GoPro Hero 5 - Best Video Settings

Sohal1989

Sohal1989

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Raj
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Hi all,

Ive had a quick search but couldn't find anything... a point in the right direction would be appreciated.

I've had a look on youtube also but so many people use different settings, as the title suggests, what are the best settings for video in any given situation.
 
What will you primarily be shooting? Are you happy to edit 4k video in post? Do you want the fluid 60p look? Do you want the super wide look or a normal FOV look? A bit more on what you would like to shoot will help.
 
redlion said:
What will you primarily be shooting? Are you happy to edit 4k video in post? Do you want the fluid 60p look? Do you want the super wide look or a normal FOV look? A bit more on what you would like to shoot will help.
Click to expand...

Tbh I'm just generally after clear looking video. I've had a play around with 4k, 2.7k and 1080p and I'm not happy with the quality. Then I shoot 1080 with my DSLR and it's amazing (understandably, better glass and bigger sensor) but I see some GoPro footage on YouTube and the quality is flawless. Surely it's not all done in post?
 
What were you shooting that isn't clear? Was it Indoors? Outdoors? The sensor is tiny on the GoPro but it can shoot at a high bit rate giving sharp footage in good light. It won't have any shallow DOF like a DSLR but would have most of the frame in focus. What's the main purpose of the video footage?
 
The challenge with gopro in non-action cam situation is keeping any movement smooth - even with the stabilisation which only smooths jiggles.
I have the Hero 4 and usualy use 1080p 60fps which gives option of slowing the footage down - which is a useful trick to get longer segments without annoying unintended movement
If you hae decent editing software and PC you can record 4K and this also gives vey useful digital zoom cropping and fake panning options later if you export at 1080p

Leaving the colour and exposure settings on default actually works pretty well but with protune tuned on you can make some changes which are best left alone unless you have some editing experience.
If doing colour grading you can go for the flat setting and native white balance, reduce sharpness too.
With protune on you can also control exposure better, a lot of scenes are improved by recorded with exposure down a notch or two .

Bear in mind the primary purpose of the camera is to record things going on close at hand.
It's actually really good at this, but landscape type scenes tend to disappoint.
Using the Medium FOV is worth trying for more general scenes.
 
redlion said:
What were you shooting that isn't clear? Was it Indoors? Outdoors? The sensor is tiny on the GoPro but it can shoot at a high bit rate giving sharp footage in good light. It won't have any shallow DOF like a DSLR but would have most of the frame in focus. What's the main purpose of the video footage?
Click to expand...

I was recording indoors in a gym when i first got the gopro and the image was very grainy, recording at 4k. I assumed it was due to the nature of the light, a lot of downlighting/spot lighting and no natural light. I'm gonna try a simple test of me walking down the high street to see what kind of footage i get.
Eventually I want to take it on holiday for some scenic shots, i will be heading to Las Vegas this year and maybe a couple other places which are primarily city or beach locations. I'm just hoping the video will be sharp.

4wd said:
The challenge with gopro in non-action cam situation is keeping any movement smooth - even with the stabilisation which only smooths jiggles.
I have the Hero 4 and usualy use 1080p 60fps which gives option of slowing the footage down - which is a useful trick to get longer segments without annoying unintended movement
If you hae decent editing software and PC you can record 4K and this also gives vey useful digital zoom cropping and fake panning options later if you export at 1080p

Leaving the colour and exposure settings on default actually works pretty well but with protune tuned on you can make some changes which are best left alone unless you have some editing experience.
If doing colour grading you can go for the flat setting and native white balance, reduce sharpness too.
With protune on you can also control exposure better, a lot of scenes are improved by recorded with exposure down a notch or two .

Bear in mind the primary purpose of the camera is to record things going on close at hand.
It's actually really good at this, but landscape type scenes tend to disappoint.
Using the Medium FOV is worth trying for more general scenes.
Click to expand...

I've also read that protune is bad as it causes too much contrast? I will give it a go now though as i have always left the image flat. I have done some colour correction in FCPX, but its not amazing. I will try to get some videos up on youtube this weekend hopefully for better feedback. Understandably it's hard for you guys to give accurate feedback without seeing what the footage is like lol.

And are you saying it is better to underexpose rather than over expose? I'll also give the Medium FOV a go, I've always stuck to Linear.
 
So is this quality of video good for the GoPro Hero 5?

And yes I know, the car needs a wash...

 
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I don't see any prolems there considering poor light and shooting through windscreen.
In the closer stuff it looks pretty good to me?
I find with any new camera - video or photo - initial results tend to be disappointing - you gradually get to know how to make the best of it

Protune doesn't 'cause' anything, it just gives you control of settings which are otherwise hidden for those who want to just press record.
The default settings without protune will do a decent job in most conditions, but if you have software and experience to colour grade later protune and some manual lock downs make sense.
 
4wd said:
I don't see any prolems there considering poor light and shooting through windscreen.
In the closer stuff it looks pretty good to me?
I find with any new camera - video or photo - initial results tend to be disappointing - you gradually get to know how to make the best of it

Protune doesn't 'cause' anything, it just gives you control of settings which are otherwise hidden for those who want to just press record.
The default settings without protune will do a decent job in most conditions, but if you have software and experience to colour grade later protune and some manual lock downs make sense.
Click to expand...

Sorry I confused myself with ProTune, what I was referring to was the colour, I leave it flat as opposed to using GoPro. I switch ProTune on and generally leave the ISO at 400 for minimal noise, the shutter and WB i leave as auto.
Thanks for clarifying that quality is ok, I have realised that the GoPro is terrible in lowlight and indoors.
 
I find the "what are the 'best settings'?" questions on the various GoPro Facebook groups rather tedious. I would have expected a member of a photography site to realise there is no such thing as "best settings" as every scene will be slightly different and need to set up accordingly. If in doubt, use Auto.
 

Attempt at another vide, but got so much noise on the DSLR in low light due to bumping up the ISO
 
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