Go Pro Questions

Huckster79

Huckster79

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Huckster79
Alright not looking to suppliment my income by becoming a top 10 Youtuber, but we have a vacation to Florida and some deep sea fishing coming up, and we want a go-pro. I want one I can mount in the 140 if I'm going to get one. I'm cheap by genetics... Not looking for the latest greatest but still solid decent unit. I still have my Iphone 6 and am still happy for reference. Here are my questions:

I should get one with external mic capability right? So it can be wired into the intercom system of the plane?

Hero 4 Silver Edition seems like a good candidate, yea/no?

I fly a 2 seater, but my intercom is a Sigtronics SPA-400, 4 place intercom... So I'm assuming I can have the external mic wired to that so I don't have to mess with a splitter or whatnot from a headset jack correct?
 
I think the hero 4 needs a mic adapter but there are cheap knock adapters available. Starting with the Gopro 5 and later you can only use their adapter which is $50.

More importantly you will need a audio adapter I think as the plane intercom levels are not matched to the go pro audio input levels. Now If your audio panel has a mini stereo plug that off the shelf ear buds work with then maybe you wouldn't need an adapter.

Where will you mount it?
 
Sinistar said:
I think the hero 4 needs a mic adapter but there are cheap knock adapters available. Starting with the Gopro 5 and later you can only use their adapter which is $50.

More importantly you will need a audio adapter I think as the plane intercom levels are not matched to the go pro audio input levels. Now If your audio panel has a mini stereo plug that off the shelf ear buds work with then maybe you wouldn't need an adapter.

Where will you mount it?
Click to expand...

Thinking up and behind me so you get that part panel and front window veiw... no mini stereo plug, shes not exactly cutting edge technology... :)
 
A lot of people have luck just sticking the flat gopro adhesive mount up above your head on something plastic, usually around the dome light assembly. Mine just wouldn't stick so I removed one screw, drilled a hole thru the gopro self stick thingy and screwed it up there.

You will definitely need an audio adapter cable for the GA aviation to standard mini plug. I am pretty sure it's this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Nflightcam-D...=1550551187&s=gateway&sprefix=nflight&sr=8-11

And to get the audio from that cable into a hero 4 I think you will need something like:

https://www.amazon.com/Movo-GMA100-...0551439&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull-spons&psc=1

...I have Hero 5's so the above are what seems to be required but I have not tried them.
 
Record the audio on your phone and sync it in post. That is the cheapest possible solution.
Hero 5 can be had for <$200. Don't spend money on 4k or high frame rates.
All the "experts" record at 1080P @ 30 FPS. Unless you are planning on cropping in for zooming or doing slick slow-mo stuff buying above that is overkill.

Only reason I recommend the 5 is the image stabilization is really easy on the eyes when things get bumpy.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Record the audio on your phone and sync it in post. That is the cheapest possible solution.
Hero 5 can be had for <$200. Don't spend money on 4k or high frame rates.
All the "experts" record at 1080P @ 30 FPS. Unless you are planning on cropping in for zooming or doing slick slow-mo stuff buying above that is overkill.

Only reason I recommend the 5 is the image stabilization is really easy on the eyes when things get bumpy.
Click to expand...
6PC has spoken and done way more with YouTube video than any of us!!!

I should point out that if you go his route, you will not need the second adapter I listed. And I think you might need a different variant (same company) of the first adapter as I think phones need a slightly different input due to the 3 connections on the pin for the headphones out and mic in all sHaring the same plug.

Did I get that right 6PC or anyone else recording phone audio?

+1 For the Hero 5 stabilization.
 
Thanks for the help All!!! I didn't realize the option to record on phone and put them over each other so to speak...
 
The old school way of coupling to a recorder is to plug a corded microphone in and then sticking the microphone inside the earcup of your headset.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Record the audio on your phone and sync it in post. That is the cheapest possible solution.
Hero 5 can be had for <$200. Don't spend money on 4k or high frame rates.
All the "experts" record at 1080P @ 30 FPS. Unless you are planning on cropping in for zooming or doing slick slow-mo stuff buying above that is overkill.

Only reason I recommend the 5 is the image stabilization is really easy on the eyes when things get bumpy.
Click to expand...
This is what I would recommend as well. I would add that in my opinion the GoPro aviation audio adapter is well worth the money as it really simplifies the editing and to me, that is the hard part.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Record the audio on your phone and sync it in post. That is the cheapest possible solution.
Hero 5 can be had for <$200. Don't spend money on 4k or high frame rates.
All the "experts" record at 1080P @ 30 FPS. Unless you are planning on cropping in for zooming or doing slick slow-mo stuff buying above that is overkill.

Only reason I recommend the 5 is the image stabilization is really easy on the eyes when things get bumpy.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation, 6PC! I just bought one on Amazon for $237. Looks like a lot of the sub-$200 ones are refurbs/scratch-n-dent.
 
Sinistar said:
6PC has spoken and done way more with YouTube video than any of us!!!

I should point out that if you go his route, you will not need the second adapter I listed. And I think you might need a different variant (same company) of the first adapter as I think phones need a slightly different input due to the 3 connections on the pin for the headphones out and mic in all sHaring the same plug.

Did I get that right 6PC or anyone else recording phone audio?

+1 For the Hero 5 stabilization.
Click to expand...

How I used to do it was literally take my hands-free ear bud style phones and bundle the mic, and ear buds up, put them in one of the headphone cups and record using the voice recorder app on my phone. No adapters needed.
Now I run a wire from my headset ANR controls to my phone and record on the voice recorder app.

Clap first so you can sync the audio video in your editor and you should be good to go.

Here is a sample of the audio recording with the hands free ear buds into my phone.
After this video I switched to the ANR controls connection:

 
SixPapaCharlie said:
All the "experts" record at 1080P @ 30 FPS. Unless you are planning on cropping in for zooming or doing slick slow-mo stuff buying above that is overkill.
Click to expand...

Doesn't 4K get you higher bitrate? In that case, it might be worth it to go 4K vs. 1080 for higher image quality even if you eventually render at 1080.
 
Oh, good.. someone made a video comparing it on the GoPro. Pay attention to the 300% zoom comparisons between 4K an 1080 (keep in mind this is AFTER downscaling to 1080):

 
flyingron said:
The old school way of coupling to a recorder is to plug a corded microphone in and then sticking the microphone inside the earcup of your headset.
Click to expand...

I actually prefer this despite it seeming unsophisticated, because it allows the recording to pick up ambient sounds (e.g. engine noise).
 
F01LA said:
Doesn't 4K get you higher bitrate? In that case, it might be worth it to go 4K vs. 1080 for higher image quality even if you eventually render at 1080.
Click to expand...
Sure you get a higher bit rate, but I don't think it is high enough (in GoPro) to yield really sharp 4K video. We have a 4K TV, nothing fancy...and the gopro 4K does not look as good as something from Sony A7 series camera in 4K.

Some people shoot in 2.7K and then downrez to 1080 which is a more practical way to get better looking 1080.

When people shoot 2 or more gopros and use multi-angle editing, things really bog down in 4K. I tried it once with 3 gopros. My Premier could barely render all three at one time to select which angle to watch. I don't like futzing with low resolution proxys so I just gave up.

I think that is why most just shoot in good old 1080P at 30fps. Its much easier to edit and you don't blast through hard drives as quickly.

Interesting fact: Even if you upload 4K, not all browsers support it. I uploaded a 4K sample to YouTube a while back. On at least one of the browsers the 4K option didn't show up. I figured it was busy rendering up on their cloud. Nope. Tried another browser and it just showed up.

Another downside to uploading 4K is that it takes YouTube longer to render all the lower resolutions (I think like 5 options). So it can take longer to upload and then longer to actually show up.
 
Radar Contact said:
This is what I would recommend as well. I would add that in my opinion the GoPro aviation audio adapter is well worth the money as it really simplifies the editing and to me, that is the hard part.
Click to expand...
+1. I hated spending that $50 for the adapter. I hated even more spending another $50 to replace the first one I lost. But they really, really simplify things.

Actually, that adapter along with the GoPro smart remote have really turned out useful. It takes a bit of tweaking to get them all setup right. But once you have it all working you just click the smart remote and every go pro turns on at exactly the same time so the audio is perfectly aligned with all them. I just used it for a 2hr flight this weekend. I recorded certain parts of the flight and left them off for the other parts. Way less footage to edit, the batteries last longer and more fits on a card.
 
So if I do the record on my iphone and patch it over the video in theory I could get a cheap knock off gopro just to see if I like doing them right? As I wouldn't have to worry about the external mic issue...
 
Huckster79 said:
So if I do the record on my iphone and patch it over the video in theory I could get a cheap knock off gopro just to see if I like doing them right? As I wouldn't have to worry about the external mic issue...
Click to expand...
Yes you can do this. One thing you might need to watch out for is if the audio track recording sample rate is somehow different than the knock off go pro and maybe you find one getting slightly ahead of the other. Its more of a editing thing than a audio or video recording thing.

If you ask me there are two main issues with knockoff gopros. The first is obvious, the image quality. The second isn't so obvious - they often record at 30fps instead of 29.97fps. It doesn't sound like much of a difference but if you starting mixing both formats its no fun. Hence why I mentioned the audio might have a potential problem of not being in synch after several minutes. I guess even if that happened you would still have an idea if you want to continue.

The last Gopro Hero 5 Black I found was on CL and quite cheap ($140 IIRC). A good knockoff will run about $85. I wish I had never started with the knockoff, that's $85 I wish I could get back.
 
Sinistar said:
The last Gopro Hero 5 Black I found was on CL and quite cheap ($140 IIRC). A good knockoff will run about $85. I wish I had never started with the knockoff, that's $85 I wish I could get back.
Click to expand...

Same, I bought a couple cheap ones first.
The video quality was worthless.
 
Now I'm on the fence about the mic setup. I like a little engine noise to go with the ATC chatter, so I'm thinking cheapish lapel mic in the earcup, TRRS to TRS adapter and $50 GoPro widget.
 
Ok, yea I just looked on ebay, I could get a used 5 for $125 to $150... many from sellers that sell a lot of em with good reviews. Thinking I'll go that route, then at least its the real deal and satisfy my cheapness by going used.

Just trying to be extra cheap, been an expensive few months buying the plane and getting ready to take kiddos to Florida on spring break, booked a fishing trip for while we are there, so been trying to be a bit cheaper than normal even, the way the fundage has been flying out the wallet. But yea if I'm not going to be happy with a knock off then its really not money saved...
 
Huckster79 said:
Ok, yea I just looked on ebay, I could get a used 5 for $125 to $150... many from sellers that sell a lot of em with good reviews. Thinking I'll go that route, then at least its the real deal and satisfy my cheapness by going used.

Just trying to be extra cheap, been an expensive few months buying the plane and getting ready to take kiddos to Florida on spring break, booked a fishing trip for while we are there, so been trying to be a bit cheaper than normal even, the way the fundage has been flying out the wallet. But yea if I'm not going to be happy with a knock off then its really not money saved...
Click to expand...
As soon as you compare the knock off video to the go pro video you will never touch the knock off again.

Going with a used 5 will let you pipe audio directly in, you'll have a touchscreen and a stabilizer. Also, cases and accessories are the same for 5/6/7 so if you upgrade at least that stuff will still work.
 
A used 5 it will be then! Thanks for all the quality input, you guys saved me $85 of disappoint i beleive!
 
So...say, for an in-cockpit shot, do you like the Wide view or the Superview setting??
 
Used 5 hero ordered... highly rated seller on eBay has a bunch w a few dead pixels on front LCD for $122.00, did sound like it effected functionality. Ordered frame, ND 4 filter,and accessory starter kit.

Really excited my 2 seater has a third set of jacks! Labeled emergency jacks- they are tied to audio out on the ELT and audio in from intercom.

Planning on starting just w the headset and lapel pin mic trick. I can always upgrade. But it’ll be super easy now- just plug in the audio side of of a spare headset.

Prob beginning of April as we are taking the GoPro to Florida for spring break... so prob just wait till I’m home from that then to my hands won’t be numb messing w it...

Pretty excited
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Same, I bought a couple cheap ones first.
The video quality was worthless.
Click to expand...

Now what am I supposed to do with these knockoffs you recommended? :rofl: :D

Actually, maybe I'll just put them on the airplane and not turn them on, and see how long the GoPro sticky mounts last... Bombs away! :eek:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Ask me for a recommendation now. :)
Freaking @Daniel Millican spoiled me.
Click to expand...

Actually, one thing I am curious about - stabilization. You mentioned that for the 5 I think, but everyone is raving about the stabilization on the 7.

I've seen stabilization actually make things worse (the ol' "jello effect") when combined with vibrations from an engine/prop...

What can you (or anyone else) tell me about the differences between the 5 and 7 in terms of stabilization?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I've seen stabilization actually make things worse (the ol' "jello effect") when combined with vibrations from an engine/prop...
Click to expand...
Was that actually on camera stabilization? Or a video editing effect that was applied? I’ve always been of the impression that the jello effect was post processing issues.
 
-KLB- said:
Was that actually on camera stabilization? Or a video editing effect that was applied? I’ve always been of the impression that the jello effect was post processing issues.
Click to expand...

Nope, it was camera stabilization with *just* the slightest delay out of phase making things worse instead of better.
 
Hey with having the extra audio plug in my plane, can I just get a 1/4" audio male to 3.5mm male to plug into that adapter for the 5? It just came in the mail- do I have to leave that little door open all the time to plug in the mic?

Same plug in spot as charger too right? So no hooking up a charger and external mic at some time?
 
Last edited:
flyingcheesehead said:
Actually, one thing I am curious about - stabilization. You mentioned that for the 5 I think, but everyone is raving about the stabilization on the 7.

I've seen stabilization actually make things worse (the ol' "jello effect") when combined with vibrations from an engine/prop...

What can you (or anyone else) tell me about the differences between the 5 and 7 in terms of stabilization?
Click to expand...


Scroll to the 1:15 mark. You can tell the plane is rocking but it flows within the frame like its on water.

Edit: I think youtube has stopped working here. let's try a link <-- Click the word "link" even thought it doesn't look like a link.



 
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