Thousands on a GOPRO. Why?

Published July 25, 2023 · 6:47 · 228,703 views

About This Video

The case for spending thousands of dollars on a GoPro. Which sounds absurd until Van walks through the custom housing, mounting systems, and modifications that transform a consumer action camera into a professional filmmaking tool. The GoPro's base cost is irrelevant; the investment is in the bespoke infrastructure built around it.

The deeper argument is about the difference between buying a tool and building a system. Anyone can buy a GoPro. What Van has built is a camera platform specifically engineered for the kind of footage The Spirited Man requires. POV motorcycle shots, workshop close-ups, adventure documentation in conditions that would destroy unprotected equipment.

Transcript

this spirited man wonders what he's gotten himself into could have bought a brand new Sony

Alpha 7 markv for what he paid for this rig come on Focus you piece of but

then again Sony the reason for this build for building this

$2500 GoPro is not a reason at all it's irrational it's

emotional this spirited man wants a camera he can like again maybe even

love a camera that gives him a good feeling so he thinks I hate

you not smart enough for you guys you're fine but your lenses are too

big and you're too big and you're too heavy I love you you've always been good to

me but your image is just too cloudy for these [Music] times I love you guys I'll stick by you but sometimes you're your lenses are just too

wide you see a lot of worthy things when you're driving and with the ultra slowmo mode on this

GoPro you can capture them but they're just too wide the lens is just too wide

so in Mexico I got the idea for a longer lens for the

GoPro and then I went down a rabbit hole [Music] [Music] [Music] I finished this thing and I'm thinking did I just make a lower resolution more

fragile Canon 1dx like this one this lens is so long it's beautiful

to the touch and the image is really beautiful but there's no way I'm holding it steady enough out of a car window and

I'm not going to be able to get focused and the right spot while I'm driving a car I also ordered a macro lens hoping I

could do very closeup shots but then I fell in love with it but then I fell in love with this camera and sank more money into it and

bought this lens which is super wide okay so this is my original intention for this camera is to shoot

super slow-mo from the car and have it be a closer

lens this spirited man wonders if he's more in love with the object than he is with its

purpose and he wonders if that's okay is this Folly is it obscene to spend this kind

of money so inefficiently is it arrogant is this camera project a byproduct of irrational

thoughts and illogical judgments well according to Uncle Saul he remembered yes yes it is [Music] okay according to Uncle Saul rational thoughts should be followed absolutely and

logically according to Uncle Saul illogical judgments lead to new

[Music] experience on this week's patreon only video I love film photography even though I'm no good at it or maybe

because I'm no good at it film photography is one of my hobbies and hobbies are for fun [Music]

Products & Tools Mentioned

  • GoPro essential
  • Sony Alpha 7 Mark V mentions
  • Canon 1DX uses
  • C-mount lenses essential

People Referenced

Sol LeWitt

Related Videos