GoPro Hero 5

[Gareth135R]

Guys,

Been having a battery problems with my new GoPro 5.
I've yet to actually use it but on playing around with settings / learning the functions...the camera is at 100% full.
I switch the camera off completely overnight and by morning the battery is dead.

I have re-charged the battery, removed from the camera and left 24hrs.
24hrs later the battery is still 100%...so safe to say I've ruled out a faulty battery.

Called GoPro tech support but no such help yet other than raising me a case number and following the remove battery instructions as above.

Any ideas? Read online people talking about switching off bluetooth and wifi but surely if the camera is off...it's off.

TIA
Gareth

[AndrewEH1]

IIRC if the WiFi and Bluetooth are on even if the GoPro is 'off' the WiFi and Bluetooth stay on searching for connection and thus will drain the battery.

Unless you're using WiFi/Bluetooth when operating the GoPro I'd just turn it off.

[Craikeybaby]

I know that with my Hero 3 you can switch the camera off, but leave wifi on, to allow you to switch the camera back on from the app.

[Fordo]

Every gopro i've used, I've noticed goes flat if left in the camera for a long time. As already mentioned, wifi left on is a constant drain. The battery are tiny in capacity, so even a small amount of drain, can have a big effect.

I tend to leave the batteries out of them until they are needed.

Might be worth contacting gopro anyway, just to check there isnt something more to it

[Digitalize]

As said will most likely be the BT/Wifi still being on so you can wake it up and control it from the app. Kind of a pain but I just switch it off until I need it. Kills recording time too.

[Ocean53]

How good would a hero 5 be as dash cam for an alpine Tour.?
Is the screen mount ok and does the stabilisation work ok.
How long is battery life?
Can I control on and off by voice from the driving seat?

[damianmkv]

My 13 year old has the hero5 black - battery lasts around 60-75 minutes so a couple of spares required. Stabilisation seems to works very well, he's done some stuff with a selfie stick and there's no wobble at all.

Can't comment on the voice control, sorry

[Digitalize]

In theory that's what the voice control is for. You'd want to power it via the USB-C port that it comes with rather than relying on battery power alone. Biggest challenge depending on recording quality would be storage space, full 4k creates pretty large files but the quality is very good and is noticeably better when down scaled to 1080p over recording in 1080p originally.

[Ocean53]

Thanks Digitaliz. That would be helpful if I understood it!
I'm afraid I don't have any experience of Go Pro, and was just hoping that I could just plug it in, shout at it to record for about 20 minutes, then tell it to stop, and then download onto an I pad!
Realistic? Or should I just stick to stills with my I phone?

[Craikeybaby]

That is doable, but it depends on how many times you want to do that. If you want the camera turned on and ready all day you will need to have it powered. I've never found this to be a problem in the car though.

[HappyMidget]

Voice control works really quite well if it can hear you properly. I managed 6 hours recording @  4k on a 200GB SD card as a test.

[rottie102]

Voice recognition on GoPro 5 is really poor. As in F....frustrating so much that you eventually give up on it altogether poor. Garmin Virb Ultra is much better at it.
You are much safer investing in a remote control but they are pricey.

Also, I don't know how you will keep in constantly plugged in with Hero 5's waterproof design. The door for power socket will have to stay open, but then it won't fit in the cradle/mount to attach it anywhere.

I bought GoPro 5 immediately when it was released and used it a lot since, but its design really frustrates me more often than the advantages please.

[HappyMidget]

rottie102 said:

Voice recognition on GoPro 5 is really poor. As in F....frustrating so much that you eventually give up on it altogether poor. Garmin Virb Ultra is much better at it.
You are much safer investing in a remote control but they are pricey.

Also, I don't know how you will keep in constantly plugged in with Hero 5's waterproof design. The door for power socket will have to stay open, but then it won't fit in the cradle/mount to attach it anywhere.

I bought GoPro 5 immediately when it was released and used it a lot since, but its design really frustrates me more often than the advantages please.

The door comes off

[Ocean53]

Thanks for comments
Any views on whether camera should be mounted on dash, or on screen behind mirror? Does it cope ok with light deflection through screen?
Are these mount bundles a good buy, or should I stick with Go Pro products
What is max size disc you can get and what size does it come with?
I've read that it can download to I pad via cloud by wire less. Does this work?

[Craikeybaby]

I usually mount mine on the windscreen behind the mirror, but if you are going to stitch together lots of clips from one trip I would try a few different positions.

My advice would be to go for the biggest card possible, especially if you plan to film in 4k. Then buy another a space card.

[Ocean53]

I managed a good 5 minute video in the car yesterday, but when I transferred it to my I pad it was 2gb!
Is it possible to compress this, or should I just keep video on camera disc and play direct through hdmi to TVs?

[HappyMidget]

Ocean53 said:

I managed a good 5 minute video in the car yesterday, but when I transferred it to my I pad it was 2gb!
Is it possible to compress this, or should I just keep video on camera disc and play direct through hdmi to TVs?

It is uncompressed. Use GoPro studio to export it to a nice easier to store format

[Craikeybaby]

What resolution was your GoPro set to? 4k will take up more space than HD for example.

I wouldn't just rely on the card in the camera for long term storage. I import to my Mac, edit the footage, then export in a smaller format/upload to YouTube.

[Ocean53]

1080, linear