GoPro Questions

[JJ Campbell]

I'm considering buying a Hero 7 Black for my Light Sport. I have a couple of questions for any members with experience with GoPros.
1. Needless to say, the cabin is noisy. Will the voice commands work in this environment?
2. The camera will be shooting through the plexiglass windscreen. Will this be a problem?
3. I'll be taking photos from various altitudes from ~3,000' to touchdown. Will the camera autofocus and autozoom?
I've tried using very nice little Sony hand-held camera and between turbulence, flying workload and inability to see the screen in the cockpit glare, have given up on using this camera. I'm looking for a hands-free solution to get nice photos while in the air. In the future, I'd like to explore video. I plan on mounting the GoPro on the aircraft console on the passenger side.

[ShawnM]

I still have my "old school" Hero 3 Black and it works great mounted all over the plane. To help with some of your questions:
1. My GoPro is not voice activated and I doubt that feature will work in an airplane cockpit. I control my GoPro with their app and my iPhone.
2. On a side note, something you might want is an audio cable that plugs into the intercom to record all audio. I made mine but you can buy one.
3. You can shoot through the canopy with no issues, I've done this a thousand times.
4. As for stills, I find it easier to capture still images from the video in the GoPro software. This allows me to "snap" the exact image I want.

I have a GoPro mount on my custom made headset bracket that shoots straight out the front. I set it to WIDE and it captures a lot of info. I also have the GoPro suction cup mount that I have mounted all over the exterior of the plane and it comes back every time. I'll admit I was very nervous the first time using the suction cup mount as it was a $500 camera that I was risking along with the mount and other unforeseen risks depending on where it might have landed.

[Dave C]

I have been flying with three GoPro cameras mounted. They are:

1. Hero4 mounted on the panel looking back at me - this one has the intercom audio cable connected
2. Hero7 black mounted on the canopy cross-bar behind my shoulders looking forward
3. Hero7 black mounted under the tail looking downward and forward

Here is one of my videos so you can see how the results look:
https://youtu.be/9F-CxDieEWg

The 7 black has awesome image stabilization. You can see that in the video from the two that I have. The cameras are rigidly attached to the plane and in the video it looks like the camera is moving relative to the plane as the plane bounces around. This is the stabilization working its magic.

The audio adapters setups for the newer cameras like the 7 black are more expensive. They required a GoPro made adapter that plugs into the USB-C on the camera. This alone is $50-60 and is in addition to the other needed adapter cables.

Wikipedia has a great article summarizing the differences between the different GoPro models: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoPro

Gopros are not the only game in town. They take great pictures but can be flakey sometimes and you're lucky if you can get 1 hour of recording on a battery. I have heard good things about similar cameras from DJI but I have no experience with them.

[Dave C]

To directly answer you questions:
1. I don't think voice commands would work due to all the noise. They might with an audio adapter for intercom audio.
2. Plexiglass is no problem. See my video. Two of the three cameras are shooting through a plexiglass canopy
3. Pictures from widely varying distances are no problem. See my video. GoPros are wide angle and you are not going to zoom in on anything.

Definitely go hands free if you are piloting the plane. You could even mount it to your forehead or chest with one of the commonly available setups.

[JJ Campbell]

Thank you, Dave C. You gave me a lot to mull over. Awesome quality on your video!

[JJ Campbell]

4. As for stills, I find it easier to capture still images from the video in the GoPro software. This allows me to "snap" the exact image I want.

I was resistant to this idea at first but after looking into the software, I saw how easy it was to do and I am much enamored with this method now.

If I mount the camera on the console, can I just reach over and press the Shutter Button once to start recording video and then once more to stop it? This would be really close to hands-free and not have the overhead of Wi-Fi battery drain that the remote entails.

[Dave C]

4. As for stills, I find it easier to capture still images from the video in the GoPro software. This allows me to "snap" the exact image I want.

I was resistant to this idea at first but after looking into the software, I saw how easy it was to do and I am much enamored with this method now.

If I mount the camera on the console, can I just reach over and press the Shutter Button once to start recording video and then once more to stop it? This would be really close to hands-free and not have the overhead of Wi-Fi battery drain that the remote entails.

Yes, the cameras are easy to operate. They have one button for start and stop and one button for power and mode changes. I am not sure what you mean by console but if you are directly operating the camera you will want to be able to see either the front or back display so that you can confirm the camera is doing what you want. If you can't see one of those displays I recommend using remote control via a phone or dedicated handheld remote. These devices will display the camera status.

[JJ Campbell]

I am not sure what you mean by console...

By console, I mean up top where the Whiskey Compass is. I'd like to put it right there but I'd better keep Old Reliable. So to the left if it doesn't block my vision or if not there to the right if I can reach the Shutter Button.

[ShawnM]

My Hero 3 Black came with its own simple remote control but it's wi-fi also. If the camera is inside the plane you can power it from the plane and not worry about battery life. Controlling it with my iPhone is very easy and it allows me to "see" what the camera sees. However you do it you'll get great images and stills from the GoPro. Even my old and tired Hero 3 still shoots great video, I can only imagine the 7 is even way better.

[drseti]

Here is one of my videos so you can see how the results look:
https://youtu.be/9F-CxDieEWg

Beautiful video, Dave. That's some skillful editing.

[Dave C]

Here is one of my videos so you can see how the results look:
https://youtu.be/9F-CxDieEWg

Beautiful video, Dave. That's some skillful editing.

Thanks Paul. The editing is the hardest part but just takes time and the right software. I have a program that has a "multi-camera" editing mode which is key to getting it right without much trouble. You just align the three camera tracks in time and then you play all three at once, clicking on the camera view that you want active at any point in time.