1. Overview of the GoPro Cameras

In this chapter, you are introduced to the GoPro cameras and what they can do when used with an appropriate housing and mount for your shooting situation. Topics include the following:

Discover the advantages of shooting with a GoPro camera

Understand the differences between camera models

Learn why using the camera with the proper housing and mount is essential

Any point-and-shoot or digital SLR camera can be held in the hands of a photographer and then aimed at an intended subject to snap a photo. However, until recently, if that same photographer wanted to include himself within the photo, shoot outside in harsh weather conditions, or take pictures underwater, that became a more challenging task that required much more elaborate and rather costly equipment.

If that same photographer wanted to capture HD video of his subject in similar circumstances, also up until recently, it required a different set of costly equipment.

Today, using any of the relatively low-cost GoPro camera models, virtually anyone can capture professional-quality and visually stunning high-definition photos and HD video indoors or outdoors, plus shoot in almost any conditions without fear of damaging the equipment. Now, photos and video can easily be shot in snow, rain, or even underwater with minimal preparation.

Plus, because of the ultra-small size of the GoPro cameras, and the vast selection of optional housings and mounts available for them, any of the GoPro cameras can be mounted directly onto someone’s body or equipment, enabling them to capture action from a first-person or third-person perspective. This feature alone has transformed the way people capture and share their action or adventure-oriented experiences.

Not only are the GoPro cameras extremely versatile, using one of the GoPro cameras with Wi-Fi (and in some cases Bluetooth) capabilities, it’s possible to remotely control the camera from up to several hundred feet away, and then wirelessly transfer photos or videos directly to a smartphone, tablet, or computer to edit that content and then share it in a variety of ways via the Internet.

As soon as you get your hands on a GoPro camera, how you take pictures and shoot video will change forever. Whether you’re a proud parent who wants to document moments in your family’s life, capture and share the antics of your pet, chronicle your travels, or shoot photos or video of yourself engaged in intense activities—like skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, biking, off-roading or skydiving—this and so much more is not only possible using a GoPro camera, but it’s also relatively easy and fun to accomplish.

Thus, learning how to properly use your GoPro camera requires skill. After all, you need to know which features and functions to use, when to adjust the camera’s settings and options, and how to operate the camera.

In addition to this skill set, becoming a skilled digital photographer or videographer also requires creativity. The art form aspect of digital photography/videography involves choosing what to shoot, when to shoot, and how to best frame your shots. For example, after you select your intended subject, you need to determine the best shooting angle or perspective from which to position the camera and then how to best utilize light, based on your current shooting situation.

Many amateur photographers and videographers simply hold the camera in their hands, center their subject within the viewfinder, and then shoot their subject from a head-on perspective. This approach is, in a word, boring. To capture shots and video footage that’s visually interesting and artistic, you need to make some creative and subjective decisions as the photographer/videographer. Then, after you shoot your images or video, you need to make creative decisions when editing. Hence, digital photography is also an art form.

Depending on your budget, as well as how and where you’d ultimately like to use your camera, it’s essential that you select the right GoPro camera model to meet your needs. This is particularly important for shooting high-definition (HD) video.

Higher resolutions translate directly to larger digital file sizes for storing images on the camera’s memory card or later on your computer’s hard drive. Higher-resolution images require more storage space.

There are several industry-standard HD resolutions, including 720p, 1080p, 2.7K and 4K. Like digital photographs, video resolution is also measured in pixels, or individual colored dots that together form a single frame within your video footage.

For example, video shot at 720p uses a frame size of 1,280 by 720 pixels, so each frame is composed of 921,600 individual pixels. Video shot at Ultra HD (4K) resolution is typically 4096 by 2160 pixels per frame. The following graphic offers a visual comparison that can help you understand HD video resolution.

Keep in mind, the higher the resolution, the more vibrant and detailed your video footage will be because a lot more information is captured within each frame. Plus, your field of view when shooting in HD or Ultra HD is much wider.

In addition, depending on how you plan to edit and showcase your HD or Ultra HD video footage, you need to consider how many frames per second (FPS) at which you need to shoot.

Typically, HD video is shot at 24 frames per second. However, the higher the FPS, the more editing versatility you have to showcase your footage in ultra-slow motion.

Also, when shooting HD video, consider your field of view (FOV). All HD television sets display a rectangular-shaped video image. How much is visible to the sides of your shots when the camera is facing forward is what FOV refers to. For example, some GoPro cameras can shoot using a Narrow, Medium, or Ultra Wide FOV.

When you combine these three factors—resolution, FPS, and FOV—literally dozens of possible combinations are available for capturing your HD video. As you’ll soon discover, shooting at 30 FPS, 4K resolution, using an Ultra Wide FOV doesn’t always make the most sense, nor is this the most practical.

The higher the resolution, FPS, and FOV you choose, the larger your digital video file sizes. Thus, to capture video at 30 FPS, 4K resolution using an Ultra Wide FOV, you need to use a microSD memory card with an extremely high-storage capacity to store your raw footage. Then, you need a computer with a large capacity hard drive, plenty of RAM, a fast processor, and a 4K-compatible display to later view and edit the footage.

You’ll learn more about video resolution, FPS, and FOV in Chapter 10, “Shooting HD Video,” and Chapter 13, “10 Strategies for Shooting Awesome HD Video,” but for now, you need to understand that the various GoPro camera models offer a different selection of video-shooting options.

Much of the information offered throughout this book applies to all these models, but as you learned in this chapter, each model’s capabilities vary.

Table 1.1 offers an at-a-glance comparison between these camera models and some of their key features; although throughout this book, much more emphasis is placed on using the more advanced shooting features built in to the GoPro Hero3+ and Hero4 cameras.

To fully utilize any of the GoPro camera models, you need to use it with an optional housing and potentially an optional mount, which are sold separately. These options will be discussed in Chapter 3, “Overview of GoPro Camera Housings,” and Chapter 4, “Overview of GoPro Camera Mounts.”

A handful of optional accessories are also available, such as the LCD Touch BacPac display and the Smart Remote, which make working with many of these cameras much easier. GoPro offers camera bundles, like the GoPro Hero4 Black Music and GoPro Hero4 Black Surf editions, which also come with a selection of specialized accessories, along with the camera itself.

What’s not included with any GoPro camera, but that’s needed to use it, is a microSD memory card. See Chapter 6, “Choosing the Best Memory Cards for Your GoPro Camera,” for more information about choosing the best memory card to meet your needs.

For video, this entry-level GoPro Hero can shoot at 720p or 1080p resolution only and offers far fewer FPS and FOV options. Another drawback to this camera model is that it does not offer Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + Bluetooth capabilities. Thus, you cannot remotely control the camera using the optional GoPro Smart Remote, nor can you wirelessly control it from your smartphone or tablet using the optional GoPro App.

Anytime you want to transfer images from the camera’s microSD memory card, you must either remove the card from the camera and insert it into a memory card reader that’s connected to your computer or mobile device, or connect a USB cable between your camera and computer or mobile device.

What the Hero3+ camera lacks is the capability to shoot in 4K video resolution, which is one of the key advantages of the latest Hero4 model. Being able to shoot at 4K resolution is a feature mainly used by professional videographers and/or people who have access to a 4K resolution television set or monitor.

The GoPro Hero3+ is ideal for adventure enthusiasts who want to capture high-resolution photos and videos while engaging in many types of activities. Because of its Wi-Fi capabilities and other shooting features, it can be remotely controlled, plus it offers a plethora of other useful features and functions that make it versatile.

The GoPro Hero4 has shooting modes that work particularly well in low light or at night. For some, the camera’s capability to shoot video and capture digital photos at the same time is also a useful feature.

This top-of-the-line GoPro model is best suited to serious digital photography or videography enthusiasts and professionals, as well as to hard-core adventure seekers who want to capture every aspect of their activities in extreme detail, regardless of the shooting conditions.

Unless the GoPro camera is fully encased within a sealed GoPro camera housing, it will not be protected against water, dirt, physical abuse, or other harsh conditions. One of the keys to getting the best results from your GoPro camera is to choose the best housing for the shooting situation at hand.

The GoPro Standard Housing is waterproof (to a depth of about 131 feet). Meanwhile, the GoPro Dive Housing is fully waterproof to a depth of about 197 feet. This is the type of housing you should use when swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, water skiing, jet skiing, kayaking, or boating.

The optional Skeleton Housing offers some protection for the camera lens and body against physical abuse, while giving the photographer or videographer full access to the camera’s ports. This is important if you want to shoot video and capture sound using an external microphone. When using the Skeleton Housing, the camera is neither waterproof nor shockproof.

The camera housings are designed to fit the GoPro camera perfectly and encase it. Each optional housing has two sections that are detachable. The front of the housing protects the front and sides of the camera body (including the lens). The back of the housing protects the camera body’s back.

The optional LCD Touch BacPac or Battery BacPac increases the thickness of the camera body. Thus, you need to attach an appropriate housing backdoor to properly protect your camera.

Each housing comes with multiple backdoor options. A Standard Backdoor can be used with the camera alone. The Touch Backdoor can be used with the LCD Touch BacPac, so you can use your finger to access the touch screen while the camera is within a housing. The Skeleton door offers access to certain ports and doors while the camera is encased.

When using the LCD Touch BacPac or Battery BacPac, a specially sized backdoor is available that houses the camera body and one of these accessories in a waterproof environment, which offers the maximum protection.

Although the GoPro cameras are small and easily fit in the palm of your hand, if you try holding the camera while you shoot, it becomes susceptible to the shaking and movement of your hands. Even if you avoid too much excessive shaking, your fingers often get in the way of the lens, and get in your shots. In addition, if you engage in some type of activity, chances are you need your hands for that and can’t properly hold the camera.

To help keep the camera as steady as possible, plus provide hands-free operation while shooting, a wide range of optional mounts are available.

These mounts enable you to connect the camera to a traditional tripod, monopod, to yourself, or to all sorts of special equipment. There are optional mounts that enable you to attach the GoPro camera directly to your hat, safety helmet, chest, wrist, surfboard, skis, skateboard, bicycle, rifle or gun, musical instrument, vehicle, scuba or snorkeling mask, or even your dog.

Extension arms, flexible tripods, handheld grips, and other mounts can give you more versatility for attaching your camera to something to capture yourself (or your intended subject) from a traditional, first-person or third-person perspective.

On its own, the GoPro camera cannot float; although, with the proper housing, it is waterproof. When swimming, waterskiing, surfing, snorkeling, or scuba diving, you want to securely attach the camera to an optional accessory, such as the Bobber, which serves as both a handle and brightly colored floatation device. For scuba diving or snorkeling, you can securely attach the camera directly to one of Octomask’s dive masks (www.octomask.com).

Although Chapter 5, “Must-Have GoPro Camera Accessories,” showcases a wide range of these optional accessories, one that you should definitely consider is the LCD Touch BacPac screen.

Not only does the optional LCD Touch BacPac provide your camera with a full-color viewfinder as you shoot, but it also makes it much easier to adjust the camera’s settings and work with the interactive menu system used by the camera’s operating system.

Another extremely useful accessory is the optional Smart Remote, which is a handheld device that enables you to remotely control the camera from up to 600 feet away. This remote control device is waterproof (up to 33 feet).

The GoPro mobile app enables your iOS (shown), Android, or Windows Mobile smartphone or tablet’s screen to serve as your camera’s viewfinder; while at the same time, you can remotely adjust the camera’s settings and activate the shutter button.

When you finish shooting, the GoPro mobile app enables you to transfer your digital images or video footage (assuming the content was shot in a resolution that’s compatible with the app) from the camera’s memory card directly to the mobile device, where you can view, edit, and then share your content via the Internet.

After you transfer photos to your mobile device, you can use a third-party app to enhance or edit the images and then share them via Facebook, Instagram, or email. You can also use a video editing app on your mobile device to edit your raw video footage and then upload it to YouTube or Facebook without ever needing a computer.

Using the GoPro Studio software, you can add titles, animated scene transitions, sound effects, and background music to your video production.

You can also use third-party video editing software packages for PCs and Macs, such as Apple’s iMovie and RePlay for the Mac, which enable you to import your raw video that was shot using a GoPro camera, and then edit and share your content.

• The GoPro camera (See Chapter 2, “Getting Started.”)

• Appropriate camera housing (See Chapter 3.)

• Appropriate camera mount (See Chapter 4.)

• Camera accessories, such as the LCD Touch BacPac, Smart Remote, battery charger, and USB connection cable (See Chapter 5.)

• One or more microSD memory cards with ample storage space available (See Chapter 6.)

• At least one or two fully charged GoPro camera batteries (See Chapter 7, “Keeping Your Batteries Charged.”)

• External microphone and the optional 3.5mm Mic Adapter (See Chapter 11, “Capturing Sound and Using Artificial Light While Shooting Video.”)

• External lighting (See Chapter 12, “Adjusting the Camera’s Setup Menu Options.”)

• Your smartphone or tablet with the GoPro App installed (See Chapter 15.)

Throughout this book, you’ll discover how to best use your GoPro camera, in addition to the optional housings, mounts, and accessories, to best capture your intended subject, whether you use the GoPro as a traditional point-and-shoot camera or video camera, or you use it to capture action from a first-person or third-person perspective.