Alternative to marvelous Buccaneer 24

Rig erected on Sid again, hoop la, as Jacques would say, sailing tomorrow ... plus I have new Gopro for videos.

Sailed yesterday on the black skimmer, freshening winds and decent waves off West harbour; surfing into the backs and burying the reverse bow, later, beating home, put in two reefs in the forard cat rig sail; back in Cox's in short time.

 

Looking forwards to seeing videos of all your boats?! Fancy doing a walkaround and description with the camera in hand?

 

Oh my, I yearn for video of the Skimmer sailing - especially upwind, in a stink! Just saying what my heart feels - sad to be in love with a boat that's so far away .

 

Skimmer

========
That's at least two of us!

 

Short clips on Sid, sailing in very light airs on Waitemata. Plus a walkaround on mooring.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=807054722645033&set=vb.100000215378671&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=807071772643328&set=vb.100000215378671&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=806645392685966&set=vb.100000215378671&type=2&theater

 

Nice tease Gary!

 

=======================
11 seconds! Come on man-after waiting 5 years only 11 seconds! Taint fair...
Stunning boat, man..
Don't forget the Skimmer video-for some reason that boat is really under my skin... Your public awaits-you have to become a videographer!

 

Have to figure downloading and not using too much memory so as to post here, hence going to facebook first. But there has to be another way; the originals are long sequences. Bit of a Luddite with Gopro that I am.

 

----------------
Are you saying you have to go to facebook for something like a 3-5 minute video-won't it work directly to youtube? Maybe there is something I'm not getting? There are numerous 4+ minute you tube videos posted around here?
I'm interested because I'm going to be taking a bunch of go pro video before too damn long, I hope. Need to try to learn about the thing from you....
With my other camera I just go directly to my youtube page and upload-can that not be done with the go pro?

 

I'm downloading to Utube ... but this site will only handle 10 megs - but I'm obviously ignorant of correct process, maybe using a high memory application. I'll improve, let you know my mistakes as I get sorted.

 

Gary, Depending on what settings you have programmed into the GoPro, it's probably producing hi-res video, which is BIG file size.

Maybe look for a video editing program that can enable you to reduce the file size for web posting and YouTube uploads, but still keep the hi-res large files for other uses?

Screen res is 72dpi if that helps. So any more than that is unecessary for online video.

There are quite a few shareware and feeware vido editing programs out there. Google is your friend.

 

Thanks Buzzman, sounds like advice arrived at from experience (the one that counts). Must say the quality of image on facebook is very average compared to original. Will do some homework. Cheers.

 

.

That is a very beautiful wake off the stern, Coxcreek!

If I weren't so terribly far away, I'd show up on a motorboat with a video camera, and do the video you deserve, more adequately than can be done with a GoPro.

A GoPro mounted on the boat/one's head is not usually that interesting for more than a few seconds. Have you seen how skiers use the GoPro mounted at the end of a ski pole while going downhill? That gives far better images. If there was a way for you to mount the GoPro at the end of a 2 meter pole, off the stern/off the windward side/ahead of the bow, then you might get some nice stuff. The widest-angle fisheye setting on the GoPro distorts things too much and I don't like it (but images look more stable on account of the wide angle).

I particularly like mounting the camera off the stern, so it shows the entire boat and where you're going, kind of like a bird's eye view from behind the boat.

A friend in a motorboat with a camera (or even an iPhone, which video functions very well) is something you might try. If he stays 20-30 ft from the boat on your quarter/to leeward/to windward, then those shots will probably be better than anything the onboard camera can do. Any further away and the boat will fill less of the frame without zooming, and zooming from a moving boat usually gives an very unstable picture.

Something else people often do (which should be avoided) is have the camera stationary in one place (on a dock or boat) while they sail back and forth past it.

Perhaps someone in you acquaintance has a newer video camera? I use a newer Sony with 'Balanced Optical Steady Shot', which is an amazing feature where the lens itself moves inside the housing, to stabilize the image. You can hand-hold such a camera and get video just as good as what used to require vastly more expensive equipment.

 

Thanks Blackburn, good suggestions. Thought of mounting camera on stern - but it is very low to water; might be interesting for only a few seconds. Alao end of boom, mounted slightly to one side might be interesting for a semi-fixed position. Or on the pivot point of cockpit tiller position. So far I've just waved my hand and arm around. Agreed, the almost fish eye image is too extreme. Can be changed apparently. I'll work on it. Cheers.

 

Did you see the video Thomas Quoville did last week on the way home (it's found on the tracker page), near the Brazil coast? A few seconds of it is from the little camera permanently mounted off the stern, but that is a low-resolution camera unfortunately.

You have room on that stern to make a good bracket for a camera pole, behind the rudder, if I recall.