New filming gear for the fly angler!

For a long time now i have been using Gopro cameras for most of my filming while fishing. They are so durable, waterproof and easy to use . A perfect blend for any fisherman that want to record precious memories, film for social media  or vlog. But if you want to spice up your filming quality, you need more than one string on your bow..

A DSLR or mirror less with interchangeable lens will give you that cinematic, smooth, professional feeling, they are also great if you get into filming your own tutorials. But these can hurt badly your bank account, especially if you start buying more lens ( and yes you will buy more lens..)
So for the budget minded angler, Gopro is very reasonable.The new one (Gopro 7 black) is packed with fantastic features, the most notable one is how stable the footage is now! Mind blowing how such a small device can pack so much tech inside.
But coming silently on the market is a company trying to rivalise with the mighty Gopro and get 360 videos more approachable.... Insta360.
360º cameras have been here for a good while but haven't generated much interest in the consumer market. A lot of people see 360 camera a thing for specialized video makers or for making virtual reality videos. And that's what they are mainly used for...Until now!
Insta 360 is changing the 360 world in a big way! To cut down to the chase, no i don't think that this new camera will replace the Gopro, but it will certainly be a fantastic addition to your camera bag.
Why? i tell you why, filming in 360 captures everything that's happening around you! No more pointing the lens at what you want to film, this means that if your fishing with a friend on a boat, both anglers are in the frame, all the time. If using by yourself, you get that feeling that someone else is filming you, as the clever software will simply make the selfie stick/tripod disappear from the final footage giving you a third person point of view.
With different attachments comes a multitude of new camera angles.
The built in 6 axis  stabilizer is amazing ( called Flowstate ) as good as the Gopro 7 Black. Making shaky footage a thing of the past. There's nothing worse than watching a video thats wobbles in all directions!
Quality of the image is surprisingly good, filming at 5.7K / 30 fps , 4K/ 50 fps and 3K / 100 fps ( great for slow motion). It films with two 200º lens, a 1/2.3" Sony sensor and a large aperture of F2.0.
One advantage it has on the Gopro is that with the latest firmware you can now film in HDR (high dynamic range). We're  getting geeky now but trust me it will give the picture more depth, vibrancy and improve the quality of your videos.And i think more software will be released in the future.
Time shift is an other nice thing to have already built in, that will save so much time in editing your video. And talking about editing, Insta360 can be edited on your phone or tablet ( Android&Apple ) via a very easy application. Finished videos can be also uploaded directly from the app to many platforms, Instagram, Facebook,Youtube...
If that's any interest, you can also become a Google street photographer as the 360 pics are so good they are accepted by Google street view. It takes photos at 18MP.
Battery life isn't too bad at 60 mins / battery use under normal conditions. Extra batteries can be purchased too.
Add to all this a myriad of accessories, from protective or dive cases, drone attachments, harness, selfie sticks, enough stuff to cover any situations.

Okay, i have been going on about all the pros of the Insta360 and here's my ( very short ) list of cons:
1: Audio is not great and even worse if you use a protective case...
2: Because of the way the lenses are placed to cover 360º they are prone to damages, scratches and even cracks. But if a lens is broke or badly scratched, you can send the camera to Insta360 and you can have it replaced. I think its a 100$/ lens at the moment, but it's better than having to buy a whole new camera..

So should you buy one? Well that's entirely up to you, but i think Insta360 have reinvented the world of 360 cameras making them more approachable to the common soul. Sure you can get away with filming from your phone or Gopro, but for the enthusiast film maker, content creator the Insta360 X will surely give you an edge and will spice up your shots.We are so used to see now Gopro videos, it's a nice touch to see something fresh and different.

If you consider buying one, please click on the link here, or on the picture on the left column. Being now affiliated with Insta360, i will get a little cut for each sale.You will not be paying any extra, but you will be helping me a bit. Thank you.

                      Link link for purchase: INSTA360 ONE X

A few videos to understand better the potential of getting a 360 camera:

GoPro slow motion test.

I simply couldn't wait to try the new slow motion on the Gopro 6. Full HD 1080 with an amazing 240 fps. And the voice activation is fantastic!

Cameras and fly fishing, a personal evolution.

Since its first release, i have been a big fan of Gopro. They are small, tough, waterproof and with getting the settings right the videos and pictures are great.
I owned  three gopros: the very first one, the number 3 (that one was not great) the 4 black and now the 6 black.
I didn't need to upgrade every year, but instead i waited for a big leap in technology and software.
The 6 fits all this, 4k at 60fps, and a slow motion thats amazing for such a little piece of gear, 1080 at an amazing 240fps, voice activation and many other goodies are packed in this tiny camera.
Over the years, i have tried many different set up, trying to find the right balance between practicality and quality of videos/pictures.
From a  DSLR (Lumix GH-2) + spare lens, a point and shoot camera (i do take this one when travelling, Lumix LX100) to the Osmo+ from DJI.
The Gopro was always by my side, 80% of the time. Yes it can rain a lot here in Ireland, and when you need the camera to be rolling, it has to be rolling, rain or shine.

I recently got back into vlogging, and was starting to look at the possibility in using the gopro.One big problem was the awful sound quality on the camera. Even the newer models that don't need the housing for waterproofing have a dreadful sound.
To solve  this problem  all that's needed is to hook up an external mic. Ok it's not waterproof anymore, because the side door has to be open to plug the mic adapter but at least you can plan the "talking shots" during the dry spells.
Gopro being Gopro, they had to fuck up somewhere along the way...No mic port on the camera, instead you have to buy an ADAPTER on their website for the extortionate price of 64.99€!! (but if you look around you can find cheaper, i got mine for 40€).

65€???

In the last week, i did put a pic of the new set up on social media and a good few asked for details, so there's my set up:
Start with a good support, you cannot go wrong with a Gorilla Pod from Joby. You can use it as a selfie stick, a stable tripod for time lapse, or wrap it around anything you can to create interesting shots or when its impossible to sit it correctly (moving vehicle, wind...)
Make sure to have the tripod equipped with a Ball Head, this will help to keep you shot level no matter how the tripod is set up.
Then add a Tripod mount for Gopro, easily found on ebay for very little money.

Now an aluminium skeleton frame housing to hold and protect the camera.The case need to have an opening on the side to allow the side door to open fully and to be able to plug in the mic adapter. The best case are surprisingly cheap, strongly built, with a cold shoe mount on top for the mic and a 52mm UV filter.This filter can be unscrewed and you can use different filters. I mainly use ND filters (neutral density) and polarised.The 52mm also keep your Gopro lens well protected from scratches.

Side door opens easily for the mic adapter.

To top the set up all we need is a mic (and that stupid adapter). For best results and something that doesn't take too much room i use the RODE Video Micro.

I believe this set up is going to be my main one now for general vlogging and filming.For larger project and travels i always include in my bag  the point and shoot Lumix LX100 for those more artistic B rolls & hero shots and of course the Mavic pro for aerial shots.

• One tip for taking pictures of you and a fish when you are alone, is to set the gopro on time lapse pictures. I set mine to take one picture every second.When your trophy fish is safely in the net, you can clamp your camera and press shoot, this will take a picture every second.Only then you can take the fish out of the water and strike a few pose without the worry of waiting on a timer. By doing this you will end up with way too many pictures, and most of them will be crap, but in that bunch you always have a couple that are top quality, and some pics can be unexpected as well, especially if you let the camera roll while releasing the fish. Just remember to always be in the shot...After a few trials, you will know how far to hold the fish from the lens.Too far and you will see nothing, too close you just look like you're trying hard to make your fish look bigger...Always shoot on wide and not superwide for the hero shot.

As for the gopro 6, its now voice activated, even better!

For the mic placement be aware that once you put the dead cat (that fluffy wind breaker) on the mic, it will be inside the shot because of the wide angle. To correct this, the bottom plastic nut to secure the mic on the cold shoe is surrounded by grooves to hold the wire in place. Just pull  the back of the mic downward and secure the wire in place inside on the the groove.Your mic is now pointing slightly upwards and doesn't obstruct the frame.

The dead cat will show on screen if left like this.

Just pull it back and secure the wire.Its now out of the way .

Have an other solid 8 weeks of work here at the lodge, and i hope to test all this properly once i have more spare time.This set up will be brilliant especially when you are restricted on room and weight while travelling abroad.

Back to the future, the vlogs are back!

The changes to the blog and my Youtube channel are moving at a great pace. With , this year the edition of a new drone , the MAVIC PRO (a lot easier to travel and fish with than my old phantom 3 pro.) and now a new camera , the DJI OSMO+ . More details about the gear i will use at a later stage.

 The videos are going to take a turn back towards the good old vlogging.Vlogging for the ones left behind is simply a video blog... A mixture of my life here, of course all concentrated around fly fishing ,flytying, gear reviews and my travels here in Ireland and abroad. Costa Rica looks to be on the cards for this winter! Then the Innoko trip summer 2018.
A more dynamic approach, the vlogs will be around 5 minutes up to 10 minutes long maximum...So i don't bore you to death. Its a style of videos that suits me best, so i can still fish and not become a full time filmmaker. I started with this format 6 years ago already! So its long due to bring the blog backbit with a modern, interactive touch.
This was my first ever video...Sorry for the low quality, 6 years is ancient in technologic terms these days.

pike fly fishing,Ireland from Norbert Renaud on Vimeo.
Now for some of the tunes i will be using, in this mad copyright world, its not easy to find great tunes without forking serious amount of money around.But i am very pleased to announce a collaboration between myself and AK Natural for some the music used in the future vlogs. AK Natural , the name gives it away are from Alaska, they are independent fish-hop artists, yes you heard well, fish-hop. Hip-hop but no hoes, no drive by, and no bling, just fishes..If you are not familiar with them, you can find the on Soundcloud , Bandcamp and Facebook.
If you guys have any ideas of what i should include in these vlogs, just mail me :norbertfwa@gmail.com or leave something in the comments below.

Thanks for following me and please don't forget to help the Youtube channel to grow by subscribing: CLICK HERE



And a little look at what the Osmo+ can achieve, i think it one of the most practical cam out there for bloggers on the go..One negative, its not waterproof...But i still have my Gopro Black for wet days.




And some AK NATURAL, thanks, you guys are awesome!

Back in the air

Following my misadventure with Lily (the start up drone that failed to see production line) i went for the obvious choice, Mavic.

Its the portability of Mavic that attracted me straight away, fits in a small Pelican case, or in a dry bag. I hoping to push this little beast, but i am still in the "baby step" mode...Its not exactly cheap, and it needs time to know and put into practice all that Mavic has to offer. Thanks to Youtube there is a crazy amount of guys flying it and putting up some cool tutorials. But i still feel uneasy having over a 1000€ flying over water.

The very first thing i'm practicing is to hand launch and land to be able to take Mavic with me on my pontoon , boat or float tube. It looks easy, but i know its going to be a totally different story doing these manoeuvres sitting in the middle of a lough or river. So, practice makes perfect and i don't want to get my fingers chopped..
 Putting this aside,Mavic looks like a fantastic piece of tech.It does not feel cheap, its sturdy, flies very well, stable , responsive and the camera is fantastic.But now a new season starts for me at the lodge, first guests are arriving this afternoon, that's me busy until mid june...Be patient my friends, i will try to fill the blog as much as i can.

For those who are interested in the procedure i use to hand launch and land, i think i am doing it the easiest way possible. If you know of a better way please do put it in the comment below.
Mavic is equipped with obstacle avoidance sensors in the front and underneath its body. So if you try to catch it, the bottom sensors will see your hand coming towards it and the drone will fly upwards to try to get away from you. I have seen many videos where guys go into the settings and disable the bottom sensors, but why paying big money for all these extras and not using them?..One easiest way it to use the take off option on the app (DJI GO 4 ) to launch and to use the auto landing from the app as well to catch it.Even if your hand is under, by confirming that you want to land the drone, the sensors will not see you as an obstacle but as a landing platform. Mavic will go down about 20cm and will pause for about two seconds to initiate the landing, all you have to do is position your hand under ( away from the blades and your face) and catch it as it lowers itself, then shut off the motors by holding your left stick down.Simple....well we'll see on the water, for the moment i keep doing this over and over in my garden.

Gopro is dead....Long live Sony!

Over the years i have owned nearly all the Gopros ever made, some for years, other for only a very brief time. We now have 5 generations of Gopros, and apart from image quality and a few more options , the action camera has changed very little ( thats my personal views...)

But Gopro had very little competition in the sport/action camera, some tried but failed....Until now.

Yes finally a true challenger! Thanks to Sony they have popped the Gopro bubble with their latest camera, the FDR-X3000. What's the big difference? Well there two big ones. The fist is the fantastic image stabilisation that the Sony offers.Thanks to a clever built in optical stabilisation, Sony offer very steady footage, and steady footage for an action camera is a VERY big deal! And you can have smoother footage all in 4K. This little beast can give you super smooth slow motion shots too with 120 fps at 1080 and 240 fps at 720. 

Now the second big thing : the microphone.

Sound quality is a lot better than the Gopro 5 and you have a jack port to plug in an external microphone, if you use it without the waterproof case. And that is a huge step forwards still don't understand why Gopro never done this...

For those who like the little screen on the more recent Gopros, Sony have a clever little monitor that looks like a watch. Sony use as usual a quality Zeiss lens on the FDR.

I have been looking for a very long time for something else ( and better) than a Gopro and finally there is something out there! Its not cheap, with a retail at 550/650€ but neither is the Gopro 5 at around 429€. But i really think  the extra money will go a very long way here.

Here is a nice little video to show you more why i am switching to the Sony side.

The Drone Evolution.

Depuis le tout début des drones je suis un fan.Non pas pour le plaisir de voler, car quand on a plus de 1000 € qui vole au dessus de l'eau c'est souvent plus stressant que fun, mais pour la nouvelle dimension en photographie et videos qui est seulement possible avec les drones.Je n'ai pas encore les moyens de m'acheter un hélicoptère.

Le tout debut de mon aventure commence avec le phantom 1 de DJI , (DJI reste la marque de choix en ce moment).

L'original phantom...Pas d'écran, un codage par blibs lumineux...si c'est vert c'est ok, peut être...Si c'est rouge, c'est pas bon. Pas d'information sur la batterie, durée de vol inconnue. Puis le plus gros désavantage, pas de camera incorporée, il faut ajouter sa Gopro ( encore des €€€), premier vol et on s'aperçoit rapidement que tout vibre, les videos sont horribles ( Jello Effect). Pour fixer ca il faut encore débourser  et se procurer une Gimball 3 axes (plus de 300€ a l'époque). C'est a ce moment là que j'ai abandonné le drone, enfin, pas vraiment abandonné, mais plutôt une pause. Car insatisfait avec la qualité des videos pour mes moyens a l'époque.

Phanton 1+gopro1 a gauche, old school! Phantom 3 pro a droite.

La vitesse du progrès technologique sur ces drones et tout simplement impressionnante. Je savait qu'avec un peu de patience les nouveaux modèles seront bien meilleurs.

Puis arrive Lily... Elle n'arrive pas...Apres retards sur retards de la date de mise en production, le projet s'écroule. Un projet qui a ramassé quand même plus de 34 millions de dollars en pre-orders! Au moins ils tiennent leur promesse de rembourser.

Apres un an d'attendre Lily, je devient très pessimiste du projet et m'achète (d'occasion) le phantom 3 professionnel. Le phantom 2 a eu une très courte existence entre le 1 et 3. C'est le drone que j'utilise en ce moment, la qualité est très bonne, il filme en 4K, mais je suis réduit a filmer en 1080 car mon internet est tellement puissant ( ceux qui viennent au lodge connaissent bien la connectivité de la bête..)

Pour vous donner un example, la dernière video de la montage Cuilcagh, fait 2 minutes 30. Ca m'a pris juste 12 heures pour télécharger cette video sur YouTube...Mais la fibre devrait arriver....avant 2020. (Un des désavantages de vivre a la campagne).

Le phantom 3 , il est superbe, mais sont plus gros default est sa taille. Voyager, aéroports, randonnées, barque,bateau...Ca devient vite un encombrement. 

Dji est une compagnie chinoise qui fait avancer le monde du drone a très grands pas, le phantom 4 pro est magnifique, mais il possède toujours le memes dimensions d'origine. 

Mais Hallelujah!! Voici le dernier, le petit dernier, Mavic!  Tout les avantages sont enfin réunis dans ce petit drone, pliable, un encombrement minimum, léger (moins d'un kilo), filme en 4K, des moteurs puissants, une autonomie de 27 minutes par batterie, un super contrôleur , bref, vous avez vite compris que je suis tombé amoureux...

Le Mavic pro est peut être petit, mais ce n'est pas un jouet, il tient dans le vent, il est super stable, et il a une distance de vol de 7 kilomètres!

Dji n'arrive pas a suivre, avec Lily qui laisse plus de 60000 clients dans le caca, la demande pour Mavic est incroyable.....Il faut encore attendre, une a deux semaines ils disent, mais avec le nouvel an chinois, ca risque de prendre plus d'un a deux mois je pense.Mais une chose est sure, c'est que ce coup ci je vais le recevoir mon nouveau drone.

                                       Regardez juste la qualité de cette video! Epic!

Je vous rappelle que le drone vole au dessus du lodge et dans les alentours chaque mois cette année, passez me voir sur mon compte YOUTUBE et abonnez vous svp.

(J'ai abandonné Vimeo pour l'instant )

Airborne

Le premier vol du Phantom 3 Pro. Quelle changement ! Moi qui etait habitué au Phantom 1. Enfin je peux filmer et prendre des photos de qualité.
Pour ce premier vol je me suis plus concentré sur le vol que sur la qualité d'image.Pas de settings customs, tout en auto et sans filtres.
Des filtres ND sont en route et ils vont ameliorer bien des choses.

Filmé en 1080 et téléchargé en 720. Il me manque plus qu'une connection internet de meilleure qualité pour envoyer du 4K....

Seychelles J-1 Cameras.

Encore demain a attendre...La grosse valise est complète, maintenant le sac a dos...
Pas beaucoup de place, mais les essentiels.
Vêtements pour se changer a Abu Dhabi ( 6 heures d'attente , c'est quand meme mieux sans jeans,bonnet et autre accoutrement hivernal). Puis le reste c'est les cameras, une Gopro originale , une Gopro 4 black, la Lumix GH2, avec objectif 20mm pancake  et  un téléobjectif 14-140mm.
Un globe Telesin pour la Gopro,  extra batteries et autres gadgets complètent le sac.

Allez  on repart vers l'Australie avec The Endless Session....Enjoy!

Meet Lily!

J'aime bien tout ce qui est un peu tech, gadgets et autres gizmos, et plus particulièrement quand ca peut m'aider pour filmer ou prendre des photos...
Voici un peu plus de 18 mois que j'ai acheté un drone.Le phantom de chez DJI.Sur ce drone se fixe une camera Gopro.
Et en un an et demi, je compte sur les doigts de la main le nombre de fois que je suis sorti avec...
Les raisons?...Simple...La plupart du temps je suis seul, donc impossible a me filmer et pêcher en meme temps.Si je suis accompagné, ce n'est pas facile de faire confiance a quelqu'un d'autre aux commandes de l'appareil. Meme si c'est assez facile, un accident peu arriver très rapidement, perdre de vue le drone, plus de connection avec un satellite pour le gps, ou pire , tout peu tomber dans l'eau et là ca coûte cher...Très cher!

Donc oui je suis déçu du Phantom pour ces raisons, mais je viens de trouver une petite perle précieuse... LILY...
Lily n'a pas de commandes, elle vole et filme en suivant une petite télécommande que l'on porte sur soit. Une app sur le telephone aide a régler les prises de vues ( comme l'app de Gopro).
Plusieurs prises de vues peuvent être ainsi effectuées.Lily peut vous précéder, vous suivre, de derriere, sur le coté, faire un panorama de 360º, un "pan-out" et d'autres manœuvres cinématographiques.
Deuxième avantage, Lily est complètement étanche! Troisième avantage, c'est beaucoup moins encombrant que le Phantom.Facile a transporter dans le sac a dos, parfait pour partir en float tube ou ces longues marches en rivière.Et finalement la camera est deja incorporée dans le drone.
Je viens de pré-commander Lily, car elle est a moitié prix jusqu'au 15 Juin. La date de sortie est fixée pour février 2016...Patience, patience...

Gear

Enfin je peux voir ce que je filme!
Pas facile de bien visualiser ce qu'on essaye de filmer en plein jour...Surtout pour les détails...un bon focus, un angle correct...En général l'écran LCD est difficile a voir, avec une luminosité importante.
On peut s'équiper d'un petit moniteur, mais ça prend de la place et ça consomme en énergie..
Je suis un fan de Kamerar, je m'équipe régulièrement chez eux pour la plupart de mes accessoires.
Ce "QV-1 LCD viewfinder " est parfait, installation facile, utilisation simple, confortable et léger.

Gear.

J'adore les gadgets utiles! Et surtout quand ils rendent la vie facile et améliorent  le comfort  , l'efficacité et la protection de mon materiel photo.
Peak Design est une petite compagnie basée en Californie.Ils ont des produits bien conçus, de qualité et innovants.
Comme le Capture Clip , il se monte sur soi , a la ceinture, sac a dos, chest pack...ect...
J'attends avec impatience mon pro clip!

Gear

La nouvelle Gopro 3+, pas de gros changements comparé a la Gopro 3, mais beaucoup plus avancée que ma veille Gopro "Old school"originale....Il est temps d'investir....
(Pas mal le lion vers la fin de la vidéo...)


Lion Hug....

J-10

Aussi important que mon matériel de pêche....Mes cameras...
Panasonic Lumix GH2, kit lense 14-140, prime lense Pancake 20mm.
GoPro+Blurfix lense+Polarised lense.
3 x batterie 1800mAh.
3x sd cards 16GB 48MB/s.
GoPro Stick.
Monopod Velbon.
Mac Book Pro 15' pour commencer les editings le soir sur le bateau avec quelques bon whiskeys...
Je voudrais bien amener d'autre choses mais on est vraiment limité avec les avions en poids....

Filming...

Ready to shoot some fish!
Pret a filmer du fish...

Filming gear...

Pour les fans de videos homemade, voici le CAM CADDIE....

On ne peut pas toujours filmer avec un tripod, et il n'y a rien de pire de regarder un film avec avec des images qui bougent de partout, dans le genre je filme le tsunami, ou ce joli tremblement de terre ( encore la c'est excusable..)
Il existe plein de stabilisateurs sur le marché et en général, ils ne sont pas donnés...
Mais voici le Cam Caddie, très populaire avec les skateurs et autre sport de glisse, mais je suis sur qu'il va bien faire l'affaire pour filmer quelques Vlogs.

Très leger, robuste et surtout pratique! On peut ajouter plein de choses grâce a un système modulable.
Il suffit juste au départ de bien équilibrer le tout avec un bon positionnement de la camera, et le tour est joué!!!

Et pour le prix, c'est ce qui est de mieux sur le marché en ce moment!! ( j'ai trouvé le mien sur Ebay pour 40€!!)