

    Never had a problem with vibration. Not with the GoPro, however, I do have a problem with heat waves distorting the picture when mounted to body panels that are close to the engine vents or the exhaust.

    I have some footage posted on YouTube at videos.missbusa.com
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