GoPro vs MBPro 2011 and editing software

[Giuanniello]

Hello everybody,

got a GoPro 7Black a few days ago, my first action cam ever and totally new to it even tho passionate photographer but video is not my cup of tea (rather my glass of beer...) so I have a few questions, first and foremost would my 2011 15" i7 16GB SSD MBPro be able to handle the 2.7K video files out of the camera?

Which software could I use to edit the clips out of the GoPro, iMovie or what would you rather use given my hardware limitations?

Settings wise, we have no 4K TV at home and our first outing with the GoPro will hopefully be some MTB in a couple weeks so we have time to experiment but also time to get the necessary accessories to use it so I got an extra battery and a 128GB memory card, dunno if gonna hold it onto the helmets or with a body bracket, for sure I think the steering handle being too bumpy so either helmet or chest mount but what about settings not to overtake computer capabilities?

Any hint re accessories (thinking of a cage but read that the aluminium ones block GPS signal)?

Grazie

 

[ColdCase]

I use a NORDIC Flash chest mount with a EVO wearable gimbal, but that may not be solid enough for MTB. Mounting it on the bike can be OK on smooth trails with post stabilization processing which uses a lot of CPU. The helmet is the best place for reducing vibration, but it is some weight and there may be lots of perhaps unwanted movement. It can catch on low hanging branches. The chest is not quite as good for vibration, but better for reducing movement... and its much more secure and solid for serious MTB..

I never got satisfactory results without a gimbal, even on smooth trails, but I may be more picky than the average bear. I use FCPX to edit.

There is a YouTube video with good tips, I'll see if I can find it. Edit

There is also one or several comparing the available resolutions and what the compromises are. Its usually better to shoot at as high a resolution as practical and then edit in a 1040p type timeline.

If you search youtube for gimbal mtb, some perhaps relevant comparisons show up. Video quality is subjective, so it may be better to see for yourself.

Also look for gopro resolution

Your computer can handle just about anything, if you got time. You will be using a lot of disk space for the video you capture, lots of fast storage would be helpful. A SD card reader is better than trying to import video from the camera to the computer. Editing video while its on the SD card is so slow.

This is one of those hobbies that you can start of slow with minimum equipment until you figure out what works best for you. Have fun

 

[Giuanniello]

Thank you for your detailed reply ColdCase!

So far it seems a chest mount to be a good compromise for vibrations and for immersion into the action; I won't get a gimbal (yet), I have already the photography GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) so the GoPro gotta wait that I eventually get caught onto it and I am, unfortunately, sure it will happen sooner or later.

There is a 128GB card on order and a 32 already there, of course I have a cards reader I use for my photography hobby (you can see a link to my photo album in the signature) and I just added a RAID1 2x1TB to the computer gear so that I can save the videos onto it before editing.

I know that the beginning will be a delusion, whilst finding the best settings, fighting the wind noise, fighting vibrations and unstable holders, white balance, cropping, fps etc etc will take time, it's over 10 years I got my first Digital Single Lens Reflex and I still have a lot to learn so this could be another interesting and fun adventure.

I will sure need a waterproof case (I live on an island and even tho summer is gone I look forward to next one to take it to a spin on a boat and underwater) and also an outdoor use cage other than the supplied one, I see a lot of these which are aluminium made with a thread for filters and openings to operate both the buttons and the left side door to access USB and Mic, so far it seems the aluminium alloy forbids receiving GPS signal, is there any other case with good protection and ability to both access the lateral door/buttons and also provide a filters thread which doesn't block the GPS signal?

Thank you so much for your patience

Giovanni

 

[fhturner]

first and foremost would my 2011 15" i7 16GB SSD MBPro be able to handle the 2.7K video files out of the camera?

Meant to reply a while back that your beefed up 2011 MBP15 should do reasonably well with the GoPro footage, although 1080p will probably work better than 2.7K, at least for editing native H.264 footage. Reason why is your 2011 has a Sandy Bridge CPU, the first gen to include Quick Sync for hardware H.264 acceleration, both encoding and playback. But it tops out at 1080p resolution for this. The 2012 Ivy Bridge can handle h.264 hardware acceleration up to 4K. So, you may want to transcode to ProRes anything larger than 1080p. Final Cut Pro X will do this for you nearly automatically, and iMovie might now too.

I will sure need a waterproof case (I live on an island and even tho summer is gone I look forward to next one to take it to a spin on a boat and underwater)

The last several GoPros are waterproof (at least to a certain depth), so probably go without case to get better sound and perhaps picture when possible.

 

[PVDHell]

Some MTB folks are getting really great results with a full face helmet and mounting the camera to the chin. Your head is a pretty good gimbal, and the hero7 black’s image stabilization takes care of the rest. I like this setup because it shows steepness of trail features better than a gimbal; and it also allows you to show how far into turns you are leaning too (gimbal levels these banked turns out too much).

 

[Giuanniello]

Thanks for your reply, MTB event is gone (and poorly gone since the bad weather in the days prior to our excursion kind of destroyed the trail where we were supposed to pedal), next, hopefully, a few days to ski but it's going to be in February and we got the body brackets or whatever you call it to hole the GoPro

Grazie