Having Fun with the GoPro Hero Helmet Cam

One of the great gadgets I saw at NAB this year was the HD Hero camera from GoPro.  It’s intended to be an adventure sports camera that can be mounted on anything from a surfboard to a helmet to the side of a vehicle but we’ve been having fun with it on our Opening Our Eyes journey going through markets and bazaars.

We had a fabulous day in Istanbul today before heading to our next subject in Warsaw, Poland.  After seeing some of the great landmarks in the city, we spent a couple of hours walking through the Grand Bazaar wearing this amazing little camera strapped to our head.  Depending on how fluid your stride is, you can get some stunning hi res imagery that gives a viewer the feeling that they are having the experience themselves.

You cannot preview the image you’ll get as there is no eyepiece, but the lens is a wide angle lens with auto exposure and auto focus so shooting blind isn’t such a crap shoot.  You have to do a bit of testing to determine how it reacts to various light conditions but the exposure compensates nicely as the lighting situation changes and it’s pretty much right on target.  The audio is also pretty good quality, at least for any b-roll shooting.

For the price and the ease of use, the imagery this camera shoots is spectacular and it’s a lot of fun shooting in situations where you might not be able to use a larger camera.  I’m suitably impressed and I haven’t even really tested all the capabilities.

We had a lot of fun today with it in the Grand Bazaar and  got a lot of funny looks and comments. Check out our walk through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and see for yourself.

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My DSLR Kit for a Three-Month Road Trip

For those who have been following this blog you know that I’m getting ready to depart for a 3-month trip around the world creating a documentary with my daughter – Opening Our Eyes.  Here is what I’ve managed to fit into two backpacks – it just fits.  Thank goodness there’s two of us.
Please follow our journey http://www.openingoureyes.wordpress.com

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Canon 16-35mm 2.8
Canon 24-70mm 2.8
Canon 70-200mm 2.8
Canon 70-300mm 4.5
Canon 1.4X tele extender
Canon 2X tele extender
Nikon/Canon lens adaptor
Nikkor 14mm rectilinear lens f2.8
Nikkor 50mm 1.4
Nikkor 85mm f2
6 Batteries for Canon
1 Battery grip for 5D
3 Battery chargers
Remote control for Canon
AC adaptor for Canon
Rycote Hot shoe extension
4 – 16 GB flash cards – all cards – Sandisk UGMA
4 – 8 GB flash cards
2 – 8 GB SDHC cards
2  – 4 GB SDHD cards
Neutral density filter kit
Polarizer
Epson P6000 digital wallet
Zoom H4n digital audio recorder
JuicedLink DT454  audio preamp
Rode shotgun mic
Tram lav mic
Sennheiser Transmitter/Wireless kit
“Dead Cats” (windscreens)
XLR cords
Headphones
HD Hero helmet camera with attachments
Flip HD
ManfrottoTripod and fluid head
Small Matthews boom stand for mic
Reflector
Zacuto Z-Finder

Zacuto Striker Rig
Flex DSLR remote
Lacie Rugged Hard drives – 4000 GB memory!
Firewire and USB cords
3 – card readers
2 MacBookPro Laptops
1 extra laptop battery
1 extra AC adaptor for laptop
Kindle
iPod
Blackberry Tour
2 Scotte Vests – with 22 pockets in each

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NAB – A Week of Gadgets, Geeks, and Great Inspiration

Today is the final day of NAB and as usual my head is exploding with ideas and information. But before everything totally leaves my head – I’ll share some cool things with everyone.

I come to NAB to learn, however this year I also needed to research and buy some things for my upcoming project Opening Our Eyes. In particular I was looking for a stabilization rig for my Canon 5D and 7D. My timing was perfect because at this year’s show just about every booth had gear for the DSLR cameras – the show was all about either the HDSLR or 3D. I settled on the Zacuto Striker because I wanted something lightweight and quick to put on a tripod. Zacuto had redesigned the plate making the weight distribution better and it felt just right for me. And that’s important – get the right rig for you – if at all possible visit a vendor where you can try these stabilization rigs out so that you buy the one that literally “fits” you and your needs.

One of the biggest buzz items was the HD Hero, a tiny wearable video camera for sports, made by GoPro and at the $200 show special – they sold out the first day. But check them out – even at the retail price of $300, they are amazing little cameras that can be used in all types of situations where you need something small.

RedRock Micro debuted their new HDSLR remote which uses sonar for auto follow focus. The booth was mobbed with attendees dying to get their hands on this accessory that is priced around $1000. Check out the review from the show floor at PhotoCineNews.

Canon unveiled their latest tapeless camera the XF305 that will give the Sony EX-3 a run for their money. Even as stunning as this camera is, Canon didn’t integrate that nice big chip/sensor that we see in their hybrid HDSLRs. But Panasonic did and they had their new prototype camera in a plexiglass box perched on a museum type pedestal. The Panasonic AG-AF100, is the first professional micro 4/3-inch video camcorder optimized for high-def recording. that did make use of that large sensor that everyone seems to be waiting for – stay tuned. Canon-are you watching and listening?

I’m maxed out right now with technology and information yet inspired and energized at the same time by the notion of possibilities. If you’re a still photographer singing the blues because of the lousy economy and the changing paradigm of print giving way to electronic delivery – I can only say one thing – convergence. Embrace that notion, get energized by the idea and open your mind to the possibilities and opportunities that are exploding in this new world of information technology.

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