NateW Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Been thinking about getting one of these... http://www.goprocamera.com/ ...and suction-cup-mounting it to the tail of my board, looking forward. Or maybe mounting it to a boot, if there's an attachment/base that can be clamped down under the buckles. Anybody tried one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Hi Nate—yes! I picked up a GoPro a few weeks ago for motorcycling vids, and yes—it works great for carving! I posted a couple of test vids (streaming Windows Media) online everyone can check out—they're nothing even remotely epic, as I was just messing around with it...but they'll give you a good idea of the possibilities! http://www.shadepine.com/carvingvids.html The first vid was shot with the camera mounted on top of my helmet—not bad if you just want to view the scenery, but not so good if you really want the viewer to get a sense of carving—the problem with helmet-mounted cameras is that (ideally) even in turns your upper body is fairly calm and upright, so you don't get the sense of the speed and angles. The 2nd vid was with the camera suction-cup mounted to the board just ahead of my front binding. That was MUCH better! It's pretty cool to see the board get on edge and you really get a sense of speed. (I wasn't carving too hard in this vid 'cause I was obsessing over the camera and trying to follow a friend.) The GoPro is a great little development though—totally bombproof and self-contained. It's got another great feature I haven't used yet: the ability to snap a 5mp still image every 2 seconds—that could result in some cool shots. The other thing I haven't tried yet is mounting the camera on the board pointed up at me, LOL. The quality of the videos is pretty good right out of the camera (don't expect HD 'cause you won't get it!) I actually edited/downsized and recompressed the videos above, so original quality is better. Finally, I have the GoPro Motorsports wide-angle lens. Wide lenses are great for (duh) capturing a wide field of view...but the downside is that they tend to really flatten the terrain and increase apparent distances. For example, that slope in the vids is reasonably steep in places, but the whole thing looks flat in the video—that's not how I shot it, but the wide lens. Also, if you want to follow someone with this camera, you better be good at "synchronized carving" 'cause you'll need to be 5 feet from them for it to look really good, LOL. GoPro, I think, made a standard-angle lens with a narrower field of view—it's not as easy to find ('cause it seems like everyone wants the wide-angle)...but I think the non-wide-angle would be better (and I plan to try to find one). Oh, one final note—forget audio with this camera, it stinks—mainly because the mic doesn't pick up much but noise inside the waterproof housing. (So no narrating your cool carving session while you're doing it!) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 No experience with the go pro, but I've been trying to use a bullet cam for weeks now. I just can't get any suction cups to stick. The clear vinyl ones get too stiff when cold, and I always have little grains of snow breaking the seal with more flexible ones. I hope to try again at SES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm bringing my GoPro to SES. I didn't have any trouble at all getting the suction mount that comes with the GoPro to stick, but I did mount it on a clean, dry board before hitting the slopes. Once I mounted it, I could carry the board by the camera—it was on there! I also have a bullet cam...but the reason I like the GoPro much better is that it's self-contained. No messing around with wires and a separate recorder unit. That's a BIG plus for me! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 but I did mount it on a clean, dry board before hitting the slopes. I think that's the key! I also have a bullet cam...but the reason I like the GoPro much better is that it's self-contained. No messing around with wires and a separate recorder unit. No doubt. It wasn't a big deal for car mounting but it's a huge pain dealing with all the cables on a snowboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawndoggy Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 I've been using a bullet cam (archos 605) mounted to my helmet with mixed results. It's really hard to get video of anyone else while carving because it's a lot of tipping over and looking left and looking right. Putting it on a skier seems like the way to go. That said, Scott, here's my answer to your other thread about why I ride the blacks.... with a little EC to boot. <object height="344" width="425"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqXLOVsfaCs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></object> Never thought of mounting it to the board... that's a cool idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boarderboy Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 I think the three MP version (versus the current 5 megapixel) has a longer focal length (i.e. non-wide-angle lens.) That model has been carried by Circuit City - as you know - selling out due to bankruptcy. You, or someone else close to one of their stores, might be able to get a deal right now. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 At the '05 SES in the Bomber house somebody brought a huge projector and set it up. Somebody else mounted a camera to their board and we all watched the video at night. There was a bunch of us in the room siting on the floor and the couches. If you went to the door way in the back of the room and looked in everybodys head was moving with the board it was so funny to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK moscraciun Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 Is that you on Squeezebox Forum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted February 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 JK: I'm familiar with the Vio camera and it looks REALLY nice, but $700 is way too much for something I plan to use as much as this (or rather, as little). I just want to capture my runs for a couple days then show my parents & girlfriend what I'm up to. It hit me the other day that the people who mean the most to me have no idea about the sport that means the most to me, and why I put so much time / money / energy into this stuff. I'm hoping that some video shot from the snowboard and/or from a helmet will convey the way it feels to ride. And I'm not sure what I'll do with it after that. :) SW: thanks, those videos were just what I was looking for, and they're very encouraging. I might have to get me one of these. Boarderboy: I've read that the original lens makes it look like you're moving slowly, and doesn't capture the sense of speed very well, so I'm much more inclined to go with the wide angle. Bumpyride: I have a Squeezebox (2nd generation, I think), and was active on their forums for a little while after I got it. If you're looking at posts from a couple years ago, they're probably mine. Now I have a 30GB Zune hooked up to my stereo instead, mostly just for the sake of simplicity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawndoggy Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 There's a vid in the "instructional videos" thread on the community forum with the gopro facing backwards (toward the rider) and it's really cool. Never would have thought of filming that way, but it really conveys the lean of the carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted February 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 That's a really cool idea. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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