Name: How to GoPro like a pro - getting epic MTB video
Uploaded: 2016-10-27T12:17:12.000Z
Duration: 4 min 48 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

I would estimate that more than half of all mountain bikers own some sort of action camera,

with which they hope to share their experiences with. These cameras can be used not only for

first person footage, but also for filming others. Since action cameras are small, durable,

and have wide angle lenses, they’re ideal for capturing anything in your immediate vicinity.

The problem is that most of what we see out of these cameras sucks. For every captivating

downhill run that Redbull posts on YouTube, there are a thousand shaky, unwatchable videos

filmed by amateurs. So, let’s talk about how to get good footage that people will want

It’s widely known that mounting an action camera on your helmet will give you the most

stable footage. Your head acts as a stabilizer and makes the footage more watchable. With

the right angle, you can get part of your front wheel and handlebars in the picture

as a frame of reference. Action cameras like GoPro can feel super heavy on your head though,

so I recommend using one of these frames paired with a lens protector.

While the helmet is probably the easiest and most stable mounting spot, the chest is the

most immersive. By putting the viewer behind the handlebars, the video becomes a little

more captivating. The problem with chest mounts though is that they’re ridiculously uncomfortable

and make you sweat profusely. Mess up the angle, and you'll get a nice shot of your

top tube for the duration of your ride. So a chest mount is something I would only use

Mounting an action camera to your bike is the most comfortable option, and works great

as a secondary angle. Although mounting a forward facing camera to your handlebars looks

terrible, I find that it actually works great facing backwards. I wouldn’t want to watch

a whole video like this, but it’s an interesting angle for short clips.

Get one of these seat rail adapters, and you can get a rear view or capture your friends.

The video is surprisingly stable and watchable, especially on a full suspension bike, so lately

I’ve been getting a second angle this way with my Hero 3 Silver.

These are angles that you can get with any action camera, but if you want to take things

a step further you can add a stabilizer. These will usually be referred to as wearable gimbals.

Typically wearable gimbals come in single, double, and triple axis variations, with each

axis improving the video and increasing the cost. Here’s my Feiyu WG-Lite, which is

a single axis gimbal that costs well below $100. It’s very well built, and actually

has an awesome carrying case which I use for all my other stuff. The problem is that a

single axis gimbal doesn’t make that big of a difference when worn on the rider. On

the helmet it provides a slight improvement, but on the chest I don’t think it improves

anything at all. On the seat rails, the results are noticeably better, so I’ll be using

If you’re okay with dropping about $300, you can get a triple axis wearable gimbal.

You’ll need to be okay with also putting this investment at risk out on the trails.

I can tell you from experience though that this is a risk with fruitful rewards. Just

look at how the footage looks mounted to your helmet. Of course, it’s insanely uncomfortable

to ride like this for long periods of time. Mounting the gimbal on your chest is a little

more tolerable, and gives an awesome point of view.

I think one of the greatest benefits of a triple axis gimbal is the footage you can

get of other riders. Following someone with helmet-mounted gimbal can make your footage

look like it was shot with a drone. You can also just hold it and use it like a normal

camera. My Z1 Rider-M comes with a really useful handle that I use for almost every

video. With a little practice you can get epic shots, even on foot. Combined with a

high end GoPro, you’ll be spending around $700, but the results speak for themselves.

I also want to show you one other option, just because it’s so cool. Domingo has a

handheld gimbal camera made by DJI called the OSMO. It uses a built in 4K camera, and

a really solid smartphone mount. Here’s Domingo running behind me with his. At a hair

over $500, this is a great option for a compact camera to film action sports with. The only

downsides are poor battery life and terrible sound quality. Here’s what it sounds like

with the built in mic. Of course, you can get extra batteries, and connect an external

mic to solve these issues, and even after buying those extras you just can’t get footage

So there’s a little insight into what I use to film my videos. Before you ask me about

how much this all costs or where to buy it, check the description for a links to everything.

Hopefully, this video will help people to better share their experiences out on the

trails, but for now, thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.

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How to GoPro like a pro - getting epic MTB video

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