GoPro Field Guide

GoPro

Episode 1 of 3: Understanding Protune
Topics: Protune ? White Balance, Color, ISO, Sharpness, and Exposure Compensation

In the first episode of the GoPro Field Guide, we link up with Media Team member Abe Kislevitz on his Sunday afternoon bike ride in Whistler to learn the ins and outs of Protune mode. Abe goes into depth on the different options available while using Protune and how a user can utilize them to maximize their GoPro footage. He mentions that using Protune results in higher quality capture due to a larger bitrate and also unlocks customizable capture settings so that you can really make your footage your own. These settings include white balance, color modes, ISO, sharpness, and exposure compensation. Abe points out that some of the Protune settings may be better suited to video professionals who plan to spend a lot of time in post-production editing their content.

Episode 2 of 3: Resolutions, Frame Rates and FOV
Topics: All Camera Modes, Resolutions and Fields of View (FOV)

In the second episode of the GoPro Field Guide, we meet up mountainside with Media Team members Abe Kislevitz and Caleb Farro to hear their take on Resolutions, Frame rates, and Fields of View. Abe walks us through the different resolutions, from 4K all the way down to WVGA and their respective frame rates. He clues us in about the best uses for each of the modes, from POV, follow cam, slo-motion and gear mounted shots, to the best modes for YouTube and Instagram videos. Abe points out that there is a trade off between high frame rate and high resolution.

Another option that GoPro users have to customize their footage is Field of View. Changing the Field of View between Wide, Medium, and Narrow is essentially the same thing as zooming in, but it does this by cropping in on the sensor instead of digitally zooming, which means higher quality footage. For the best results, Abe suggests having an end goal in mind and experimenting with different resolutions, frame rates, and fields of views to achieve this.

Episode 3 of 3: On Location in Whistler, BC
Topics: Various Shooting Examples with Tips

In the third episode of the GoPro Field Guide, we meet up in Whistler with Media Team members; Abe Kislevitz, Caleb Farro, and Chris Farro to hear their personal capturing techniques to get the highest quality content. The media guys pair their tips with in-use examples to illustrate how each of the different modes and mounts work in the field.

The first thing that they do before shooting is decide on an end goal. This determines which mounts, video/photo modes, fields of view, and accessories they will be using. For a follow camera shot of Caleb on the slopes, Abe recommends the Handlebar/Seatpost/Pole mount paired with 1080/60 wide, for a video with the smoothest capture. Meanwhile, Chris hangs back in the background with a 3-Way Tripod setup and recommends using the Narrow Field of View with 1080/60 so that he gets a more cropped-in shot of his far away subject. Another tip that Chris gives us regarding changing the field of view is to use an LCD BacPac. This is helpful to frame the shot correctly before shooting to ensure that your subject is still in frame. The most important thing to always remember before going out to shoot rad content is to always make sure that your camera lens is clean. The guys stress that there is nothing worse than having spots on the lens when something really awesome happens.