Just picked up a Hero 7 Black to play with. Will probably most often be mounted in the typical grab handle/tailspring/wingstrut locations. For those that use this camera, any basic go to settings for mounting in these locations? I am guessing 1080 wide at 30fps?

Total newb when it comes to video but willing to learn.

You'll want to use the highest resolution possible to give you better editing options in post production (cropping, zooming etc.) You will also want to film in at least 60 FPS to prevent screen tearing (Jello effect) in your footage.

If you enable Hypersmooth this will help remove vibration from your footage but you will notice a bit of movement on the horizon as the camera compensates, but it's well worth it compared to shakey footage.

Another thing to do is to enable Protune, this will increase the bit rate at which the camera records which will result in a higher quality video. If you're going to be doing post production you should set your ISO to 400, sharpness to medium and GoPro color profile to Flat (all found in the Protune options). However if you're not going to be doing post production, you can enable the Protune mode but don't adjust any of the settings, so you get the higher bit rate without having to spend much time doing color grading etc.

I would also make sure you use the GoPro app to frame your shot through a live preview when you mount the camera, this will help you get the best setup for your shot.

Make sure you register your camera with GoPro and check out the forums there if you have any issues. GoPro also just released a new Firmware update for their camera (1., so make sure you're using the latest version on your camera as it addresses a couple of issues.

Irishman is correct in his advice, but I'd ask yourself what you want this experience of playing with video to be like.

For instance, I shoot in Protune but then spend months editing and doing color (albeit poorly) for the videos I make. But then, I'm pretending to be a filmmaker and approaching it semi-seriously.

If I was just playing around and wanted to post some video quickly, I'd use default GoPro color and default sharpness and not even bother coloring it any more.

What's way more important than frame rate to avoid jello is vibration damping. If you can isolate the camera physically as best you can, that will go further than using high frame rate, which makes larger files. I only use 60 fps generally if I want to play it back at 24 fps for slow motion.

1. Get a mount. Cloudbase Engineering makes a nice one.

2. Get a housing and ND filter to blur your prop.

3. Shoot 2.7k or 4k. You must have a computer with the horsepower to play and process 4k.

I prefer 1080P, 60fps rather than the highest resolution possible. The massive file sizes shooting 4k and the increased battery drain aren't worth it for my videos.

hypersmooth is game changing. Any schmo can get really great footage.

Now, the bummer part. Your gonna find quickly that settings on the gopro and where to mount it are the first of hundreds of steps. If you want to make videos that are interesting to anyone but yourself, your going to find yourself running against the wind for a long time learning photography, video editing, story telling, etc.

But it's fun!

rw2 wrote:If you want to make videos that are interesting to anyone but yourself...

I don't think everyone wants to be a YouTube sensation. I have a ton of GoPro footage that only I enjoy watching...and it will never see the light of day except maybe for a close friend or two.

Thanks for the replies. Most of my footage will be for me and maybe some friends via YT. I have watched vids here that are way above my skill level and, like flying in general, realize my limits. Thanks again for the comments.