GoPro washout advice, Filter, etc.

Mt_Baker_Man

Mt_Baker_Man

Active member
Hey, so seeing as how sun is awesome, but it makes GoPro footage look like crap (extreme washout), I was wondering if anyone has had good experience with any specific filter, or DIY product. Especially circular polarization.

I would rather not have to mess with camera settings during the day, so something I could swap in/on would be ideal.

Thanks.

 
i normally night ski, and there are lights everywhere so footage is very LIGHT FIlled.

To kinda fix this i use final cut pro 7, and the 3 way color adjuster, and change the saturation or some shit like that
 
Dude, you didn't answer my question AT ALL. I am pretty damn capable with editing tools, but I need something more along the lines of hardware modification, for BRIGHT SUN.

At least read the fucking thread...
 
if you're trying to reduce the amount of light entering the camera, neutral density filter is what you want. a polarizer will also reduce the light, it may elimnate some reflections, change the colors a bit and some stuff like that. it might help with glare. although I'm not sure how you're going to get these on the go pro. you'll have to attach it somehow.
 
I was considering using something like that, but I have seen videos where the filter wasn't placed exactly right and/or moved slightly. The effect was a corner or two of the video looking obviously messed up. I decided it wasn't worth missing a good shot for that risk, so I just fix it in post now.
 
Chill dude, he may not have answered your question, but it's not like you're paying him for advice. He simply told you what works for him. His post literally took 4 seconds to read, sorry that wasted your time.

Since when did it become cool to get pissed when somebody doesn't completely answer you in your thread? Don't be a fucking brat, karma is a real thing, not just a number under usernames.
 
Dude, I wasn't being angry or anything... just frustration. You are the one ranting about karma.

"Its my thread, I'll do what i want!"
 
I just had a lightbulb moment. I cut a pair of 3d glasses apart, and now I have a free circular polarizing filter! Woot!.
 
Will do! I am up on mountain again Saturday, so I will give it a go then. It seemed to work pretty well just around the house. And even though the sheet kinda wrinkled when I put it in, you couldn't tell.

 
oops... posted in the wrong thread...

I forgot I am on schedule tomorrow. So hopefully I can get a run or two in. And hopefully its sunny.
 
Hey, so I am too lazy to upload a video of it... But I just filled a pan with water, and then rotated the camera around in a circle, and YES, the 3d glasses cut out reflections on the water. But... here is the tricky part.

You have to make sure that you put the 3d glasses material in backwards. The polarized layer is nearest to your eyes when wearing the glasses, so it needs to be away from the gopro. Also, since a circular polarizer consists of a linear polarization layer, and a retarder layer, you need to orient it right in the camera case. Before you put it in, look at your computer screen through the filter. At 45 degrees from normal, the screen should go dark. So you kind of have to play around with that. I will try to get a shot with it tomorrow. But for now, just know that it works, so start hacking those glasses apart.
 
Polarized lens are pretty much the same thing, if it doesn't really work with your computer when orienting the lens, use an lcd screen, they are the most affected by polarized lens. I think i'm gonna go see Nicks Cage movie this week-end to try it out! haha!
 
Well I think there is something different to them because when I went to see avatar in 3d, I had my polarized frogskin and it didn't work.. but yeah they are both polarized.
 
Thats because sunglasses are just straight linearly polarized. A 3d glasses lens is a "circular polarizer" which is a linear polarizing layer, with a circular retarder layer on top. I won't even try to explain anything else....

Sparknotes: polarized sunglasses are linearly polarized. 3D glasses are circularly polarized. The only difference is that the circular polarized lens "is retarded" lol.
 
Actually? my idea is free, and you can cut into any shape you want. Why would you say "actually" and then suggest going and BUYING something? And Gel filters aren't that great.
 
ive never had an issue with the gopro suffering due to too much sun. in fact, i find the better the sun conditions, the better the result.
have you checked the settings on your camera? spot focus versus the other one. cant remember its name. may not be of any help, but thought id add it in to the mix.
 
no need to get all sorts of butthurt because he brought up post processing, color correction could fix this washout problem a little bit, so you are apparently not "damn capable with editing tools" sir.
 
Dude, I have Final Cut. My roommate is a very capable film major, and she could not do any better. So... Fuck you too.
 
ive benen able to fix all my shit in post, but i'd love to ry out a plarioziedddyed filt.
 
While im not a film major or anything, I believe I'm pretty damn capable with FCP.http://www.vimeo.com/20189873
I fucked with the colors on the second half of this run for a good 2 hours, and this was the best I could get out of the wash out from the sun.
Its pretty damn difficult to fix a lighting issue in post.
To the guy tearing up 3d glasses, let us all know if you can figure it out! Im really close to overpaying for that dumb little filter posted for $13 or whatever. I had a really sick big mtn line get trashed by good sun yesterday on my go pro and I doubt its saveable in FCP.
 
Well I have not gotten to use the filter yet, because it has been puking snow, and since it is spring break, I have been instructing all day, every day.

However, since the 3D glasses are almost literally the same thing as what that company is charging 13 bucks for, and you can make about 4 of them per set of glasses, you should just do that.
 
Hey, so I got some runs in before and after work today. It was only sunny for one run, and it wasn't actually super sunny... But the 3D glasses filter works great. I would suggest taking it out when it isn't super sunny, but I didn't have a problem with it in today.

So Pull the trigger, go see a 3D movie, then get free filters out of it.

BTW. I used a razor blade to cut the general shape, then slowly trimmed it away with fingernail clippers, since they have a curved cutting surface, it was super easy.

And, as with any filter, when you are putting it into the case, make sure you have the polarization oriented so it cuts out reflected light horizontally.
 
So I got sunny first tracks on 3rd gully and krons, and did a sunny run on North Summit and 2rd fork on the Moonlight side today. (claim). The difference with the filter is unbelievable. Anyone who ever skis in the sun with a GoPro should go watch a 3D movie, then make some filters.

/end thread
 
So, these two pictures were taken on equally sunny days, on the same slope aspect, at around the same time of day.

Without filter, on the lower pinnacles at Big Sky... no post production.

1300944224vlcsnap-1305372.png


With filter, on liberty bowl at Big Sky, no post production.

1300944517vlcsnap-1304901.png


As you can see, the filter does not significantly darken the shot, but it does dramatically cut the glare. With a small amount of brightness/contrast/color work, you have a fairly decent shot. The unfiltered shots however, were almost unusable.

And if you do cut a filter out of 3D glasses, here are some quick and dirty instructions.

First, cut the filter to shape, so that it fits pretty snugly into the housing, in the lens pocket.

Second, get a DARK frying pan with a little water in it, and go to a bright room. Rotate the filter until the reflections on the surface of the water disappear. If it doesn't work, flip the filter around, and try again. You should notice a point where the reflections on the surface of the pan water disappear. You may need to move around a bit so that there are obvious reflections on the waters surface before you do this though. Then when you find the sweet spot where the reflections disappear, carefully push the filter into the camera housing, and try not to rotate it as you do so. You then should have a correctly placed filter.

Note: when you press the camera into the housing, you will probably notice the filter wrinkle a little bit(because the lens is not flat, it will do this). However, it does not affect the footage at all.
 
Huge difference....if only there was a half decent 3d movie playing... not really into "Mars needs Moms"
Are you planning to keep the filter in there permamently? Seems like it wouldnt affect darker shots too much.
 
Well I forgot I had it in there on a cloudy storm day, and although it does darken the shot a bit, it is pretty easy to brighten things up a little in post. I would recommend taking it out on cloudy days, but it isn't much of a problem if you forget.
 
Forgot to mention. Because you are still polarizing the light, you still get slightly better contrast with the filter on cloudy days.
 
download the new operating system for the gopro if it isnt already on there, and there is an exposure setting that makes it look perfect.
 
you mean the center and average meter setting? Doesn't do shit for reflected light dude... That is the whole point of a polarizing filter. If you didn't need one, they never would have been invented.
 
Also, if you are just adjusting the exposure, you are also messing with the shutter speed. When the exposure is turned down to accommodate for the brighter light, you are also raising the shutter speed, (shortening how long the shutter is open for each frame). With a filter, you are reducing the amount of light that gets to the sensor, so the sensor has a longer exposure time per frame. This results in smoother video, and all around better images.

And, since this is a ski website, your probably using your camera on snow. Snow produces shit tons of reflected light. Polarizing filters reduce reflected light, giving the snow more contrast, keeping the light source in the sky, and makes your shot much nicer...

NO AMOUNT OF EXPOSURE CONTROL OR POST PRODUCTION WILL FIX THE PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY A POLARIZED FILTER. JUST CUT APART A DAMN PAIR OF 3D GLASSES... THEY ARE ALMOST FREE, AND YOU CAN MAKE 4 FILTERS OUT OF THEM.

Please just believe that I know what I am talking about. This is pretty basic optics and camera knowledge, and easily available for your reading pleasure on the internet. A polarizing filter will improve sun/snow video quality dramatically, compared to what you are capable of with post production tools and exposure settings alone.

And if anyone else feels the need to argue against using a polarizing filter for a GoPro in bright sun, on snow. Please feel free, but you had better provide some sort of reasoning for what you are saying. And if anyone who knows anything about snow photo/video would kindly chime in and either approve or correct what I have said, that would be sweet too.
 
im intrigued by this. as i posted earlier, i had no idea that it was an issue, but having read what youve said, and looked back at some of my old footy, i can see that it is a little blow out. i think it affects big mountain more than park, cos the rails etc. stand out pretty well no matter what the light is doing (this may also be ignorant, i am clueless.)
i would be interested, if next time you go out, you take a snap shot with the filter in, and out. its a hassle, but i would love to see the difference. id also like to see a pic of how you put the filter in the housing. with summer skiing around the corner, im thinking i should get on this.
 
Well, the shots I posted in this thread were both taken on the same settings (video snapshots). They were both taken in full sun, on slopes that were the same steepness, facing more or less the exact same direction, and pretty much the sun was in the same place too. And as the filter is hard to get out, and harder to get back in correctly, I am not going to try to do that.

As for how I got the filter in... I am way to lazy, so... I will do my best to explain.

Cut the filter so that it will just barely slide into the lens pocket, but will easily come out. (mine is too tight, its hard to get out). Once is it cut, make sure its really really clean, nobody wants smudges. Then, using the method I described earlier in the thread, find the angle at which the filter cuts out reflected light in the pan. Try to mark the "top" with a tiny cut or dot, or whatever, just make sure its on the very edge so it won't interfere with filming. Then, without rotating, flipping, or otherwise moving the filter, drop it carefully into the lens pocket (with the empty case right side up, as if you were looking at the back of the camera), and if the top is still where it should be, push the camera into place, and shut the housing. Its pretty easy to do. Since the lens is curved, it will push on and hold the filter in place.

If you did this correctly, you should be able to take a video of the same pan, rotate the camera 360 degrees, and the reflections should be gone, or at least mostly gone when the camera is exactly right side up, and exactly upside down.

If that is still confusing, let me know.
 
Just stopped by the local theater and they gave me 2 pairs for free, no questions asked... made the filter and want to try it out tomorrow! Thanks for the advice! Ill try to post pics if possible.
 
did the part about the water and the pan make sense? If you don't have the filter facing the right way, and at the right angle, it wont work.
 
yeah that helped. Just aligning it using my computer screen is probably the easiest though. 45 degrees from total blackout through the lens.
 
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