View Full Version : Video recording advice
MileHighPP
2nd Dec 2017, 13:39
Hello, I am looking for best advice on how to record my flights from inside the plane. I have looked at GoPros and also dash cams and wondering if anyone has had any good use out of dashcams as I could use one in the car as well. What are your thoughts and experience?
GoPro’s are stupid expensive.
Have a look at something like this:
https://www.opticsplanet.com/spy-point-xcelhd-5mp-hd-action-camera-w-remote.html
Andy H
2nd Dec 2017, 14:47
You could try this one too
4K Action Camera 16MP Sport DV Cam WIFI HD1080P Helmet Video Camcorder as Gopro | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4K-Action-Camera-16MP-Sport-DV-Cam-WIFI-HD1080P-Helmet-Video-Camcorder-as-Gopro/272634274263?epid=18010033357&hash=item3f7a44e1d7:g:ZeoAAOSw~qNZgoWc)
airpolice
2nd Dec 2017, 15:15
Whatever you use, capturing the audio is vital. You need a camera that allows you to plug in to the intercom.
BackPacker
3rd Dec 2017, 11:56
The first thing to ask: What are you going to do with the video?
If it's for yourself, to record your performance, and not intended for public consumption, the best location would be somewhere over your shoulder with a view of the dashboard and possibly through the windscreen - although the difference in light levels normally makes it hard to capture both in one shot. Add an audio feed (intercom splitter cable) and you're done.
If you intend to edit the video for public consumption (YouTube?) then you really have a project on your hands. Watch a bunch of flying videos that are on YouTube already. First, from an "experience" angle. Did you enjoy the video?
Then, for the ones you enjoyed, from a technical angle: How did the author make the video enjoyable? You'll find that the most interesting ones are shot from a whole bunch of different angles, both inside and outside the plane, and consist of mostly short clips of about 4 seconds. Longer if you are able to incorporate some sort of running commentary or if something interesting is going on in the shot itself. You'll also find that the audio is a clever mix of commentary, ATC traffic, engine noise and/or background music so some audio mixing is also required. And the video tells a story from beginning to end.
Don't underestimate this editing process. It's not uncommon to spend a few days editing, with the result being a 10-minute clip. And you may need several hours worth of footage to extract just 10 minutes of worthwhile material.
Only when you know what kind of story you will want to tell, will you be able to decide questions on equipment. The question "what type of camera to use" is only one of them. You also need to worry about splitter cables and maybe an ND filter of some sort. And don't forget a variety of suction cups, tethers, clamps, brackets, ball mounts and stuff so you can mount the equipment exactly where you want it.
airpolice
3rd Dec 2017, 12:02
Please, leave out the music.
You could try this one too
4K Action Camera 16MP Sport DV Cam WIFI HD1080P Helmet Video Camcorder as Gopro | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4K-Action-Camera-16MP-Sport-DV-Cam-WIFI-HD1080P-Helmet-Video-Camcorder-as-Gopro/272634274263?epid=18010033357&hash=item3f7a44e1d7:g:ZeoAAOSw~qNZgoWc)
That one seems very cheap...suspiciously so.
Either that or GoPro has a 500% profit margin ;)
charliegolf
3rd Dec 2017, 20:07
That one seems very cheap...suspiciously so.
Either that or GoPro has a 500% profit margin ;)
I asked for and recieved as a gift, a really cheapie, expendable camera for recording my skiing triumphs (yeah right!). It looks exactly like the one shown even though I can't be absolutely certain. Works great.
I think the sd card cost more!
CG
rjtjrt
3rd Dec 2017, 20:50
Please, leave out the music.
Hear hear..........
Maoraigh1
3rd Dec 2017, 20:54
I bought a Canon HG10 some years ago. It saved to a hard disc. This would shut down due to vibration. There was a weird effect occasionally when the picture went into a wobble. I think the image stabilization was locking onto the propeller at that particular speed. The camera was OK when not in the Jodel. The available formats were also hard to edit.
For short clips I use a compact digital on movie mode.(Panasonic Lumix FT2, which can work in the low temperature in the cockpit in winter. Easily edited for YT. I don't want the very wide-angle GoPro effect.
gordonquinn
4th Dec 2017, 14:24
Hear hear..........
Second that, I made some videos and have found people much prefer aircraft noise, chatter etc than cheesy music plus the royalty free music is some of the worst out there.
Btw I use a Go Pro 4 black edition and I can't fault it, also has an audio input port (although it does need an official Go Pro cable to be used).
space-shuttle-driver
4th Dec 2017, 16:14
Have a look at car dashcams! Way cheaper than GoPro and a lot of decent ones around.
airpolice
4th Dec 2017, 18:44
Have a look at car dashcams! Way cheaper than GoPro and a lot of decent ones around.
I've yet to see one with a socket for recording the audio from the intercom & R/T.
You also need to ask who might see your video. There have been cases on this side of the globe where someone in the LAA has seen the video and decided the flight broke some rule. The pilot has spent time in front of the beak and or had their licence suspended even though expert advice has shown the shots in the video do not prove the pilot did anything wrong. The perspective shown by the video may look "bad" when in fact it wasn't.
The same applies to videos shot by passengers.
A salutary lesson to us all. Beware!!!!!!
bgbazz
4th Dec 2017, 19:03
Just to add something to post #5 by BackPacker, have a quick look at some of the videos put up by this guy...he uses cameras in various positions, has pretty darn good audio and generally makes the whole trip very interesting. He seems to be very approachable and I'm sure he would give you some very helpful advice, based on his experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEF4C25UI6Q
Hope this helps you.
airpolice
4th Dec 2017, 19:13
https://www.youtube.com/user/huntj86
The Flying Reporter is a good source of lessons in making, and editing, cockpit video.
Maoraigh1
4th Dec 2017, 19:32
"where someone in the LAA has seen the video and decided the flight broke some rule"
I know the CAA do this, but never thought the LAA did.
"where someone in the LAA has seen the video and decided the flight broke some rule"
I know the CAA do this, but never thought the LAA did.
LAA - Local Aviation Authority, which where I'm from is the catch all for FAA, CAA, Transport Canada, CASA etc.
Maoraigh1
5th Dec 2017, 19:59
LAA in UK is Light Aircraft Association, similar to EAA in US.
LAA in UK is Light Aircraft Association, similar to EAA in US.
Please forgive me, I didn't realise the topic was so UK centric, especially when so many of the posters are from all corners of thew world.
LTCTerry
7th Dec 2017, 17:24
Most YouTube flying videos are pretty boring - maybe mine, too. Imagine a one-hour flight with the camera looking diagonally at the instruments/over the nose from startup to shut down. Virtually no one will watch it all the way through.
Someone above mentioned music. Please go for subtle music. It should enhance, not overwhelm the experience. Voice and ambient should be audible over any music.
Someone else mentioned ten minutes. The average YouTube view is about three minutes. If you can keep it to three or four minutes people will be more inclined to watch through to the end.
I have done videos with the camera in a different location for each of several flights. I’ve done videos with three or four cameras at the same time. Both have challenges.
Audio – you get the best radio/intercom voices when you record directly from the headphone jack. There are expensive cables available that let you plug a microphone cable into the headphone jack and still plug the headphones in. If you are flying an airplane with headphone jacks in the back, you can use an inexpensive 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch attenuator cable to plug into the audio system.
Does your camera have a microphone jack? Not all camcorders do. Older GoPros use a 3.5mm (1/8 in) mini jack. Newer ones (Hero 3-4) use a USB-esque cable. The newest ones something else…
No microphone input on the camera? Record intercom audio on your phone (assuming…) and ambient audio on the camera. Mix the two in editing. This gives you clear voices and “authentic airplane sounds” at the same time.
Important – the output from the headphone jack is at what is called “line level.” This is a much stronger signal than “mic level” used by, uh, microphones. Hence the mention of an attenuating cable above. These are available online or through a local electronics store like Radio Shack or a local equivalent.
My videos range from a 14-second clip of a snap roll with bad sound to a too-long seven minutes of takeoff/landing and aerobatics. YouTube removed the sound from one video do to music issues living in Europe at the time. Search on LTCTerry2006 at YouTube if interested. (My train videos seem more popular than the airplane ones. Odd.)
I’ve not yet been able to include every one of these tips/ideas in one video, I’m working on it. I have two GoPro/intercom cables for my three GoPros. I have suction cup mounts, airplane and glider specific mounts, lots of batteries, and two camcorders. I'd like to do more videos, but it's time consuming and a bit daunting to reduce an hour of video from each three cameras into one good video.
I do plan to start commercial training soon. That should provide some opportunities to videos.
Hope some of this helps.
Terry
gileraguy
8th Dec 2017, 03:04
I have found the best results for sound are obtained by putting a "tie clip" microphone into the earpiece of my DCs.
Plugging direct into a spare headphone outlet had massively high levels of interference from the transponder (I think). Plus, when the mic is in your earpiece, the sound of the engine is attenuated nicely...
I use a "Fisheye lens" and it seems to capture the interior shots nicely, as well as letting the approach and landing shots turn out well.
Image stabilisation is a must.
In my experience, you tube videos must catch your attention in the first thirty seconds or they'll never get watched.