First FPV Flight with GoPro HD

[petter268]

MY first FPV vid with my Gopro HD.

Hope you like it.

[ame]http://vimeo.com/12553380[/ame]

[tomcarpenter]

quality is excellent. I will look into getting a goPro.

Do they cope with vibration well (does it affect the picture?) - did you make any sort of antivibration mount?

[halley]

You may get the slightest bit of jello (rolling shutter vibration artifacts), but I've been quite impressed with the GoPro's vibration handling. I put mine on a plastic front body panel of a 50cc motorscooter to try it out, which should have been pretty bad vibrations. The wide angle of the lens really hides the effect of the vibrations well.

[tomcarpenter]

I tried my panasonic HDC-SD1`0 HD camera,
uses AVCHD

rolling shutter wobbly picture was terrible. Got better results with a keyfob camera.

Which gopro are people using?
http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php...2&productid=33

also, does it have video out that you can send to a video Tx whilst recording?

[halley]

Originally Posted by tomcarpenter

Which gopro are people using? Also, does it have video out that you can send to a video Tx whilst recording?

GoPro Hero HD.

And yes, it can perform live tv video output while recording. The firmware does not officially support it, but you can "trick" it into that state by means of the USB port. Details elsewhere. The firmware is due (overdue) to be updated with official support for live video output and "one press recording" and a few other features.

[merlin703]

As far I I know there are a few small "issues" with the GoPro HD.
The fish eye effect. This can be fixed and handle with software
It appears reduced your TX reception. This is not a problem if you are not trying to go farther.
It doesn't have a "ready" video out while recording. You have to tweak it by plugging in a power supply, press record and so one or two other things. There was an expected/hoped software update to handle this but.... I don't think it has happened yet (could be wrong though).

The GoPro HD is small and fairly light. It has really nice true HD video. The Naked comes with the waterproof casing. There are other sides that sell it for $30 or so less than the gopro site but you will have to check to make sure they have it in stock or you will wait for months... ask me how I know

[petter268]

The Gopro can be used as a FPV Cam while recording. I do that in this video. I have some problems with the waves in the picture. The quality of this little cam is AMAZING. It's even better on the computer than on the Vimeo.

The Gopro cost me 260 USD dollars. It was the naken edition. Here it is:
http://hobbywireless.com/cart/index....roducts_id=409

[Windbreaker]

The wavy picture is due to the rolling shutter being affected by vibrations.

If you eliminate the vibrations, you eliminate the waviness (known as "jello cam").

Otherwise, it's a nice image for such a small and inexpensive camera! I nearly bought one at NAB in Vegas this past April. Still looking for a small camera that has a little better detail in the HD image than the GoPro. For my purposes I'd like less edge artifacts and that means a more expensive camera. Maybe I'll invest in both?!

But for the amount paid, for the flexibility and the POV this little camera provides, it's hard to beat!

[halley]

petter268, I didn't get a chance to view the video itself until now (can't see videos from work). I wanted to say GOOD JOB.

From your maneuvers, it seems you're flying FPV by goggles or screen, and not just recording the flight flown traditionally, right? I didn't see your ground station anywhere, so I am wondering if you were flying behind trees and out of line-of-sight at times.

When the sun is low like that, you should try to spend less time looking in that direction. (I know it's hard with the very wide angle lens.) The best lighting for almost all photography is to have the sun behind your left or right shoulder, not directly behind and not anywhere in front of you. The objects you photograph or film will have better definition and shape, the colors will pop more, and you'll feel more immersed.

[MonkeyKnight]

Nice! I absolutely love watching good FPV with HD. Stellar, man - just stellar. Keep 'em coming!

@halley - To be honest I kind of like the shots of the sun, with the bursting on the lens. You are textbook correct though, but it is the characteristics of life that really make any pop at all. I suppose it is all personal preference though, at the end of the day.

[Windbreaker]

In any case, having a low sun angle nicely brings out the texture of the landscape below.

[Crash9]

looks like you got it pretty close to no bad vibes as I only noticed the dreaded waves a few times where most of the time on a heli you would see them constant. Very nicely done.

I just picked up a GoPro HD and of course I made a mount for it .

[petter268]

Nice.
Does it fit the T-rex 600?

[halley]

Originally Posted by petter268

Nice.
Does it fit the T-rex 600?

It would not fit the T Rex 600 with the stock skids. There is a T Rex 600 size, and Crash9 offers higher skids for underslung cameras like this.

I am making a much lower-profile camera-wrapper that will go with the non-tilt version of this mount on stock skids. With the very wide angle, there's less need for tilting, I feel. Crash9, if the first prototype fits, I'll send you the template and you can make them for your shop. Your version has no support on the sides except for the rubber bands, so I'm a bit worried about that.

[Crash9]

Originally Posted by halley

Crash9, if the first prototype fits, I'll send you the template and you can make them for your shop. Your version has no support on the sides except for the rubber bands, so I'm a bit worried about that.

That would be Cool Haley ...nothing to be worried about though on the GoPro mount....even 1 rubber band keeps it in place and with it being placed on foam it also makes it very secure...I wouldn't put my $260 Hero on it if I thought it would be a problem .

[petter268]

But does it fit the T-rex 600 if you got longer skids? I already have the extended landing gear from Crash9.:p

[halley]

Originally Posted by petter268

But does it fit the T-rex 600 if you got longer skids? I already have the extended landing gear from Crash9.:p

Yes, it would fit. I thought I said that.

[petter268]

halley:

I flied with FPV Gear, yes. When I flew "low" over the trees, i couldn't see the helicopter :p

[KernelSanders]

Has anyone tried the ContourHD camera? I am thinking about getting that one because I think it would look better under the heli that the GoPro.
Any thoughts?

http://vholdr.com/

[obsconder]

doesn't look like the countour has output for live video, seems to only record to memory for later download, this might be a problem for live FPV. Not positive, but definately something to check.