[Avint]

Hey guys looking into getting a GoPro HD Hero3 as they are on sale due to the new one coming out. I have a few games end of October and early November I would love to have the setup for, but I was wondering which is the best mount view for end result beyond just my own opinion. I know of Barrel Cam, Head Cam and Side Head Cam. Now I have this in the Mag Fed and Milsim section as this is what I will mostly be shooting, my speedball setup I am still wanting to use it for, just to have on file as well but I mostly want to cater to woods ball and big games.

Barrel Cam- Using a X7 Phenom and getting a mag fed kick next summer, but I personally do not like barrel cam videos. I feel them too loud and hard to tell what is going on since when running all you see is dirt and then back up but no context of cover. Please argue if you feel its better as I would love to hear your thoughts

Head Cam- Similar to Alabaster Slim's videos from Vice. I would try for the same setup, I like this one alot for end videos, but how do you guys find the weight on your goggles? Also if I were to use for speedball how do you think it would turn out?

Side Cam- This setup is the most popular and what I see the most people doing when I go. But I love to tilt my head when shooting. Which side is best to mount? I am right handed so my marker is almost always in my right arm, I would think because of this and hopper shots the left is better, but tilting may be a issue as that cocks it more or could feel as though it does.

Also any good free editing programs beyond Windows Movie maker would be appreciated. I would get more quality editing done after a few attempts and money saved back up again .

[sobersteve323]

Originally Posted by Avint

Hey guys looking into getting a GoPro HD Hero3 as they are on sale due to the new one coming out. I have a few games end of October and early November I would love to have the setup for, but I was wondering which is the best mount view for end result beyond just my own opinion. I know of Barrel Cam, Head Cam and Side Head Cam. Now I have this in the Mag Fed and Milsim section as this is what I will mostly be shooting, my speedball setup I am still wanting to use it for, just to have on file as well but I mostly want to cater to woods ball and big games.

Barrel Cam- Using a X7 Phenom and getting a mag fed kick next summer, but I personally do not like barrel cam videos. I feel them too loud and hard to tell what is going on since when running all you see is dirt and then back up but no context of cover. Please argue if you feel its better as I would love to hear your thoughts

Head Cam- Similar to Alabaster Slim's videos from Vice. I would try for the same setup, I like this one alot for end videos, but how do you guys find the weight on your goggles? Also if I were to use for speedball how do you think it would turn out?

Side Cam- This setup is the most popular and what I see the most people doing when I go. But I love to tilt my head when shooting. Which side is best to mount? I am right handed so my marker is almost always in my right arm, I would think because of this and hopper shots the left is better, but tilting may be a issue as that cocks it more or could feel as though it does.

Also any good free editing programs beyond Windows Movie maker would be appreciated. I would get more quality editing done after a few attempts and money saved back up again .

I recently used my GoPro Hero3 for the first time at a weekend scenario and ended up mounting it on the right side of my mask (super glued it). When I'm shooting space guns I tend to tilt the hopper in towards the left side of my head (I'm a righty) so this provided the clearest picture. When I'm shooting markers with a stock attached I tend to keep the hopper more vertical so I would mount it on my left side.

I tried it on the top of the mask but since I naturally tilt the hopper in my videos would record nothing but the back of it. You do notice the difference in weight when you're standing around but once you start playing I forgot about it. Although I did take a hit to the camera mount and it almost knocked my goggles off my head since they were heavier on one side lol.

GoPro has a free software download called Cineform (I think at least, can't remember the name off the top of my head). I used that to edit some videos and it's fine for a free program. It's pretty buggy though (at least on Windows 8) and would crash constantly so make sure to save frequently... like every time you add/edit something, save it lol.

[Avint]

Thanks for that advice that was very helpful.

[Tecnophobia]

mount it in the middle with a 3 point arm. then you will film everything even leaning out of cover you wont block your cameras view ever and it wont interact on your eyesight

[sobersteve323]

Originally Posted by Avint

Thanks for that advice that was very helpful.

You can always try using the sticky mounts to try it on different sides before you make it more "permanent." I kept trying it different ways and recording a bit of video to see how it would look until I decided I liked it. It takes some time to do that but for me it was worth it because I didn't have to worry about hours of footage I couldn't stand watching.

[krazykitty22]

I learned to tilt my hopper out of the way and I use the head mount and the barrel mount

[ECHO CHARLIE]

On the side of your helmet all day. If you barrel mount it it is cool but 90% of the video is the ground. Don't use a gopro either. they are really nice but the are too wide for the side of your helmet and add more to be hit. Use a slimmer longer one like a contour or visit the forum article on here about garmin's new camera and you will see a whole bunch of nice ones. The only time a gopro is any good is either mounted on the front of your helmet (they do sell NVG mounts for them) or on your gun which i already said isnt that great.

[Blind Eye]

I used the same mount kit that Slim has but had to modify it a bit and make a 3/4" shim to elevate it from being directly in my field of vision.

As far as filming goes plus the enjoyment of watching and quality, there is nothing better than a GoPro. I'm not trying to start a cam argument or anything but it's just common knowlege. The problem with them is the shape. it's going to be awkward everywhere except where mine is located above ^ (or maybe a gun cam)

The filming angle of it in this location is awesome it captures exactly what you're seeing on the field and since it's in your natural sight location there's no seasick feeling while watching the videos. You film down the sight of your gun and everything.

[splatthetick]

If you are a righty a left mount will put ALL the bunkers in your cam view...right mount, hopper in view...center mass is the ticket bro...POV! Check MidnightAngel on YouTube!

[krazykitty22]

blind eye how do you have your go pro mounted on your mask like that? I wanty to do something similar so I don't have to wear the stupid head strap go pro mount under my mask straps

[Raibead]

id say side cam. i use a contour and i don't even feel the weight on my mask. put the camera on the side that you hold your gun if its tac-cap or mag-fed. if not you could put it on the other side but the camera wont be able to see around cover, so you'll get allot of video with just walls and what not.

head cam is good for go pros and it gets good footage

barrel cams suck, the videos are painful to watch because of all the movement and ground shots

[FreeEnterprise]

I made a video with my input on the subject.

[METHORN]

Ive never used a go-pro but I have played with guys that do use them and the biggest issue I see is that your head or marker becomes a larger target. There great cameras but they make you a larger profile when playing

[ANDREWisSELLINGstuff]

One on your gun and helmet

[2pipes]

I like barrel mounts. Right in front of the hopper.

[ubermick]

Would have to agree that a GoPro is a bit too bulky for this sort of stuff - the Roam seems better suited. Problem there is that Contour went out of business two months ago so any and all support is now gone. Was eyeing one on Amazon to use not just for paintball but for mountain biking, snorkelling, and some other stuff and the reviews have gone from five stars across the board to people frustrated and unhappy at being out in the cold if something goes wrong.

[wilko]

Originally Posted by ubermick

Would have to agree that a GoPro is a bit too bulky for this sort of stuff - the Roam seems better suited. Problem there is that Contour went out of business two months ago so any and all support is now gone.

Having used two different Contour headcams for most of my paintball videos, I recently sold them both after having had enough of the crappy beta-release hardware and its accompanying long list of hiccups.

Having said that, I'd never buy a GoPro for paintball, simply because it's too much of a target and because it's not easy to mount it in such a way to record what you are actually seeing.

I don't have a loader in the way on my marker (Tac-One with q-loader on the home made stock) and I find that the best paintball video is shot at eye height. Any higher or lower mounting and I would miss out on lots of footage simply because I often peek through cracks, shoot through narrow slits etc.

Not so long ago I bought a couple of new BearDevil headcams (ok video, bad sound) for around 60 euro each, and mounted one on the marker and one on the right side of my head. That's the setup I'm planning to use for the foreseeable future.

[ubermick]

Those BearDevil cams look rather nice - and am really surprised there aren't more cameras on the market along those lines. Basically the size of a small flashlight, so could easily mount it on picatinny rails. Not available over here in 'Mercuh tho alas. One that a mountain biking friend recommended was Drift, said he had both a Drift Ghost and a GoPro Hero3, and the Drift completely and utterly blew the GoPro away. Still looks a little bulky for mounting on a gun for though, although I noticed they do have a picatinny mount for it on their site.

Oh, and by the way wilko - hup hup Holland!!!

[wilko]

One of my team mates uses a Drift HD 170 (IIRC). Good quality image and sound (much better sound than the BearDevil). It also has around 3 hours of footage per battery instead of the 2 to 2,5 hours I get per battery on the BearDevil. The Drift has a sleaker frontal profile than the GoPro, but a lot more when vieed from the side. On top of that it has a screen on the outside. My buddy has a foam cover made for that to prevent it from getting damaged by a paintball hit.

That's what I liked about the Contour (before the ROAM, where you couldn't change the battery) headcams: could withstand a direct hit, small frontal profile, decent battery recording time, cheap replacement batteries (Nokia BL-5C) and multiple ways of mounting it.

The tube shape of the BearDevil has a little benefit on its own: for mounting on your marker you can use any kind of 30mm flashlight, red dot/scope or laser mounts, both for picatinny rails as many other connecting mounts/ways.

There are dozens of similarly (to the BearDevil) shaped Chinese HD headcams and actioncams available, but very little is known about their recording quality and sturdiness.

[Paper_Cut]

I wish they did for paintball masks what they do for ski goggles

[ubermick]

Originally Posted by wilko

The tube shape of the BearDevil has a little benefit on its own: for mounting on your marker you can use any kind of 30mm flashlight, red dot/scope or laser mounts, both for picatinny rails as many other connecting mounts/ways.

Exactly. That's my biggest issue with the GoPro, while the quality of the video/sound is great, it's just a really inconvenient shape. The tube shaped cams just seem to lend themselves to being mounted inconspicuously, and not always in the way.

Originally Posted by wilko

There are dozens of similarly (to the BearDevil) shaped Chinese HD headcams and actioncams available, but very little is known about their recording quality and sturdiness.

Yup. Here's an option I stumbled on when I was looking for Condor alternatives, but while it comes with a ton of mounting options, the price is right, and the quality seems quite good, who knows how it'd handle a direct hit from a paintball?

http://www.tachyoninc.com/guncam.php