- Mudder Guide: Chapter 4.2 -
So many alternatives – what now?
The GoPro offers a variety of different resolutions to choose from. While that’s nice and offers something for everyone, especially new users can easily be overwhelmed.
Therefore, we’ll answer the question which resolution is ideal for Tough Mudder.
More isn’t always more!
Many instinctively do it the Tim Taylor way (“More power!”) and think that the highest resolution is the best resolution.
The 4k-resolution, however, is completely useless for Tough Mudder. This resolution only makes sense if you’re using a tripod. At Tough Mudder, you can forget that.
Additionally, you’d be ruining your battery and your memory card in record time.
For Tough Mudder, we recommend using a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080, 16:9) or of 1440p (1920 x 1440, 4:3). Both resolution are Full HD and create great pictures without stressing your battery too much.
1080p versus 1440p
1080p is the all-round setting you can’t go wrong with, especially since it uses the established 16:9 format. That will help you edit you videos without having to cut parts off. You can put everything you’ve filmed straight on TV.
With 1440p, on the other hand, you can record a bigger picture at the top and the bottom and have more options in post editing when you cut your material to the TV-appropriate 16:9 format.
When you record your video using a head mount, for example, you won’t be able to keep your camera straight at all times, which means that you might lose important parts of your picture.
Being able to select the best part of the video can generate a better result.
In other words, 1440p is for professionals. You need to know how to edit and post produce your videos by applying distortion filters etc. Then you can use the advantages of 4:3 while editing and show your movie in 16:9 on TV.
To find the ideal solution for you, test both resolutions under realistic conditions in advance.
If you can hit and keep the right camera angle easily, keep things simple and choose 1080p. If you don’t like the result, you should consider using 1440p.
Important: If you and your team are using multiple GoPros, make sure to keep editing simple by using the same resolution.
Which angle and which refresh rate should I use?
Independently of the resolution you choose, you should always film in wide format. It’ll help you record the maximum width and create the cool fisheye effect.
Now you have to choose the perfect refresh rate. By using more fps (frames per second) you can later apply better slow motion effects but use a lot of memory card and battery.
To give you an indication, movies are usually recorded at 24fps. You can easily go up to 30fps. Whether you need 48fps or more, though, depends on how much you want to use slow motion effects.
Be careful when switching settings
Theoretically, you can update your settings during the race, for example when you’re planning a slow motion.
Be careful, though: When using different refresh rates, one refresh rate has to be a multiple of the other. That means, you can combine recordings of 24fps with 48fps and 30fps with 60fps, but not 48fps with 60fps. Otherwise, your final video will stutter.
This rule also applies when combining video from multiple GoPros. Make sure your entire team uses the same setting.
If you’re planning to use one setting for the entire race and aren’t too obsessed about slow motion effects, we recommend using 30fps.
