I NEED a First-Person-View (FPV) Drone

My retirement hobby is making hiking videos.

Best of all is drone video.

What’s next?

Certainly I’ll be getting an FPV drone … sometime.

If I HAD to buy one today, it would be the DJI Avata. But the price of U.S. $1428 is too steep.

That will come down quickly.

My current drones cost me about U.S. $300 each.

Here’s the kind of fun shots you can plan and shoot with an FPV. It’s radically different than a normal drone.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My video/photo editing workflow

Updated March 2023.

A #CovidGoal was to improve my video editing.

Here’s a summary of my video editing journey. So far.

A secondary goal, to improve photos and start sharing them more. I started an Instagram account for my hiking pics – BestHikeVisuals.

Mostly I’ve been disappointed with the many limitations of Instagram. I’m not at all a fan of that platform. I store my best photos on a paid site ➙ Flickr by Smugmug.

I shoot iPhone photos and video in HDR (High Dynamic Range). The BIG advantage of phone cameras is the black magic used in the automatic setting.

After posting my French Creek tribute, I declared I was GOOD ENOUGH at video editing for my purposes. Approaching “Concious Competent“. I could sit down at a table with a professional video editor and understand 75% of what they were talking about. 😀

The remaining 25% has mostly to do with colour. Skin tone. Complicated stuff. Creators who can afford it often send their own work out to a specialist for colour correction.

NEXT STAGE = STORY

Story. Story. Story.

Every edit should contribute to the STORY.

I threw this one together quickly as a teaser for upcoming West Coast Trail videos. But in some weird way, it’s evocative of that wild and challenging hike.

I’m particularly happy with the audio.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Mostly my videos are for outdoor recreation, but I also hope to get back indoor soon shooting Gymnastics.

  1. I’m usually shooting solo
  2. 3 cameras (Sony ZV-1, GoPro 7 and iPhone 13 Mini with-or-without DJI OM 6 gimbal)
  3. The BIG upgrade December 2021 was getting a DJI Mavic SE drone, their entry level model. CAD $349. 
  4. For camera video I’ve switched from 24fps to 30fps as it’s a little clearer, though less cinematic. 
  5. ZV-1 is primary A roll footage.   It has by far the best audio
  6. Ignoring advice of most experts, I mostly shoot Intelligent Auto Mode.  In fact, I shoot Intelligent Auto Photo Mode almost all the time — as it’s QUICK on the Sony to take a 5472 × 3080 [16:9] photo and QUICK to switch to Intelligent Auto video 4K 30fps. With 4K I have plenty of room to crop or zoom to my final product in 1080p.
  7. The biggest risk of shooting Auto is shifting exposure during the same scene.  When that happens I’ll have to crop scenes so as not to show the flickering.  One exception is with the DJI drone — with the exposure is set to Auto while flying, I can LOCK 🔓 it in by clicking the small button bottom lower right of the Fly app display.  
  8. Shooting auto I tend to get video more saturated than reality.  To that, I add even more saturation and contrast.  I like that exaggerated look though it’s considered uncool in 2023. 
  9. ZV-1 Memory Recall #3 = 1080p / 60fps for slow motion (60 is better math when slowing for 30fps output)
  10. ZV-1 Memory Recall #2 = 4K / 30fps
  11. ZV-1 Memory Recall #1 = is for Time Lapse  photos 5472 × 3080 [16:9].  This setting I use mainly for photos, choosing the best from the collection. 16:9 ratio makes for a time lapse that matches the dimensions of my export video.  
  12. PHOTOS
    1.  I often shoot photos in RAW and JPG both — but usually edit in RAW.  
    2. Apple’s free Photos app on the Mac is not perfect, but I’m still using it for organization.  And quick edits.  It’s a much better photo editor in 2023 than just a couple of years ago.
    3. I’ve switched to Pixelmator Pro for editing the best of the best photos for Instagram.  
    4. All photos are archived in my Flickr Pro account
  13. I quit trying Sony video S-Log2, S-Log3, and other HLG profiles used by the cool kids as it was way too much hassle for dubious gains in quality. 
  14. iPhone 13 Mini on the OM 6 gimbal apps: Camera, Moment, DJI Mimo, SkyFlow
  15. the 13 Mini probably just as good as the ZV-1 in bright daylight.  But I’ll use it mostly for B roll: slow-mo, time lapse, special effects, etc. (always 4K and 60fps for slow mo or speed ramping.  30 fps normal. 24 fps low light).  I shoot HDR High Dynamic Range 10-bit. The better quality ProRES is not available on my 13 Mini.
  16. I’ll probably switch to the dedicated SkyFlow app timelapse app as it’s so quick and simple.
  17. The 13 has less stabilization than 13 Pro or Max, so I’ll use it on the gimbal as much as possible.
    1. One great gimbal feature that finally works consistently on the DJI OM 6 is GESTURE CONTROL for tracking myself.  It seems like I have a cameraman, though I’m solo.  That’s only available on the DJI Mimo app.
    2. Space on the phone is not a worry as I’ll transfer photos and videos on the fly via a tiny SanDisk 256GB memory stick.  
    3. The 13 Mini will be a dedicated camera and audio player.  I’m currently carrying a second iPhone, the S.E. mini as my phone phone. 
  18. GoPro 7 is for B roll: action, water, fake drone, etc. (mostly 2.7K 60fps as 2.7 is the highest it can go with Superview (16:9 aspect ratio) enabled.  I’d only switch to 4K if on a tripod.)
    1. low light set on auto
    2. ISO min 100, max 400 (400 might be low)
    3. Protune off
    4. Head mount, chest mount, handlebar mount, selfie stick, or tripod, depending on the situation. 
  19. Editing video with Final Cut Pro X on a MacBook Pro 14″ 2021 with 16 GB internal memory. That said, the cheapest MacBook Air is sufficient for almost everything I do. 
  20. Export in 1080p
    1. master file using ProRes 422
    2. export ‘Computer’
    3. export H.264 Faster Encode
  21. Shoot 120 fps only for smoke, fire, fast moving sports, etc. 
  22. As little hand held video as possible.  Use tripods.  Handheld would only be used to show ACTION.  Close-up motion.  I don’t shoot much of that. 
  23. Shorter the better for my videos. 
  24. No ads

Keeping electronics powered while on the road is one of my bigger problems.

For the iPhones, I’ll use a Anker 20W charger adapter as 20W is quickest.

For the GoPro, I’ll carry at least two 3.85 Volt batteries and a tiny charging case. I find these batteries die too quickly.

I’ll sometimes carry a solar panel in addition to a charging battery (or two).


The Sony is by far my favourite camera. But when it breaks I’m planning to continue using only an Action camera on tripod and iPhone & gimbal. Both are small, light and durable.

The top hiking blogger, Kraig Adams, recently sold his big camera and is using only iPhone and drone.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

DJI OM 6 (Osmo Mobile) Gimbal – my review

I liked the OM 4 — but lost the best piece, the magnetic clamp.

SO … purchased the OM 5. Much better. … But it broke for no reason, within a year.

I tried to send it in on warranty, but somehow DJI bungled my request.

In any case, the OM 6 looked yet another big improvement. So I bought it on Amazon for CAD $215.00.

Most importantly, ACTIVE TRACK actually works all the time on the 6. That wasn’t the case for the 4 or 5.

If you take a lot of video on phone, I recommend it. Personally, I like smooth video, not handheld shake.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Battery life is up to 6 hours. You can recharge in the wild with an external, portable battery.

I haven’t tried the Osmo Mobile SE. Cheaper with fewer features.

I love Mr. Beast

Mr. Beast is a 24-year-old normal guy from Kansas.

A University dropout.

His YouTube channel reached 112 million subscribers on November 17, 2022, making it the fourth-most-subscribed on the platform, and the highest as a non-corporate identity.

Aside from his philanthropy, everyone studies his simple but effective VIDEO storytelling.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Benedict Cumberbatch IS Sherlock Holmes

I rarely go back and rewatch TV or movies.

But the 2010 to 2017 modern-day London adaptation of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson has stayed on my mind.

It was the first major television series I can recall that used YouTube editing techniques to tell the story.

It’s even more impressive considering how poor the digital video software was over those years. They used Avid Media Composer.

Today the most popular software packages are:

Fast paced, irreverent, funny. Cumberbatch is perfect as the brilliant high functioning sociopath.

Amanda Abbington, Freeman’s then-real life partner, plays Mary Morstan, Watson’s girlfriend and eventual wife. A nice touch. They have 2 children together.

First time around I was a bit disappointed in his archenemy Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) — but that weird performance seemed better to me on second watching.

Of course everyone would love to see more episodes, but it seems unlikely.

For one thing, the season 4 was good, but inferior to all the preceding episodes.

Here’s a montage on Vimeo of some of the video editing techniques.

John Lewis Christmas ad 2022

The John Lewis Christmas ad is now such a big annual tradition that it feels like the official start of the festive season. …

Mashable

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is fantastic.

“Over 108,000 children in the UK are in the care system. We’re making a longterm commitment to support the futures of young people from care.”

My Video Editing Journey 😀

When pandemic cancelled all my travel and Gymnastics coaching gigs, I took the time to improve my video editing. It’s become my main hobby.

Three phases (so far):

  1. Learning the technology. Experimenting with different cameras. And acce$$ories.
  2. Story. Story. Story.
  3. My personal style.

After posting my French Creek tribute, I declared I was GOOD ENOUGH at video editing technology for my purposes. I could sit down at a table with a professional video editor and understand 75% of what they were talking about. 😀

Far more difficult is to decide on what story to tell. And to tell it effectively. Many super skillful editors struggle finding their next story.

I threw this short video together quickly as a teaser for my How to Survive the West Coast Trail videos. But in some weird way, it’s evocative of that wild and challenging hike. It tells the story well

I’m particularly happy with the audio.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Putting these together is incredibly time consuming.

I kept trying to find ways to improve my efficiency. And that ended up evolving into my personal style of video — as of October 2022, at least. Who knows what’s next? 😀

I posted Valencia, Spain in January 2022. My edits today are all similar. But I’m adding more personal drone footage rather than drone stock video.

What is my style?

  • Music driven
  • Landscape, not vertical (portrait)
  • Cuts are mostly on the beats
  • Mostly hard cuts
  • Use transitions sparingly
  • Use gimmickry sparingly … though I do love speed ramps 😀
  • Lots of drone footage
  • Normally no voice over
  • No ads
  • Social media pestering only at the end.

Challenging for me is finding the right music for each story.

One of my best edits was Norway Highlights. I credit the song — Odesza Higher Ground — as once I decided on the soundtrack, it was easy to decide where to put each clip. In the example, below, the colours are music blocks to be filled with scenes I decide upon later.

Increasingly I’m picking music first, shooting the video later.

Odesza is my favourite band right now. Very popular for YouTube edits.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

What’s next?

I’ve been studying Colour Grading through a course called … Color Grading Academy.

It’s a very complicated process.

Some of the best video editors online send out their final product for Colour experts to finish. An art, not a science.


Things I’ve decided NOT to use:

  • Tracking
  • Hue / Saturation curves
  • … more to be added

P.S.

I posted the Englishman River Falls hike in November 2020 and again in October 2022. I’ve definitely improved.

Click PLAY or watch the Nov 2020 edit on YouTube. I was quite happy with it. But NOW I’m wondering what weird colour grade I was experimenting with at that time. 😀

Click PLAY or watch the Oct 2022 edit on YouTube.

I Love DJI Products

DJI (Da-Jiang Innovations) manufactures commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for aerial photography and videography. It also designs and manufactures camera gimbalsaction cameras, camera stabilizers, flight platforms, propulsion systems and flight control systems.

DJI accounts for around 70% of the world’s consumer drone market as of March 2020. …

US government institutions have prohibited the internal use of DJI products …

There have been security concerns. Perhaps their products will get banned in Canada one day.

For now, I use their (MavicMini SE drone. And OM 5 gimbal.

I highly doubt Chinese cyber hackers are (somehow) seeing what I do. But if they are, I’d welcome feedback on my videos. 😀

Photo by Alan Quirvu00e1n on Pexels.com

DJI just opened their new Shenzhen, China headquarters — a creative “community in the sky.”

PHOTOS

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.