So I just ordered one of these. Some of my friends and I are going to have a competition this fall. It is a $100 buy in and we will have a long list of things to video or take a photo of from stand. Who ever gets the most of the items takes the pot. I do not know anything about them or video cameras in general. I do know I want the head strap for it and the blackout case my buddy was telling me about? I also need SD cards. Extra batteries and a charger? I am looking forward to taking all of their lunch money, and your tips and suggestions could be part of it. In the package is: HERO3+ Black Edition Camera 131’/40m Waterproof Housing Wi-Fi Remote Higher Capacity Li-ion Battery Quick Release Buckle Vertical Quick Release Buckle 1 Curved + 1 Flat Adhesive Mount 3-Way Pivot Arm USB Charging Cable Any info appreciated.
I think you've got most of your bases covered. The extra battery is a must as they don't last long enough for a full weekend or heavy used during a few consecutive hunts. Depending on what you want to do with it I'd look into some sort of tree mount as well. I've been using the Stic-n-Pic screw in mount but there's plenty of other options out there as well. The Muddy micro mount works good too. As far as the case goes I'd opt for a camo skin from Campbell Cameras over the blackout case. That's just personal preference though. Last but not least I use a suction cup mount quite a bit when filming in the truck - works great for attaching to the windows.
Thanks. I think I like the idea of a camoskin rather than a case. I didn't even think of that being an option. The camera will be off considerably more than on, with that said, how many batteries would you suggest? Also, the SD cards. I do not know how much run time will fit on the SD cards. I am not trying to get into like videoing my hunts or anything, so I do not see myself getting any sort of camera arm. Sure if I have a deer coming in I will turn the camera on but a professional video result isn't what I am trying to accomplish. What can you guys tell me about the different video mode settings?
A 64 GB card will fit about 4 hours of footage on it so you should be good there. I run a 32 GB card in mine most of the time and that's more than enough. Just yesterday I was cleaning stuff off the card from December if that tells you anything. I typically carry 1 battery in the camera and 1 spare. If you're not using it much that should be more than enough. I also bought a double battery charger so I can charge them both at once in the truck or at home which is very handy. The tree mount is nice not so much for filming hunts but to hold the camera during your hunt and give you an "over the shoulder" type of view. If that have the GoPro may as well use it. The screw-in mounts are small and weigh next to nothing to transporting them in and out of the field is easy. Not sure what you need to know for video mode settings. Run it on 1080 @ 30 frames/second and you'll be good to go. One thing I didn't mention is a case to carry all of this crap in. I picked up one of these from Amazon and it works great. Keeps all your mounts, batteries, etc. organized and relatively secure.
Thanks again. I just looked at Campbell cameras and looked at the camoskins. Much better choices there than Amazon or eBay. Isn't there different settings like a narrow and wide view? Which setting is best for treestand type stuff? Doesn't the wide angle make stuff look further away? Looking to avoid trial and error type stuff from you guys experiences.
I use the wide angle in a ground blind and it easily shows the entire interior of the blind, in a treestand I'd opt for medium or narrow instead I believe
I am in on the the gopro challenge if it is on this site. I have the 4 silver and LOVE IT. I like using the medium setting for anything inside 40-50 yards max. Narrow for anything more. the wide and super wide is just to much and at 30 yards the animal looks like 100 yards out on film. lol.. Also shoot in 1080 at 60fps the 4k and up stuff is kind of a waste for the average person. not very many TV's will even do 4k+ and the ones that do are very expensive. also when you go to film use the open back case unless it will rain. You cant hear much with the fully enclosed cases.
I don't personally own one, but my buddy has one. I'm not sure of how well they work for hunting applications because of the lack of zoom, etc. I will however, they are very durable and the various mounts make them very flexible. He uses his on a dirt track race car and the video it records is pretty awesome.
Does anyone have any video they could share showing the difference in the narrow and medium settings out of a treestand? I tried Youtube videos but I could not find anyone who posted what video setting it was on.
I use adhesive mounts a lot, not so much for hunting but just about everything else (i do a lot of time lapses). they also came out with a sportsman mount I think fits on a bow. Some musts are a couple memory cards and an extra battery. Also the free app on phones, you can do everything on it, its really cool.
I will post a comparison video for you tomorrow. Till then this is all in the narrow mode. Go full screen and turn it to 1080. it really does have a good picture
They are great for second angles. I don't want to be a downer or anything but a deer at 30 yards in the woods on a Go Pro looks tiny. Just think about that. Justin pretty much nailed most everything else. Also if you mount to your bow or firearms. Be prepared for vibration. Good luck.
I would agree with you on that. The gopro is great for up close stuff but if you want anything needing a zoom you will be disappointed. The Newer gopro's have some settings that make it not as bad in the sense of having the fish eye lens effect. They have their place though. like I said. I will make a video tomorrow or sat depending on the weather and post it in each mode. I have a lot of footage from the past week of turkey hunting but its been pretty basic and boring. I have located the roost, watering hole, and route they take so I am thinking Sat. morning its going to be turkey thumping day.
Thanks for the video. It was better than I expected, the size of objects a distance away that is. What do you estimate the field of view is at 20 yards?
It all really depends on the setting. You can record in super wide, wide, medium, and narrow. I will make a video tomorrow of each setting and I will do this. I will make a short video of my fence at 20 yards distance. the t posts are about 10 feet apart or so and you can see the rang of view and how it effects your depth perception on camera at each setting. then sat morning I will take it to the turkey woods AGAIN and see if I can seal the deal with the dad blasted turkey that has been playing mind games with me.
If you mount the camera to your head how much does the bow obstruct your view of the shot? Any examples on that? Also, how do the black models do in low light?
