Update: Road & Track Article on How to Place your GoPro

I thought I'd start a thread about the (now famous) GoPro camera... Several of us are already proud owners of this magnificent system, and others are aspiring to become part of the club. I wanted to compile some useful info into this thread including mounting tips, how-to's, and useful info to help navigate through the settings menu. It would be amazing if other owners could chime in and provide some useful info that they've gathered on their own in order to improve this guide. The GoPro has a total of 5 settings with which to capture some amazing footage. These settings are:

R1: WVGA @ 60 fps (standard DVD resolution)
R2: 720p @ 30 fps
R3: 720p @ 60 fps (best if you intend to do timelapse shots, also most memory friendly HD setting)
R4: 960p @30 fps
R5: 1080p @30 fps (a true hard drive killer, it will take up a LOT of space as well as take forever to upload)

But the GoPro not only facilitates video recording, it also has a self-timer picture mode, a picture mode (able to be set at any interval of your choice), triple shot photo mode and of course a settings menu with extensive options to chose from.

A detailed PDF of the instructions can be found Here

A useful video tutorial on the settings menu I found on youtube can be viewed
Useful youtube tutorial for time lapse
Preferable mounting spots on the S2000

I found it gives a very nice angle if mounted in the top left hand corner (passenger side) of the windshield:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6043287264/http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6043287264/
It can also be mounted in the front bumper like so:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6043297722/http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6043297722/
Simply use one of the adhesive pads that come with the HD motorsports kit and mount it in a similar location for an amazing angle

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6042761519/http://www.flickr.com/photos/54654348@N02/6042761519/
Notice that the camera is mounted upside down. The camera has a upside down mode which can be activated through the settings menu, allowing you to play back the footage right side up instantaneously without any video editing software

 

I like to stick mine inside the windshield just to the right of the rear view mirror (assuming in driver seat) facing forward. It doesn't get any wind noise there and it semi protected should you leave it in the car, like I often do. This uses the suction cup.

Otherwise one of the best spots is atop the hidden compartment facing forward. This gets a decent in car view for you to review your shifting skills, turn ins, and rpm. With the 1080 you can really get see the entire dashboard along with the track. Regular adhesive mount.

I also like putting it midway up the hood, or even further up a bit to the wind shield using the suction cup as well. And my other fav place is on the fender a few inches behind the badge. If you have the backing plate, or just want to guess and check a lot you can get the full "s2000" in the shot along with a good amount of the track and tire.

 

I use the hidden compartment top location. Don't forget the little rubber cushion to prevent the "mount clicking" noise.

 

I would like to present my single greatest tip regarding the go-pro and audio.

Take your smart phone (we used an iphone) - use the sound recorder and place it in the net next to the transmission tunnel, or have someone hold it. On your computer, sync the audio. You have a mostly wind-noise free audio solution that works great and allows you to hear everything, including all engine noises, conversation within the cabin - no matter where the camera is mounted.

This is the end result:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsQRo_TnKLs[/media]

Tapping the record button in front of the camera makes syncing the audio much easier as you know exactly when the track starts.

This was discovered after attempting to solder an external mic onto a regular go pro. That failed, but this works great.

Let me know your thoughts.

 

^ This seems like a great idea. What software do you use to combine the files? I had always thought that wind noise was always a problem for autox.

 

magnum.... you are a freaking genius!!! im getting my gopro and im am totally going to use your idea. many thanks for sharing!

 

I find that when not shooting in perfect lighting conditions, the quality is terrible and the picture is extremely noisy.
Also, I like mounting my gopro on friends cars to get external shots!

 

Sorry, but I don't really have an idea what my buddy uses. He has the go pro and does all the editing. I doubt that it is anything spectacular though. I can't imagine it being harder than overlaying a song or something like that on top of the video.

Maybe windows movie maker has this feature even?

 

It's much easier in iMovie

 

Possibly true, but 80+% of us don't use that.

I just checked it out and it is very easy in "Windows Live Movie Maker" for windows 7.

First, load your video. If you used the trick I mentioned earlier, find the point where you tap the record button on the screen.
Click "Add music at present point" and select the audio track. There will then be two tabs on the top, one for the music track options and one for the video track of the gopro video. Just mute the go pro audio under the video track tab and you're all set... Pretty simple.