GoPro Cameras For Dummies

John Carucci

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781119285540
• eBook ISBN: 9781119285557
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Photography

Shoot, edit, and share action-packed video with a GoPro

The world moves fast—so if you want to capture it in real time, only a fast-moving camera will do. Enter the GoPro! This small but powerful camera is easy to hold, wear, or mount to capture video of all your high-speed adventures. Unfortunately, to the uninitiated, it can be a bit intimidating—but fear not! With the help of this revised edition of GoPro Cameras For Dummies, you'll acquire the skills needed to shoot high-quality video or photos, edit raw footage into a final masterpiece, and share your GoPro works of art with the world.

Compared with traditional digital video devices, the GoPro is a superhero. Okay, so it can't scale high rises, but it can go virtually anywhere and produce thrilling new perspectives of an epic slalom down the slopes or awesomely scenic hike—and everything in between. When still photos simply won't do the trick, GoPro Cameras For Dummies shows you step by step how to use your GoPro camera to make movies, work with available light, create time-lapse sequences, and so much more.

• Meet the full line of GoPro cameras, including the HERO5, and find the one that's right for you
• Get help setting your GoPro to shoot better video
• Discover what you need (or don't need) to shoot in the water
• Find step-by-step guidance for capturing better sound
• Edit your work like a GoPro guru

Packed with full-color photos and updated to cover the latest GoPro cameras and software, this fun and accessible guide is a gadget lover's dream.

Part 1

Getting Started with Your GoPro Camera

IN THIS PART …

Understand the GoPro camera.

See what you need to get started.

Find the right mount.

Choose the right accessory.

Chapter 1

Getting to Know GoPro

IN THIS CHAPTER

Discovering GoPro’s magic

Finding out what GoPro can do

Comparing the different models

Working with the GoPro apps

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Good things come in small packages.” Sometimes it’s true, as in the case of a diamond ring. That sparkly rock is small, and many people would agree that it’s good. But a mosquito, which is smaller than a diamond, isn’t good at all, especially on a warm summer evening.

Small cameras rarely solicit as much disdain as mosquitoes do. Most of us accept the compromise of function for size, understanding that it’s acceptable for a camera to have less quality and fewer features in exchange for traveling well.

The GoPro, however, shatters that compromise like a rock on a plate-glass window. This pint-size wonder not only fits in the palm of your hand, but also easily mounts anywhere. Put it on a bicycle helmet to capture the rider’s perspective. Mount it on a surfboard and not worry about frying the electronics, thanks to its watertight housing. How about mounting it on an inexpensive remote-control drone (more appropriately known here as a quadcopter) and recording overhead footage and something that was out of the realm of possibility for consumers a few short years ago? (Check local ordinances first so you don’t fly your airship too close to a restricted area or violate privacy and security of others. More on that in Chapter 6.)

Introducing the GoPro

The GoPro is a pint-size, consumer-priced camcorder that yields professional results and does lots of cool stuff thanks to its Wi-Fi capability, superior performance, and extreme portability.

The GoPro doesn’t take up much space, so it’s easy to pack, carry, and mount in interesting places. The most feature-rich model, the HERO5 Black is a shade under 3 inches long, so it would take a bagful of these cameras to occupy the same amount of space as a conventional camcorder. The HERO5 Session and HERO Session are even smaller. Regardless, the diminutive stature of GoPro becomes even more important when you mount several cameras in a confined area and that’s a good thing, because these little guys are often used in bunches.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall” doesn’t apply to the GoPro because it weighs ounces, not pounds. Since the camera is small and lightweight, you can place it almost anywhere with little concern that it will fall because it’s too heavy. Earlier GoPro models captured movie files on an SD card, but because the camera got smaller and lighter with each upgrade, it now uses a petite microSD card (see Figure 1-1) that holds up to 128 GB of pictures and movies.

FIGURE 1-1: SD (left) and microSD (right) cards.

Wishing for the existence of such a camera just a mere generation ago was quite a stretch, like wanting a Pegasus in your barn. Fret no more. Your sanity is safe — at least when it comes to the existence of a durable, inexpensive camera that goes anywhere while capturing high definition video and even 3D video. All it takes to accurately capture whatever situation you have in mind is an optional, inexpensive mount.

Use it anywhere

Just a few years ago, ambitious users who attempted to put an expensive camcorder in a place where it didn’t belong usually didn’t get a compelling piece of work; rather, they often had to pick up the pieces of their smashed cameras. That’s less a worry these days, thanks to the design and durability of the GoPro.

Beyond being small and well designed, a GoPro can go anyplace you go and mount almost anywhere. Moviemaking has always had the dubious distinction of being a cumbersome endeavor, usually because of the size and weight of the equipment. It’s quite refreshing to have a high-quality camera with ultra-wide optics that fits in the palm of your hand and that has a mount for almost every situation.

Capturing footage in nonconventional places is the GoPro’s job description. The tougher the situation, the more impressive the results. The GoPro is shock-resistant and waterproof, which are good qualities for a camera that can mount on almost anything, moving or otherwise. The next time you’re inspired to mount the camera on Fido for a dog’s-eye view, feel free. Shock your friends and neighbors when you decide to take the camera into the pool to shoot an underwater sequence (see Figure 1-2).

Photo courtesy of GoPro, Inc.

FIGURE 1-2: The GoPro HERO5 Black can do a lot in, out, and under the water.

Forget conventional camcorders

The GoPro doesn’t resemble a conventional camcorder, nor does it behave like one. It looks more like a small square box with a protruding lens than a sleekly designed camcorder. Although you can hold it like a traditional camera, it is equally effective (if not more so) when it’s attached to something.

Here are some of the qualities that differentiate a GoPro from standard camcorders:

• Size: The current GoPros are quite small compared with most camcorders and significantly smaller than their predecessors.
• Most models don’t have a viewfinder: Though the viewfinder is one of the main parts of a camcorder, only one current GoPro includes a viewing screen. That’s okay because you wouldn’t look through a viewfinder for most situations. The lack of a viewfinder doesn’t mean you have to imagine where the action will take place. Simply use Capture (discussed later in this chapter), which transforms your smartphone or tablet into a monitor.
• Wide-angle view: The GoPro captures an angle of view up to 170-degrees that provides an ultra-wide view unavailable on any camcorder.

Better than a camcorder

Just a few years ago, merely having a moderate wide-angle view on a camcorder was a minor coup. Going reasonably wider often meant using one of those poor quality wide-angle adapters that screwed on the filter or clamped over the lens. Adapters produced exaggerated distortion, especially on the edges, creating a foggy appearance. The GoPro provides a wider perspective than those old accessory lenses, as shown in Figure 1-3, and does it with impressive optical quality.

In a way, the GoPro represents the elusive go-anywhere camera th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: Getting Started with Your GoPro Camera
• Part 2: Moviemaking Technique
• Part 3: Movies Are Made in Postproduction
• Part 4: The Part of Tens
• About the Author
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement