Advice on GoPro or the likes

Hawkeye2188

New Member
Original Poster
I'll be going to Disney this year and ideally I'd like to record our whole trip. I was thinking of taking a GoPro but wasn't sure if someone had experience with a lesser known camera like the Yi. The reason I'm looking at these are so I can strap the to myself or a ride to capture the magic. Also would love to hear good and bad experiences with a GoPro at Disney, quality, restrictions, hassles etc.
 

RScottyL

Well-Known Member
I would go ahead and get a GoPro, especially if you are thinking of a camera like that. You will be happier with the quality compared to other ones!

GoPro just came out with the GoPro 7 and improved upon the video stability. Go look on YouTube and check out some of the videos!
 

donsullivan

Premium Member
If you're looking to get into that space, GoPro is indeed your best bet. As mentioned above they just announced 3 models with escalating features in the GoPro7 line that release for sale tomorrow and given the accessory ecosystem surrounding GoPro, you absolutely cannot go wrong.

As for using them in the parks
- As long as you don't have any sort of an extending pole attached to them you are just fine. Many people just get a handgrip to mount it on and carry the camera around. GoPro typically have a very wide angle lens so if you're trying to get up-close details you 'might' be disappointed but if you're trying to capture the environment as you're moving around the park there is no better overall tool in that price range.
- They also aren't typically all that good in low-light conditions so they tend not to do all the well recording dark rides. You're definitely not getting the definitive video of Haunted Mansion with a GoPro.
- If you want to record on rides, make sure you have a way to keep it attached to you like a wrist strap and then keep it within the confines of the attraction ride vehicle and you'll be fine. If you start sticking your arm out or up from the ride vehicle you may trigger an e-stop for safety. Disney doesn't want these things sticking out into the clearance zones and/or possibly being dropped and hitting guests behind them on the ride.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
A wrist strap is critical to use to avoid dropping it and losing it and to avoid having it hit someone else and cause a serious injury if you are on a fast roller coaster ride. But as others have said your dark ride will not turn out very good. I would stick to a known brand and not be tempted by an off brand like Yi. I bought a small video camera last winter because it was so darned cheap... well when it stopped working 3 months after I got it and was still under warranty I realized a warranty with a off brand camera is about as useful as an icebox in the Arctic. That camera proudly sits on my desk as a reminder not to buy off brand junk... Stick with the gopro its been around and I've rarely heard of anyone having issues with them.
 

dieboy

Active Member
Oh jeeez, I have a small fleet of go pros. I could go on for ages. Settings need to be changed between day and night, fun tricks with them at the world, etc. I don't have time to write a long reply at the moment, but i will later tonight or tomorrow!
Limited light recording is fine. There are a ton of youtube channels about it, including mine. Its just all in the settings for these cameras.
 

Scrooged

Well-Known Member
I had a poor experience using my iphone8 - mainly storage issues- so I may go to a GoPro 7 and supplement with my iphone camera. I know, nothing too fancy-but still. I want to be lightweight and in the moment.
 

dieboy

Active Member
Right now Hero Black sevens are 50 bucks off (350 total vs 400). Not a bad time to order one. They will take a 128gb sim also, and of course, you can swap them out. I carry about eight 64gb cards with in each case (i have a silver 4, session 5, and a 6 black, adding a seven soon). When i get a seven I will probably carry around five 128gb sims for it.
 

dieboy

Active Member
I had a poor experience using my iphone8 - mainly storage issues- so I may go to a GoPro 7 and supplement with my iphone camera. I know, nothing too fancy-but still. I want to be lightweight and in the moment.

Iphones do have excellent cameras on them. Their pitfalls are to large to be ignored though for full day messing around with recording. I.e. proprietary storage, hard to 'hold/mount', etc. They are no DSLR, but will crank out a good photo on default settings.
 

Scrooged

Well-Known Member
Iphones do have excellent cameras on them. Their pitfalls are to large to be ignored though for full day messing around with recording. I.e. proprietary storage, hard to 'hold/mount', etc. They are no DSLR, but will crank out a good photo on default settings.
Yes- photos are primarily the thing I use it for. I did use a gimbal on my
Last trip to WDW, but it was so cumbersome it was almost not worth it to me. The hero 7 is attractive because of it’s stabilization tech - and while I know it won’t eliminate sway completely the tests I’ve seen are quite impressive.

My problem is finding a video editor that is intuitive to use to put stuff together. I really like iMovie, but it’s limited to only two audio tracks/ and it’s hard to master them and interchange elements. Also- doesn’t help that I have a PC and not a Mac.
 

dieboy

Active Member
So ... if your just looking to base edit .. you can try davinci resolv. Some of the effects are limited, but base editing and quite a few effects are avail.
My dad uses (hes old, i'm old, blah blah), uses Pinnacle. He lives just behind wdw, and is there allot with my sisters kiddos. Absolutely loves it. You could take the fifty you save on the gopro and buy the pinnacle software also. He's like making full length features with it. Nice quality also.

I use davinci, and premiere for the most part. But I do allot of small stuff, and had some experience in adobe products prior.

Editing isn't super easy in either of the software I use, it takes a bit of time to learn it. My dad is a retired programmer by trade, and he got the hang of Pinnacle super easily and as mentioned, cranks out some nice stuff. He sends my sister home with burnt dvds and thumb drives all the time.

The other thing people don't think about much .. is the hardware. My dad started editing on an i5/8gig machine. I ended up getting him an i7 32/gig. He's a happy camper now. Editing tends to use a TON of cpu for the final product. Surprisingly less GPU.
 

dieboy

Active Member
Oh and the time. Prepare to invest some time :(. I have a STACK of sd cards sitting next to my editing machine dating back like 9 months. I just have not had time to put anything together. Sadly my i9/32gig build is in there :p.

As for the gopro 7. The image stabilization is second to none. I am thoroughly impressed, I plan on adding one to the collection very soon.. My session 5 i use allot, has image stabilization but its the early version, so its good to a point. But i like the cam, because its so friggen small and useful.

If you wear a backpack to the park, look up the polar pro strap mount. Super nice mount. Captures near POV clip it up by a shoulder! with out having to wear the thing on your head (for the love of all .. don't do that).
 
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Scrooged

Well-Known Member
Oh and the time. Prepare to invest some time :(. I have a STACK of sd cards sitting next to my editing machine dating back like 9 months. I just have not had time to put anything together. Sadly my i9/32gig build is in there :p.

As for the gopro 7. The image stabilization is second to none. I am thoroughly impressed. My session 5 i use allot, has image stabilization but its the early version, so its good to a point. But i like the cam, because its so friggen small and useful. I plan on adding one to the collection very soon.

If you wear a backpack to the park, look up the polar pro strap mount. Super nice mount. Captures near POV *near clip it up by a shoulder)! with out having to wear the thing on your head (for the love of all .. don't do that).
All of this I will take into consideration. Thanks for the tips on software. My issue is time as well. Don’t have much of it to spare- I’ll probably get my video done for our last trip just before we leave for our trip this September. I will definitely look into the backpack mount. Thanks for the tips!
 

dieboy

Active Member
Anytime. My dad is retired .. so he mows the lawn, and waits for visits to take footage with .. :). I on the other hand, just over mid career, swamped in work, and tend to game with some friends vs getting stuff edited in my free time. I thoroughly enjoy it, but its tedious, and I concentrate all day, sometimes its hard to do when i get home.

So in short.
You can edit on an i5, just make sure your final product you start before bed or something.
Recommended, i7/min 16 gigs.
Software; Pinnacle studio, or davinci (steeper learning curve)

Buy batteries. Allot of them. You get around 1.5hrs of decent 2k or 2ish with 1440. I carry an external pack to charge the session 5 when i bring it mid day, and take around 5 batteries with for the hero, and 3/4 cards.

Mounts, the backpack clip I mentioned, and any of the two (new and old version, fyi the old one is thinner) gopro handles (not telescoping gopro one). They let you in with them, just make sure to tell them it does not extend. They've seen hundreds of them.

The deal is .. for the parks .. the gopro is great. But you also forget all the other fun stuff... i have a suction cup mount, i grab driving lapses for cut scenes, water proof .. god i love them for snorkeling. So you get a gamut of use out of the thing. IMO, worth the investment.
 

dieboy

Active Member
My last two cents I promise.

Use it and familiarize yourself with the gopro before the trip. It does take a bit of learning. Do not expect to just hit the shutter button and get great stuff. Allot of kids and people mistake it for a basic camera. Its not, its fairly robust. I use protune on it almost religiously, but it takes reasonable footage with stock settings. But it can do so much better (the stuff you see in their ads).
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
My last two cents I promise.

Use it and familiarize yourself with the gopro before the trip. It does take a bit of learning. Do not expect to just hit the shutter button and get great stuff. Allot of kids and people mistake it for a basic camera. Its not, its fairly robust. I use protune on it almost religiously, but it takes reasonable footage with stock settings. But it can do so much better (the stuff you see in their ads).
Pretty much true any camera you buy. I've yet to ever have any camera that gave the best results by simply turning it on and pressing the shutter button. The manuals are never fun to read but they are useful if you want the best results from any camera.
 

tomast

Well-Known Member
I'll be going to Disney this year and ideally I'd like to record our whole trip. I was thinking of taking a GoPro but wasn't sure if someone had experience with a lesser known camera like the Yi. The reason I'm looking at these are so I can strap the to myself or a ride to capture the magic. Also would love to hear good and bad experiences with a GoPro at Disney, quality, restrictions, hassles etc.
My recomendation:
*On dark rides put something on the red light so you dont see it. especially on haunted mansion where it reflects on the things..
*take some extra batteries
*Buy something to wear the camera like a chestie or something like this:
43785999-785c-43b9-a8d8-f4f10a216fb7.jpg


* I have an issue with mainstreet lighting that made everything overthere a bit fuzzy or blurry, maybe because my cam is kind of old, but after all I have a great video of the trip


ps: Take your time to edit the videos after, cut parts and put them all together. You can end with a really cool video (but it takes some time and practise) IDK how good you are, if you are a starter you can make a great video with Wondershare Filmora, its quite simple and powerfull.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
My recomendation:
*On dark rides put something on the red light so you dont see it. especially on haunted mansion where it reflects on the things..
*take some extra batteries
*Buy something to wear the camera like a chestie or something like this:
43785999-785c-43b9-a8d8-f4f10a216fb7.jpg


* I have an issue with mainstreet lighting that made everything overthere a bit fuzzy or blurry, maybe because my cam is kind of old, but after all I have a great video of the trip


ps: Take your time to edit the videos after, cut parts and put them all together. You can end with a really cool video (but it takes some time and practise) IDK how good you are, if you are a starter you can make a great video with Wondershare Filmora, its quite simple and powerfull.
When you get fuzzy or blurry try cleaning the lens. A lot of cameras with small lenses will suffer problem with even minor contamination of the lens. I know my wife's camera on her phone will give horrible pictures in bright lights if you happen to have touched the lens with your finger even though you when you look at the lens it will appear perfectly clear, just a little oil from your finger makes it nearly useless. Same thing may be what is happening to your camera. Get yourself a little lens cloth use it the next time you get the fuzzy or blurry and see if it clears things up.
 

itsmagical

Member
I'll be going to Disney this year and ideally I'd like to record our whole trip. I was thinking of taking a GoPro but wasn't sure if someone had experience with a lesser known camera like the Yi. The reason I'm looking at these are so I can strap the to myself or a ride to capture the magic. Also would love to hear good and bad experiences with a GoPro at Disney, quality, restrictions, hassles etc.

I use a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 with my iPhone.

143344-gadgets-review-review-dji-osmo-mobile-2-review-image1-2rhcixnul5.jpg


If you want an example of the kind of video I get with it, view here:

 

AliceResEvil

New Member
Can you use a floating handle with wrist strap with your GoPro on the water slides at both the resorts and the water parks or do you need to use a chest mount or wrist mount?
 

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