Best Go Pro Settings For Sledding?!

[big_vernster]

Does anyone have any suggestions for "go-to" settings for good sledding footage on a go pro? There are so many different options...I've read 1080 @ 60fps is a good all around setting.

 

[whoDEANie]

Does anyone have any suggestions for "go-to" settings for good sledding footage on a go pro? There are so many different options...I've read 1080 @ 60fps is a good all around setting.

Pro-Tune works really well, but I've never tried it in the snow. Resolution and frame rate are largely dependent on how much video you're shooting and how much SD space you have. 1080@60fps is what I like to use for just about everything. If you're editing slow motion segments, go 120fps. I got really sick of editing video, so I have a tendency to just leave it at 1080@60 and only shoot what I want instead of just leaving the camera running all the time.

I also found that for most shooting situations, the wide angle sucks - switch it to wide when the particular scene calls for it.

 

[ippielb]

If you edit your videos
Set it and forget it - 4K 24fps or 30fps
Sunny Days - 1080p 60fps
cloudy days - 1080p 24fps or 30fps

if you just want to send little clips to instagram/facebook/YouTube
All around - 720p 30fps

depending on what GoPro you have there is a setting called "superview", that gives you the most vertical view, and stretches the sides to make it have the wide angles. That's probably the most effective picture mode.

Protune just changes the color saturation and contrast. Your choice if you want to use it.

Also so depending on your GoPro there is a mode called "looping", it records for 5 minutes, and once it gets to 5:01 it starts recording over the beginning of the 5minutes you started recording. You can set it on that and have it record all day but only save 5 minutes. The point of it is it saves memory and makes it easier to find the clips.

For example you start off you hit record, then your going through a white out visibility sucks, same old same old, slow speed, 10 minutes goes by, the clouds clear up turns blue sky sunny for a few minutes you go ripping do a nice drop with a powder shot. When you get to the bottom you stop and hit the record button again. Now instead of stopping recording. It saves the last 5 minutes you were filming. So the first few minutes of boring low visibility crawling through the trees it doesn't save. It only saves the last 5 minutes of video that has the nice drop. But instead of stopping recording it keeps recording so you don't have to figure out if your recording or not.

The higher the FPS the darker the video is going to be, the lower the quality it is as well. I wouldn't use 60fps unless it's sunny outside, any kind of cloud cover you'll want to use 30fps.

I myself am am going to try 24fps this year, gives you the most light, and smaller file sizes and when you do shoot 120 FPS, the slow motion is even slower.

 

[Bnorth]

I found I was limited by the computer I was using to edit the video and had to drop it down to 720p and I think 30fps in order to be able to edit. Haven't tried it with the new laptop but expect I could up the quality now.

 

[big_vernster]

Awesome info guys, thanks a lot. Sounds like 1080 at 60fps or 720 at 30 fps. I'll try each one for a full day and see how it looks. I just checked my GoPro and it has that loop feature. Sounds like a handy tool, thanks guys!

 

[ippielb]

I found I was limited by the computer I was using to edit the video and had to drop it down to 720p and I think 30fps in order to be able to edit. Haven't tried it with the new laptop but expect I could up the quality now.

60fps editing on any box store computer usually never works. Unless you lower the quality it may be a pain. I have a decent computer and I render all my videos in 480p to edit them, save the project, then replace the files in the folders with the full 1080 quality videos.

Awesome info guys, thanks a lot. Sounds like 1080 at 60fps or 720 at 30 fps. I'll try each one for a full day and see how it looks. I just checked my GoPro and it has that loop feature. Sounds like a handy tool, thanks guys!

Like I said the 60fps in 1080p won't work well unless you have sunlight. I'll see if I can find a comparison in my videos, these are comparing video quality, not my sub par riding lol

60fps - video has a yellowish tinge, and the crispness isn't the best. (Post processing can help with both, but both lessen the quality of the video)
https://youtu.be/6N44y2KD41Q
30fps - video shows more natural colours, still smooth, no need for slow motion so no need to shoot 60fps
https://youtu.be/oe3rNkmmIes

just for giggles, this doesn't apply for every camera, here's my Panasonic gh4 shooting 96fps in 1080p.
https://youtu.be/d7zxBSkZ2Hw

 

[whoDEANie]

60fps editing on any box store computer usually never works. Unless you lower the quality it may be a pain. I have a decent computer and I render all my videos in 480p to edit them, save the project, then replace the files in the folders with the full 1080 quality videos.

Like I said the 60fps in 1080p won't work well unless you have sunlight. I'll see if I can find a comparison in my videos.

To be honest, I haven't taken a hell of a lot of video since switching to GoPro. I found this in an artical:

GoPro Low Light Setting: This is a nifty little feature on your camera. To turn it on or off simply hit your mode button twice and then scroll down until you see the option. This setting means that your GoPro will automatically adapt your shooting when it detects that there is not enough light to get a good shot. For example, if you are shooting at 48fps and the camera cannot “see” enough of the action, it’ll lower the frame rate automatically to increase the the image sensor is getting. It can be a real saviour, but you don’t want it on all of the time if you need to maintain frame rate. There’s always a trade-off when you are in low light situation, especially with the GoPro.

Any idea how well this works?

 

[ippielb]

To be honest, I haven't taken a hell of a lot of video since switching to GoPro. I found this in an artical:

Any idea how well this works?

Software editing to decent low light, instead of a shutter speed like on DSLR's GoPros are a mirror less set up which leave the sensor fully exposed when recording video. DSLR's can automatically change the shutter speed when it detects the image is over exposed or under exposed. If the video is dark, the GoPro will automatically slow the frame rate which gives light more time to hit the sensor per frame.

for example, let's say 60fps, I don't know what speed the frames are at, but let's just say each frame is exposed for 1/60 of a second. That gives light a very small timeframe to leave its imprint on the sensor, hence why the video is darker and less crisp, the GoPro will automatically change the ISO(sensor sensitivity, so the sensor is more sensitive to the light). When it raises the ISO your video will start to get noise, the little fuzzy appearance. Lowering the quality.

in 30fps, lets just say 1/30 of a second. That's double the amount of time for light to hit th sensor, since there's more light, the camera can turn the sensitivity down on the sensor, so the ISO can go down, which can give a better appearance.

gopro's use that kind of equation to enhance the video quality. But if you tell the video to shoot too fast in low light it won't look good. That's why it's always just a better option to keep at 30fps if you don't want to mess with it.

 

[big_vernster]

Yeah I agree the video in 30 fps looks better, I'm gonna do some
experimenting this weekend for sure.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

So my go pro compared to my drift makes me dizzy watching the video if that makes sense. Is that because I have the fps way to high? And what is the normal battery life if you leave it in looping which I didn't know about until now but am going to use for now on. should eliminate forgetting to turn it on before doing something cool lol. I did pick up two extra batteries over the summer.

 

[ippielb]

So my go pro compared to my drift makes me dizzy watching the video if that makes sense. Is that because I have the fps way to high? And what is the normal battery life if you leave it in looping which I didn't know about until now but am going to use for now on. should eliminate forgetting to turn it on before doing something cool lol. I did pick up two extra batteries over the summer.

If the video feels like it's unreal, like it just doesn't look natural, it's probably in 60fps, it takes a while to get use to watching it but after you get use to it, it looks way better.

it also could be the video setting you're on. Superview might be the culprit, or it could be wide angle.

Battery life is very dependant on your video settings, the higher the definition the lower the battery life, the higher the fps the lower the battery life. Leaving the red light indicator on flashing lowers battery life. Temperature is the biggest thing.

i never use more then 2 batteries when I go do a full day of riding. At this time of year with the late sunrise, and early sunset. I could suspect at 720p, 30fps, you could do the whole riding day(not including the trail ride up, stopping for breaks, lunch, trail ride down).

i would recommend to keep the GoPro in an inside pocket of your jacket, and off, when your not using it. Try to keep it away from your beacon as far as you can. 20cm rule for electronics if you can.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

Thanks. Next time I dig it out I'll have a look at what settings it is on.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[giddyup]

sounds like i need to take a lesson or two from IPPIELB i have a few gopros that i have to make work
what is your thought about the new linear vs superview
have you tried it much

 

[ippielb]

sounds like i need to take a lesson or two from IPPIELB i have a few gopros that i have to make work
what is your thought about the new linear vs superview
have you tried it much

Linear view is good if you're doing videos that aren't "point of view"(POV). Linear really narrows the field of view, and makes the video quality look like its shot from a cell phone because the image is cropped. it really lacks the height, and width in the footage. So if you wore the camera on your head, it wouldn't show any of your sled, or anything of the sky. Probably just the snow in front of you and your ski tips.

i am a big fan of superview because it's bullet proof. Most of the time you put your camera on its either angled too high, or too low. Superview takes the 4:3 camera format, and stretches the edges on the sides of the video to fill a 4:3 frame. It leaves the centre of the video natura, and a taller view.

when your sledding it's different then most other sports that are very 2 dimensional. Most sports are within 6' of the ground. Your either not interested in the sky, or your feet. Meanwhile sledding you have the terrain which is up, down, and you want to get the view of the sled in the picture as well to give it depth. I don't know about you guys but when I see a video that only shows the snow, and the riding. It just feels un eventful. If you have the sled in the picture but nothing ahead, it's difficult to watch because your only looking at the sled and what's right there.

My opinion is to see most of the hood. And what's in front of you and a wee bit above your field of view, to account for climbing to give it some grasp to the vertical angles. I want to be able to see the hood to see the struggle and the technicality of the riding. But I want to see where he's going to really get the viewer into it, and to be able to relate. You want people to see the trees and either agree or disagree with your choices. Makes it more entertaining.

now if people would exchange some filming of them to teach me how to ride my friggen sled lol

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

If you ever ride in Fernie let me know. I might not be able to teach you to ride but sounds like I'll learn some filming tricks lol.