GoPro LCD BacPac Arrives!

I finally received the GoPro LCD BacPac over the weekend. Total of $62.70 shipped!

It's a chunky little package but I'm loving it so far. It turns the GoPro HD Hero from a film based camera (where you have to wait until the film is processed) to a true digital camera! No waiting!

Sima SL-20LX 40 LED light

I couldn't resist this little bitty light to go along with the GoPro since it will help in low light situations. This is the one area where the GoPro HD Hero is not great. Images can be grainy without enough light.

This should do the trick at least for close-in objects. What's especially nice is that it comes with a bracket so that it can be mounted much more easily on cameras that don't have a hot shoe!

http://goo.gl/RsiCI

Using a hiking pole as a extension arm...

I saw this hiking pole on sale at Meritline.com and thought immediately of using it as an extension arm for the GoPro HD Hero. It's small and light, is extend-able and has a pivoting tripod mount near the handle. I had to give it a try.

http://www.meritline.com/telescopic-aluminum-shock-absorbing-hiking-pole-camera-mount-walking-stick---p-64589.aspx

The 1/4"x20 mount is located underneath the compass. Just twist off the compass and mount our GoPro.

I put the GoPro HD tripod mount on the polycarbonate case of the camera and mounted it to the hiking pole. My technique really stinks right now and so the video below is tilted and wobbly, but you can get an idea of what a low angle shot looks like.



This is of my soft-coated wheaten terrier named "Cosmo!"

More later,
Ambrose

GoPro LCD BacPac Ordered!

I just found this great deal on a motorcycle racing website for the GoPro LCD BacPac for $62 shipped!

I used it over the weekend and found it difficult to frame without an LCD so I decided to splurge on this one. It really is kind of necessary when using it in a new situation...

http://www.wisconsinsportbikes.net/public_html/forums/showthread.php?p=164932

The purchaser is doing a group buy and is expecting to place the order tomorrow, the 30th so if you want to buy one cheaply, I suggest you go there fast!

Ambrose

Mounting a GoPro HD on your dSLR

I've always wanted to mount my GoPro on top of my dSLR so that I could take videos of my photography. Silly, isn't it?!?

I saw this on eBay and wanted to give it a try. It's very inexpensive and does a nice job.

1/4x20 Hot Shoe Mount

There are two version of this mount. One with one locknut and the other with two. I opted for the two version since it allows you to lock the mount to the camera and the GoPro to the mount.

Here's what it looks like mounted on my Canon 30D.

I'll post some video taken with this mount shortly.

More later!

Ambrose

Small Car Accident and Broken GoPro Clip

I use my GoPro to record my daily commute to and from work. Last Friday, the 4th, I was involved in a rear end collision. It wasn't bad and I wasn't hurt, however, I broke my GoPro clip when I removed it from my windshield mount. I obviously wasn't taking great care in my rush to grab the camera, but I don't think it should have broken. I have contacted GoPro through their support page, but haven't received confirmation that they have sent the replacement clip.

They requested that I send a picture of the broken clip. Here it is!

Oh, another thing. Here's a clip from the accident.

This is of course, very helpful when proving that you weren't at fault in the accident and to show the damage and to capture the license tag information from the other driver, which I originally forgot to do!

More later,
Ambrose

Treefrog Mount and Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements

I've needed a flexible mount and some editing software for a while now, so when I spotted this deal over at Buy.com, I had to grab it. It's a Joby Gorillapod type of mount that can hold the GoPro since it uses a compression grip instead of a regular tripod mount (1/4"x20). The price is very fair as well. Normally, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements go for around $60-100 EACH, the price I paid $40 sounded like an incredible deal. The package looks like this:

The contents:

There's a lens cleaning kit that comes with a watertight case, the flexipod, and the DVD with the software on it. The best part is that the software is the full versions of both programs, not the "light" versions as is often the case with inexpensive bundles. Now, the only difference is that this is Adobe PSE and PRE 8 versus the newest version of 9, but I don't mind being a version behind.

More later,
Ambrose