I've been doing some research recently into the GoPro video camera system and been quite fascinated on what I've read - especially on how it can be used to shoot high quality (8MP, 12MP) still images and how it can be controlled through an iPhone app.
Is this mobile photography (mobivography?) for the video crowd? Anyone had any experience of GoPro or used one?
I have 2 and will probably replace my older one before long. I use mine mostly for kayaking, downhill skiing, mountain biking, and on my quadcopter. I also have a 3-axis hand held gimbal that makes shooting hand held video while walking (etc) remarkably steady. I actually used that setup in a paid video shoot and got some video I never could have captured with my video cameras. I have a low tolerance for shaky video, it makes me feel motion sick, so I quickly found most video shot with the GoPro fairly unwatchable unless you really take care. Without a gimbal on my quadcopter the horizontal axis of the video moves too much for me to watch it. I generally feel that shooting video hand held is a waste of time.
I have shot enough GoPro video to know that most of the video shot by the average guy with a GoPro on his helmet will be mostly unwatchable. You need to do a lot of image stabilization to smooth them out.
The new top model GoPro shoots 4K video. There are a lot of different settings you can use to select video format and frame rate. Shooting a fast frame tact can produce some nicely smoothed out action video.
I mostly shoot stills with my GoPros. I set the camera on time-lapse mode and usually set the interval time between 5 & 10 seconds. I find this works very well to record stills during my kayak outings. I usually end up with 600 to 1000 shots for an outing and I try to weed that down to about 40 per outing. For my time-lapse sequences of the tide, I need to run the cameras for 6.25 hours. They won't run that long without external power. Same as using my iPhones for time-lapse. Even my DSLRs need a battery change for that long with continuous shooting.
Unless you use the (built-in) ProTune function you don't have any exposure compensation. Using ProTune costs you some extra battery power.
I have bought the accessory viewfinder "backpack" for each GoPro. You don't need the viewfinder except for setting up the camera angle. It's hard to pre visualize the framing when using such a wide angle lens. I often use my iPhone 6 for previewing and remote controlling my GoPro, especially when I can't reach the camera, such as when it is mounted bow & stern on my kayak, or mounted on one of my ski tips. The GoPro certainly makes pictures in situations almost impossible with most cameras and having the waterproof housing makes it completely weatherproof.
As with pictures in any camera using a fisheye lens there can be dramatic differences in exposure from one side of the frame to the other. You learn to watch out for this. Otherwise you have a lot of work to do in Lightroom or Photoshop to even out the exposures.
There is a GoPro video program for your computer that is specially made for the GoPro cameras and it works pretty well on its own or to prepare video for Final Cut Pro X. And I could go on and on.... It's great fun.
As to your question about whether the GoPro is mobile video for for the video crowd, maybe it's more of an introduction to video for people who never even thought about shooting video before.
Doing photography of an activity you are engaged in is another way to enjoy both. To do it well still requires a bit more skill than it looks.
Another thing is that unless you are a super athlete nobody is interested in watching video of ordinary sports activities. It's only if you capture something spectacular, like a bad crash, that anyone is interested. However it IS interesting for the people engaged in the activity to have pictures of themselves. It may be the only pictures there will ever be of yourself doing whatever activity you enjoy doing. Who else is going to take the pictures for you?
I would say the GoPro experience is quite similar to the iPhone experience in that it is a unique way of engaging in photography.
I shoot with several different cameras and every different one causes my to approach photography in a different way. And there's the spice of life.
