Microphone Test 6 GoPro HD Hero 2 with a $3.50 PC Clip On Microphone

I tried out another microphone I received. I bought it on eBay for around $3.50 shipped. It's a small clip-on corded microphone that says it's stereo, but as you will be able to tell, is mono. You can find them here:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=3.5mm+Stereo+Mini+Lapel+Clips+Microphone
or
http://goo.gl/w2DjR

For what it costs, it could be a good microphone for a lavalier situation you may have. Perhaps in doing microphone reviews! :-)

I realized that I should probably switch to something less than the wide mode for these reviews since it tends to distort the image a bit.

The microphone obviously has some handling noise, that's because I had the clip resting against the microphone so any movement of the clip was picked up by the mic. You should isolate the clip from the mic element if you plan on using this. A twist tie or a bit of tape would do the trick.

I have one more microphone on it's way so...

More later,
Ambrose

Sima SL-20LX Video Lights with the GoPro HD Hero 2 camera

I bought a pair of small and very bright video lights for my Hero 2 which I've wanted to try out. Here's the video of it in use. They were about $15-20 each. They come with a small flash bracket which is helpful. Another neat feature (which I don't mention in the video) is that they can be clipped together so that you only need to use one flash bracket. They are battery powered and the batteries last about 1 hour. In hindsight, I should have aimed the two lights a bit farther apart so that it didn't create a hot spot in the middle like it does in the video. I tried this just now and it looks much better.

Cheap GoPro Handheld Stabilizer: Planning

I've always wanted to have a floating stabilizer similar to what the Steadicam Smoothee offers but was always hesitant to pay the going rate for a device of this type.

The Steadicam Smoothee goes for $150 or more. That seems to me to be way too much for what the device is!

 Let's look at the parts needed.

- Quick release bracket(to mount the camera)
- Gimbal ( creates the smooth floating effect)
- C shaped bracket (to act as the center-of-gravity lowering device)
- Counterweights (to create the balance to neutralize rapid movements)
- Handle to hold the device

All of these can be bought fairly inexpensively and put together to create your own GoPro stabilizer. Here's what I've collected so far:

My QR bracket is the Sima Quickonnect  $8
My gimbal is the Lensse 12cm gimbal  $20
My C-shaped bracket is the Adorama C flash bracket $10
My counterweights are large flat stainless steel washers you can buy at any hardware store $5
My handle will be 1/2" PVC pipe with a bicycle handlebar grip $1 or free!

Total cost is $44!

Photos and setup later,
Ambrose

Microphone Test 5 GoPro HD Hero 2 with a Cheap Flexible PC Microphone

I tested the GoPro HD Hero 2 with one other microphone.

It's a cheap $2 gooseneck PC microphone that claims to be stereo. Surprisingly, it sounded very good for what it cost me! You'll notice that I start this video with the built-in GoPro microphone and plugged the flexible mic in halfway through the video. The sound is funny for a second but then the microphone produced a very clear, very pleasant sound without the cricketing noise. I wonder if the GoPro is sensitive to the type of microphone used. This is the first external mic that doesn't produce the cricket noise with the GoPro! It also connects to both channels. Lastly, it seems to reduce the room ambient noise dramatically! That must mean that it's a unidirectional mic that helps eliminate background noise. Pretty cool for a <$2 microphone!

More later,
Ambrose

Microphone Test 4 with a Cheap $2 Pill iPod Touch Microphone

I tested the GoPro HD Hero 2 with an inexpensive "pill" mic I bought from Meritline.com for $2. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The video below has no audio at all.

I have one more microphone I can try.

More later,

Ambrose

Baseline Test of GoPro HD Hero 2's Built-in Microphone

I forgot that I should have started this microphone test session of a baseline recording of how the GoPro HD Hero 2's built-in microphone sounds. Here I'm holding it about an arm's length away from me. You'll notice the tremendous amount of background hum. The furnace of is about 5 feet away to the left and the Hero2 picked up the sound very clearly. Not a surprise since the Hero2's mic is located on top of the camera and is an omnidirectional microphone!

Here, I do a recording of a stock Hero2 using it's internal microphone with the GoPro sitting on top of the iMac you see in the thumbnail above. I describe how well the HTDZ microphone is made!

More later,

Ambrose

Microphone Test 3 (HTDZ HT-320A Shotgun Microphone)

Third in line for testing with my GoPro HD Hero 2 camera is an inexpensive shotgun microphone I picked up off eBay for around $15. It's called the HTDZ HT-320A shotgun microphone. The build quality of the mic is actually very high. There's a switch built into the mic that lets you set the mic from Tele to Wide angle coverage. It takes one AA sized battery and comes with a cable and a windscreen. There's also a microphone clip that attaches to your camera's hot shoe! Nice!

Anyway, I didn't use the windscreen on this test and I should have. You'll also notice that the sound is only recorded on the left channel because of the cable that comes with it. If you want both channels connected, you'll need to find a cable that connects to both channels of the mic plug.

More later,
Ambrose

Microphone Test 2 (Beyerdynamic M500 Ribbon Microphone)

I used my GoPro HD Hero 2 camera with a series of microphones to test how the Hero2 works with them. Next up is the Beyerdynamic M500 Ribbon Microphone. It was the creme-de-la-creme of handheld vocal microphones because of how smooth the microphone sounded. I think it was designed for balladeers more than rockers. The output (as I discovered in this video) is very low so the sound is very quiet. You'll again notice that the cricket sound is there again. Also, you'll notice that the sound only comes out of the left channel. The cable is a mono cable so it only feeds the left channel. True stereo microphones would have a ring-tip-sleeve configuration for the jack so that it feeds both left and right channels.

More microphones coming up!

Ambrose

Microphone Test 1 (Griffin Multi-Use Stereo Microphone)

I did a series of quick tests with the GoPro HD Hero 2 with a bunch of external microphones. First up is the discontinued Griffin Multi-Use Stereo Microphone. Note: My GoPro Hero 2 seems to have a cricketing noise whenever an external mic is attached. I've contacted GoPro, but haven't heard back yet.

Forgive the quality and presentation skills of the announcer! :)

More microphone tests in a bit!

Ambrose

Cheap HDMI Cable!

In anticipation of getting my GoPro HD Hero 2 Professional, I ordered a very inexpensive HDMI to HDMI mini cable to connect the Hero2 to my HDTV. It arrived about 2 weeks before my Hero2. I had a chance to try it last night and it worked like a charm! The cable costs under $3 and is quite a bargain!

http://goo.gl/2HyOW
or
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=HDMI+to+HDMI+Mini+Display+Cable+-displayport&_sacat=0&_sop=15&_odkw=HDMI+to+HDMI+Mini+Display+Cable&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Compare this <$3.00 cable to this expensive one which costs 10X as much!

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10788688&CAWELAID=619564586

I finally had a few minutes to try and make a camera frame for the GoPro HD Hero 2 camera today using The Frugal Filmmaker's idea for a PVC camera stabilizer. I had already bought all the PVC parts I needed except for the 1/2" PVC pipe , which I thought I had on hand already. However, I quickly realized that I actually had 3/4" pipe instead and only one 2 foot length of 1/2" PVC! Here's what I was able to do...

Here's the incomplete 1/2" rig.

Here's how it looks completed in 3/4" PVC which I had on hand.

Here's what they look like next to each other. The 3/4" model looks much tougher and sturdier. I think it would be perfect for an SLR rig!

Oh, if you're wondering how the GoPro looks with the FF Rig, here it is!

From the looks of it, I may need to downsize this rig in order to make it a bit more practical for the GoPro!

More later,

Ambrose

New Time Lapse with GoPro HD Hero 2

I did a time lapse movie of my drive home from work last friday night, 12/9/2011. It's very dark when I leave the office. I wanted to see how well the new GoPro HD Hero 2 did in lower light situations. Overall, I'm very happy with the result! I only wished that I had cleaned my windshield a bit! :)

Be sure to watch it in 720P at a minimum.

More later,
Ambrose

My GoPro HD Hero 2 finally arrives!

I had to wait almost 5 weeks before my GoPro HD Hero 2 arrived, but arrived it did! I'm eager to try it out and post some results. Here's the box opening sequence. It's a Motorsport edition which isn't exactly what I wanted, but the GoPro Suction Cup Mount should be good to have.

Today Only! 12-8-11 Free LCD BacPac with Hero2 purchase!

I found this on the GoPro website. If you order your GoPro HD Hero2 Outdoor Edition from the GoPro website linked below, you will get the $80 LCD BacPac for free! That's an incredible deal and one of the best I've seen! But hurry, this is a limited time offer (today only) so act fast before it's gone! :)

http://goo.gl/NezXJ
or
http://gopro.com/p/hd-hero2-camera-lcd/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=youtube-homepage-hero2&utm_content=banner-static-youtube-homepage-buy

Good news on the GoPro HD Hero 2

I've been patiently waiting for my new GoPro HD Hero 2 to arrive. What I thought was a shipment notification to me was actually a shipment notification to my dealer in the mid-west. Oh well, you know what they say about a watched pot... As for the camera, it turns out I am getting the Motorsport model rather than the Outdoor model. The only difference is that the Motorsport model has a suction cup mount versus a Head strap mount with the Outdoor edition. I conjured up an inexpensive suction cup mount very similar to the official GoPro version except mine uses the GoPro tripod mount. I never used the head strap mount and my cheap suction cup mount wasn't very stable so I'm okay with getting the suction cup. The main problem with my mount is that it mounts the camera farther away from the base which allows the camera to bounce a bit more and introduces some jitter into the captured video. I hope the shorter GoPro mount will be more stable. More later, Ambrose