[smackdaddy]

Okay...so this whole "sailing advice" thing seems to be skewed toward lonely, bitter old dudes. There are certain things that this sorrowful demographic just won't (can't possibly) know.

So, when it comes to sailing in cool new ways, there is a great body of knowledge in the punks of CG2.

This is the thread for that. I'll start...

 

[smackdaddy]

In terms of sound quality, the Hero sucks. What's the best action HD cam out there that can actually grab good audio (not the tinny Hero sound, not the wind-blasted-killed-audio cam, etc.).

I've looked at everything from the Hero to the Ion. I need something better.

 

[Classic30]

Okay...so this whole "sailing advice" thing seems to be skewed toward lonely, bitter old dudes. There are certain things that this sorrowful demographic just won't (can't possibly) know.

Wow, Smack.. I've not heard you describe yourself like that before. Bad day at the office, huh?!?

 

[smackdaddy]

Wow, Smack.. I've not heard you describe yourself like that before. Bad day at the office, huh?!?

Great day at the office, actually! I just made tens of thousands today! But who cares?

Let's just call it - reality.

When the ongoing conversation is continually about paper charts and wooden boats...I get very bored. Very.

I'm much more interested in sailing in 2015+. Not 1750. I guess it's just the way I roll.

Any advice on the HDcam?

 

[Classic30]

Great day at the office, actually! I just made tens of thousands today! But who cares?

Let's just call it - reality.

When the ongoing conversation is continually about paper charts and wooden boats...I get very bored. Very.

I'm much more interested in sailing in 2015+. Not 1750. I guess it's just the way I roll.

I know you're not the only one here like that.. each to their own, I say.

Any advice on the HDcam?

Only that the GoPro Hero3+ Black seems to be the current pic of the bunch... but you're never going to get good non-wind-blown audio using the internal mic. It simply is not designed for that.

What you need to do is pick a camera with good video quality and an external mic connection, buy a good quality one with a windsock and mount it appropriately.

Just to prove I'm not completely the old 1750's fuddy-duddy you might think I am, here's a YT clip I found that might be of some help:

 

[PaulinVictoria]

You could record the audio track separately and then mix it back in during post-production. What kind of thing are you trying to record?

 

[SailRedemption]

Ultimate GoPro Mics:

My GoPro Rig Setup - GoPro Tip #154:

 

[Tenoch]

Just a quick little rant here....I F'ING HATE GO-PROS! Sure I see the appeal of an HD camera that any 'radical' dude with little or no actual photography skills, or even the most rudimentary eye for composition, can strap to his skate board helmet, surfboard nose, or backstay, and show how 'extreme' he is through some f'd up fish-eye lens....oh, and why not throw in a sh*tty under-water sounding mic while your at it...since your just going to add some crappy sound track to it anyway....

If I sound like a lonely bitter old dude, so be it. But I work in television, and go-pros and their distorted #$&*@ shots are the bane of my existence.

 

[paikea]

Ah Tenoch, you don't sound at all a lonely bitter old dude. Of course it is frustrating to feel like your skills and knowledge are become obsolete.

I have to agree, for what smackdaddy needs, which is documenting a personal time and adventure, the GoPro might be his best option, which indeed can be combined with a separate mic and then put all together later. That is, if he needs a hands free camera.
If not, there are other options, but these are not hands free (especially on a sailboat).

 

[FirstCandC]

We bought the 3+ and it is pretty neat. But it has taken this lonely bitter old dude a while to figure it out. I have a hard time getting the blue light to stop blinking. I spent an hour cursing at it last weekend. Apparently the wifi works even when the camera is off?
What ever happened to the old Polaroids?

 

[capecodda]

Smack, DUDE, I'm a lot older than you and have a GoPro.

I get RADICAL OMG shots of sailing. Clamp it on the stern rail on a windy day. Watch it later and feel like you're there. Chest mount also way cool on the boat. Clamp it on a boat hook and drop it down to wave level.

Yea, sound sucks...who needs sound...add some RAD TUNES!

Sail on DUDE!

 

[capecodda]

SO, here's one for old DUDEs with new tech.

My buddy can't get an internet connection from his boat. He puts his phone in a waterproof container, sets it up in hot spot mode, hoists it up on the main halyard. Up there, he gets a cell phone data connection which is relayed to everyone on deck. Happy day's all the dudes on deck surfing away.

SICK!

 

[SVAuspicious]

SO, here's one for old DUDEs with new tech.

My buddy can't get an internet connection from his boat. He puts his phone in a waterproof container, sets it up in hot spot mode, hoists it up on the main halyard. Up there, he gets a cell phone data connection which is relayed to everyone on deck. Happy day's all the dudes on deck surfing away.

 

[KiteRider]

Bitter old guy here,

Why do you want to film yourself getting lost when the GPS fails and hitting the dock when the bow thruster isn't working?

Just kidding, carry on with your gadgetry.

 

[MobiusALilBitTwisted]

Turn the wifi off button on lower left side looking at it, or leave it on and use your smart phone with the gopro app as your remote. Still learning mine as well

 

[paikea]

Good lord, what's with the "bitter old guys and dudes" all over this thread?
I am starting to feel depressed.

Come on, we need a chorus on "I am the strongest wisest dude on the parking lot"!
And I forgot to mention that the parking lot was empty.

(ok I probably lost you with that one, just another saying from my country)

 

[Ajax_MD]

I use a Polaroid XS100 action cam.

It's waterproof, doesn't need a "box" for protection. It's cylindrical in shape. It came with all the brackets, straps, bits and bobs you could need to mount it to nearly anything.

The mic is adequate, but I've noted that hardware noises like winches or the engine, transmit through the pulpit into the camera.

Decent battery life, I think it holds up to a 32GB memory chip.
I've recorded a lot of my racing footage, but I sail a 4ktsb, so it's not exactly "gripping stuff". I use technology, I singlehand a lot, I fly a symmetric kite by myself, so I'm busier than a one-legged man in an a## kicking contest. Like some others here, I've ventured into the Atlantic, alone. I guess that's not rad or extreme enough. I'm cynical sometimes, but not bitter.

I get that you are tired of talking to Westsail-sailing Luddites, but I'm not exactly sure what are you looking for? Maybe you need to buy a Moth and go foiling with the 20-something crowd?

 

[ianjoub]

On the racing motorcycles, we put a small piece of duct tape over the mic hole. It virtually eliminates the wind noise but sill allows audio capture.

 

[Maine Sail]

Call me old but I bought the top of the line GoPro last June, (2013) pulled it from the box, used it once and it has been sitting in my office, like a NordicTrac, collecting dust.... The user interface of that product SUCKS...

No real-time video display via my cell app? C'mon...... Christ sake I can Face Time with buddies in New Zealand and Manila and Phuket in real-time but my GoPro less than 3' away from my phone can't..... The sound does suck too....

How about some instructions for us old dudes who don't have the time to futz with getting the GoPro to work simply and intuitively....

Going back to knitting some baggy wrinkles and polishing my Sextant....

 

[smackdaddy]

Bitter old guy here,

Why do you want to film yourself getting lost when the GPS fails and hitting the dock when the bow thruster isn't working?

Just kidding, carry on with your gadgetry.

Now that's funny.

This is what I love about SN. Just for kicks I started the same thread over on CF. Not a single reply.