GoPro Low Light Settings
How to Improve Your GoPro Low Light Footage
Why in the whole wide world does my footage look so sh*t when faced with low light conditions? Is this is a common problem faced by GoPro fans? What is more, how can we fix this? It starts by having a proper understanding what is actually affecting the GoPro's low light performance. Let's take a closer look. Why the Image Sensor is so Important We all know that light is the king of the castle as far as photography is concerned. You will know what I am talking about once you hear the famous words - "Lights, camera, action", uttered by one or the other famous director. Yep, that is right. The main component of any shoot that takes place is light. This is why the image sensor is so important. In fact, the larger the sensor, the more light comes through. Believe it or not, the image sensor is seen as the heart of your digital camera. So, the larger it is, the better your chances of converting light to a higher RGB value that is far more accurate while it contains a higher range of colors and contrasts to ensure better color depth. |
There is no question about it that the GoPro is among the most advanced cameras around. Just take the Black Edition of the HERO3 that features an Auto Low Light mode to ensure the best low light performance for when you shoot at sunset or indoors. It is at times like these that the GoPro HERO3 will automatically adjust the frame rate to match the surrounding lighting conditions in the best way possible. Is there a need then to toggle with GoPro Low Light Settings? That remains to be seen.
Make no mistake, the HERO4 Silver and Black do not disappoint either as far as low light situations are concerned. After all, video settings can easily drop to around 6400 ISO. Fortunately, the new low light setting feature known as Night Lapse and Night Photo make up for this. But what if you are a photographer of note who wants a little more control? This is where ProTune as a manual mode comes in pretty handy as it affords you the opportunity to successfully manage your ISO limits, under or over exposure settings as well as various white balance choices. More GoPro Settings Tutorials >
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Now, if you are holding one of the original GoPro HD Hero's, you are in for a lot of trouble as the image sensor is smaller, which puts you at a disadvantage with regards to low light conditions. Not ideal, is it?
Aperture
Another factor that requires your careful consideration in terms of the GoPro Low Light Settings, would be Aperture. This refers to the mechanism of the GoPro lens that controls the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. It is good to know that a large aperture of say f/1.4 would allow more light, which proves to be ideal during low light conditions.
On the other hand, a smaller aperture would let less light in, resulting in disappointment. Luckily, the makers of GoPro ensured their aperture is set at f/2.8, which is good enough to allow adequate lighting. Yet, it is not too large so that the appropriate software can be utilized to accommodate excess light.
ISO Sensitivity
One final factor that would have an impact on low light performance would be ISO sensitivity. It pertains more to the software you use than the actual hardware. ISO gets used to measure the image sensor's sensitivity. Therefore, an ISO400 would be less sensitive to light than an ISO3200. In other words, the lower the number, the less sensitive your camera would be too light, which will result in a finer grain. It would be in your best interest to have a given formula with you at all times to ensure the ISO sensitivity get calculated correctly.
An Explanation of Common GoPro Low Light Settings
As mentioned before, certain GoPro models allow users to adjust the white balance, depending on the shooting conditions. Below is an explanation of which setting is best for what conditions:
* 3000k - Sunset/sunrise lighting. This setting is ideal when faced with lower light scenarios where you want to feature more detail without the help of surrounding light
* 5500k - Sunlight or daylight shooting. This would be the right setting for when you are shooting during daylight hours outside
* 6500k - White fluorescent skylight lighting. When shooting in the presence of a lot of white light, or indoors, then this setting would be more ideal.
These are just some of the more common settings being used. On average, most GoPro users would keep the white balance settings on Auto. It goes to show how damn smart these cameras are.
More GoPro Settings Tutorials.
More on GoPro Tutorials.
Aperture
Another factor that requires your careful consideration in terms of the GoPro Low Light Settings, would be Aperture. This refers to the mechanism of the GoPro lens that controls the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. It is good to know that a large aperture of say f/1.4 would allow more light, which proves to be ideal during low light conditions.
On the other hand, a smaller aperture would let less light in, resulting in disappointment. Luckily, the makers of GoPro ensured their aperture is set at f/2.8, which is good enough to allow adequate lighting. Yet, it is not too large so that the appropriate software can be utilized to accommodate excess light.
ISO Sensitivity
One final factor that would have an impact on low light performance would be ISO sensitivity. It pertains more to the software you use than the actual hardware. ISO gets used to measure the image sensor's sensitivity. Therefore, an ISO400 would be less sensitive to light than an ISO3200. In other words, the lower the number, the less sensitive your camera would be too light, which will result in a finer grain. It would be in your best interest to have a given formula with you at all times to ensure the ISO sensitivity get calculated correctly.
An Explanation of Common GoPro Low Light Settings
As mentioned before, certain GoPro models allow users to adjust the white balance, depending on the shooting conditions. Below is an explanation of which setting is best for what conditions:
* 3000k - Sunset/sunrise lighting. This setting is ideal when faced with lower light scenarios where you want to feature more detail without the help of surrounding light
* 5500k - Sunlight or daylight shooting. This would be the right setting for when you are shooting during daylight hours outside
* 6500k - White fluorescent skylight lighting. When shooting in the presence of a lot of white light, or indoors, then this setting would be more ideal.
These are just some of the more common settings being used. On average, most GoPro users would keep the white balance settings on Auto. It goes to show how damn smart these cameras are.
More GoPro Settings Tutorials.
More on GoPro Tutorials.