GoPro: Cambridge England, ripping up the local golf course

[philw]

Because it's there.

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Edited February 12, 2012 by philw
CHange aspect ratio for Vimeo

[WEBSIGHT360]

Hi Phil, what are you using for a pole-mount? It looks like carbon, and it looks like it collapses, and it also looks longer than what I have now. Care to elaborate? I need something longer than what I have now, and collapsible.

[pokkis]

I dont know what Phil is using but telescopic fishing rods work fine. They are also cheap

[philw]

You're asking the right question. You need 140cm+, and it needs to be around 300g or less. I looked long and hard and tried a lot of ski/ climbing poles, but most are too heavy or too short. This is a non-professional monopod used "the wrong way around" - a Veblon L50 or some such. 300g, and will do 1.50m or so without problem. It works great until you've abused it for a few weeks, at which point some of the parts break. Well it's still just about working, but really I need something else, or another one of these. The telescoping stuff no longer works as smoothly as it did.

I was looking at fishing "landing net" poles, but I've not actually been to a fishing shop yet to check them out.

It's all about length and weight; something I've failed to convince the kids of, but they they don't care about arbitrarily cropping off their feet or whatever. I do.

Collapsible isn't essential for me (you can take a pole in a heli if you're polite), but it'd handy. With this pole it telescopes down to about 30cm and I have ridden quite a lot with that stuck down my jacket - works fine.

In summary: the Veblon L50 is the best thing I've found so far, but I'm still looking. White would be better than black, too. If you're going to trash it less than several weeks you may never have a problem with this stick. Oh, you don't need anything with a "head" on it - you just want a stick and the "roll bar" GoPro mount. This is the Mk1 GoPro - the 2 is way better I'm told, but the GoPro guys gave me this one and it still works fine.

[WEBSIGHT360]

Thanks Phil. That was the answer I was looking for. I have been looking at boom poles for audio recording, but these are very pricey. At the price point of the Velbon, I can afford to buy a new one every year if it gets really worn out from abuse. I have carbon fibre shaft golf putter that I cut the end off of and added a 1/4-20 stud on the end which is light enough, but not long enough. I agree with you about all the action being out of frame without a long enough pole.

@ pokkis - thanks, I will look at fishing rods too. I did not think to look down that avenue.

[philw]

Yup, sounds like we're chasing the same goal there. With the Veblon, I think it has 5 sections and 4 are actually mostly enough. In the above stuff I did not get the camera angle quite right - this was just a couple of hours mucking about; if I'd been riding more than a day in a row, on day 2 I'd have had it dialled. The Veblon lasted over 21 days riding powder (harsh conditions), so they're reasonably resilient, just not indestructible. I stripped the foam padding off mine to reduce the weight.

Fishing rods (landing net poles, I think) are what I'll look at next, if I can find a shop.

[bumpyride]

Not too sure if it would work, but one of those Golf Ball Pond Retrievers might fit the bill.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&cp=13&gs_id=1e&xhr=t&q=golf+ball+retriever&biw=2133&bih=1033&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3177843296277583014&sa=X&ei=cMo-T5H_IKS-2gXbx6SwCA&sqi=2&ved=0CJABEPMCMAM

[philw]

It's amazing what things you learn about on the internet ;-)

I still haven't found a fishing tackle shop, now I need to look for golf shops too!

It's easy to buy 2m lengths of carbon fiber tube, for example:

http://www.thehighwaymen.co.uk/acatalog/10mm_Carbon_Tube.html

The catch with all these things is that until you actually pick the stick up you don't really know if it'll work or not, and once you do, it's going to be obvious one way or the other. Translation: I want to physically pick up whatever I'm going to use before I buy it.

[ktv]

I had asked Phil the same question in another of his video threads. I ended up buying one of these, and it's worked out well for me.

http://www.quikpod.com/dslr.asp

It's stronger than some of the others out there, and has grooves on two opposite sides of the shaft that will prevent the sections from rotating over time. It's pretty light, and extends decently.

When folded down, I have removed the GoPro, and put the mounting end in my cargo pocket of my snowboard pants, and clipped the handle end to my belt loop, and tucked the handle under the powder skirt of my coat, and when I ride I don't know it's there. It doesn't bother me too much.

I got it for $35 shipped from B&H Photo in NYC.

[philw]

Oh, that looks good. Weighs 250g so lighter than the Veblon L50 I already pretty much destroyed.

I'll order one from B&H for delivery to someone in the US from whom I can pick it up, and see if I can break it or not - thanks.

...Actually, the one issue with that is the length: 134.6cm. I really need 140-150cm to get me in I think :-(

Edited February 18, 2012 by philw
add comment about length

[pokkis]

Had some spare time due weather, so shoot picture

Weight with home made Hero fix (duct tape setup :) ) 155g

Length 130cm when extended, and 59cm when folded. I should have left ome more section to get more length.

But when i have time or need i will go and search for one which will fit to smaller space when folded.

[WEBSIGHT360]

The Quikpod http://www.quikpod.com/dslr.asp looks pretty sweet, except for the length, however, it looks like a good design, and is still longer than what I currently have, and it folds. The price is right too. Nice find, KTV.

[WEBSIGHT360]

Had some spare time due weather, so shoot picture

[ATTACH]29690[/ATTACH]

Weight with home made Hero fix (duct tape setup :) ) 155g

Length 130cm when extended, and 59cm when folded. I should have left ome more section to get more length.

But when i have time or need i will go and search for one which will fit to smaller space when folded.

Pokkis, is this rigid enough? Weight looks good. I will definitely have to go to the Bass Pro outlet to check out fishing rods. I like the extra long handle.

[loopback]

The Quikpod http://www.quikpod.com/dslr.asp looks pretty sweet, except for the length, however, it looks like a good design, and is still longer than what I currently have, and it folds. The price is right too. Nice find, KTV.

I have one of these. Not sure how long it will hold up. The monopod ball attachment is glued on and has fallen off. The wrist strap is useless in the winter as it's too small. I added a long webbing strap and attached it with the machined aluminium cap instead. The mounting head is proprietary and has an easily lost piece that is crucial to the setup.

I got mine at Henry's for $50 CDN.

I was looking at the xshots too (http://xshot.com/) They are much more compact but even the 2.0 version only extends to 37" vs 53" for the QuikPodSLR. The xshot does have a nice Kayak mount that would probably silicone onto a board though.

//Paul

Edited February 21, 2012 by loopback

[pokkis]

Pokkis, is this rigid enough? Weight looks good. I will definitely have to go to the Bass Pro outlet to check out fishing rods. I like the extra long handle.

I left thinest sections away. Here is how it works

[philw]

I want more length (said the actress to the bishop), so you can get both the rider and the board and the rider all in the shot. YOu can see I didn't quite manage this all the time in the video above, because: (a) I'd forgotten precisely how to line the camera up so didn't point it right; (b) the pole was partly broken so I couldn't use all the length (4 of 5 sections only).

It's just my personal hang up, but I like to choose how I crop my shots, if you see what I mean. If you don't mind about arbitrarily chopping some of the shot off, then your choices are very much wider of course. It's just a question of what you're trying to achieve.

The "Quick Pod" looks ok but seems to be 135cm, which is slightly longer than most collapsible ski poles but not quite long enough.

It's marginal - I'd like to see how you get on with that, to see if you can get yourself completely in the frame.

My original Veblon L50 is still usable but only just, so I just ordered a Manfrotto MMC3-02 which has the length (145cm) and weight (290g) I'm looking for. Those didn't seem to be available earlier in the season and they're cheap... maybe that will last a while.

[ktv]

It doesn't get the whole board in the frame all the time.

I also hold about 5 inches of the pole under my wrist when I hold the pole, to add some stability. I found this made holding the pole a little easier than it all just in the palm of the hand. Not sure how much 5 inches may add though.

I did find holding the pole made me concentrate on holding the pole more than riding or anything else.

[philw]

They just delivered the ManfrOTTO mmc3-02. Weighs just under 300g and is 145cm long. Oval section, so no rotation issues. Looks more robust than the Veblon L50 it's replacing. Has clips for each section, rather than the (apparently fragile) internal rotating clutches of the Veblon. Not tried it yet though so don't know if it'll work.

[BobD]

Using a approx five foot monopod I found the five inches under the wrist for support made a substantial difference. On another note though, I found a long pole makes a significant improvement to follow cam videos. With the wide angle lens of the go-pro, every inch you can get the camera closer to the action helps.

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Edited February 29, 2012 by BobD

[Beckmann AG]

*

Swix rc930 Comp CT4 on sale at REI for ~$75/pr?

93gr/meter.

Granted; not collapsible, but at least 165cm in length, strong, and rigid.

[philw]

Oh, there's an idea. And I have to go to a country with REI shortly (and I'm a member). Good idea: cross country poles. Yeah, that could be the deal. I don't personally care about the collapsible thing that much.

[Beckmann AG]

Philw, BobD, et al:

Will probably be working on another project with a carbon works over the summer.

May have the opportunity to develop a 'better' camera mount/mast, etc., if such a thing is worth doing.

If so, taking suggestions on dimension, min/max, weight limits, options, 'price point' etc.

Thanks

[Steve Prokopiw]

I do enjoy watching much of the pole mount footage I have seen,especially for follow cam use.For filming myself however,the drawback of having to hold a pole in my hand, which influences my form,has driven my development of a mount for the board that helps isolate the camera from vibration and shock (as seen in some of my videos).With a knowledgable friend's help, I will be working in the coming weeks on a version that minimizes the weight of my design by using carbon fiber.The weight should be reduced by about 70% over the heaviest aluminum/steel version I have used in the videos currently in the 'warning,more gopro' thread,and allow for a return to the longer length I originally peaked at to put more of the board in the shot,and the whole rider even when filming in wide screen modes(r2,3&5 on the gopro).Hopefully this isn't considered too much of a threadjack,if so I will gladly remove my comments.

[philw]

;-) jack away!

Some soft boot guys got interested in avoiding the arbitrary cropping in most GoPro snowboard videos so I wrote a bit about the poles I used so far here:

http://philwigglesworth.net/BlogEngine.NET/post/2012/02/28/GoPro-Video-Poles-and-Cropping.aspx

Plus there's an example of the Manfrotto in use below - you will note that this is only just long enough (at about 1.45m) for the GoPro2 in 1920x1080p, which is really where you want to be I think.

I also agree that there are "form" issues with holding a pole, I definitely ride better without the thing.

Overall... I think that the criteria are going to be a bit of a challenge, mine are:

1) Simplicity. It's got to work and take abuse. Nothing which requires cases, molly-coddling, or any crap like that is going to cut it. As with many other things, simplicity wins. I don't need collapsible, which adds weight and complexity (even in helis you can deal with long poles if you're well trained).

2) Light weight if I have to hold it. It's hard to hold 300g for a complete run, so lighter is better. I note in passing that the GoPro waterproof housing is heavy and overkill for snow - I could happily put the thing in a plastic bag to save weight.

3) As long as you can make it. 1.45m is not really enough.

4) Flexibility and ease of use are important. A pole is nice, because you can use it at any angle you like, or even to shoot someone else.

At the moment my personal goal is a bit of carbon fibre kite spar or similar which is only just stiff enough to work but about 1.6m long with a naked GoPro2 on the end of it.

In the "wild ideas" category you could think about counter-balances as that may help: it's not just holding the weight up when riding with these, it's holding the moment it excerpts on your wrist. Mike Basich used a modified wrist-guard to help him support a pole; that didn't really work, but it's a thought. Alternatively "steadicam" type approaches may work, although the goal isn't to be steady, just to carry the load.

The middle section of this is GoPro2 pole stuff, mixed with some GoPro1 and a little DSLR footage (using DSLRs for Video without steadicam stuff [too heavy!] didn't work for me). Also some skier GoPro pole stuff - skiers have bigger problems with polecams because they can't pole plant I think.

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[WEBSIGHT360]

I think I have found the one (boom pole for GoPro) that might fit the bill. http://ktekbooms.com/gopro-and-iphone-video/tadpoles/ Its a little on the heavy side, but looks very rugged. A little expensive too, but if it is sturdy, and lasts, that should not be an issue.