Post Magazine

December 2017

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www.postmagazine.com 37 POST DECEMBER 2017 REVIEW would show the difference between the two stabilizations, compared to a gim- bal-stabilized camera. The results were interesting. There is no doubt that the stabilization is considerably improved from the older stabilization, and has added roll stabi- lization. You still get little jerky move- ments when the camera is bumped too much, likely when you reach the edge of the five percent buffer area, where it does a three-frame transition to re-center the motion. so you don't get that ultra smooth motion of a gimbal. But, if you aren't attached to a hard mount, and instead use your arm as a stabilizer, and try to walk smoothly, you get a look that is hard to distin- guish from a gimbal stabilizer. ZOOM I have wanted a zoom option for GoPro cameras for years, and the company finally added it — kind of. When I read Touch Zoom, I thought this would work like the zoom on your phone's camera, but I couldn't figure out how to use it. It turns out, it isn't a pinch zoom like I was hoping for, it is a slider-based zoom that is accessed in your FOV menu, and is only available in some modes, like 2.7K Linear and Wide, but not Superview. In fact, the entire FOV options have changed, so Narrow and Medium don't exist any more, but are replaced by Linear and Wide with zooms. This is a good thing, though, because they zoom to tighter than the Narrow option, and you have the zoom option in the very useful Linear mode, which is undistort- ed. It looks to me to be a 2X zoom, so it's a decent zoom, and gives you the equivalent of a narrow FOV in 2.7K, which didn't exist on the Hero5. The only disappointing aspect is that you can't zoom while recording. CODECS AND CAVEATS There is also a change in codecs for some of the higher quality modes, which now use HEVC, or H.265 for those unfamiliar with HEVC. This is a more efficient codec than H.264 (MPEG4), but also requires consider- ably more processing power, and will not play back on anything but the newest mobile devices and operating systems. It requires OS11 on the Mac side, and Windows 10 on the PC side. So, there is a caveat. At the same time, something like this was necessary to be able to handle 4K/60 and 2.7K/120 without going to really high data rates, which would affect memory card capacity, and would probably require faster memory. HERO6 IMPRESSIONS The Hero6 has superior dynamic range, doubled frame rates, stabilization in 4K, much better stabilization, zoom in linear mode (though not while recording), HDR photo capabilities and HEVC. It produces really good images. I really like the Hero6 and I definitely think it is worth the extra $100, but if someone asked me if they should sell their Hero5 to get a Hero6, that would entirely depend on their need for the advanced capabilities, as well as how powerful their computer or smart- phone is. So, for professionals, I would say definitely. For your average consum- er, not necessarily. LITTLE THINGS There are a few smaller differences that are also of interest: Superwide in 4K, Wake on Voice command, Minimum ISO setting, ISO 100, 200 and 300. There's also 5GHz WiFi for 3X faster transfers. And added accelerometer and gyroscope to compliment the GPS so you can display more gauge info in Quik. A QUICK LOOK AT FUSION & KARMA DRONE I only got to play with the Fusion a little bit, but I'm really excited about this new 360-degree camera. It has two cameras — one on the front, and one on the back — each of which shoots 210 degrees, so there is overlap. It does live stitching, so you can view it on your phone, and aim your phone in different directions to see the entire 360-degree view. So, it captures everything, but what is really cool about it, is Over Capture, which allows you to use your phone to frame the action you want to export, and follow the action while you play back the recorded 360-degree video. What that means is, you get unlimited tries to perfectly follow the action of the shot, in post. It's kind of a 'set it up and don't worry about it' approach to filming. Just put the camera where it will capture all of the action, and you act as the camera operator when you watch the video back, using your phone as the monitor to follow the action whichever way you move the phone. I honestly can't wait to add this to my camera arsenal. Now, lets get into the changes with the Karma Drone. Finally GoPro has added Follow Me functionality to the drone, in two varieties, Mimic and Leash. The Follow Me function works by locking onto the controller's location. In Mimic mode, it makes the same movements as the drone operator. This is useful, if you want the Karma to track beside you, or even lead you. It's very simple, you just set up where you want the drone in relation to you, and then tell it to follow you. It requires you to have the Karma at least 50-feet or so off the ground, I presume to avoid obstacles. In leash mode, the drone will drop behind you. So, if you start with it in front of you, it will allow you to cross under it, and it will then follow behind you. This is really useful because it will follow your path, keeping you in the frame. It has some other cool features like Watch Me, which might be really useful in situations where you don't want the drone to move, but you want it to follow your actions. They also now allow you to point the camera up 15 degrees above the horizon, which opens up more op- tions for more dynamic shots. ADVANCED CABLE CAM But by far, the most useful addition in my experience, is a drastically VITAL STATS MANUFACTURER: GoPro PRODUCT: Hero6 Black PRICE: $499.00 WEBSITE: www.gopro.com • Double frame rates on all modes down to 1080 • Improved stabilization • Higher dynamic range BY HEATH FIRESTONE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR FIRESTONE STUDIOS, LLC DENVER, CO FIRESTONESTUDIOS.COM

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