"Go Pro" users...
Have decided that I will not be using a Go Pro in any way. Have done some research. If I were to get there new "top dog", MAX, from what I have seen, even using an external mic is out of the question. Have seen more than one Go Pro video with absolutely horrendous audio, nothing is a bigger turn off for me than attempting to watch a video of something auto related and hearing just a resonating, rumbling audio track. Sort of like being in a hot rod with mufflers that just emit that obnoxious resonating tone inside the car. Another one of the Go Pros, the Hero 8, requires an add on device in order to use an external mic. Problem is this add on device is not readily available just yet...and the reviews I have seen of it make it sound of questionable build quality. Can only speak for myself, but when I am watching a video and the audio starts getting that resonating tone I just stop watching the video. Not going to put all sorts of time into editing/blending video clips together only to have folks stop watching it thanks to the horrible audio. Lack of remote control is a serious problem for me. I also have a serious problem with the endless depth of field. While a lot of my video will be shot in semi auto mode where the camera will be control of the aperture there is probably going to be quite a bit of video where it will be shot with only the vehicles being in focus, the back ground will have the "bokeh blur" similar to this image.
Notice how the Christmas Tree, the cone etc are all out of focus? That is the look I will be going for, when I am focusing on shooting video. In order to be able to do this you need to be paying attention to the aperture. Be shooting in Manual mode, 30fps with a shutter speed of 1/60. Will be using Neutral Density filters (sunglasses for the lens) so that I can shoot video with an aperture of f/2.8 or f/1.4, depending on the lens I will be using. Hell, just dropped close to a grand on various filters in order to be able to do this. Have been meaning to buy these filters for quite a while now, I just never have. I will also be using them for some of my still images at the track...and I finally will be able to teach myself some of the things I have been wanting to as certain types of photography require a slow shutter speed...which these filters allow. Blurry cloud images, images of streams and water falls where the water looks almost like it is smooth
...This is something that a Go Pro, despite being how good it is, simply can not do....and if the Go Pro is capable of it I have yet to find anyone sharing how they pull it off.
I am not 100% certain I will still be putting a camera or 2 inside of cars. I have found a commercially available mount. I also have thought of a much less expensive mount that I can build using a couple of brackets available from Jegs in combination with a piece of steel plate and one of the "ball mounts" for a tri pod, just not sure I want to commit a camera body to only obtaining footage from one car. Depending on how frequently my buddy that races a bike melts his motor I may be able to recruit his help in moving the camera from car to car. I have another friend that also races a bike that often brings his 14 year old nephew to the track, I may be able to recruit him to move the camera from car to car. I found a recently priced camera on FB Market place. Included in the deal is the very same mic I use. Push comes to shove the mic makes it a deal that is almost to good to pass up. Problem is the guy is more than a bit flaky...he is VERY SLOW to respond to messages...or at least has become so...
Got a response from Pocket Wizard. She was just a tad misinformed..only Go Pro that this worked with, as far as either one of us could find was the Hero 1 and the Hero 2. Guess after that Go Pro had enough of non-propriety gear being used and changed things up some. Never mind that...the company that made the cable that was needed, HydRemote, is apparently long gone. Searched Ebay, could not find one. Googled HydRemote, the only things I found were related to the one YouTube video. Anyway, it WAS a fairly simple deal, just plug the HydRemote cable into the Go Pro, buy the adapter that was needed to plug into the Pocket Wizard and that was basically it.
Have decided that I will not be using a Go Pro in any way. Have done some research. If I were to get there new "top dog", MAX, from what I have seen, even using an external mic is out of the question. Have seen more than one Go Pro video with absolutely horrendous audio, nothing is a bigger turn off for me than attempting to watch a video of something auto related and hearing just a resonating, rumbling audio track. Sort of like being in a hot rod with mufflers that just emit that obnoxious resonating tone inside the car. Another one of the Go Pros, the Hero 8, requires an add on device in order to use an external mic. Problem is this add on device is not readily available just yet...and the reviews I have seen of it make it sound of questionable build quality. Can only speak for myself, but when I am watching a video and the audio starts getting that resonating tone I just stop watching the video. Not going to put all sorts of time into editing/blending video clips together only to have folks stop watching it thanks to the horrible audio. Lack of remote control is a serious problem for me. I also have a serious problem with the endless depth of field. While a lot of my video will be shot in semi auto mode where the camera will be control of the aperture there is probably going to be quite a bit of video where it will be shot with only the vehicles being in focus, the back ground will have the "bokeh blur" similar to this image.
...This is something that a Go Pro, despite being how good it is, simply can not do....and if the Go Pro is capable of it I have yet to find anyone sharing how they pull it off.
I am not 100% certain I will still be putting a camera or 2 inside of cars. I have found a commercially available mount. I also have thought of a much less expensive mount that I can build using a couple of brackets available from Jegs in combination with a piece of steel plate and one of the "ball mounts" for a tri pod, just not sure I want to commit a camera body to only obtaining footage from one car. Depending on how frequently my buddy that races a bike melts his motor I may be able to recruit his help in moving the camera from car to car. I have another friend that also races a bike that often brings his 14 year old nephew to the track, I may be able to recruit him to move the camera from car to car. I found a recently priced camera on FB Market place. Included in the deal is the very same mic I use. Push comes to shove the mic makes it a deal that is almost to good to pass up. Problem is the guy is more than a bit flaky...he is VERY SLOW to respond to messages...or at least has become so...
