[By Jason]
Well we are now officially homeless and I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier. We have now got our stuff packed in storage the house has been returned to our landlord. The bikes are prepped, packed and ready to go. Thankfully my sister is putting us up for a week, which means we won’t need to be eating out of rubbish bins or sleeping in shop doorways for the next week before we head down to Antwerp. So with all our affairs in order, we have some down time, which means I’ve time to talk about the camera equipment I’ll be taking to film our epic trip.
If you’ve ever seen any videos of lets say, skydiving, base jumping, skiing, mountain biking, paragliding, motorsports, or any other extreme sports, chances are it will have been filmed in part or in its entirety on a GoPro camera. It’s a small camera that can be worn on the head or body, creates dynamic shots from that person’s perspective and that could not otherwise be achieved under traditional filming techniques.
I will be taking three GoPro 3+ black edition cameras with various mounts so I can use them in different places; on the bike, on me, or anywhere else that I fancy. They are small, lightweight and have superb resolution up to 4K which is as I understand, four times high definition. These cameras are also great because they are small you can use them discreetly, particularly when filming people where discretion is the order of the day. At this point I would like to give a big thank you to Tech Trial UK Ltd for their generous donation of the third GoPro 3+ camera, which will give us even greater shooting possibilities. They have even said they’ll give a discount of 20% on the 2 top selling models, GoPro 3+ Black Edition when using code “TwoWheeledNomad’ or 20% off the Hero3+ Silver Edition camera if readers enter ‘TwoWheeledNomadSilv’ as a discount code, blimey. Now I could go into great detail about the features of these amazing little cameras but there’s so much information on the web that I’ll leave it to the articles that can already be found on the tinterweb, who will probably do this brilliant camera more justice.
I’ll also be taking a Nikon D800 DSLR camera that not only has 36 mega pixels of blistering resolution but also features a HD video function. The video function is a relatively new feature to DSLR cameras – initially seen by purists as a bit of a gimmick but is now being increasingly embraced by serious film makers for their portability; relatively cheap cost and controllability of exposure; white balance and depth of field, plus the ability to swap lenses. The lenses I’ll be taking are the Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 zoom lens and the new Nikon 70-200mm f4 zoom lens.
I’m taking a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter with a gimbal and ‘First Person View’ system. ‘A what?!’, I hear you ask. It’s like a remote controlled helicopter with a gimbal bolted to the underside of it. The gimbal is a cradle to which a GoPro camera attaches and has two motors that spin creating a gyroscopic effect. This allows the camera to film incredibly stable footage even when the quadcopter is tilting during flight. The ‘First Person View’ system is a monitor that displays what the camera is seeing in real time – this is great for composing a shot and useful when you want to fly at greater distances out of visual range; flying it using the monitor only like a video game. The Phantom 2 has some clever technology on board, it knows where it is using the satellites in space (GPS), which means it can hold it’s position even in moderate winds and when it loses transmission with the controller, it will fly itself home from where it took off. Clever, eh?
Too much tech for a motorcycle trip? Probably.
From our sponsor Tech Trial UK Ltd:
Tech Trial UK Ltd has been devised by tech enthusiasts, for tech enthusiasts. Our aim is to make what we believe to be the most exciting new tech on the market accessible to everyone. Tech Trial offers a unique and unparalleled customer experience of trying before you buy!
Whether you’re looking for a new phone, camera, or tablet, Tech Trial UK Ltd lets you try the newest equipment on the market. With a selection of the latest available on a Try Before You Buy service. If you already know what you want of course, then we sell all items completely new with UK Warranties direct from our UK Suppliers.
We work hard to identify the latest and greatest technology. Whether you want the best for business, the best for socialising, or the best for games, apps and other media, we pride ourselves in offering the best tech on the market – for you to try and to buy.
Email [email protected] or give him a call on 07795156969, quoting “TwoWheeledNomad” to obtain direct quotes on any GoPro Camera or other desired tech… he’s always happy to talk!
07795156969
http://www.techtrial.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/TechTrial
Brilliant. I can’t wait to see the 2wheelednomad adventure moto film. Bon voyage comrades. X
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Thanks Steve.
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Mate, to say we are jealous is the understatement of the year. Watching your website daily for updates. Have an amazing trip.
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Sorry your not physically with us but hopefully the blog will be the next best thing.
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Great write up. I’m off to America soon and will pickup my very own Hero 3+ black edition – cant wait. Mate the amount of camera kit you have there is astonishing – the BBC would be envious! :) You’ve totally given me the rumblings inside for my own future adventure, and dare I say it……motorbiking! You heard it hear first. Keep in touch, I’ll keep checking the blog and see how you’re getting on. What an adventure.
Good luck to you both xxx
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Wow motorcycling ah, yes I’m taking a serious amount of kit, I hope it doesn’t become a burden. Thank care mate, and remember – Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman, then always be Batman. See you when I get back.
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Awesome. Found your website when I Googled “quadcopter motorcycle travel”. Question is how you packing the Phantom? Would be interesting to see your general packing strategy, with the camera equipment etc. You taking a laptop? You have a FB page? Gonna be an epic journey. Good luck!
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Hi Rich,
My Quadcopter is going in a peli case that i have adapted as a top box and the cameras and lenses are going in my tank bag. My laptop and everything else will be going in my panniers and roll bag. I’m working on the FB page, thanks for that comment and don’t forget to follow us.
cheers
Jason
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Having read this I thought it was extremely informative.
I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this article together.
I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both
reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
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