Video recording advice
 

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

You could try this one too

4K Action Camera 16MP Sport DV Cam WIFI HD1080P Helmet Video Camcorder as Gopro | eBay

Whatever you use, capturing the audio is vital. You need a camera that allows you to plug in to the intercom.

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.

Please, leave out the music.

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

Hear hear..........

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.

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).

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!!!!!!

subject
 

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.

https://www.youtube.com/user/huntj86

The Flying Reporter is a good source of lessons in making, and editing, cockpit video.

"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.

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.