• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

Camera/Film Equipment

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
Hi folks, I know Christian has experience with this (I hope he chimes in here) but I am wondering if anyone else has messed around with various types of camera/filming equipment to document their sailing adventures. I was considering something like a GoPro, mounted somehow to the backstay or pushpit, but there are a number of considerations like storage, battery packs, gimballed vs. non-gimballed, and so on. Just wondering if anyone has used anything successfully and, if so, has recommendations to share.

Thanks!
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
No firsthand personal experience, but I'd suggest checking out some of the more popular cruising video blogs in You Tube channels to get an idea of what the finished product might look like.
Newer models of GoPro are the stock in trade, with various flexible mounting devices on the boat, plus various hand-held sticks or 'worn' rigs (helmet cam, dinghy cam, etc).
... it all depends who your intended 'audience' is - friends and family? general You Tube audience? targeted audience (like one of the family/couple/solo You Tube sailing channels)

For high-end, artistic production, I'd suggest a You Tube channel called 'Sailing Uma'
A more basic version might be: Sailing Nandji
- both use multiple cameras (incl their phones) and drones
- they do good on-land and under water videos too

For a fun, light-hearted family example that looks like it's mainly for friends and family back home and not for 'click bait' on You Tube, try: Cruising Kiwis

For fairly basic production, but from a much more personal level of interaction with audience (mostly phone and GoPro, and a very little by drone (until it ditched in the sea)): Untie the Lines

For largely informational cruising videos (knowledgable, but very dry): Patrick Childress Sailing - SV Brick House

A pair of solo sailors doing it all at once:
For a very basic one-camera example (plus occasional phone shots), try: How to Sail Oceans
For a similar basic 'production' level, but done mostly in very challenging conditions: No Bullshit Just Sailing (NBJS)
- these two also use drones, but sparingly

There are lots and lots of other you tube sailing channels spanning the above 'production value' range from basic to virtually professional. Unfortunately (IMHO), many sailing channels are tarting up their weekly productions expressly to solicit Panteon donations (some more subtly than others) so they can fund their lifestyle. (e.g., Sailing Delos is among the worst in this respect)

Good luck - I'm sure it'll be fun and rewarding capturing your adventures!
 
Last edited:

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
All you need is a GoPro 5 or later model.

The late-model GoPro has remarkable stabilization, five digital lenses from standard to super wide, good low-light capability, and they are waterproof without need for an external case. 1080p HD, with many slo-mo options.

Thereʻs a chapter on cameras in "Philosophy of Sailing" but itʻs too long to attach.

I have lots of gear, the latest a 4K Sony NX80, but itʻs the GoPro that gets used the most.

The secret is camera mounts capable of attaching to one-inch rails and belowdecks surfaces. And wide-angle lens for interior shots (which GoPro has built in). "Slik Clamp 38" on the left for camcorders, and proprietary GoPro bendy mount.

Some notes on editing here. (And see "Comments")

mounts.jpg
 
Last edited:

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
That reminds me. A while back I bought a book called, "How to make video that doesn't suck." Haven't got around to reading it yet.

Have you noticed how young people seem to have this ingrained reflex to whip out their phones and start imaging any little thing that may or may not be happening? By the time that I even remember that my phone is a video camera, the moment has passed.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Turn on and off, although it will run for more than an hour in warm temps. Easy recharge USB on board. Typical memory card 2-3 hours of recording, depending on resolution.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
my phone is a video camera,

Yes, and a marvelous one at that. An iPhone is very high quality HD video, and stills can be made successfully from any frame of video.

The phone also includes basic editing features. It means videos can be made on the spot, without any change in settings or technical stuff. Features have been shot on iPhones ( https://variety.com/2018/film/news/unsane-tangerine-films-iphones-1202730676/

So today we have in our pocket the means to literally make history.

This wheel pilot demonstration was shot entirely on an iPhone. Lucky I didnʻt drop it overboard. Their big drawback is theyʻre hard to hold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzXkixctc74
 
Last edited:

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
I have Sony's version of the Go-Pro, various mounts, and have used it on a number of motorcycles and in airplanes. We regularly use GoPro type cameras in flight and lab tests.

The bottom line is that pushing the button is quite easy but the editing can take exponential hours beyond the actual shooting.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Some time back, I bought into the "Contour" ecosystem. At the time, it was a superior product to GoPro, but they lost the marketing war and have shut down and changed hands several times. One is never quite sure whether they are still in business. The web site doesn't seem to have been updated in years, but they did push out a software update last year, so that the cameras keep working with the latest phones. (They can use your phone as the viewfinder via Bluetooth, but also have a built-in laser pointer.) Sometimes they can be had quite cheaply - one might keep an extra unit on the boat. Then there are all of the dirt-cheap Chinese clones that may put GoPro and everyone else out of business...

One problem is that every time I think, "Hey, maybe this activity would make a good video," the batteries are not charged. I suppose that if one was really using the camera regularly, this problem would take care of itself. Perhaps I need to dedicate a large cabinet somewhere to be the "charging farm," and keep all the devices ready for action. The other big problem is that by the time I get done messing around setting up cameras, lighting, etc., and refamiliarize myself with the stuff, the afternoon is gone and there is no time left for "this activity." :rolleyes: Maybe this is something that will have to wait for retirement. Back in pre-mortgage days, I used to have great fun spending all day trying to photograph a lichen on a rock...
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
One problem...

I think the "batteries never charged" is a perfect use case for the phone being a great anytime camera replacement. On my phone (Pixel 2) I just double click the power button and it immediately opens the camera. Less than a half a second and I'm ready to point and shoot at whatever the activity is. I also try my best to not let the documentation of the activity become the activity itself, unless that was the plan in the first place :)

I also always have one of these with me, either in a backpack or stowed away in my other equipment:

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Charger-Anker-PowerCore-20100mAh/dp/B00X5RV14Y

Extremely good price for the utility and quality of this battery. It will get to a full charge overnight, and then I have a huge battery pack ready to charge my phone, camera, GPS, or anything else USB powered at least 4-5 times over. It's not pocket sized, but it fits in my bike bags and backpacks just fine. They also make smaller versions if size is a factor, or bigger ones if it isn't.
 

67rway

Member II
Go Pro

I regularly run a GoPro during our buoy races here in what's lovingly called 'the ditch'.

I began with it on the backstay, but found it captured more creaking/groaning/vibration from the rig than I could tolerate. Come to think of it, the crew would likely advise that I'm much like the backstay....

Since then I've mounted it in a number of different places (pedestal guard, stern pulpit, side of stern pulpit), but greatly prefer it's most common spot on a 6 ft pole mounted on the stern in a flag pole mount. It's just barely within reach off the stern, and does a pretty good job of capturing the action aboard. It never ceases to amaze me how many things I fail to notice during live action that I can glean in review. I think the crew were initially wary of being filmed, but by and large I use it for highlights.

Many, many times I wish the camera were somewhere else; capturing sail trim (each of them), on the bow at starts/roundings, for sets/takedowns, flying from a halyard above, and once every great while to show the action behind us. :cool:

Yeah, I need more cameras!
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Got Video--Now what?

The reason we bother with video is to make a record of family, selves and maybe the job at hand--taking apart a winch.

Now what?

The "footage" needs to be edited. Most our computers come with a free video editor. Windows: https://www.howtogeek.com/355524/how-to-use-windows-10s-hidden-video-editor/ Apple: iMovie, already installed.

"How to use" videos abound.

Now what?

The video has to be available to family, friends or this forum.

So, create a free account at Vimeo or YouTube. Upload the edited video there. That link can be sent by email to anyone. Or posted here, so we can see it.

Those sites host and store your video collection forever. They can be public, or "private," with a password you can share.
 
Last edited:

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
My dad surprisingly bought me a GoPro Hero 7 Silver for my birthday and a bunch of accessories, so looks like I'll get to start playing around with filming soon! How long is appropriate before I start asking for money on Patreon?

Hit like/subscribe!
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
My dad surprisingly bought me a GoPro Hero 7 Silver for my birthday and a bunch of accessories, so looks like I'll get to start playing around with filming soon! How long is appropriate before I start asking for money on Patreon?

Hit like/subscribe!

Just last night I started to realize that there is a whole range of questions, beyond the technical aspects, about which I have no clue! If you invite friends over for dinner, to whose channel should the video be posted? If you are invited to sail on someone else's boat, to whom should the "likes" accrue? Do these people have their kids scurrying around with clipboards and "model-release" forms everywhere they go?

FWIW, I have seen more than one video of people asking for money for things that they haven't done yet, much less filmed. Oh, wait. I guess that would be "Kickstarter or Gofundme." The Patreon model depends on actually doing something first.

And can someone please stop me from using the word "film" in regard to completely digital imaging?
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
And can someone please stop me from using the word "film" in regard to completely digital imaging?

I think until the "Save" icon stops being a floppy disk, we stop "bookmarking" websites, and move away from "copy and paste" being a standard digital process - you're clear to keep using "film" with impunity.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Congrats. Belowdecks, use any of the wide-angle digital lenses.

On deck, the edge distortion of wide angles gets off-putting, so I try to keep to "medium" at most. But the effect is sometimes marvelous, as:

https://youtu.be/XHuMtkYb4c4?t=41 (note the curved horizon, however; and folks will warn that you have en egregiously loose forestay)

Interior GoPro, fixed mount. Note that the boat moves in the frame. Sort of a "reverse" stabilization effect:

https://youtu.be/z5m9yT06Khg?t=182
 
Last edited:

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I think until the "Save" icon stops being a floppy disk, we stop "bookmarking" websites, and move away from "copy and paste" being a standard digital process - you're clear to keep using "film" with impunity.

At least people seem to have stopped saying "Shine the camera over here!" Perhaps because most of the people who said that have died.
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
First try with the GoPro yesterday, definitely need to practice figuring out when it's actually on and recording or not. I didn't get much footage of sailing, but DID get footage of the boat at the dock for 30 minutes, playing "french house" music from the speakers. Probably would be a decent "Slow TV" video, ha!

As an aside, we finished the move to Bainbridge Island where I will now be living. Saw two Ericsons on the move yesterday - including our Goosebumps rivals Maestrale! The video features some shouting back and forth in the locks, as well as me getting swept up in the post-locks current and doing a quick 180. Lesson learned for next time :)

There's another Ericson 6 or 7 boats down from me - nice to see so many of us in the area!

https://youtu.be/ZR84sjqDdk8

MVIMG_20190317_192856.jpg
 

Geoff W.

Makes Up For It With Enthusiasm
Blogs Author
Playing around some more...timelapse mode, downwind.

https://youtu.be/pTHhfO5v5SI

Unfortunately the Hero 7 Silver only has a widescreen angle mode, but I don't think that'll be a huge issue. It's mostly noticeable if I'm trying to walk around filming things with it like a camcorder.

Still trying to figure out a way to mount it to the rail best - I like the location but wouldn't mind it being 2-3 feet higher than it is. Might have to look at a flagpole type mount as someone mentioned earlier in the thread, or see if I can get a clamp to hold a selfie stick in place. Any ideas?
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
When I was outfitting the dinghy, I bought into the "Railblaza" system for mounting stuff. There are a lot of alternatives, but it seems to me that choosing a single system for all your aquatic stuff makes things easier. The "Ram-mount" ball-system is another good one. But the LED puck-lights I was shopping for came with Railblaza mounts. The interesting thing about Railblaza is that the socket is the same as a standard winch handle socket, so you've already got some of them! But the 1-inch ball mounts are pretty ubiquitous too. Anyway, the same mounting brackets that hold nav lights and the dive flag for the dinghy could hold a fishfinder, a camera, a drink-holder, or a fishing rod holder, etc. etc. So far I only have one - on the pushpit - on the mother ship.

Another element of video that I wish I had mastered is camera movement. There seem to be a lot of (expensive) systems for smoothly moving the camera. Someplace I've seen some shots made with one of those hand-held gyro-stabilizers that was apparently mounted onto a boat's rail. (Could probably do the same thing with a home-made pendulum.) It gave a better perspective of the motion of sailing. I also like the clever shot that "Delos" has in their intro sequence, with the camera mounted on a swinging spinnaker pole.
 
Top