- Carry a spare GoPro Battery and card
- Format your GoPro MicroSD cards
- Check your GoPro’s lens and wipe clean
- Lick the lens in water
- Use moisture pads to avoid a fogged GoPro lens
Do you shoot with a GoPro camera, or maybe you’re just a fan of action cameras in general? With GoPro announcing its new drone, Karma, at Photokina 2016 next, and as rumours of a GoPro Hero 5 abound, we put together this quick guide to getting more from your GoPro camera.
01 Carry a spare GoPro battery and card
It sounds obvious but packing a spare battery and card help to avoid disappointment.
A single battery will give you a good hour and halves worth of recording time, as long as you don’t use the Wifi connection and keeping to the default resolution of 1080p at 30fps.
An hour and a halves worth of footage quickly adds up when it comes to storage, and you’ll be looking at a staggering 20GB of data if you record continuously for that length of time. GoPro does feature Chaptering which automatically splits the files into 2GB files just encase something goes wrong.
02 Format your GoPro MicroSD cards
Although MicroSD cards are incredibly reliable the file system that enables them to store data can get corrupted, especially when the cards themselves start to get old.
A good practice to get into is when you download your footage to your computer or online storage is to clear the card and format ready for the next time.
The best way to format the card to ensure you have the right file formats is to format within the GoPro:
Format your MicroSD card in the GoPro Hero 4 Black
1/ Turn the GoPro on
2/ Press the Power button to scroll through the options until you get to camera settings
3/ Press the Shutter Button to confirm the selection
4/ Press the Power Button and scroll to the bin
5/ Press the Shutter Button to confirm the selection
6/ Press the Power Button and select “ALL/Format”
7/ Press the Shutter Button to confirm the selection
8/ Press the Power Button and scroll to ‘Delete’
9/ Press the Shutter Button to confirm the selection
03 Check your GoPro’s lens and wipe clean
It’s inevitable that a camera designed to capture action is going to get dirty. This dirt isn’t going to effect the camera itself as it’s safely protected by the waterproof housing. But dust and dirt can cause havoc with the quality of footage when it’s caked onto the front of the lens.
The issue is easy enough to resolve by just getting in the habit of giving the lens a quick wipe every time you stop. If possible carry a small lint free cloth, otherwise the edge of a T-Shirt or the side of the palm of your hand will do.
04 Lick the lens in water
Ok this might sound disgusting but if you’re out surfing then licking the lens is a great way to keep it smear and drip free.
It has something to do with the makeup of your saliva, but what I have no idea. It does however work and is a top tip I was give by the guys at GoPro a few years ago.
05 Use moisture pads to avoid a fogged GoPro lens
These small moisture pads slot in between the camera and waterproof housing.
If you’ve ever had the lens of your GoPro steam up from the inside then this is when you need these pads.
They work by simply absorbing moisture, so in situations such as entering the sea where the hot air cools and condenses, these pads will absorb the moisture rather than creating a fogged up lens.
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