Just got a Git2P - would love your advice

scrappy

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I just got a Git2P 170 degree and am totally new to action cams, so I'd like to get some feedback from you guys regarding settings, etc.

I plan to use the cam mostly for recording bicycle rides, hikes and other site seeing during an upcoming trip in Asia. I'm thinking I'll use the bike mount that came with the cam to mount it on the handlebars and use a selfie stick for hikes and site seeing. Most recording will be during the day but I'll also do some night recording to capture the light shows, etc. Oh, and probably an external mic.

Firmware version is: git2ps_v1.0_0328

Settings I've changed out of the box:
1080p 60fps
Gyro on
WDR on
60 Hz
NTSC
Date stamp off

Everything else is default.

Is this a good starting point?
Anything else you recommend I tweak or try while testing the cam prior to my trip?
What are your thoughts on using an external mic?

When I'm in Shanghai, I might look out for an inexpensive gimbal selfie stick... do you guys think it's very worthwhile, any brands you recommend?
 
Your settings are OK.
For gimbals look for FeiyuTech Vimble C or Zhiyun Smooth-Q.
Electronics are made in Shenzen in China, so is possible to find cheaper gimbals online compared to Shanghai.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
I just got a Git2P 170 degree and am totally new to action cams, so I'd like to get some feedback from you guys regarding settings, etc.

I plan to use the cam mostly for recording bicycle rides, hikes and other site seeing during an upcoming trip in Asia. I'm thinking I'll use the bike mount that came with the cam to mount it on the handlebars and use a selfie stick for hikes and site seeing. Most recording will be during the day but I'll also do some night recording to capture the light shows, etc. Oh, and probably an external mic.
Try out the bike mount before hand, mounting on handlebars can result in very poor sound if you don't use an external mic, and it's also not great for producing smooth video so also consider body mounting or helmet mounting. A lot depends on the bike and the quality of the bike suspension. Don't tighten that bike mount more than necessary.

For any night time recording, if you are hand holding then mount it on a selfie stick or monopod, the heavier the better to improve stability. The gyro will stabilise it but it cant remove motion blur from camera shake. If appropriate use a tripod, and consider using photo mode, maybe with long exposures.

Take a look at some gimbal stabilised video before deciding, they tend to give a rather floaty video that can make you motion sick! If you like the effect then go for it, but it is not essential when you have gyro stabilisation.

Make sure you practice before your trip, the more practice and experimentation the better your results will be...
 
Thanks guys! I chose the Git2P because everything I saw online indicated it has the best combination (for inexpensive action cams) of picture quality and image stabilization. I'll take a practice video today with the handlebar mount on a no suspension mountain bike to see how that turns out. When I did that with my cellphone video, the results on the bike were horribly shaky, which led me to choose the Gitup cam. I've ordered an external mic, really wish there was a wireless one for the Git2.

I will look out for a heavier selfie stick (thanks for that tip, Nigel). For now, my practice walking video will be while holding the cam on a small and very light tripod.

I will be using rental bikes, so probably no suspension and in Korea, I plan to be on the bike for around 50 miles per day, most likely will rent a road bike so I can drop down to be in a more aerodynamic position when I want to make time or sit up when I want to just cruise and check the scenery. That's making me lean toward a handlebar mount so the view will remain constant.
I'm not too sure about using a helmet mount for cycling, as I know that I'm constantly looking around for traffic and trouble when I'm riding on the street and all that head turning may make the viewer dizzy.

Besides a chest harness, are there other methods to comfortably body mount?
For a handlebar mount, does wrapping one layer of rubber tape around the bar do anything to help reduce vibration that the cam might pick up?
 
Here is my first practice video from a bike. Cam is mounted on handlebars of my ancient mountain bike with no suspension. Video looks terrible on Youtube compared to viewing directly from the memory card. But even when viewing from the card, it shows some artifacts and blur which I'm guessing may be due to the gyro correcting for the knobby tires vibration that are transmitted by the handlebar mount to the cam.

Any recommendations on settings tweaks or on video editing tools that I can use prior to uploading that will improve how the videos turn out on youtube?

 
Here is my first practice video from a bike. Cam is mounted on handlebars of my ancient mountain bike with no suspension. Video looks terrible on Youtube compared to viewing directly from the memory card. But even when viewing from the card, it shows some artifacts and blur which I'm guessing may be due to the gyro correcting for the knobby tires vibration that are transmitted by the handlebar mount to the cam.

Any recommendations on settings tweaks or on video editing tools that I can use prior to uploading that will improve how the videos turn out on youtube?

That actually looks quite decent, but you did have a reasonable surface. It is a bit dark in that video, the Git2 does prefer sunshine, can easily get blurry when you loose the light.

You can see the handlebar at the edge of the image moving around showing how much work the stabiliser is doing, turn the stabiliser off and the handlebar should not move at all.

"For a handlebar mount, does wrapping one layer of rubber tape around the bar do anything to help reduce vibration that the cam might pick up?"
It can improve internal sound quality, but it wont do much for stabilisation, more likely to make things worse in my experience.

Best way to improve it is to let some air out of the tyres to soften the ride, although if you are going to ride 50 miles a day the extra rolling resistance could be an issue!

"I will look out for a heavier selfie stick (thanks for that tip, Nigel). For now, my practice walking video will be while holding the cam on a small and very light tripod."
I try to use the selfie stick/tripod as a pendulum when walking, it keeps the horizon horizontal and minimises the effect of fisheye without you having to think about it, it will work best when extended (long pendulums swing more slowly).
 
Any recommendations on settings tweaks or on video editing tools that I can use prior to uploading that will improve how the videos turn out on youtube?
Chest mount will be less shaky than handlebar mount. As for Youtube, it gives too low bitrate for 60p, almost equal as for 30p. So, looks like have to shoot video in 1080 60p (with better gyro performance) and render it to 1080p30 file for better appearance at Youtube.
If you are interesting in free editing software then take a look at Shotcut (free video editing software):
https://www.shotcut.org
 
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Thanks again for your advice, guys! I will check out that software and also rendering to 30fps before uploading to youtube. So far, I've only tried the old Windows Live Movie Maker software.

I just did a quick test with the handlebar mount on my road bike. The results look better due to the smoother ride, but I need to rethink my aversion to a helmet or body mount for recording time on the bikes. I also need to get an open side case so I can use the external mic and get rid of the creaking echo noise that seems to come from the waterproof case.

I see that one of our local stores has a Steadicam Curve on sale for $15 this week, seems that at that price it may be worth driving over to check out.

 
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