@Aria Yes, GoPro Studio is pretty meaningless without the Cineform capability, and Protune 'enables' that. My newest camera doesn't get as hot as the old one. With 2K7cine 24T, the front panel only gets to 57C and not 60C (LOL). Heat would be a problem inside any redesigned casing...

But 2K7 is worth the struggle. Now if only GoPro would allow my cineform codec to handle 2K7 outside of their Studio software. My HDlink package tops out at 1920x1080. Sigh... Makes it impossible to process footage in Virtualdub without spending more on the Studio Pro package...

@bannedindv, thanks for the clarification. I just hope they eventually decide to mass produce it :) Check out this page and the images of the thing and tell it's not the cutest piece of gear that can do serious work, you've ever seen. It's so tiny!

http://www.radiantimages.com/index.php/cameras/hd-beyond/gopro/712-novo

@Rambo: What big arms you have Pa :) Love the ant :)

Hi Guys!

I saw NOVO camera and i want my own GP something similar here are results

I just made my GP2 c-mount adapter.

Now i will try to find solution to block exposure settings. Any idea?

I haven't tried this, but it looks like an interesting timelapse method.

http://cineform.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/rethinking-time-lapse.html

When I read about the Novo crew hacking the exposure settings with a second CPU, I assumed that there must be signalling through the connector which the LCD display plugs into to allow these exposure commands to be sent to the CPU in some kind of signalling protocol like the SPI used by Arduino. But I haven't spent any time on searching whether this has been documented anywhere. My experience with Protune is that exposure has not been a problem for me, due to Protune's compression of highs and lows.

@Maciozaurus It looks like you have an infrared filter visible in your 3rd photo (the one without the lens). Or is this the original lens? An ND filter, perhaps? Could you please give me more info on exactly what you did in your conversion?

I see the Tamron is a 1/1.8 objective. Did you test any smaller objective lenses and see when the vignetting becomes a problem?

Yes this is ir cut off filter:) Vignete is visible in left up corner but it is mine mistake lens isn't in center of sensor.

@stonebat -just for fun:D You know-the Bob builder factor:D But it is little and cheap camera that you can put in to a pocket and make good quality videos:)

Great read and info on early and late Gopro and the Founder Nick Woodman.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2013/03/04/the-mad-billionaire-behind-gopro-the-worlds-hottest-camera-company http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2013/03/13/five-startup-lessons-from-gopro-founder-and-billionaire-nick-woodman

An Early Gopro appearance on QVC in 2005

The articles are spot on, the man is a workaholic. As a longtime facebook and email friend, i finally got to meet him in his office in 2011, took me for a tour of GoPro HQ's, where i was introduced to the rest of the crew, they all share his enthusiasm. Its one of those places where everyone dreams of working, but not my style.

What is more interesting is what products GoPro has on the drawing board for the future to protect their current brand and range and also expand into other areas, money is no object, manufacturing facilities are no object with FoxConn buying a big share of the company.

Funny part in the Forbes magazine is Nick Woodman's quote about his 2nd Company (FUNBUG) failure .............

"I failed and deserved to be on f**ckedcompany.com," says Woodman.

Yes that is an actual website register for failed companies.... haha.

@Rambo I am using my two Black Hero3 more and more. With 24p Protune, indoors only. I would really love an interchangeable lens C-Mount, but then I would need a decent monitor to focus, and I might as well just carry the FZ200 (because water resistance is not a factor for me). I just use the Blacks for B-Roll and backup footage. I love that people just ignore them, because they are so small... But last month the B-roll saved my bacon, so I see myself using them more and more. Will have to splurge on Cinema Studio Premium though, I have resisted for years, but it makes my Cineform workflow so much smoother...

Now that's interesting - battery life shoots up to 2hrs 4mins with this Narrow FOV rather than 1:38 (average) on the otherwise identical Medium FOV Protune settings. I had suspected that the Sony sensor chip was chewing up a lot of the power used by the Black, and this would seem to confirm that. Somehow it must be scanning less of the sensor in Narrow than Medium FOV. Anyway, this is really good news for me, as I suspect I will be using this setting a lot. Once the WiFi app has been used to make the setting, then WiFi can be switched off and the setting persists in the camera, even with a battery pull...

Oh - maximum temperature on the front fascia stayed at only 42 degrees C rather than the 50C I usually see in medium FOV 1080/24T and the 58C in 2K7 24T mode...

The Narrow FOV is about 5.5mm or 55 degrees (34mm in film equiv).. still usefully wide...

Here some example of timelapse of the Hero3 Black Edition, a little bit of lens aberration but in general very good quality.