Other different lenses for the gopro

[btmboards]

I bought my gopro hero last year just a couple weeks before they told everyone about the hero2 coming out. I have made several hours of video but end up deleting 99.9% of it because everything is so far away. I know this is common with the gopros but mine seems very excessive compared to others. This last week while riding pretty close to 2 friends sailing off the same wave. I thought it was going to be a great shot but once on my computer it looks like I am 100 yards out videoing with a cell phone. cant even hardly tell whos who untill I get within 10 feet of one of them.
I watch alot of other peoples videos and they are much clearer picture, better color turnout, and you can actually see what everyone is doing.
Do I have any other options other than deal with it till I get a new cam? I am really getting fed up with this, there is hardly a reason to even keep bringing it with me

 

[speedysprocket]

What video setting are you using? Should be at least 720. There is a guy on ebay selling replacement lenses that aren't so wide.

 

[btmboards]

I cant remember the exact setting but when i got it I set it all up right for carrying out in the water. it is definitely in hd mode. the picture quality would be fine if It didnt look so far away.

 

[fx1mark]

If you are using a hd hero, you have three lens width choices.

1080p: 1920×1080 True HD featuring a 127º angle of view, 30 fps, and 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio
960p: 1280×960 Ultra Wide and Tall HD featuring a 170º angle of view, 30 fps, and 4:3 aspect ratio. See more of the action above and below than widescreen16:9 resolutions can show.
720p: 1280×720 Ultra Wide HD featuring a 170º angle of view, both 30 and 60 fps, and 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio

with the 1080p being the narrowest. you should try the different settings and do test recordings to see how they look. you will still need to be kind of close to the other riders to get a good shot. as far as making the lens even narrower, one thing to keep in mind is, with less field of view, it will also be more difficult to keep your subjects in the shot. I know that's certainly not a problem now, but it could be. another solution, if your video editing software has the option, you can use it to zoom in on your subjects while you are editing.

 

[btmboards]

thanks fx1mark, between a video I just watched deminstrating different mods on the hero2 and what you just said I think I remember setting it at 960p with the 170 degree view. makes sence now I will play with it later today and see for sure.

 

[kcmasterpiece]

Ive been dealing with the same thing for a while. after a few ride and edits you start to realize the Gopro is strickly point of view camera. its made to record what is happening right in front of you. (helmet cam). if it wasnt as wide as it is, you wouldnt see the ski or whatever it is youre doing. if you really want to record others, set it to r5. its the 1080p mode and is the most zoomed in. however, with this mode you have to aim the camera higher up, but you cant see your ski like this. sometimes, i will switch between r3 and r5. r3 is for getting myself riding and for slow mo shots. then ill switch to r5 and just focus on other people. still have to get close, but its not as bad as r3 or r4.

i recently purchased a camcorder for this exact reason. i now record other people riding from on shore. you get much better footage anyway. no water drops and its much more stable. if you ask me, im starting to get sick of the same old helmet cam, shaky, blurry go pro videos....

check out my youtube page for some of my videos. you can see the difference between my earlier videos vs. the later ones. i start to figure out what i need to do to get better shots. still a pain in the ass though and still look like crap. even the better shots.

 

[DAG]

The lens will unscrew from the board. They are loctight on. Its best to slightly turn it clockwise until it barely moves and then CCW to unscrew it. There are a few AM Co. making swappable lens. Be prepared to void your warranty.

 

[Waternut]

The application you're trying to use the gopro is not what it was designed for... it's totally a POV camera. If you're looking to film others, you need to be looking for a waterproof camcorder and a way to mount it on your helmet, ski, etc. instead of a helmet cam. The gopro is an awesome helmet cam IMO but I use a different camera altogether when I waterski and that's only 50-60 feet away. The camera I use for waterskiing would be completely worthless if I tried to mount it on a helmet. Even with a different lens, I'd be willing to bet a waterproof camcorder with vibration reduction would be far superior to a gopro and costs about the same as a gopro HD hero.

 

[Cannibal]

Anyone have recommendations on a helmet mount or ski mount camcorder in that case?

 

[btmboards]

What kind of video camera with water proofing and vibration reduction have you seen that cn mount to a helmet and around the $300 mark. I usually prefer to film others I have actually been thinking about selling my almost brand new DSLR to by a real good video camera since this go pro isnt working quite as I had hoped.