Ty Robinson - Thoughts on Producing, Investing and the Great Outdoors

August 26, 2010

GoPro HD Surf camera review

Introduction

I got my GoPro a few weeks back and its been a blast so far. Its a tiny little camera, that packs a lot into its small form factor. I bought the HD Surf model in the low $200 range. The GoPro is really designed as a small form factor HD video camera that solves many of the problems of other HD video cameras and also point and shoot camera's with HD capabilities. It can also do stills in the 5MP range, but it is not really designed for this purpose, its strong suite is video. One of its major selling points is its size. Its tiny, light and can be mounted almost anywhere using the various mounts sold by GoPro, or, a home made custom mount if you are so inclined to build one. Its tiny, but it doesn't compromise on quality.

What comes in the box:

1 HD HERO Camera (5 megapixel)
1 Rechargeable 1100 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery
1 Waterproof Quick-Release Housing (180’/60 m)
1 3M™ Adhesive Mounting Base
1 FCS™ Plug-Compatible Mount
1 Quick-Release Buckle
1 Leash
1 USB Cable
1 Component Video (HDTV) Cable
1 Composite Video + Audio Out Cable

Video

There are quite a few video modes on the GoPro, the video specs from the GoPro website are as follows:

HD Video Resolution Modes:
- 1080p = 1920x1080 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
- 960p = 1280x960 pixels (4:3), 30 fps, 12 Mbit/s data rate
- 720p = 1280x720 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
- 720p = 1280x720 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
- WVGA = 848x480 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
Sensor Type: 1/2.5" HD CMOS, 2.2µm-sized pixels
Light Sensitivity: Super low-light sensitivity (>1.4 V/lux-sec)
Video Format: H.264 compression, saved as Windows- & Mac-compatible MPEG4 (.mp4) file
Exposure Control: Auto with user selectable center weighted average and spot metering settings
White Balance: Auto

The lens is a fixed focus lens like a standard point and shoot, so you can forget about getting any nice depth of field effects with this camera, not that you really need that for what you are probably going to be shooting! Its aperture is fixed at f2.8, which gives it some good low light capability.

The 1080p is pretty amazing, considering that most waterproof point and shoot cameras top out at 720p, and are not this small. In 1080 mode, it has an angle of view of 127º giving a fairly wide view. The 720 mode is fairly standard fair, but the 720 60fps is another really cool mode. By shooting in 60 frames per second, you can get some nice, smooth, slow motion effects in your video productions.

The 960p ultra wide is a great mode for mounting the camera on different things like surfboards, cars or bikes, and shooting yourself doing things (the Hero cam). It captures a lot more than the 1080 or 720p modes top to bottom, making sure you don't get cut out of the shot because the camera is too close to you. The viewing angle for 960 is 170º which is fairly wide. However, for making a final video you most likely will want to crop it back down to 720 to give it a more standard widescreen look. In this case, if you are shooting yourself, you'll want to keep that crop factor in mind when setting up your camera's mount position.

The video quality is great, especially in low light situations. The sensor really does pick up a lot of light, and amazingly even back lit shots can look great. Sound quality is "OK", but most people might edit over the sound anyhow, or at least lay audio tracks in addition to the built in sound recording, as its muffled in the case, and you hear all kids of popping noises while recording from a mount anyway.

Stills

Stills modes are pretty much just OK. It shoots at 5MP which is on the lower end these days, and it has a few modes where the camera can shoot a frame every few seconds, and burst mode. This can be good for getting nice still pics of yourself or others in action shots. The pictures do look pretty good, and 5MP is plenty for most prints, but overall, I don't think most people would buy this camera as a stills camera. Its lack of LCD screen or viewfinder make it difficult to shoot stills of other subjects, and its not the fastest interface either. It works best for stills mounted on something as a hero cam.

Mounts

You can mount this little camera on almost anything. Helmets, surfboards, cars, whatever, and it performs pretty well. I mounted it to my surfboard using the 3M mount that glues on to the surface of the board. You have to make sure the board is clean first or you may not get a good seal. I have heard of the 3M mount eventually falling off, though it does have a separate leash mount as well to hold the camera, so you would need to lose 2 mounts at once to lose the camera. Many surfers are switching to the suction cup mount as an alternative. This allows you to get a strong bond, but also take it from board to board. It does add more height to the mount though, so you have to keep this in mind for your shots. I mounted the camera near the front of my board, and it is able to capture me in the shot from head to toe while standing on my board in 960p mode. For some reference, I am 6ft tall, and my board is 6' 2". Not bad at all! Even the other modes are fairly decent at capturing much of the action in frame.

Waterproofing

Waterproofing is good with the additional waterproof case on it. It is rated to go to 180ft/60m underwater. This makes it one of the best underwater HD cameras available. The standard design for most underwriter point and shoots has been with watertight sealing. These seals in my experience always fail after a year or two of use. Even while keeping them clean and well cared for. I think this is a serious design flaw, and often an expensive one. The use of rubber seals is designed to make the point and shoots smaller and lighter as no case is needed. But they cant compete with a real case for depth and security. The GoPro solves these two issues. It has a tiny form factor, so even with the case on it, its still....tiny! Also since it uses a real underwater case, it can take much higher pressures and go much deeper than a standard point and shoot without failing.

The only problem is, the GoPro has focus issues underwater. Because of its rounded wide angle lens, it has trouble focusing on objects underwater. This is supposedly going to be resolved by GoPro soon. Once this happens, it just may be the best underwater camera that money can buy. You will be able to mount the tiny camera on all kinds of things, like spear guns and camera platforms, even your wrist or dive mask, and shoot 1080p video at 180ft. Until this focus issue is fixed however, its a tough sell for pure underwater use.

Memory

I have an 8GB memory card I got from amazon.com along with my purchase of the GoPro. Its a high speed card, and does the job of capturing the HD video without a hiccup. 8GB is usually enough for one surf session shooting in 960 or 1080 assuming you stop recording enough in between sets. I use a card reader to transfer my data from card to computer, and this works very well.

Battery Life

Batteries last a while. I easily get a 2 hour surf session in one battery, often I can get two. Of course I stop and start, and turn off the camera now and then during the session.

Durability

I cant attest to everything this camera can supposedly take, but I can say that I have knocked it really hard many times while surfing, and no adverse reaction was seen. It just kept on filming. It hit the camera so hard on wipeouts I was positive I broke something, but the camera, mount and case were all fine.

UI (user interface)

The UI is clunky, which I guess is to be expected from a camera with no LCD screen in a waterproof case, but its a little frustrating in the water at times. Pressing the power button too long changes the mode from video into something else quite frequently, and it does take a bit of finesse. Also going deeper into the modes while out on the water can get you a bit lost unless you memorized what the different mode names are.

The Surf Workflow

On a surf shoot, its very simple. I pretty much just mount my camera on my board, apply a little Rain-X to the lens to keep water drops off, and hop in the water. It helps to make sure your lens is clean before putting on Rain-X, as pieces of dust can cause water drops to stop rolling off, reducing the effectiveness of the Rain-X. I have also heard that licking your lens between shots works well too. I don't advise doing this with Rain-X on the lens! Once out in the water I turn the camera on when I think I might be catching waves soon. I usually start recording when a set is coming in, and stop when I either miss the wave, or get off the wave. Duck diving shots can look cool too as you paddle out, but usually I leave it off while paddling out. If the camera gets a bit of sun or is left on for a while in warm temps, it can start to fog up a bit. Some guys have put a piece of Sham-Wow in the camera, or anti-fog on the case interior to reduce moisture. I'm not sure if these work, but if it does fog up, I usually turn it off for a while, and pray a big set doesn't come in.

Once back from my shoot I transfer the footage to my Mac using a card reader, and change all the footage from its native H.264 format into ProRes using MPEG Streamclip, then import it all into Final Cut for editing. I don't recommend editing with H.264, as its a finishing format, and not very fun to edit with. ProRes is basically lossless and is super fast to edit with. Once done with the edit, I grade it, render and upload to the web. Simple.

Pros

small, light form-factor
go anywhere, waterproof, shock resistant, can take a beating
shoots great quality video, and tiny for a 1080p video camera with so many great modes
standard memory cards, and very expandable
shoots H.264 instead of Sony's proprietary and clunky AVCHD format, that is a pain to import into many editing suites
very affordable
cant mount it on almost everything
charges easily by plugging it into a computer
could become one of the best, if not the best underwater point and shoot video cameras out there for the money, once the focus issues are fixed

Cons

focus problems underwater (soon to be resolved?)
interface is clunky and slow (there is a firmware update in the works for 1 click power on and shoot, this will help a bit with the UI)
battery meter is not all that accurate
lens fogs up (but can be remedied)
no LCD screen or viewfinder (though having no LCD screen is also a plus as it prolongs battery life)

Initially I was a little skeptical of the camera's abilities, despite seeing some great footage from other videographers, but all that was laid to rest after the first outing. Its a great little camera, and probably the best camera for sports that money can buy!

You can watch a sample movie I made using the GoPro:

I'm sure there will be more short films to follow!

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May 29, 2010

Hong Kong island from TST

The view from TST, looking out at Hong Kong island. The ferry ride is about 5-10 mins. Hong Kong puts on a daily light show at 8pm each night, using spotlights and lasers set to music.

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May 23, 2010

Lamma Island at sunset

I took this shot from a seafood restaurant that overlooked the harbor. Lamma island is a small island off of Hong Kong, renowned for its great seafood and peaceful serenity. Its a very different experience taking a ferry here if you are used to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong island, and its well worth the trip. The ferry ride costs about $2.60USD and takes about 20-30mins or so.

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May 18, 2010

Azureus Rising

My buddy from college days at the AAC in San Francisco has produced his own proof of concept, "Azureus Rising". He put a lot of hard work into this IP, and it turned out pretty damn awesome! check it out:

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May 15, 2010

Junk, Aberdeen Harbor, Hong Kong

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May 14, 2010

Aberdeen Harbor at dusk

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May 8, 2010

"You have a good poker face, but you are showing me your hand"

Working in a foreign country has given me a unique opportunity to view various leadership styles. This is always a great opportunity to learn, compare and contrast. It always helps to observe other leaders to improve your own skills. Leadership is a lifelong pursuit, and growth in leadership often takes making mistakes, but an ever faster way to learn certain aspects of leadership, is to witness the mistakes of others.

At first, I often try to discern the paradigms of leaders I am studying, as it is the paradigm that will be at the root of most of their behavior and thus their results in the company, which often dictates the success of a project in the long run (or an entire company). During my trip I had witnessed the leadership styles of certain new employees that were brought into a company recently, and placed into leadership positions. One of them seemed like a nice guy, very personable and friendly, smiling often, and on the exterior, quite disarming. However, when it came to leadership, his preferred methods were to motivate with fear. He would tell people working under him to "do this, or else you'll be fired", or "we know the same people in this industry, dont mess things up for me, or else..."

Students of leadership will recall that there are two basic paradigms in leadership. Both involve service; service to others or service to self. I go more into detail about these paradigms in my post 2 Paradigms of a Leader. Service to others involves building people up, supplying them with the tools/skills they need to excel in their work and improve as individuals. Service to self, as the title implies, is extracting what you can from people, for your own personal goals and ambitions. There are varying levels of each, but these are the basic roots of a leader's methods. The most common methods of motivation are service with reward (in its many forms), fear, and guilt.

Out of all the methods of motivating his people, he chose to use fear on two occasions (that I know of). Considering he was new to the company, and just met these two employees working under him, this was fascinating. Actions speak volumes, louder than any words possibly could. So his actions completely cut through his friendly demeanor and false nice guy attitude. He had a great poker face, but his cards were crap, and everyone could see them.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes as a leader, you need to come down hard. Marine Drill Sergeants yell at their recruits all day long, and put them through rigorous brutal training routines that are difficult mentally and physically- the recruits are broken down. But the key here is, the intent. The drill sergeant is not, in actuality, self serving. His mission is to build up his people. His job is to take a group of strangers off of a bus, and build them up to be able to do things that most people in the world cant do. He is improving their skills and abilities, and the end result is they are better individuals. He may appear to be just tearing them down, but in reality, this is just a step towards building them up into something greater, and they become part of an even greater group.

A manager or a leader in a corporation is no different. If he does his job, he may be tough, but he is fair, and his primary goal is to build up his people, make them more effective, better individuals, both in and out of work, because these are the kinds of people you want working in your organization. People that can learn, grow, and improve. People that can answer the call when the going gets tough. People that will believe in you as a manager or a leader. People that function on skills, drive, trust and in creating win/win scenarios. By serving your people, and by building them up, you ensure that this happens. You ensure that their best interests are kept in mind, in return, they will do all that they can for you, they will trust you. You will have earned a loyalty from your people that no money in the world can buy, because you will have shown them leadership that is truly rare. The positive results are long lasting and can be carried forward, possibly the rest of their lives.

When you instill fear in your people, when your best foot forward is guilt or fear, you ensure the opposite. You are not building them up, you are ensuring that people think your interests are your first priority. They wont trust you, and you will have earned a loyalty that only money can buy (if at all). It is fleeting, fickle, and unreliable, because you will have shown them leadership that is all too common. Any gains you have will be short term, and may come with possible long term damage to your relationship with the individual, and possibly their relationship with the company.

But what do you do when your people ARE failing? this is obviously sometimes a problem. The "poor leadership" solution is to instill the fear, motivate them with a possible punishment right away, similar to the above methods described in the bad leader example. We know the results of this method, they are limited at best.

A better way is to examine your systems. See if there are any holes in your processes, and ask the individual if there is anything that is preventing them from doing their job. Is there anything YOU as a leader could be doing better? Is there anything you can teach them? Help them help themselves. Build them up. Work on improving them first. Go in with the attitude that "there are no bad teams, only bad leaders". Only when you have done all you can in this arena, you may then realize you have to move on from the individual, and with extreme prejudice. There is no need for fear or threats, you will have come to the conclusion that the individual cannot, or has no desire to, be improved. Fear will not help at this point, nor will guilt, they are not necessary. You can often set a date, or an ultimatum for improvement, but this is more of just a fact of life, and a formality, and is not needed as a threat at this point.

Of course, like anything in leadership, Good Leadership is easier said than done, its a lot of hard work, and you will make mistakes. But it pays to make sure you have the correct paradigm in the first place. You are not playing poker, and you have nothing to hide.

Photo by: Dude with a Camera used under creative commons license.

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May 7, 2010

Kowloon to Wanchai, Hong Kong night

Did a long panorama of Kowloon and decided to extend it out to Wanchai which is on the far right. On the far left is the new IFC tower that is still under construction. The total size of the pano came out to 8ft long. I still have to play with the exposure and colors a bit, but overall Im pretty happy with it. It took me hundreds of shots to create this one. (lots of throw aways to get it just right).

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April 27, 2010