[AIRTHUG]

A friend runs www.WideOpenCamera.com and got his hands on a GoPro3 early so he could evaluate it...

He asked if I could take it out for a day and put a quick edit together. He was excited about th 2.7k 24 fps mode, and did some sweet motorcycle test shots (check his YouTube channel with the link below).... for hang gliding, I'm most excited about 1080 @ 60 fps because it makes for super smooth slow-mo in full HD... so that's how I shot this.


Link


I'd HIGHLY recommend you follow the link to YouTube and watch at full 1080 to get an idea of what the camera can do.

Thoughts on the GoPro3 Black Edition:
First impressions were that the lens/case is much improved over the HD2, but it's not as noticeable in the footage as the HD2 was over the original HD GoPro. The 3 is very noticeably smaller/lighter, which is nice... and it has built in WiFi, which means framing shots via the iPhone/Android app is easier than ever, and can be done while the battery backpack installed. It comes with the WiFi remote, which is also nice. I was skeptical that the micro-SD card could read/write fast enough for the 1080/60 ProTune file (pretty high bitrate)... but it works as advertised. The 60 fps becomes 250% speed in a 24 fps timeline, which means played back at 24 fps the slowmo is AWWWESOMEEE!!! Take a look...

[psilyguy]

Very Cool!

[Heli1]

Wow Mr Voight
That was nice watching.
Especially since I already have both the GoPro3 and the FlyLite3 on order
Thanks for the test.
Jan

[tom emery]

Smooth...and the camera works pretty good too.

[ChattaroyMan]

Slowmo is really nice!
Hope to get a 3 in 2013 - or whatever current # is available around June!

[relate2]

Thanks Ryan for the video, it looks like 1920x1080 is going to be the way to go. I may eventually shoot at 2.7K and produce at 1920x1080.

I agree with you the jump in quality from HD2 to HD 3 is not as dramatic as the jump from HD1 to HD2.

It seems as though 4k means different things to different people.

I just checked Powerdirector and Wiki re what they say the resolution for 4K is.

Powerdirector doesn't have 2.7K. It has 2K at
2048x1152 or 2048x1536
and
4K at
4096x2304 or 4096x3072


Wiki says
4K is anything from
3840x2160 to 4096x2304

with most saying 4096x2160
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4K_resolution

Gopro shoots 2.7K at
2704x1440
and
4K at
4096x2160

I would be nice is they learned the Beta-v-VHS lesson and agree on a set format.

[relate2]

Well I found out a work around in PowerDirector to output to the exact 2.7K or 4K settings by altering a profile.ini.

A bit of a tricky workaround but good to know I can do it when I get my HD3 black.

Here is my post from PD if any PD owners want to have a go at it.
http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/25810.page#140458

EDIT====One tip, when you open the .ini file in notepad you need to choose "wordwrap" to get the full entry.

[CAL]

that was fun and as always a great production, i don't know what i enjoyed the best watching how well the camera was working or how much fun you were having on the Falcon

[Phoenix]

Is there nothing you won't do to make me want to invest in more cool expensive toys!

[adyr]

Does that camera come with the flying skills included? I think it would be a worth investment then.

[AIRTHUG]

A good camera (+ creative editing) will make you look better than you are... just look at me!

Here is the write up I did for Wide Open Camera:
http://wideopencamera.com/cameras/gopro-hero-3-black-edition-and-hang-gliding/

[pjwings]

Wow, there's stuff a skilled pilot can do at the south side that may not be possible anywhere else on earth. I could be wrong, my knowledge is limited. This sequence of skids, skims, high 5's, finger drags, low passes, and spot landings right on your tie-down... that's just frikkin awesome!

Nicely done as always Ryan.

[mvent2009]

Nice!!!!

[highhuber]

Sweet video and flying Ryan. I'm considering getting the Hero 3 Black but am wondering how much computer muscle is required for editing at these high bit rates and frame rates.

I have a very good HP with 8GB Ram and Adobe PP CS 5.5. Will this be enough? How long did it take to put your video together Ryan? What setup are you using?

I'm a newbie to video editing, so far have only been shooting pics but have been wanting to go to video for a while. Is the Hero 3 Black the right choice?

Thanks, Scot

[blindrodie]

Besides more cowbell, you need as much RAM as you can possibly get, then Dual Quad Cores, then solid state drives and then in 6 months more of sumthin!.

I run an HP Z800 DQC and it still takes lots of time to deal with those large HD files.

Enjoy and if you want CS 6 PP in MAC I have it NIB. Make me an offer...

[AIRTHUG]

If you don't have a cam already and you're looking to mount the cam on your glider, the Black Edition is as good as it gets before you jump to quadruple-digits. If funds are limited the GoPro 2 has nearly as good a picture, just not as many frame rate options.

For editing, NEED is such a strong word. If you have a computer that's fairly modern (couple years old), the only thing you truly NEED is patience

I'm editing on a 2 yr old i7 (single processor) MacBook Pro (laptop) with only 2 GB of RAM, and a 5400 rpm hard drive (slower than 7200 rpm drives). Sometimes I store/edit files off an external HD connected by FireWire 800.

I won't claim my system is very quick, but it does get the job done just fine. This video took me a morning to shoot, and maybe 2 hrs to edit, including searching for the royalty free stock music. That does not include the time my computer spent converting the H.264 format GoPro files to an uncompressed format I can edit natively in Final Cut Pro- in this case I used GoPro's CineForm software and codec. I just set up a batch to convert all the clips and go do something else until its done, which is why I don't count that as edit time. When it's alI shot with the same camera, I'll color grade the whole sequence at once, only when it's done, and just before exporting the finished sequence back to H.264 for the web... This way I can walk away as it renders the grading and exports simultaneously.

I will say I'm considering a new (faster) computer... Anyone wanna buy mine? I'll leave all the editing software on it

[AIRTHUG]

I should say the desire to upgrade has stemmed from upgrading my editing software. I refuse to re-learn Final Cut Pro X (better named iMove Pro, because it ain't Final Cut any more!)... So I'm switching to Avid Media Composer.

It runs fine on my current computer, but it seems a good time to start fresh

[AcTiOn!JaCksOn]

Sweet, Go Pro should pay you for advertising, also I want a WW hat.

[Phoenix]

Ryan,

 Since my original GoPro spent 6 months exposed to the weather, and my Contours have too much of a payload liability when using the gimbal on my Quad, I would like to know what comparability the peripherals, (battery pack, viewer, shells, etc.), are compatible with the new GoPros.

Also it is interesting to note, that with versions of the iPad operating system, there was a period of time where you could, and a period where you could not, upload vids and pics directly from a 2.0  full size SD card (or micro adapter) to the device. Glad to say that is presently the case, so it makes a great field viewer for the  raw footage.

The contour has a lot of great features. such as a Bluetooth app for settings and setting up shots, Onboard Gps, a lesser fisheye effect in certain modes, and in my opinion a better color balance in the default settings. But it is not compatible for vid format or apps with my gen one iPad.

It would be great to get some tips on settings for the GoPro.


Thanks,
Eric

[old newbie]

JVC adixxion new cam got mine best buy online over the weekend for $199

Steve