Nflight certainly works well
There’s some great knowledge on this thread! With the timescale available, looks like an ND 8-12 on the GoPro might achieve reasonable results without the option of a wing mounting. Maybe Cinematic or Nflight…
Indeed; global shutter cameras are discussed further up this thread.
Not sure about the CPU power reason… the data has still got to be shifted out of the sensor, at some given clock rate. I think the main reason the global shutter cameras need faster hardware is because their market is people shooting stuff like raw 8K video which is probably best part of a gigabit per second… and that has to be written to SSDs as it comes out.
Until we have global shutter cameras, this will always be something we’ll have to combat for propellers. Problem with making global shutter cameras is that they put enormous strain on processing power as they now have to capture every pixel at once, whereas todays cameras just captures a single row of pictures sequentially. There are a few global shutter cameras around, you can look for some off the smaller units from Blackmagic Design and Lumix (GX9) etc.
I recommend reading back up this thread.
The only way to fully remove the prop is a proper shutter, which no normal action cam has, and run it at something like 1/80 sec.
ND filters just absorb a load of light so the image is captured over a longer time, because the action cams usually run in an auto exposure mode. They have a fixed F number so as you reduce the light they first stay open for longer and when that option runs out of steam they wind up the ISO (which makes image noise).
I shoot at 50 or 60fps and it does nothing for the prop. The only way with an action cam (a semi-pro camcorder is impractical, especially for external mounting) is to mount it so it doesn’t see the prop, which on an SEP means far out on the wing. Then you get real quality. The current action cams are good for image quality, even if most distort a lot (and need geometric corrections in editing).
Also shooting at 4K is a waste of time in most cases. I have a 256GB SD card in the X3000 and it runs for about 8hrs on 1920×1080 HD at 50mbps which is really high quality video. But then I am not doing lens correction, because the X3000 doesn’t need it.
I am under the impression that you can run at 60fps and this would remove the prop? I currently have 128GB but may invest in 256GB memory as this will give me 60fps at 4K for 4 hours or so. Currently at 30fps and this doesn’t remove the prop.
Yes – crap pictures. There are ND filters available for all the GoPro models
GoPro Hero7 with prop filter?
Hi all,
I’m hoping the weather will be conducive to a Calvi trip late next week routing back via the GAFOR routes, and would like to get some footage from a GoPro. The intention would probably be to mount it on a suction pad on the aluminium coaming or similar, meaning a view through the propellor arc. The earlier GoPro’s had a prop filter which clipped on, but there is little mention made of use with the later GoPro’s. Can anyone offer any advice as to the likely outcome with/without out a filter?
Yes, exactly, the cam has a real physical iris, but you can achieve the same on a phone with some ND glass stuck on – setting aside depth of field issues which are irrelevant anyway for infinity subjects.
I think the implementation of the “shutter” is not the same, but I have no idea how. Funnily enough while the G10 at 1/80 made it vanish completely, the G40 at 1/80 doesn’t quite!
I need to do more investigation. The G10 was shooting at 25 or 30fps, the G40 was purchased purely because it does 50/60fps and that is perhaps the explanation. But neither does FilmicPro – see this post higher above.
Neither of these is convenient to carry. I sold the G10 on Ebay and bought the G40 at an “end of line” price, for special “jobs” which need the amazing stabilisation, the zero geometric distortion, natural colours…
Peter wrote:
but I am not convinced the “shutter” implementation is the same. I can’t get the prop to disappear in the same way. I am not sure if anyone here knows the detailed differences between a phone and a camcorder e.g. a Canon G10/G40.
Interesting question re. camcorder as the sensor would be larger meaning even more light enters the camera…. meaning you need even faster shutter. But surely the camcorder would have an iris to set an F-stop? This is territory that phones have only just wandered into with the S9 having dual aperture.
It’ll be telling to see whether Apple follows this trend…!
AeroPlus wrote:
set the shutter speed for VIDEO to 1/80th of e.g. 1/125 to let the propellor disappear. If there is too much light, then use (additionally) an ND filter to reduce the light that comes in.
Thx. for that video Peter. Amazing the prop completely disappears!
