GoPro Hero2 Professional released but no news of Flat Port

[dumpsterDiver]

It'll be interesting to see what it turns out like. Personally I think it will be very difficult to beat the price and features of the SRP Blurfix. The fact that you can screw on different filters/replace filters you bump into rocks with and that they protect the actual lens of the camera is a big plus in my eyes(and why I decided as a poor college student to fork over an additional $40-60 over other flat lens fixes).

There are other flat lenses that are much less than that, I think the Mako lens is like $24 or something and it has worked fine for me for filming in R-5 to depths of 185 feet.

I just got back from DEMA and spoke with a salesman and a GoPro guy who was identified as an "engineer". Both individuals were surprisingly ignorant of the undewater use of the camera.

When i spoke about the white balance/red issue (when going from darlk to bright conditions) the guy first claimed he knew nothing about it, then admitted one other person mentioned it and I asked if this could be a fix for underwater use or if they could make some kind of underwater software for the camera. He said they could do that, but I got the strong feeling it was very low on their priorities.

We spoke about the head mount strap and I told him it was unworkable as currently released (because it pops off your head way too easily) and the engineer said that they had not really understood the popularity of the camera for diving and they were at the show to "collect ideas"...

BTW, the nead strap mount works fine, IF you wear it under a hood, but the engineer said he never heard of that. Another simple option if you wearing a neoprene hood in cold water is to wear an additional thin, inexpensive lycra hood over the neoprene hood to serve as a retainer for the head strap.

I also spoke about the problem with the latch comming loose at depth from the pressure and he said he did know about camera flooding from that (and from wake bording) but said they are still "working on it" and there was no immediate fix in the works in the G-2 release and flat lens release. I explained to the engineer that a rubber band over the latch seems to work fine to keep it locked down when diving. He seemed surprised that a very serious flaw could be handled so simply (for diving anyway).

The flat lens just looked kinda wierd.. It extends out past the edge of the housing on one side AND it completely obscures the front (primary) red light which is used to indicate the camera is filming. The engineer explained that this is OK, because the G-2 camera now has additional (smaller) red lights on the other sides of the camera. However, when in bright sunlight on a boat before a dive, it is tough to see the front red light, I kinda doubt the smaller ones which are now on the side will be easily seen. So, this obstruction of the front red light means that the G-1 version of the camera will not work in the new (soon to be released) flat lens solution from Go-Pro.

They were saying the flat lens was going to be availble Jan 1, but I also got the strong impression that this release date may have been somewhat overly optimistic.

I then made the observation that the G-2 flat lens was so large that it would seem to remove the option for running a rubber band over and around the housing (to keep the latch down). The poor guy had NO answer to that one. If they desigbed the latch with a slot or hole in it, you could probably rig an elastic band that would function. I am sure there is a potential solution, but the two representatives i spoke with seemed to know less about their camera than me, and I am a novice with it.

I've not tried the G-2 camera, but they have apparently not fixed the white balance problem and the new housing which has not yet been released may still have some issues... In any regard, the G-2 camera will work in the old housing with the after market flat lens , as best I can tell.

 

[Marty Cerven]

Simple fix for the headstrap is the hood or you can make a simple chin strap which has worked well for me.

By the sound of what you saw is that they are making a new housing similar to the blurfix/EOM fixes as these also cover the front led light but are needed to be vignette free in 170 FOV. Was this a glass lens or plastic from what you saw? The hero on the 4 main sides so covering the led isnt a huge issue and both cams are the exact same dimensions so they will both work in old and new housings.

The cheap drop in lenses are fine but limited to only shooting in 1080p, many times 720P60 seems to work best and is the main mode I use. The hero 2 also does 1080P 170fov, current firmware has 480p120 at 170fov only same as the 720p and 960p modes. The Hero 2 has much better image quality in 720P modes where the original looks as if it maybe up-scaled 480p to 720p but the new one looks like it doesn't do this. 1080 modes from what ive seen aren't much different but the lens is claimed to be sharper and motion should be better in 1080 now with the faster processor.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Simple fix for the headstrap is the hood or you can make a simple chin strap which has worked well for me.

By the sound of what you saw is that they are making a new housing similar to the blurfix/EOM fixes as these also cover the front led light but are needed to be vignette free in 170 FOV. Was this a glass lens or plastic from what you saw? The hero on the 4 main sides so covering the led isnt a huge issue and both cams are the exact same dimensions so they will both work in old and new housings.

The cheap drop in lenses are fine but limited to only shooting in 1080p, many times 720P60 seems to work best and is the main mode I use. The hero 2 also does 1080P 170fov, current firmware has 480p120 at 170fov only same as the 720p and 960p modes. The Hero 2 has much better image quality in 720P modes where the original looks as if it maybe up-scaled 480p to 720p but the new one looks like it doesn't do this. 1080 modes from what ive seen aren't much different but the lens is claimed to be sharper and motion should be better in 1080 now with the faster processor.

The new lens is reported to be glass. I shoot all the video in 1080 R5 and it seems to come out prety well with an after market lens.

 

[joecwazy]

Yes other flat lens fixes are certainly cheaper but IMO the SRP blurfix is the best solution out there. No vignetting/portholing in 720, option to replace glass if damaged/broken etc. It is pretty easy to scratch the gopro lens itself , so having an extra degree of protection is a real plus in my mind. You could even get a lenscap to protect the UV filter. That is actually one thing about these cameras is that they really are naked once outside their case. I am worried about damaging mine every time I take it out to charge the battery. All it takes is one careless move and you can end up with a $300 paperweight.

Their is a video showing Gopro's own solution-posted by you perchance-seems like it was at that same show? It is similar to the Blurfix but uses a square pane of glass screwed in as mentioned before. I guess it all comes down to how much it will cost and how easy it will be to use/replace.

I doubt I am going to drop the money for it anytime soon unless I find myself seriously lovin and using my Gopro for all sorts of things-but can the Gopro Hd Hero2 fit in the original HD Hero case? If I could avoid removing and reattaching my blurfix and a windfall of cash ends up coming at me I'd consider it.

 

[aorr]

OOps! I forgot to check back on this thread for replies about the videos I posted.

Wow, sounds like a lot of people have not had the red-effect even while diving deep and dark with it. Perhaps it is a result of diving in a dark area and then adding light to the scene with a torch/flashlight or sun. I do have to admit to all of my dives where the red-effect has happen I've dove with my Salvo 21Watt canister light and have used it to help light the scene I'm shooting. That would make a lot of sense from the largely dark to light changes the camera has to go through. Sadly, the diving season is over for me here so I can't go out and test it again before spring. Ooohh, there is ice diving in the winter time that I can try it with! That'll be fun!

-Andy

 

[sshrum]

I've seen the DEMA video. Not sure if the GoPro square flat fix is going to be compatible with any filter types or if GoPro is going to even offer filters. I'm going with the SRP Blurfix which can use 55mm CY filters.