Another "GoPro settings" thread

[Storker]

I just got my new toy, a GoPro Hero4 Silver. It's mounted on top of my Nauticam still camera UW housing, and I'm itching to get underwater to play with it. If only the current winter storm could stop so we could get some half-decent viz.

But I digress. Settings. I've seen recommendations of 1080p, GoPro color and no Protune. And a filter. That just doesn't feel right to me, since I always shoot stills in raw format and am used to post-process my stills. No prob. Also, a filter will probably steal way too much light up here where we either have algal soup in the surface layer or a sun so low in the horizon that the old "sunny 16" rule is "sunny 8" or thereabouts.

So I sort of reckon on editing and adjusting my videos, have downloaded the GoPro editing program and believe I'll get better results from my color balance adjustments if I shoot with Protune on. Also, to have a little bit of latitude WRT cropping and possibly defishing, I was thinking that 2.7k would be better for me than 1080p. Hard drive space isn't that much of an issue, to be honest.

So what I'm asking is basically: Does this sound like a sensible plan?

 

[tamas970]

You are diving 'up there in Trondheim? I agree on ditching the filters, you need the Sun at first. 2.7k is a good idea too, I definitely see an improvement in sharpness compared to 1080p. Regarding fps: avoid the fastest, the processor might not be up to the task.

 

[carlkcarlk]

David Newman of GoPro told me that higher res is better because you don't lose any light and could effectively get some back by down sampling. (I took this to mean that at lower-resolutions the GoPro is sampling pixels, not merging them). He also suggested:
Sharpness=Low, EV Comp=0

- Carl
p.s. Here are all the settings I use: Easy One-Button Scuba Photos with GoPro Hero4

 

[Storker]

You are diving 'up there in Trondheim?

Yep.

Regarding fps: avoid the fastest, the processor might not be up to the task.

Since I shoot in PAL, the frame rate question is rather moot if I want 2.7k. With the Silver, it's got to be 25fps. The only real alternative is 24fps.

 

[MikkelBC]

Since I shoot in PAL, the frame rate question is rather moot if I want 2.7k. With the Silver, it's got to be 25fps. The only real alternative is 24fps.

Why do you think that you have to shoot in PAL? If you want an NTSC frame rate, just choose NTSC.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Storker]

I just figured that if I wanted to burn a DVD or a VCD, shooting in PAL would mean less issues.

Yes, I'm pretty clueless WRT video. I like to believe I know my still photo technical issues. Video? Not so much...

 

[deeper thoughts]

good info

 

[MikkelBC]

I just figured that if I wanted to burn a DVD or a VCD, shooting in PAL would mean less issues.

This is true. If your final format is to be a PAL DVD, you need to use a PAL frame rate.
I didn't think anyone used DVDs any longer.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Storker]

I didn't think anyone used DVDs any longer.

My parents do


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[peterbucknell]

Hi everyone,
I've been on a project this week with a good spread of GoPro hero 3+ and Hero 4 cameras in various housings and have been able to compare a couple of settings.
Protune has been getting us better footage in general, and it's been standing up to color correction much better than without.
I've been using a filter even with good light and I find that the Hero 4 Silver likes it better with less thinking time in the AWB.
I only shoot with the filter off at the surface these days.
Caves: magenta filter has been getting better results than no filter. Same with quarries and North Eastern Diving in the States.
30 FPS has been getting really super results, but it's fun using the higher frame rates and slowing stuff down. Use lots of light if you get into the higher settings.

The book is there for you if you need tips: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-underwater-gopro-book/id954826182?mt=11

Hope that's helpful. It's an art, so everyone has insights that are worth listening to. I'm always all ears when I see good footage.

Pete