Hero3 Black testing underwater

[ronscuba]

Marty, do you know how the GoPro achieves the different field of views ? The ultra wide is great for scenery shots, but I find it too wide much of the time. Especially for animal life.

I experimented with narrow mode, but it seems like narrow is only available with protune turned off ?


UPDATE:

Found the answer. Changes to smaller field of view is similar to digital zoom. Meaning the quality of picture increasingly degrades as the field of view gets smaller. Explains why I saw a drop off in picture quality in the narrow mode.

 

[fbk]

Here is an example of my last video showing the raw and graded image side by side to give you an idea of what the raw image will look like and what you can get from it.

Marty that comparison video is amazing. Is there any chance you could run though the steps you took in cineform to explain to us noobs how to achieve similar results?

 

[Gombessa]

Marty that comparison video is amazing. Is there any chance you could run though the steps you took in cineform to explain to us noobs how to achieve similar results?

Seconded!

 

[Marty Cerven]

Marty, do you know how the GoPro achieves the different field of views ? The ultra wide is great for scenery shots, but I find it too wide much of the time. Especially for animal life.

I experimented with narrow mode, but it seems like narrow is only available with protune turned off ?


UPDATE:

Found the answer. Changes to smaller field of view is similar to digital zoom. Meaning the quality of picture increasingly degrades as the field of view gets smaller. Explains why I saw a drop off in picture quality in the narrow mode.

Yes it is a sensor crop mode, not exactly digital zoom as its not theoretically blowing up pixels if the sensor is 12mpx or 4000x3000 so the narrow crop mode will still likely have 1920x1080 pixels to work with. There is no real info in how any of the GoPro modes are achieved regarding binning or oversampling. Narrow mode does degrade quality a bit but nowhere near as much as the hero2 did in that mode, I find it much more useable.

Original firmwares didn't enable 1080p narrow with protune on but the latest WiFi app version does have either a bug or hidden feature (likely not deliberate) where you can select 1080p narrow with protune on but only via the App. This mode works fine though it has another bug which if using it and the LCD when going into settings the first menu option isn't shown as being resolution and FOV but if you select it that's what you get. In the app there is also 720p120p selectable withing protune that isn't in camera, but selecting this mode just reverts back to wide and doesn't actually work. Though this isnt that practical for most as you dont really want to use 1080p narrow for an entire dive I have used this wifi app selection method in my macro filter tests with one camera in 1080p60 narrow and the other I used in either 1080p wide or 2.7k so I could shoot either without needing to change settings.

An interesting trick you can use when recording in 2.7k is to crop to 1080p 100% or scale to 1080p which I think from memory is 72% original size, in a 1080p frame scaled to 100% is a little narrower then medium FOV I think but I haven't done any actual FOV comparisons to see if that's the case. You can then also use this to zoom into or out of a shot in post without much of a hit to IQ though there still is a bit of a quality loss compared to 2.7k scaled to 1080p vs 100% size at 1080p.

The 2 intro shots on my last video showed this as I went from 72% to 100% via keyframes to get the zoom effect on those shots.

Seconded!

I am intending to do up a tutorial showing my UW gopro editing workflow, hopefully within the next week before going away on a dive trip for a few weeks. Our Goprouser forum has had a bit of a revamp still ongoing and we have also added a tutorial section so I have been intending to help kick it off with my underwater video editing workflow.

Abe Kislevitz the head video editor for GoPro will also be adding some tutorials down the track plus answering some general user questions regarding how they get their videos to look as good as they do in all their official videos. Though he doesn't deal with underwater all that much he still sets the benchmark for gopro video editing IMHO. We hope to also get many other users posting their own methods so it should be well worth checking out once it gets a bit of content added. If anyone hasn't been to that forum yet you can check out GoPro User Forum ? Index page

---------- Post added January 9th, 2013 at 11:58 PM ----------

To add to what I said about the FOV modes in the 3 black, I just found this in a little Q&A Session on Reddit with Abe Kislevitz, Head GoPro production artist.

[–]donohomd
I have read a lot about people shooting in 2.7k on the H3B and cropping it down to 1080 without losing quality. Is this something you guys do on your promos? If so, what software do you use to accomplish this? I haven’t been able to find any tutorials or examples of people actually doing it. Just people saying it can be done. Thanks!

[–]abekislevitz
Yeah, it’s quite a great thing to be able to do. We did it a few times in the HERO3 reel – it’ll happen naturally when you use smoothcam or warp stabilizer on a shot. In your editing program you’d just zoom the clip in (should start at around 70%), then just move it around until you get a shot you like. If you’re editing for youtube you can really get creative with your crops since you’ve got a lot of resolution to work with

[–]coreoski
This also made me thing about something the hero 3 could possibly do now that it can shoot in 2.7k… the narrow and wide options for 1080p: i always avoided using them because I figured it was just digital zoom, but is it essentially recording full 1080p by basically continuously cropping 2.7k to still retain 1080p now? If that makes sense?
[–]abekislevitz
yeah the medium and narrow definitely aren’t digital zoom – it’s not optical zoom either, obviously..a weird hybrid.
So the sensor is 12 MP, 1080 wide uses that whole sensor and scales it way down to 1080P (because 12MP is huuuge – 4K is 8MP).
1080 Med uses the middle portion of that sensor and still has room to scale it way down.. since it’s only using the middle of the sensor it’s like taking 4K and cropping into the middle, so details will appear bigger/closer – and less fisheyed since you’re just dealing with the very center of the glass elements and not the full fisheye edges.
Narrow is even more cropped in. The reason you’ll see lesser quality (more grain) in narrow is because you’re closer to actual pixel size, where it’s not that great of quality. The wide modes have the full sensor to scale and lose all those artifacts that you would see at the pixel level, but narrow doesn’t have that.

 

[yarik83]

Just came back from another incredible snorkeling trip to 3 sisters spring at Crystal River, FL

Brought all 3 of my cameras

Bonica HDDV with wide angle lens and upgraded battery (custom ordered 3 from china since they do not sell them in usa)
2 gopro hero3 black edition both with extended battery packs.

bonica camera
1 hr 49 mins 40 sec total filming time before battery died.
5.77gb 1080 30fps

Hero Camera #1
1 hr 36 mins 30 sec total filming time before battery died.
20.3gb 1080 60fps

Hero Camera #2
1 hr 41 min 16 sec total filming time before battery died.
21.3gb 1080 60 fps

Strange observation: both gopros were charged at the same time but used differently. 1 camera was used to film dive shop and then manatees. 2nd camera was used to film on boat and then manatees. While actual non manatee filming totaled under 2 minutes on both cameras... batteries performed completely different once I had them on at the same time in water.

Additional observation. These cameras blow my beloved Bonica out of the water so bad that it makes me want to cry. All 3 cameras were pointed same way. Footage is spectacular on my Bonica especially with wide lens but it is about twice as good for gopros.

A lot of lessons learned on this trip. 1 being mounting camera. Each screw thingie could be tightened with a screw driver... so I did it for 2/3 joints on both heros and forgot to secure screw on 3rd joint. It was not that big of a deal but it was annoying enough to have to readjust it every 10 minutes. I spent 3-4 hours floating about filming so it added up for both cameras.

Hero 3 performed remarkable. Colors, even in raw form are spectacular.

i will be posting a video by end of this or next week. hopefully this week.

 

[sharkshark]

No annoyance shooting w/o the LCD backback? I'd still consider turfing my GP2 setup in favour of a GP3 with a LCD/Battery combo that allowed longer shooting time. Underwater I couldn't care less that it's back heavy

Off to Cozumel in Feb to finally try the beast out in warm(ish) water, trying hard to actually use my relatively young GP2 on this trip, and wait for some silly GP4 by the time I go back next year.

If anyone has brilliant ideas about using a tray/light arms with a pole cam, let me know. I can't for the life of me figure out how to make a pole came work with lights that won't get completely mashed by the strong current.

J

Just came back from another incredible snorkeling trip to 3 sisters spring at Crystal River, FL

Brought all 3 of my cameras

Bonica HDDV with wide angle lens and upgraded battery (custom ordered 3 from china since they do not sell them in usa)
2 gopro hero3 black edition both with extended battery packs.

bonica camera
1 hr 49 mins 40 sec total filming time before battery died.
5.77gb 1080 30fps

Hero Camera #1
1 hr 36 mins 30 sec total filming time before battery died.
20.3gb 1080 60fps

Hero Camera #2
1 hr 41 min 16 sec total filming time before battery died.
21.3gb 1080 60 fps

Strange observation: both gopros were charged at the same time but used differently. 1 camera was used to film dive shop and then manatees. 2nd camera was used to film on boat and then manatees. While actual non manatee filming totaled under 2 minutes on both cameras... batteries performed completely different once I had them on at the same time in water.

Additional observation. These cameras blow my beloved Bonica out of the water so bad that it makes me want to cry. All 3 cameras were pointed same way. Footage is spectacular on my Bonica especially with wide lens but it is about twice as good for gopros.

A lot of lessons learned on this trip. 1 being mounting camera. Each screw thingie could be tightened with a screw driver... so I did it for 2/3 joints on both heros and forgot to secure screw on 3rd joint. It was not that big of a deal but it was annoying enough to have to readjust it every 10 minutes. I spent 3-4 hours floating about filming so it added up for both cameras.

Hero 3 performed remarkable. Colors, even in raw form are spectacular.

i will be posting a video by end of this or next week. hopefully this week.

 

[yarik83]

You know what... in a weird kind of way I am not entirely fond of lcd screens. I go with the flow. My bonica has an lcd screen and even a sun cover to keep lcd protected from sunlight but in all the time of me using that camera I barely look at it. I look at my 2 hander tray and know that it has to be at a certain angle so I go off that. Only exception is when I am shooting upwards when lcd is raised taller than my eye level.

I wish my lcd screen was mounted towards the back of bonica angled upwards but its not so that's why I never look at it.

 

[yarik83]

After spending a week trying to compile a video I present you with best I could extract from variable visibility conditions.

Unfortunately on my bonica camera yours truly for first time ever forgot to set white balance option so most of that camera footage was iffy booooo.

Gopros, however filmed spectacular footage (second half of video).

Enjoy in high quality.

[video=youtube;KaIpAh1r6dM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaIpAh1r6dM[/video]

 

[RockyHeap]

very cool thanks for sharing.


what is the weight/length/age of some of those mature manatee?

 

[yarik83]

Out of 50-60 that I saw there (must have been 5 times that around entire bay) they range from 3 feet long babies which make you say aaaaawwww. To the juveniles.... like 6ft long which make you say ooooooo and then you see a mom which is like 10 feet long which makes you think that daaaaaym.. that is a big creature... until you see a daddy which is the size of a pickup truck. Biggest one I saw was about 13-14ft long and about 4 feet high by 5 feet wide not counting tail. Looks like a submarine with wiskers, cloudy eyes, large rodent teeth, somewhat looking like a sea lion or a hippo... hard to describe them unless you see them in person.

From what I understand they can weigh about half of metric ton.

Amazing buoyancy skills, very strong swimmers and unfortunately they do not do much. If you are lucky to catch one doing anything but sleeping you are in for a treat. They mow through grasses like a little combine harvester walking with their front feet. Every 10-20 minutes they casually lift up to catch a breath. Babies are completely different. They are more mobile and always wondering off like little kids. They have harder time controlling buoyancy.

I would think they get to live pretty old too...

This is not my first rodeo with manatees but its just as special as it was the first time.