My son is bugging me to get one to record flights, lessons, etc.
What do you think?
If a yay, which one to get? What accessories? It seems this weekend would be a good time...
I've got the Hero 3. It's been a lot of fun, but you might want to wait a teensy bit longer, cuz Garmin now has an entry in this field that has two things my GoPro does not.
1. A view-finder! Amazingly, the GoPro has no view finder, so you just sort of aim it in the general direction, and hope for the best.
2. A longer battery life.
Garmin is supposedly coming out with an aviation-specific model that will get rid of the prop-effect that pretty much ruins every video that's shot looking forward through the prop arc. THAT would be worth some money to me.
Still, you can get great video with a GoPro. Here's a link to a bunch of my flying videos. Enjoy! http://ameliaslanding.com/port_aransas_videos.htm
(BTW: I can't think of a worse time to shop for one of these gadgets than this weekend. You might find a Black Friday deal, but I'll pay an extra $20 to not have to beat my way through those crowds!)
Jay,
You can attach the LCD BacPac to the GoPro - it's working fine as a viewfinder.
You can also use your iPhone or iPad as a viewfinder with the GoPro application and the WiFi module ( built-in on some models and available as an accessory for other models ).
The app is also great for setting all the camera parameters.
You can't beat the GoPro versatility...
I'll throw in a vote for contour. With the +2 you get built in Bluetooth for controlling it and viewing the picture from your phone along with GPS so you can do gauge and map overlays. You don't get 1080 @ 60 fps, but otherwise the quality is as good. Mounting options are more flexible. The company closed its doors earlier this year, but was bought our and will be resuming operations. In the meantime, you can find some great deals. I'd you want the latest and greatest, I would look at the Garmin or Sony.
I have the Hero3 silver, works great.
After a couple of flights I was going to get the filter to eliminate prop wash, until I realized that I could see my throttle inputs via the prop, really helpful as a student especially on final.
I use the I-phone to aim the camera, I have the suction cup on the passenger window, and once you have aimed it once it pretty much is the same every flight. Remember to turn off the Bluetooth on the camera before you start as it kills battery life.
Speaking of battery's now I am flying further afield I am getting the longer life battery pack.
the BIGGEST plus in terms of enjoyment and as a resource for learning is get the cable that connects the camera to the aircrafts intercom so you can hear your ATC transmissions as well as your instructors. A huge benefit for me being able to "relive" my lessons, both visually and especially the having the audio was invaluable to me. Its surprising how much you "miss" during the lesson once you hear I again. I got this one from "mypilotstore.com" but i'm sure there are others.
http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/1978.
The biggest pain in the butt is the editing of the videos, my family tease me that I spend more time doing the cutting of the clips than I do flying. Also loading a large file up on to youtube takes forever....Im sure there are easier ways to do it...I just haven't looked into it enough yet.
Here are a few of my attempts at flying and filming...LOL I have all my lessons recorded since I got the camera but my school does not allow me to post them.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNylxLc5iZI7uGxRx22BRfQ
Jay,
You can attach the LCD BacPac to the GoPro - it's working fine as a viewfinder.
You can also use your iPhone or iPad as a viewfinder with the GoPro application and the WiFi module ( built-in on some models and available as an accessory for other models ).
The app is also great for setting all the camera parameters.
You can't beat the GoPro versatility...
I just posted asking about the difference between the 3 and the 3+ in the technical section, but Best Buy is having a black friday sale on the 3 Black Edition. It's online too which is great so you don't have to fight the crowds.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hd-hero...uId=6571689&st=gopro-cameras-112161&cp=1&lp=3
I have no personal knowledge of these files, but someone on another forum posted this link:I picked up a +2 for DIRT CHEAP from bestbuy but I don't have the latest firmware because the company closed, and I also don't think you can publish vids with the map overlays since their website is closed down.
do you happen to have the latest firmware for the +2 or know when the new company will be opening? thanks!
I have no personal knowledge of these files, but someone on another forum posted this link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ego9azttgsvidpr/wxexJ7uklK
These are supposed to be the firmwares for each of the cameras. My +2 has v.2.1.29. I don't know if that's the latest.
There are ways to use the recorded GPS track to create overlays outside of StoryTeller. The easiest that I've found is a program called DashWare. It's $50, but it will automatically import the GPS track and has a library of gauges. There are ways to do it for free and with more flexibility, but I haven't found any as simple at DashWare. If you already do a bunch of postprocessing and editing, that might not be a big deal. This site has a how-to: http://inlinepaceline.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/how-to-video-overlays-with-gps-data/
You can export the GPS track within Storyteller. When you're on the thumbnail screen, highlight a video and select file-->export.
ETA: This dropbox link was posted on the official Contour facebook page: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z2xc88w7a3hm3l1/V_fg3zDQdw
Pretty nice bundle with multiple frames but no suction cup mount.