Wed Apr 20, 2016 4:00 pm
I got my hands on a GoPro Hero4 Session for testing.
-- Low light performance is actually fairly decent all things considered. I tested in some dark(ish) spots outside (taking a picture with the camera an arms length inside an 8" diameter tube, between objects, in the shade, etc) and I was able to see what I needed.
-- For proof of concept on the reach, I taped the camera to a 25' surveying level rod that we had in our office and took some pictures of our stock yard. The camera end was a bit wobbly at this distance, but certainly acceptable.
-- The reach test inadvertently exposed the WiFi range limitation between the camera and the App being able to see the video feed and control the camera shutter to be somewhere around 30 feet. GoPro's website states a 600' range with the SmartRemote, but using the remote I'd lose my ability to preview what I'm taking pictures of, so that won't suffice. Luckily I think 30' is about the max height that I'd need to use the camera. it does make me wonder what type of connection the smart remote is using to get 20x the range though....the camera only has WiFi and Bluetooth. The camera and app assumedly connect using WiFi since I can use the app without Bluetooth disabled on my phone, but not with WiFi disabled on my phone. I wasn't aware Bluetooth had that much range.
-- I'll probably get a cell phone holder that I can strap to the rod at chest height so I don't have to hold my phone with one hand and the rod in the other. The setup would mimic the system used in the video I linked in my OP.
Now it's just a matter of finding a suitable pole to strap this thing to. The 25' surveying rod was the best I could drum up after 2 hours of internet searching (there was a 35' option as well). Unfortunately these rods only collapse into about 5.5' and are fairly heavy duty for my usage. The heft is certainly usable if you put the base of the rod on the ground, but definitely not going to work if I need to reach out to access something better. Also the collapsed height isn't conducive to airline travel. Ideally the rod would collapse to ~2.5' so it can fit in my luggage. Not sure if something like that even exists at the length I need.
Another helpful add would be some sort of remote controlled tilt base. Swivel is achievable by turning the rod, but tilt can only be achieved by lowering the camera back to the user, adjusting the base of the camera, then extending it back up. While the limitation of manual tilt is not a show-stopper, it's certainly not convenient.
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
HTPC: A8-5600K, MSI FM2-A75IA-E53, 4TB Seagate SSHD, 8GB 1866MHz G.Skill, Crosley D-25 Case Mod