Which GoPro to buy?

erikgraham · Jan 10, 2017

Fabsport said:
Calm down Pedals! I've got this one!

I just installed a 4.35mm 72 degree 10mp lens on my Hero 4 Silver that I bought on ebay for $12 and changed some camera settings and couldn't be more happier with the footage and pics I'm getting. I'll post some when I'm not at work working... lol

I shot this a long time ago with that lens. (The 4.35 10 mp)

There is a blur vignette that I added around the edges, but still should give you an idea.

Fabsport · Jan 10, 2017

erikgraham said:
I shot this a long time ago with that lens. (The 4.35 10 mp)

There is a blur vignette that I added around the edges, but still should give you an idea.

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Looks pretty good to me. Awesome shot.

CheapoHeli · Jan 10, 2017

Douglas A said:
The 2.7k 60 mode is also a feature of the GP4 Black which is the recommended video setting. It gives you a bit more flexibility in that regard.

I still contend that most people aren't 2.7k ready either. If you share a video online chances are whoever watches it will do so in 1080 resolution.

erikgraham said:
True, but I would counter that 4K is still totally worth it. You capture at 4K, but after you edit, deliver at 1080P. The image will be cleaner and sharper than if you capture at 1080P and deliver at 1080P. Personally I see no reason to upload 4K to YouTube or Vimeo or any other website. But if you want the best possible 1080P image from a GoPro black, then capture at 4K/30 or 4K/24,, then downres it in post to 1080P. Just my opinion. One nice thing about down rezing a video image is that it naturally reduces noise in the dark areas.

As for 2.7K at 60fps. Thats a really good option too. You can still downscale that to 1080P for the web and you benefit from the 60fps smoothness. My only thing about 60fps is that I don't like it. I prefer lower frame rates that look more "cinematic". Unfortunately this means I have to be really careful about which ND filter I'm using and making sure I get the shutter and exposure just right. (because lower frame rate is more susceptible to jello/vibrations) But I'm rambling so I'll stop now.

I agree it looks better downscaled but were talking about the Gopro hero 3 black, hero 4 and hero 4 black.. The differences aren't that spectacular.

The Gopro is an action camera and IMO not the best at what we do(capturing moving landscapes). A compact mirrorless camera will smoke any gopro at its own game and take amazing pictures as well but there's just no staple or brand that is marketable like Gopro.

Pedals2Paddles · Jan 10, 2017

Just because the end user playing it back on YouTube or whatever cannot make use of 4K or 2.7K doesn't make it pointless to record in 2.7K or 4K. You have a wider FOV, and higher quality video regardless of what is playing it back. A 4K video played back on YouTube in 1080 looks a hell of a lot better still than a video recorded in 1080 and played back in 1080. It also gives lots of options in editing. Intentionally recording in a crappy resolution with a crappy FOV is unwise and really not solving anything regardless of what is playing the video back.

I have a 720P TV in my living room (because I'm cheap and I can't replace it until it breaks). But a GoPro video I record in 4K looks amazing on it compared to a GoPro video I record in 720P or 1080P.

erikgraham · Jan 10, 2017

CheapoHeli said:
I agree it looks better downscaled but were talking about the Gopro hero 3 black, hero 4 and hero 4 black.. The differences aren't that spectacular.

In my experience the differences actually are pretty spectacular. I've done a lot of testing and I think if you try it out yourself, you'll really notice it. Obviously it will be most noticeable capturing at 4K and delivering at 1080p, but even capturing at 2.7k and delivering at 1080P is noticeable.

As an aside, image quality on the GoPro degrades significantly with higher frame rates. That's why I usually never shoot above 30fps.

CheapoHeli · Jan 10, 2017

erikgraham said:
In my experience the differences actually are pretty spectacular. I've done a lot of testing and I think if you try it out yourself, you'll really notice it. Obviously it will be most noticeable capturing at 4K and delivering at 1080p, but even capturing at 2.7k and delivering at 1080P is noticeable.

As an aside, image quality on the GoPro degrades significantly with higher frame rates. That's why I usually never shoot above 30fps.

In that case the Hero 3 black shoots 2.7k @ up to 30fps. Back on topic do you really think it matters much 3 black vs 4 black downscaled to 1080 and viewed on youtube?

erikgraham · Jan 10, 2017

CheapoHeli said:
In that case the Hero 3 black shoots 2.7k @ up to 30fps. Back on topic do you really think it matters much 3 black vs 4 black downscaled to 1080 and viewed on youtube?

I don't know. I haven't tested with the 3. I suspect it doesn't matter.

miranda · Jan 14, 2017

If you wish to buy Gopro Black, you may want to take 4K 60 frames video. But, Gopro Black can take 4K in wide mode. And This is the problem. With the Solo in wide angle mode, the leg in left side and props will be taken whenever you change the flying direction to right side or up and down. And LCD back panel is very useful, but it's only in Silver model. Though I've two model (Gopro 4 Black and Silver) I used to use the Silver.

erikgraham · Jan 15, 2017

miranda said:
If you wish to buy Gopro Black, you may want to take 4K 60 frames video. But, Gopro Black can take 4K in wide mode. And This is the problem. With the Solo in wide angle mode, the leg in left side and props will be taken whenever you change the flying direction to right side or up and down. And LCD back panel is very useful, but it's only in Silver model. Though I've two model (Gopro 4 Black and Silver) I used to use the Silver.

And that's why we recommend a Peau version without the fisheye effect.