17Nov Gopro Hero 3 Black edition could be the best price steady cam on the market.
If you’ve kept track of the updates to Premiere Pro CS6 you might remember that the Warp Stabilizer feature used previously in after effects is now built into Premiere. The Warp Stabilizer basically works by moving the video footage around to compensate for steady motion. One of the problems with this is that if you shot in 1080p and your final output is in 1080p. If that’s the case then the Warp Stabilizer has to upscale the footage to apply the effect. This causes the images to look soft and emphasize digital artifacts in your footage.
The Gopro Hero 3 black edition has the option to shoot at 2.7k (2716 x 1524) which gives you a large buffer for Warp Stabilizer to operate without the need to upscale your footage. Add to that the new cinema camera settings and you have the perfect image stabilization device that can easily be inter-cut with DSLR footage.
I know that in the specs for the Hero 3 Black edition it lists 4k as an option, but at 15 fps this probably wont be much use to video shooters. However the 2.7k 30p and 1080p 60p modes of this little camera as well as its $399 price tag should make it a very popular choice for more then just extreme sports.
I have the Hero 3 on order so expect more posts once it shows up at the end of the month. Once I’ve had a chance to test this out with the Warp Stabilizer feature I’ll post some examples of how well this thing actually works. Mount this to a set of handles and you’ll be good to go.
November 18th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Seems like it would be way too light to try and balance on a steadycam
November 18th, 2012 at 8:57 am
You wouldn’t need a steady can. Just add a small handle and use warp stabilizer.
November 18th, 2012 at 9:06 am
You could use this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/819624-REG/Steadicam_SMOOTHEE_GPROHRO_Smoothee_for_GoPro_HD.html
November 18th, 2012 at 10:48 am
I might give it a shot once the Gopro shows up. But I don’t think I’ll need any stabilizing if I use the warp stabilizer.
November 19th, 2012 at 12:18 am
Warp stabilizer is not perfect, sometimes it makes this weird wave/blur effect and it scew the image a bit
But mostly it does do his job amazingly
November 19th, 2012 at 8:32 am
If you play with it you can usually get those problems go away. If not you can always use the motion tracking feature in AE to get better control of things.
November 21st, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Can’t wait for your tests. GoPro 3 is a great small HD camera. Too bad I still have the first model but that’s ok.
November 21st, 2012 at 7:31 pm
I’m really looking forward to testing out the Hero 3, I also have the touch screen backpack on its way. From what I’ve seen so far it’s a great upgrade.
November 22nd, 2012 at 9:56 am
Oh yes, it’s definitely a great upgrade!