Simple Cave Video With TG 6

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Remember I said the word " simple ". I really love my TG Olympus cameras so I have been experimenting with video on them. Yup I could buy a Go Pro but the TG does a good job and I can still use it for normal images. I dont want editing and musical background I just want something to act as a record or to entertain my " friends " on social media. I have found that the video is best done in short segments. I tried to keep them under one GB so that they could be uploaded to my Pro Flickr account. For the moment they can go on Facebook as this forum accepts links from both on the media section. My last session was from a mine we are exploring the initial 25m entrance shaft posing a minor problem. So I helmet mounted ( Amazon ball and socket mount a tenner ) the TG and added a Skyray torch. As ever being spontanious a minor farce ensued ( sorry about the bad language ) but I think that added to the fun even though I was trying to create a record. I like to keep up a continual audio and include the comments of others no matter how derogatory. A major issue with video is getting the camera between the subject and the light source giving a shadow of the camera in the film. Lighting too can be an issue as a single headlight waving about is distracting ( hence the additional Skyray ). Getting good lighting comes with practice. For static subjects I use Skyrays stratigically placed the same way I use for stills. Slow panning stops that jerky feeling you get with video and enables the camera to focus. Stop at important views to allow for focus. The mine video got completed in several segments which one day could be stitched together. Of great help was the spare helmet and light I carried as I needed light to reset the helmet mounted camera. Using the light and camera set up as a carried base unit worked well too. ( At least then I could see what I was filming.) That way I ended up with two Scurions and the Skyray enabling me to play with the lighting more. All lights on medium settings worked best.
Getting home with some six GB of video ( get a good SD card and charge the battery ). I found that my camera would not download to the pc. That caused by lack of space on the pc . Too many files on My Pictures. Deleting them ( backed up on seperate hard drive ) and running free C Cleaner solved the problem when uploading the videos individually. I am surprised that few are making use of this forums media section. Its a great resource and very easy to use. I use Flickr or Facebook as my video links there. ( other media are listed ). The mine shaft video went on last night. Perhaps there should hve been a comedy section. Yes I won't win a BAFTA but its great fun to do even if a bit challenging for a 75 year old. I hark back to the old diving acronym KISS -- "Keep It Simple Stupid". Not that I ever did.


 

Fulk

Well-known member
Thanks, TOR; but when I clicked on the 'play' arrowheads, nothing happened (or rather, something did – the videos shut themselves down!).
 

aricooperdavis

Moderator
If you go to TORs profile by clicking on his name there is a media section that shows what he's posted.

Those three videos are embedded from Facebook, so for me to view them (on my mobile) I have to click through to Facebook. They may embed on desktop?
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Tech stuff is a mystery to me. A Flickr link would have been better but they were over the GB limit. Can anyone suggest a better way of video sharing here ?
 

aricooperdavis

Moderator
The most user friendly option is probably YouTube, however I quite like the idea of using the Internet Archive which likes this sort of thing for its cultural value. We could even start a new collection specifically for UK caving and mine exploring.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
The most user friendly option is probably YouTube, however I quite like the idea of using the Internet Archive which likes this sort of thing for its cultural value. We could even start a new collection specifically for UK caving and mine exploring.
Have tried for ages to upload to YouTube but just cant fathom it out. Its not user friendly for people like me.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Clearly the issue with video comes with the sharing process. The helmet cam will be active again tomorrow so we shall see what happens. So far Facebook seems the easiest option as I struggle with the other platforms. Flickr would work with a Pro account if the file was less than one GB. I shall ask Mr O' Doc how to get on YouTube as he uses it.
 

Roger W

Well-known member
Had to retreat from that one after about 40 seconds :sick: Anyone wanting to watch should make sure they've taken their Kwells first!
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Yes Roger. I am in the learning phase. Still that was an awkward one doing aerobatics over ropes and scaffold tubes then hanging on the vertical ladder. For some reason Archive took over an hour to sort itself out during which time I lost interest. Lets see what happens tomorrow. I think that it stabilized a bit after 40 seconds !
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Putting the helmet on and getting down the entrance in a tangle could have been removed with editing I guess. That accounted for much of the movement. My " assistants " were taking the Pi** so added to the comic nature I try hard to avoid.
 
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