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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    Da burgh
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    How to get better gopro footage at sunrise/sunset? ND filters?

    I have a GoPro black 3+ and the mountain biking footage I am getting around sunrise/sunset is very poor. Either the sky looks good and the ground is black, or the ground looks ok and the sky is just white. What can I do to remedy this? If only there were a GoPro casing that held 2 cameras perfectly aligned and you could shoot 2 exposures at once and combine them in editing software just like HDR photography.

    Would ND filters help? Some of the GoPro footage with ND filters I have seen online has horrible glare issues and the footage looks like crap. Is there a specific brand of ND filter for the GoPro you have used and like? Price isn't really a concern, they are all cheap enough.

    Any ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Live Free or Die
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    1,283
    I don't know shit about video, but you get the same problem with stills, so I'll give a go at an answer. Cameras can only "see" a certain range between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene, referred to as dynamic range. Unfortunately this dynamic range is less than that of the human eye, so a scene where you can clearly see both the highlights and shadows, the camera has to pick one or the other.

    As far as a solution, a ND would just make everything darker, so that is no good. A graduated ND, with the dark half blocking the sky migh work, but keeping the horizon at the same point in the frame would be tough.

    Seems like you could either ride with a light, thereby bringing the shadows up closer to the highlights in the sky, or maybe some kind of HDR technique in post, but I don't even know if that is possible.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Three-O-Three
    Posts
    15,418
    The obvious answer here is to stop shooting GoPro footage altogether. That's the only way to truly make it better for everyone.



  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Golden, BC
    Posts
    1,356
    Quote Originally Posted by couloirman View Post
    If only there were a GoPro casing that held 2 cameras perfectly aligned and you could shoot 2 exposures at once and combine them in editing software just like HDR photography.
    Is this what you're looking for or will that not work?

    http://gopro.com/camera-accessories/dual-hero-system

    Seems that the 3d bs is done in software post shooting, so I think you'd be able to do some other post effect instead for what you're talking about.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Orem, UT
    Posts
    21
    Lee Filters just came out with photo filters for the GoPro. Have a look and see if that'll work for you:

    Filter Holders for GoPro HERO3 and GoPro HERO3+

    Quote Originally Posted by couloirman View Post
    I have a GoPro black 3+ and the mountain biking footage I am getting around sunrise/sunset is very poor. Either the sky looks good and the ground is black, or the ground looks ok and the sky is just white. What can I do to remedy this? If only there were a GoPro casing that held 2 cameras perfectly aligned and you could shoot 2 exposures at once and combine them in editing software just like HDR photography.

    Would ND filters help? Some of the GoPro footage with ND filters I have seen online has horrible glare issues and the footage looks like crap. Is there a specific brand of ND filter for the GoPro you have used and like? Price isn't really a concern, they are all cheap enough.

    Any ideas?

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