GoPro battery life and other questions

[buksida]

A friend lent me his Hero 3 Black so I shot some of my first video a couple of days ago.

First thing I noticed was that the battery (after charging via USB from laptop) only lasted for one dive and was down to one bar on the second dive - is this normal?

Secondly, I haven't got the red filter yet so is there anyway to colour correct the video using software (as you can with photos)?

Any other GP tips welcome, after years of shooting stills I'm enjoying the video!

 

[toozler]

As of the battery, depends on how you use the camera. I usually take about two dozen 20-30 seconds videos per dive, keeping the camera ON the whole time. On my last dives (on average 50 minutes each), while using the LCD bacpac (with auto shutdown set to 60 seconds and on low brightness , the battery ended on the safety stop of the second dive. Make sure you have WIFI off to preserve some battery.

You can color correct in post, but usually results aren't as good as when using a filter and/or lights. There is little data on the red channel to be recovered - you can definitely improve the quality by reducing some of the greenish tint, but won't make colors pop. The HERO3 also shoots in "raw" format, meaning it does not auto white balance and outputs a flat color profile - still, there's only so much that can be done in post.

 

[reebok]

are you sure it was fully charged? it takes forever to charge the thing on a 1A, much less the 500mA(max) you're getting from a computer.

 

[flareside]

Gopro has posted battery life charts in the specs section of each of the camera models on their website. They tend to be a bit optomistic however.

Ref: HERO3 Black Edition | Wi-Fi enabled | Most Advanced HD GoPro Ever



Whenever you are charging, let it continue to charge for about an hour after the light goes out for best results.

 

[reebok]

the best gopro info I've found is this guy micbergsma on youtube. he has a ton. here are a couple that show battery life.
Mitch Bergsma videos! - YouTube
Tip #44 GoPro - Battery Life Comparison 1080p 30fps recording Hero 3 black vs Hero 2 - YouTube
Tip #33 GoPro - Battery life - Hero 3 vs Hero 2 (standby mode) - YouTube
Tip #116 GoPro - Duracell Rechargeable - Charging Test - YouTube

 

[buksida]

Thanks for the replies, I left it charging overnight off the laptop, there was no actual charger with it!

Shot around 8-10 2/3 minute vids @ 720/120, wifi off, battery was on the last bar towards the end of the first dive (approx 55 mins).

I'll have a play with the Cineform software for colour correction and order the Oculus red filter.

Another question; can you use the Android App to transfer vids to the tablet or is it just for control?

 

[flareside]

... there was no actual charger with it!

iPhone/iPad chargers work well. (using the regular gopro cable of course)