I love doing this! It's one of the more enjoyable parts of my job because the foundation has already been laid. Your typical GoPro enthusiast/end-user has already embraced the Action/POV camera and lifestyle. So now all you're giving them is a better avenue to travel. I like to say, 

"Offering a viable alternative, with superior options!"

Comparison Video ReplayXD on the left GoPro Hero 2 on the right

New Underwater Dive Housing

Here's a sneak peak of how the camera performs underwater:

 

Form Factor & Mounts = The Biggest Difference

v Suffice it to say that our camera's cylindrical shape gives the XD 1080/720 much more visual appeal than GoPro’s rectangular appearance. 

v You can rotate the RePlay XD inside each mount a full 360° whereas the GoPro is not rotatable while mounted. This means you have 5-10 more potential mounting positions with EVERY RePlay XD mount.

v We need YOUR HELP to debunk the myth that "GoPro has the highest # of mounting options." This is flat-out FALSE. Our mounts outnumber theirs nearly 2/1 

 

User Interface = Easy to Use

v GoPro’s ON/OFF button is the same as the MODE button, which can cause a lot of confusion for the average user. Our camera is set up differently to reduce the chance of user error.

v Our multi-colored LED Indicators let you know exactly what mode you're shooting in. GP's LED light only flashes/blinks red.

v RePlay XD's vibration indicator lets you know when the camera is on/off or start/stop recording.

 

Field Of View (FOV) = True to Life

v Yes - our FOV is narrower than GoPro's (135° vs 150°) but when the footage is reviewed it’s easy to see that the RePlay XD's video will look just like it does in real life; no fisheye/bubble distortion.

v If you're 20 feet away while filming, it'll look 20 feet away on the TV.

What RePlay has that GoPro doesn't = POWER & VALUE

v POWER

o   Auto Start/Stop function

o   External Batteries (2200 & 4400)

o   Hardwire Capabilities 

o   Interchangeable Lenses/Lens Filters 

v VALUE

o   The XD1080 Complete System gives the end-user the best out-of-box experience on the market, hands down. RePlay XD adds value to your purchase by including almost $150 worth of accessories, compare that to GoPro’s $80.

Last but not Least = DURABILITY

Check out just how much of a beating the RePlay XD can take. Watch what happens aroun

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    I had the pleasure of attending NAB 2013 with my associate Bill from Snake River Prototyping.  Vegas is Vegas, spend cash and eat a lot of high calorie foods.  Nanuk cases were there with a great product line, which I feel is far more superior to Pelican or Caseman.  Pleasure meeting Kimberly at Photohigher with his awesome gimbal systems.  The primary reason we were there was the unveiling of 360 Hero Systems.

  For those on a budget, 360 Hero‘s has a mounting system and software for the GoPro camera that will allow you to capture 360 video.  While there are a few different solutions out there, this may be the only one that was created by being printed on a 3D printer!

Michael Kintner the CEO & Founder of 360 Hero's is a great guy and surrounded by some great people, Thomas Hayden handles Sales/Business Development side, here is a video explaining his technology.

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Finally got around to editing this footage I got from PEI in Sept 2012.  All footage was filmed with a GoPro Hero 2.  The flat lens solution was a Blurfix from SRP. Should have used a GR filter to bring back the Magenta.  Also a Macro 10X filter would have been great to.  Could, would, should damn it!

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New Caledonia has the world's second biggest coral reef stretching 1600 kilometres around the mainland forming the world’s largest lagoon. Smaller islands surround the reef including the Loyalty Islands and the Isle of Pines. This French colony has much to offer with European cuisine and shopping blending with the beauty and the culture of the South Pacific.

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Looking forward to kicking this off, should be available in 2 weeks tops. Little to No vignetting with the cameras we have using low profile filters. We will make a list of the filters we tested and the results of each (vignetting). We also intend to offer the filters we find to be of the best value and performance. As a warning, some brands have taller filter frames which will vignette, and as we have always noted, results vary from one camera to the next.....The filters we see with little to no vignetting (all modes) are off the shelf, unmodified "low profile" or "slim" filters in ND (Neutral Density) and CP (Circular Polarizing) filters. More info and details coming soon.....

 

 

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How to create "Slow motion Video" for your GoPro Hero 3 Here's a quick addition to the last GoPro article. I've had several people ask how I like to convert footage shot on my GoPro to the smooth slow motion everyone is crazy about these days. While there are several ways to go about doing this, I am going to focus on a method that involves free software available to all GoPro users. I like to shoot the camera for slow motion in the 720p 60 setting (60 frames per second). If I have multiple cameras on the boat I typically designate the underwater "pole cam" GoPro and maybe the head-mounted GoPro on this setting. Typically the unique POV these positions capture lends itself to really interesting slow-motion footage. 

What does the "60" Have to do with anything?

I found the best way to describe it is to imagine a ball getting tossed up in the air, and then falling back down to the ground forming a motion path resembling an arch. If the duration of this "toss" was one second and you were to take 24 pictures of the ball during this process, you would have the motion captured in 24 steps or frames. If you were to then replay those pictures or frames back as a video at a rate of 24 frames per second (a popular frame rate that produces a "film like" look) the resulting clip would be one second long or "realtime."

The trick is to take the 60 frames per second you captured and play them back at a rate of 24 frames per second resulting in a final clip that is 2.5 times longer or 2.5 times slower

Now imagine instead you were to shoot the same exact "toss" with 60 pictures or 60 fps. As a result, you would now have that motion captured in 60 steps. If you were to simply play this clip back at its native rate of 60 frames per second, you would again have a one second clip that will appear smoother, but not slower at all.

The trick at this point is to take those 60 frames you captured of the ball going up and down, and play it back at a rate of 24 frames per second resulting in a final clip that is 2.5 seconds long or 2.5 times slower. We call this process "conforming a clip," and here is how you can do it: First, you need to download and install the free GoPro Cineform Studio Software available for both Mac and PC users. This software will allow you to convert the .mp4 files that the GoPro camera records into .mov files that can easily be edited using your choice of Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, and others. Making this conversion should be one of the first steps to any GoPro editing workflow and, while you are at it, you can slow down all those clips you captured in 60fps for slow motion.



Here are the steps:



1. Open GoPro Cineform Studio

2. Click "Import New Files" and select the GoPro .mp4 files from your card or backup location.

3. Once clips are loaded in Cinerform Studio, note the resolution and frame rate metadata. Remember we are looking for the 59.94 fps (60p)

4. As you select a clip, it gets loaded into the viewer where you can trim the clip's in and out points with the keyboard shortcuts "i" and "o" as well as rename the clip and specify a directory to save to.

5. Next, click the "Advanced Settings" button to reveal a menu. This is where you specify what frame rate to "conform" the clip to. Set Frame Rate to 23.98p and slide the Quality slider to high and hit OK.

6. Click the "Add Clip to Conversion List," and then repeat the process for the remaining clips on your card to prepare the "batch" that you will encode at once.

7. Once your batch list is complete simply hit convert to begin transcoding the .mp4 files to .mov files (complete with slow motion conform) that will be ready to go into your favorite editing software.

Now go out and buy a new GoPro 3 Black Edition that records at 120 fps for even more slow motion awesomeness!

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Thanks Eli for the shirt!  I have never seen a diver so committed to the preservation of sharks then Eli Martinez and his crew.  Bill and I are thankful for your endorsement.

 

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Common problem with GoPro Hero HD cameras on a multicopter without is the jello effect in 1080p mode.  Most people are OK with 720 at 60 fps, but 1080p nearly always has jello.  Anti-vibration materials, including the gel pads, and various arrangements of grommets, maybe the solution Even if the motors are mounted on vibration damped mounts, and the props are dynamically balanced, not much else you can do to reduce the vibration from the motors.  Parameters (MK) fiddling, both in octo as well as a quad. So far, I'm just not feeling the love at 1080p.  I've considered adding weight (lipo) to the camera mount to let that help with the vibration, but I haven't tried it yet. I've seen that in a few searches, and it does seem like a good idea, so I'll probably give it a try if I can think of an easy way to do it.  Rigged up an experiment with the motor test stand. I mounted a motor/prop so the shaft was pointing horizontally, then mounted a gopro on the end of the arm. I then unbalanced the prop, and recorded while sweeping the motor through it's range of RPM. My thought was that it would show the jello effect at some band or bands of RPMs, but instead, I got nothing. The closest I came to generating jello was when I loosened the arm to allow more up and down motion. 

The conclusion I came to was that it's not the high frequency vibration from the motor, but rather the pitching movement of the copter that's causing the problem. If I fly inside, where there's no disturbance, I also get no jello. If I find just the right calm conditions outside, it's also good.  Until now, SRP NDX4 filters ellivate the “jello affect"

The filters may be purchased from this link http://www.infocushd.com/collections/55mm-colour-correction-filters

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Please visit his site for a step by step detail on how to use your GoPro Hero 3

http://abekislevitz.com/understanding-your-new-gopro/

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X-Pro Heli is now able to supply hardware, technical assistance, training, and spare parts, without cross border hassles in Canada.  Throw a SRP polarizer or ND filter on your GoPro and take it to the sky.  XProHeli is comprised of videographers that identify the needs of novice aerial videographers utilizing GoPro's.  Videography based and GoPro oriented product line, in other words, a company that understood the needs of a videographer, and not one that just sells product. Secondly, the company must manufacture and service what it sells, provide tutorials/guidance to new users, and have a ready supply of spare parts. Finally, the company must be USA or Canada based.  This criteria was used for a couple of reasons. First, I felt that a company comprised of videographers could more capably identify and solve issues that novice aerial videographers would face. It could recommend what cameras can be flown in what multi rotor configurations, and address post production issues such as stabilizing footage or removing fisheye distortion. My emphasis on U.S.A.- based companies related to one critical issue -- parts concerns. Invariably, parts will break, and having readily available replacement parts is an important factor.  Problem solved with our new distribution center in Toronto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQrq9XiokX8

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