# GoPro Video and Helicopters



## expatinasia (May 7, 2013)

There are times when I would like to take a bird's eye view of something. Perhaps it is a building by a beach, or a gathering/event out in the open.

Of course scaffolding is one answer, but I was looking at remote controlled helicopters the other day and started wondering just how good they are at getting such video. I could attach a GoPro at the angle I desire and if I can learn to fly the thing, I should be able to get a few seconds of decent shots. At least that is the idea.

Has anyone tried this? Am I being delusional, or can it work?


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## paul13walnut5 (May 7, 2013)

It can work.

The ARDrone can be modified to take a Go-Pro, if you add the wi-fi back then you can see what the go-pro see's on your iphone.

You need an ARDrone and a kit from this guy:

http://etfett.net/product_info.php?products_id=55

All pretty modest cost, but pretty modest results (Ar Drone isn't that stable in higher winds, RC range isn't great)

You can spend thousands on a proper RC helicoptor with gyro mount and full RC for helicopter and camera settings. 

Safety, licensing, insurance are all issues depending on your region.

It can work. But there are degrees of how well. I wouldn't want to fly it over people lest it drop from the sky and nasty lawyers come and take all my cameras and my car away and my girlfriend leaves me and I end up on the streets.


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## Don Haines (May 7, 2013)

You could try things like the Parrot Airdrone 2, a quadricopter, built in HD video, and streams to a tablet.... why re-invent the wheel?

I have put my gopro up on a kite and up on a stunt kite. I lost coms on the kite at about 300 feet... but it was neat up till then. Of course, a quadricopter can aim the camera, my kite can not.


The stunt kite was a bit more interesting.... let's just say that if you need to produce unwatchable, nausea-inducing video, a stunt kite and a GoPro are the way to go....


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## ranger rob (May 7, 2013)

Look at the entry-level DJI Phantom. Lots of videos on net


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## expatinasia (May 8, 2013)

Thank you Paul, Don and ranger Rob. You have given me some ideas and I will be looking into your suggestions. Thanks.


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## tolusina (May 8, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> ...I have put my gopro .... up on a stunt kite. .....
> The stunt kite was a bit more interesting.... let's just say that if you need to produce unwatchable, nausea-inducing video, a stunt kite and a GoPro are the way to go....


Um, even if the results were unusable, that was a brilliant bit if innovative thinking. Kudos for thinking that up and giving it a go!!
---


expatinasia said:


> There are times when I would like to take a bird's eye view of something....


Google for quadcopter.
The learning curve to fly a quad is reported to be very short, unlike a helo.

What you are asking about has already been done by thousands.
There are lots of vendors and forums on the quad topic.

There a DIYs for building your own quad or buy one ready made, prices from a few hundred to several thousand.
GoPro use is common, so are DSLRs. 
There are radio controlled gimbal mounts for camera aiming, actual camera controls will be limited to WiFi range.

Er, dare I say, "The Sky is the Limit"?


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## Rienzphotoz (May 8, 2013)

Yesterday, I almost bought the Quadcopter+GoPro 3 but I ended up spending the money on Rokinon 24mm Tilt-Shift lens. I'll have to wait for some time before I can buy the Quadcopter+GoPro3


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 8, 2013)

Be sure to check regulations before you fly one. New laws are being passed almost every day restricting drones.
Privacy is a big concern, and lawsuits have already started to make lawyers rich.


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## Rienzphotoz (May 8, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Be sure to check regulations before you fly one. New laws are being passed almost every day restricting drones.
> Privacy is a big concern, and lawsuits have already started to make lawyers rich.


That was one of reasons that stopped me from buying the quad copter


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## expatinasia (May 8, 2013)

Thanks tolusina, Rienzphotoz and Mt Spokane Photography.



tolusina said:


> Google for quadcopter.
> The learning curve to fly a quad is reported to be very short, unlike a helo.



I almost wish I had not started this thread as now I have googled "quadcopter" and I am hooked, totally hooked!

For the money these seem to provide excellent quality, and while I am sure laws in Europe and the US are very strict (or getting stricter) here in Asia (especially some countries) it may take a while to catch up.

Of course, as Paul warned in an earlier post, there is always the danger of flying into someone, but I am sure with a bit of practice that this will become less and less likely.

The videos on YouTube etc are great. 

This is from DJI:

NAB - DJI GoPro Gimbal footage on Vimeo


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## Chris Geiger (May 10, 2013)

I currently use a Hero 3 on my helicopter. It's fun and works for some projects but I am wanting higher quality results. I recently purchased a Sony NEX 5n. It has an APC sensor and is less than 300 grams with a 16mm lens so it is light enough to fly.

Here is a wedding proposal I shot a few weeks ago with the GoPro and Keychain camera on my helicopter.

Alamo Square- Wedding Proposal


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## distant.star (May 10, 2013)

.
Like the guy in that one vid, I screw my Powershot S95 onto a monopod, extend it fully -- and instantly I'm 12-feet up in the air. Obviously, it's not comparable to a hovering vehicle, but it can be useful for interesting angles and overcoming some visual obstacles.


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## Quasimodo (May 10, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> I currently use a Hero 3 on my helicopter. It's fun and works for some projects but I am wanting higher quality results. I recently purchased a Sony NEX 5n. It has an APC sensor and is less than 300 grams with a 16mm lens so it is light enough to fly.
> 
> Here is a wedding proposal I shot a few weeks ago with the GoPro and Keychain camera on my helicopter.
> 
> Alamo Square- Wedding Proposal



Both my wife and I enjoyed this video tremendously. Thank you


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## tolusina (May 10, 2013)

expatinasia said:


> ......
> I almost wish I had not started this thread as now I have googled "quadcopter" and I am hooked, totally hooked!......


Indeed! Fires the imagination right up, doesn't it?
--- 
Regarding various restrictive or/and prohibitive laws, I read somewhere that one way around such laws is to tether the craft to the ground as the craft is no longer 'unmanned'.

Of course a tether will add weight, the lifting capacity of the craft will need to be increased to compensate.
And, obviously, the totally free flying capabilities will be greatly reduced.
Still, even tethered close, many creative possibilities remain within the unusual perspectives still possible.
The actual tether could be as simple as kite string (oops, string broke, it got away, sorry officer) or how about CAT5 cable for tethered control of the camera to a PC?

I can think of many applications where a tether would be undesirable, such as outdoor athletic events like foot/bicycle races and the like, how cool would that be to follow the leaders along a course?

Still, if local laws prohibit such use, work within those laws, best possible.





.


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## expatinasia (May 11, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> I currently use a Hero 3 on my helicopter. It's fun and works for some projects but I am wanting higher quality results. I recently purchased a Sony NEX 5n. It has an APC sensor and is less than 300 grams with a 16mm lens so it is light enough to fly.
> 
> Here is a wedding proposal I shot a few weeks ago with the GoPro and Keychain camera on my helicopter.



Thanks for sharing the video, Chris. It just goes to show what can be accomplished with such a toy.

When you say you want higher quality results, what do you feel the Sony NEX 5n offers you over the GoPro which has the advantage of being weather proof (I believe) and perhaps more shock/crash proof?

It is something I would only use for a few seconds worth of video, but it just adds something quite unique to a project.


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## Hobby Shooter (May 11, 2013)

I don't know much about the different models you're talking about, but will look up and rad about it. I just wanted to share this that I saw last year. It's in Cambodia and a French photographer was filming video for the resort's homepage. This cool chopper had a G12 attached underneath it. When I saw it I felt that I needed one, wouldn't know what to do with it, but it was cool.


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## TexPhoto (May 11, 2013)

DJI Phantom GPS GoPro Flying Platform is actually made for just for this. With GPS hover and one button return to home, its probably going to take 3 flights to loose it, not 2.

HeliPal.com - DJI Phantom GPS GoPro Flying Platform


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## Chris Geiger (May 11, 2013)

For aerial video the Hero 3 is a good starting point. The video quality is ok especially for just playing around. The Hero 3 is not a good choice for aerial photos. I don't have a way to switch the camera from taking video to taking stills. With the Sony NEX 5N I can switch between photos and video from the ground with the flip of a switch on my transmitter, through an LED remote sitting in front of the camera. With the Hero I can grab stills from the video, but I can get a much higher quality photos from the APS C sensor in the Sony in both still and video modes. There is also a lot of fisheye with the hero that becomes distracting. 

I believe putting a good quality camera in the air has some interesting possibilities such as real estate work, I've also does a few large group photos from the air. There is some question as to how legal it currently is in the US, but Obama has given a directive to the FAA to formally allow drones for commercial use in the USA by 2015. Currently most other countries around the world allow for drone use on commercial work. Many of the tv and movie shots are now being done using these types of small RC helicopters. 

Here is a photo of helicopter I am using now...


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## Don Haines (May 12, 2013)

I know it's a lot lower-tech...... but as long as the wind is blowing you can put a GoPro up on a kite.... you have no control over what it is pointing at, but sometimes you get lucky.

P.S. The lady in the yellow coat is the one who will not let me send her 5D2 and L-glass up a kite  I'm in the beige sweater on the right.


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## Chris Geiger (May 12, 2013)

For kite video and photos, I would use an 808 Keychain camera. Quality is a bit lower than the gopro but hey are only $40 and weigh just 18 grams.


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## rpt (May 12, 2013)

Take a look at this link for pics with cameras on kites.
http://digital-photography-school.com/61-amazing-kite-aerial-photography-images


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## expatinasia (May 12, 2013)

Thanks everyone, I am definitely going to be looking into this a lot more. It just seems like such a great way of getting a few seconds of unique HD video footage.



Chris Geiger said:


> There is also a lot of fisheye with the hero that becomes distracting.
> 
> Here is a photo of helicopter I am using now...



I had not noticed the fisheye effect on the Hero until you mentioned it, but it is very clear in the DJI video that TexPhoto posted.

Using a kite is obviously the cheaper option but I do not see them as a realistic option (for me at least) as there is less control and quite likely to be more buffeting from the wind etc. Nice idea though. 

Thanks.


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## eml58 (May 12, 2013)

Chris Geiger said:


> For aerial video the Hero 3 is a good starting point. The video quality is ok especially for just playing around. The Hero 3 is not a good choice for aerial photos. I don't have a way to switch the camera from taking video to taking stills. With the Sony NEX 5N I can switch between photos and video from the ground with the flip of a switch on my transmitter, through an LED remote sitting in front of the camera. With the Hero I can grab stills from the video, but I can get a much higher quality photos from the APS C sensor in the Sony in both still and video modes. There is also a lot of fisheye with the hero that becomes distracting.
> 
> I believe putting a good quality camera in the air has some interesting possibilities such as real estate work, I've also does a few large group photos from the air. There is some question as to how legal it currently is in the US, but Obama has given a directive to the FAA to formally allow drones for commercial use in the USA by 2015. Currently most other countries around the world allow for drone use on commercial work. Many of the tv and movie shots are now being done using these types of small RC helicopters.
> 
> Here is a photo of helicopter I am using now...



Hi Chris, I noticed the Helicopter has "Graupner" on the Props, but I dont see this model on their web site at all, do you have a link.

Love the video, I can just see flying this around a Group of Lions, carefully.


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## Chris Geiger (May 12, 2013)

Graupner is no longer manufacturing props. They were good props but expensive. DJI (they make the frame, motors and flight computer) has a history of making cheap props that fail in flight resulting in many crashes. DJI recently released a new, 1038 prop that is both flexible and strong. You can bend them and they don't snap. They are also easy to balance. They only cost $3 each and I have been really happy with them. In flight failure seems to have been resolved with this prop. They are working every bit as good as the Graupners were.

Another thing DJI has done is provide new software for the Naza motor controller. With the new 3.01 software loaded if a single motor or prop fails (6 and 8 rotor configurations only), the controller will still allow for a controlled landing. With intelligent orientation turned on it is also possible to bring the helicopter back to home before landing.


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