GoPro and mounts

[aj_mariner]

Recently purchased a GoPro Hero5 Session and just wanted to offer some intel for anyone else looking to do the same.

Why I chose the Hero5 Session:
It is very compact and allowed me to mount it under the helmet visor. I wanted to mount it under my visor because it is the most protected spot...aaaand maybe a little because that’s what Jarvis does. Plus I like that POV.
I do not need an LCD display. It is for filming my dirt bike adventures so I can share it with my girls in hope of sparking an interest in them. One great thing about the GoPro App is that it takes away the need for a display, since it can show you real time video feed. This allows you to check the camera angle before heading out, rather than having to record then download to check.
It’s very reasonably priced.

Battery: The Hero5 Session’s battery is not removable. You can’t just take it out, put it on a charging bank to recharge and put in a freshie to keep the camera rolling. Not horrible, keeps from having to spend extra money, and I can’t imagine trying to upload an hour long video anyways. An Apple plug to USB charger works just fine with the GoPro charging cord.

Mounts: The Hero5Session doesn’t come with much, but the “Helmet Front + Side Mount” will fill in the gap. It comes with a swivel mount and the extended fixed mount. I also purchased the “Low Profile Hemet Mount” thinking it would be the bomb but was not needed. The Front+Side mount comes with a swivel mount that has an extra piece if you want to mount to the side of your helmet. Remove the extra piece and you suddenly have the Low Profile Mount. Pictures are below.

GoPro Remote: I got this thinking that the voice controls on the Hero5Session would be crap, but are actually pretty good if the bike is quiet. The battery in this won’t last as long as the camera. WHAT?!? Yes. Unless you are using multiple cameras and want them to all start at the same time, don’t waste your money.

All in all, you can spend close to $260 (Hero5Session $200, Helmet Front+Side Mount $30, 32GB SanDisk Extreme Micro SDHC $20, Tempered Glass Screen Protectors $7)and start sharing your videos. If you wanted just the Hero Session, take another $50 off.

Regardless of which route you take, it’s always more fun watching the Beta vids, so please keep them coming.

1C892432-4D8E-4950-BEF1-2E0B0CA0C2BA.jpeg (116.13 KiB) Viewed 11150 times

Helmet Front Mount

B8DEC740-7333-4174-91F6-C7ECFF7039DA.jpeg (68.62 KiB) Viewed 11150 times

7608135B-0B32-471A-BC7A-3CDEA773D925.jpeg (75.77 KiB) Viewed 11150 times

Helmet Low Profile Mount, or Side Mount without the extra piece

A2E09FDF-4322-4254-8950-49363C965C7C.jpeg (70.4 KiB) Viewed 11150 times

[OscarFox]

I just picked up the same one. The proshot mount also works well and we'll protected. Because it sits in front of your mouth you can see it if it's on and when you talk it picks up the audio well.

[Dyrtmon]

Great info AJ, thanks

[aj_mariner]

Anytime. I started using the 1080P, 30fps, Wide. Increasing from 30fps to 60fps has helped make the video stabilization corrections more smooth/not as jumpy...but the battery life dropped to around 1hr 15min of continuous recording.

[Goatse]

I've got a GoPro session as well and the Hero 3 Black has sat in the drawer since.

I'm been meaning to get one of those chin mounts though. I don't like the forehead mount as it blocks vision, and current helmets are too edgy on the top to mount on the top. It also hooks too many trees if it's on the top as well.

[wwguy]

FWIW I've had the Pro Shot chin mount for my Hero 3+ for a few years now. I love the video perspective, voice pickup, ability to see the flashing "recording" light, and minimal contact with tree branches etc.

But I can't ride really tight technical terrain with it. In my normal heads-up riding position the camera's position blocks my view of the front tire and fender and a foot or two beyond. It's no problem on flat singletrack, but makes me feel seriously disoriented on narrow side-hill trails with significant vertical exposure. Fortunately the camera and/or Pro Shot mount are easy to remove. For that type of terrain I go back to mounting it on top of my helmet.

Here are a couple of videos where I can't ride with the Pro Shot chin mount:
https://vimeo.com/235235831
https://vimeo.com/192864640

But it works great for this:
https://vimeo.com/239925547

Here's the mount:

[aj_mariner]

The chin mount is a sweet POV for really feeling like you’re in the cockpit. I wonder if the Session would still block your view in tech terrain? For this time of year in the PNW, I have been surprised at how well the under visor mount keeps rain/water off the camera and blocking the view. When riding, I don’t usually think about cleaning off the camera lens...and don’t really want to. Might have to try the chin mount for summer

Edit: wwguy...those rides just made the “must do” list. Killer!

[Goatse]

With the forehead mount, where do you keep your goggles when you're not moving?

[aj_mariner]

With the forehead mount, where do you keep your goggles when you're not moving?

Loop em through my backpack chest latch

[enduroPNW]

I just mount mine upside down to the bottom of the visor and let the camera auto rotate the image. Seems to work and really doesn't mess with my field of vision to much. Just upgraded from the hero 4 to 6. The 6 has great electronic stabilitiaztion for smooth video.

20180504_113149-600x800.jpg (160.42 KiB) Viewed 10754 times