Gopro 4 Black questions

[prowler9]

How are you guys taking pictures with the gopro while your in the air? I know we will have a button once the gimbal comes out. Also I did a night flight and the vid looks very grainy (not even worthy to upload but I will soon) What settings does everyone use normally ?

 

[baldguy]

Like you, I purchased a GP 4 Black thinking it was the best out there and that the Solo was built to integrate with it well. I don't have the Solo or Gimble yet, however, to get familiar with the GP, I've been shooting with it in various environments. I've been extremely disappointed with the low and semi-low light responsiveness of the GP. I thought it was me or just a bad setting, but after doing some research, it seems, the GP is the camera for full light situations but not-so-much for low light. Yes, I've played with the ISO, but it hasn't seemed to help. If someone has the solution, please share, I'm ready to learn.

 

[erikgraham]

To take pictures you have to set it take a photo every X number of seconds. Then fly up, frame your shot, and let your Solo hover in place for a bit while the GoPro snaps away. You could even throw it into Manual if it's not windy and let it take a few shots in Manual which is smoother than GPS. Those might be the sharpest, most clean images. Just be ready to hit that FLY button to switch back to GPS assisted flying if a sudden wind comes along.

As to low-light performance, the Hero 4 Black is supposed to be really good. So I think it's your settings. I haven't shot much in very low light, so I could be wrong.

There is a life saver out there for grainy noisey low light footage. It's a noise removal plugin from Neat Video. It's almost magical in how well it can salvage unusable footage. It's way better than all the other noise removal plugins, utilities, etc.

It also costs a lot of money. And it's kind of clunky (though the user interface has improved). There is just something awkward about the UI - very much a UI designed by a programmer. And it is a tremendous hog of resources with very long render times. But it works.

 

[Nolan]

Good to know

 

[baldguy]

To take pictures you have to set it take a photo every X number of seconds. Then fly up, frame your shot, and let your Solo hover in place for a bit while the GoPro snaps away. You could even throw it into Manual if it's not windy and let it take a few shots in Manual which is smoother than GPS. Those might be the sharpest, most clean images. Just be ready to hit that FLY button to switch back to GPS assisted flying if a sudden wind comes along.

As to low-light performance, the Hero 4 Black is supposed to be really good. So I think it's your settings. I haven't shot much in very low light, so I could be wrong.

There is a life saver out there for grainy noisey low light footage. It's a noise removal plugin from Neat Video. It's almost magical in how well it can salvage unusable footage. It's way better than all the other noise removal plugins, utilities, etc.

It also costs a lot of money. And it's kind of clunky (though the user interface has improved). There is just something awkward about the UI - very much a UI designed by a programmer. And it is a tremendous hog of resources with very long render times. But it works.

Thanks Erik, I'll check it out.

 

[Han Solo]

You can also use the GP in "Video + Photo" mode ( a sub-mode of Video). This will shoot video in 1440, 1080, or 720 size but simultaneously shoot photos at pre-determined intervals of 1 photo every 5,10, 30, or 60 seconds. I am not entirely sure if all the photo resolutions are supported during this video+photo mode.

 

[marena]

You can also export still images from video in GoPro Studio, but you can only do it to video that you have converted first. In GoPro Studio, while in Edit mode, first get the still image that you want in the video window, go to File, Export, Still Image... and it will then ask for the export size you want and create a JPG file. Works well.