Key new enhancements include a C-mount lens system with back focus adjustment, which allows for extreme macro shooting. In addition, the Novo offers exposure control capabilities that open up a wide-range of artistic possibilities for cinematographers and camera operators. An internal CPU interfaced to the camera permits users to disable the auto exposure feature and then adjust the aperture manually via the lens. This feature gives a cinematographer the control to set a desired exposure and stops.

The lightweight aluminum housing itself is 20% thinner than the GoPro Hero3 and includes three 1/4-20 and two 10-32 mounting points. Also, four buttons on the front (REC, PWR, WiFi & AUX) are assignable to several functions depending on the application. The Aux button turns the auto exposure on/off, but in the near future will also be utilized for other functions, such as digital zoom, a tool to check critical focus.

And the Novo offers these added features while retaining the key functionality and accessories of the GoPro Hero3, such as the LCD touch screen, power backpack and WiFi connectivity for wireless camera control.

The Novo addresses the needs of cinematographers without compromising the power and versatility of the most advanced GoPro ever.

Like the GoPro Hero3: Black Edition, the Novo is capable of capturing cinema-quality video at 2X the resolution and 2X the frame-rate of previous models while delivering 2X better low light performance – 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second, plus the ultra-high resolution 2.7KP-30 fps and 4KP-15 fps video modes.

Info:

http://www.radiantimages.com/index.php/cameras/hd-beyond/gopro/712-novo

It started out as a little test of my new toy, the GoPro Hero 3. Just wanted to see how good it would hold up. Then I decided to make a little short film, as I really liked what I saw ;-)

Shot entirely on the GoPro Hero 3 in 2.7k 24p and 1080p protunes mode. I find it amazing how far you can push the grade to get a cinematic looking image. This is a 399 USD camera after all! Download the 1080p file and have a look if you like.

Music by Seu Jorge and Almaz, Everybody loves the Sunshine (available on iTunes)

3D Rig:

Shoulder Rig:

Test video 1:

1080p60, Narrow FOV, Protune, CamRAW WB

Neat Video, Magic Bullet Looks, a little Shadow/Highlight to recover the clouds

Here's a frame without 3D for reference:

Gotta say, I LOVE the dynamic range on these cameras! Unless you're shooting something really dark, all but the brightest highlights (ie. the sun) can almost always be recovered in post. There doesn't seem to be much of an issue recovering shadows under most conditions, either. Of course, you'll need to use noise reduction on more serious shadow lifting. I find Neat Video invaluable for heavy processing, as it will remove blocking on smooth areas once you start pushing the limits.

Rig Setup:

Pretty simple, actually. For the 3D part, I got a pair of macro sliders, tore off the rubber surface grip for the bottom piece, removed one of the mounts for use as the top piece, used a 1/4-20 hex standoff to link them together, and slid the GoPros inside. The tension holds them in place perfectly, and the gap from no grip lets me perfectly align the cameras in parallel. The only downfall of this one is that things 5ft or closer tend to hurt the 3D effect, since the lenses are spaced around 3" or so apart. If you're focusing on a subject further back, close objects will look quite a bit off. Same with close subjects, things behind him will be off. After about 5ft, though, everything is fine. I'll be making a more sophisticated and lightweight setup soon, which will allow me to invert one of the cameras to get the lenses much closer.

For the shoulder rig, it's just a Cavision shoulder pad with some 15,000mah USB batteries gaffer taped to a flat section of a flash bracket, screwed into one of the holes in the back. I have a Swivi monitor up front with the 3D rig mounted onto it. It's really lightweight, but I definitely need something more in back to balance it better.

As far as battery life, I left the GoPros running for 6hrs straight. I was able to monitor the battery life through the Swivi's meter, and after that time period, even with the Swivi on, I only used about half the battery. So I should hopefully be able to get around 12 hrs max from that setup.

Here's my Red/Blue workflow:

As far as syncing the left and right, I've found that they're usually about 2 frames off. I try to find and event that is easy to spot on both cameras (subject just passing in front/behind something, light turning on, etc.) to do an easy sync. If that doesn't work, Pluraleyes has no problem matching them up.

Once that's done, I color correct and grade, then apply the 3D Glasses effect in AE. Using the Difference mode, I can align the frames and set keyframes, so the focus can follow the subject no matter where he moves. Then set Keframe Interpolation to smooth the transitions. It's tedious, but the effect is worth it.

Finally, I'll set to Balanced Colored Red Blue and adjust the Red/Blue balance to reduce/eliminate ghosting, scale up to get rid of the edges (aligning will throw them off), and export.

And for Side by Side:

A lot of it is the same, though I seem to have issues with the 3D Glasses effect in Stereo Pair leaving lots of empty space around each frame, and you can't scale each side up individually to fill it. To get around that, I set everything up in the 3D Glasses effect, then export the left and right sides individually. This aligns them properly from the start, so I can get around the empty space issue. Then I do correction and grading, and put them into a double-wide frame next to each other (3840x1080) to get the side by side 3D. YouTube doesn't seem to have a problem with this, though I'm not sure if it would be compatible with any place else.

In the end, it's not really much more work, just more time waiting for it to encode, and with the double wide setup, you get true 1080p 3D.

A note about Premiere/After Effects and 5DtoRGB:

Both Adobe programs will crush the highlights and shadows a bit, at least in Protune. Running the video through 5DtoRGB first will prevent this from happening. It'll also create a much higher quality file than converting through Cineform Studio, since it interpolates color, reducing blocking artifacts. Plus, you can reverse the Cinestyle curve while converting if you want. 5DtoRGB also makes the reds look redder, instead of the slight orange cast they seem to have.

This past September I took a trip out to Colorado to visit my friend June. We drove down from Boulder to Salida to hike at the Sand Dunes National park. The Sand Dunes are deceptively big. They don't look it but once you get up close you see that they are HUGE! Before hiking up (which was the most difficult and fun hike I ever experienced) I set my GoPro Hero 2 on a small Joby Gorrillapod by our camp site and set the time lapse feature to take a photo every 2 seconds. This very short video of the sunset is all 2700 plus pictures - which was about an hour and half. You'll me in the last few frames. :-)

Last month I purchased the newest GoPro Hero 3 which sports much better low light. I am going to do another time lapse around my town to see how the new model handles sunsets.

Anyway, I thought I would share this Sand Dune Sunset video with everyone. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for official announcements soon!

Biggest improvement is in snow and surf - lots of latitude for color correction, white balance is fixed, and compression is gone.

BELOW > Side by side uncolored 1080 in high motion, moving camera super fast side to side (which is almost all the time for POV)

OLD FIRMWARE VS NEW FIRMWARE

Shot in Hong Hong in killer humidity two weeks ago, minimalistic, everything in a 10kg carry-on bag No tripod. ( I wore the same shorts and top for three days - how's that for commitment ...lol)

I know the editing is poor in this video. I shot WAY TOO MANY things this weekend and just didn't have time to do the editing justice. Take it for what it is. Just a bunch of samples from both cameras.

I tried editing the colors on the first few clips but after that I just didn't have time. I shot in 720p 60 FPS and F2.8 for the GH2 shots(Can you tell which one those are?). And I shot at 720p @ 120 FPS Narrow angle non-Protune, 720p @ 120 FPS Wide angle Pro-tune, 1080p @ 60 FPS Medium Angle Pro-tune, and 2.7K @ 30 FPS Pro-tune for the Go-Pro 3.

Can you tell which clips are what resolution and frame rates for the GoPro? Hint, several of the clips having very bad aliasing in the fence in the background. That is eliminated by using a narrower field of view.

There is also a sample image below of what the GP3 looks like on the GH2 + 35-100mm.

Print it, fold and match the tabs, glue it ..... make 100 of them......be the envy of all your friends.:-)

What do you think to this?

The lens costs roughly £100 and I already have the GoPro HDHero 2. I would like to try this but have no experience for skill with modifying electronics... so I would get someone to help me if I tried it...

I think before I buy my GH2H, It might be a good idea to make the most of my existing camera and modify it... Im not sure though as there aren't many videos of actual footage shot with this lens online that I can find.

Any thoughts?

thanks.

Update procedure on GoPro Support site http://gopro.com/support/wi-fi-bacpac-wi-fi-remote-with-hd-hero2-product-update/

Video tutorial update procedure.

No reports yet of any successful updates or even anyone using the new hardware, so probably best to wait a few days to see if any bugs appear.

This only enables Wifi remote function, the streaming and controlling by smartphone and iPhone is still pending Apps being released. As is the ProTune Technicolor 35mbps mode.