14 replies to this topic

[jgharding]

Novo Digital Camera have created a custom housing for GoPro 3 that lets you fit C-Mount lenses and even disable auto exposure using a custom CPU!

 

Pretty cool huh?

 

Apparently it's pretty complex (and thus we can assume expensive to make) so it won't be a product to buy, but they will be hiring them out. 

 

Just goes to show how far you can go with a mod if you have the expertise...

 

More info here: http://www.viewfactor.net/blog/?p=331

[sanveer]

Wow. Now we have GoPro Cameras, at the rental prices of C300s and C500s, or maybe even REDs. Also, I am guessing, there is a noticeable increase in size, and ease of use. Isn't this defeating the very purpose of the GoPro. Namely, the advantage of the form factor, and the price?

[richg101]

Very nice!  

[Frankencam]

Hey, you can build your own...this isnt that hard to do!

 

http://www.indiegogo...amera-prototype

 

My fundraiser aims to put that same tech into OUR hands...and all the parts are easily procured!

[Kasper Mols]

Cool! Should be a brilliant B cam for 720p 120fps now!

[jgharding]

Wow. Now we have GoPro Cameras, at the rental prices of C300s and C500s, or maybe even REDs. Also, I am guessing, there is a noticeable increase in size, and ease of use. Isn't this defeating the very purpose of the GoPro. Namely, the advantage of the form factor, and the price?

 

It's addressing several issues with the GoPro 3 design, namely fixed lens and locked exposure, while maintaining the original benefits: tiny size, high resolution and wireless operation.

 

There is a section of the market that will be happy to pay a lot more to have such a tiny camera capturing high-speed footage on set with these extras. The section of the market isn't large enough right now for GoPro to address it directly, so this third-party adaptation bridges the gap. I'm sure it'll be quite popular on movie sets.

[ScreensPro]

The 2.7K mode is no better than GH2 1080p, in fact, far worse (to my eyes at least)... How small do you need a camera?

 

I applaud them for trying though, and it may be great if GoPro 4 goes proper 4K with cineform raw.

[sanveer]

It's addressing several issues with the GoPro 3 design, namely fixed lens and locked exposure, while maintaining the original benefits: tiny size, high resolution and wireless operation.

 

There is a section of the market that will be happy to pay a lot more to have such a tiny camera capturing high-speed footage on set with these extras. The section of the market isn't large enough right now for GoPro to address it directly, so this third-party adaptation bridges the gap. I'm sure it'll be quite popular on movie sets.

 

See, I feel, the idea would be gr8, if they could keep the prices down, and availability wasn't an issue. 

 

 

 

Hey, you can build your own...this isnt that hard to do!

 

http://www.indiegogo...amera-prototype

 

My fundraiser aims to put that same tech into OUR hands...and all the parts are easily procured!

 

Dude, $4000??? How do you plan to fund anything, out of that. I am guessing, even the spare will cost more than $4000.

[Zach]

I have to ask why? Its approaching RX100 size now and I think those are far more useful for sports 

[sanveer]

Harding (may I call you y that name?), I think, it would be a gr8 idea, if there were Simpler accessories for the GoPro Hero Black Edition.

 

They could push up the lens, from its present f2.8. They could sell f2, f1.4, and f1.0 (or f.95)  lenses separately. If some accessory maker, could find a way to install a faster lens, easily, for each kind of shoot, that would be gr8. That could help, with the Night, Indoors, as well as the High Speed Shots.

 

Also, I may be wrong, but, I am guessing, that, the Auto Exposure, could be disabled, through a Magic Lantern kind of hack, instead of installing a CPU, for that.

 

What do you think?

[BurnetRhoades]

Wow. Now we have GoPro Cameras, at the rental prices of C300s and C500s, or maybe even REDs. Also, I am guessing, there is a noticeable increase in size, and ease of use. Isn't this defeating the very purpose of the GoPro. Namely, the advantage of the form factor, and the price?

 

With their ever increasing improvements internally what's keeping these from the "next level" is the plastic lenses they shoot through.  I'm going to assume, though they don't say here, that they've completely removed the stock lens and they're focusing the C-Mount straight onto the chip.

 

The biggest advantage, for professionals using these (and there are a lot of them), is the size.  This only extends the lens.  The body is still basically disposable and weighs practically nothing.  Even the cheapest C-Mount is likely going to deliver an infinitely better picture than what it comes with stock for the BestBuy markets.

 

This is for shows like SOUTHLAND and movies using these for stunts that want footage that cuts even better with their normal gear that can't go where these can.  This can likely replace car rigs that some DPs are using 5Ds for, because they don't care for the cheap lens and auto-exposure of the GoPros as-is.  Even in this form it makes a 5D look bloated.  

 

They do need to come, at the factory, with an exposure lock though. 

[Frankencam]

Yeah if go pro did this it would become instant gold. They just need to build a superflat profile into the camera. "Faux Raw"

[Bruno]

They just need to build a superflat profile into the camera. "Faux Raw"

 

It already has the Technicolor Cinestyle profile, and it shoots cineform raw, what do you mean?

[Frankencam]

I wasn't aware that the RAW recording was at a 24 or 30 fps rate...I thought that it was lower. And I thought that it was relegated to the timelapse function. I also thought that the cineform RAW was basically a transcoding that happened in protune, but that did not actually create the same quality of footage as a native raw recording. I'm checking their site to see if that's the case or not. It does say that the camera (the 399 version) tops out at 45 mbps, and that seems a little low for true raw recording. I'd love to be wrong...I think these are great cameras.

[Frankencam]

I had overlooked the technicolor profile...thanks for pointing that out!