Technology

GoPro recently released an update to the Hero2 camera that gives the camera an option to turn on/off an new feature called “ProTune”.

Here are the main features of ProTune:
• 24fps & 25fps (filmic friendly frame rates)
• 35Mbps data rate (Less artifacts)
• Neutral color profile (Flat de-saturated look to allow more control in post)
• Reduced sharpening & Noise reduction (allows the editor to use superior sharpening and NR tools in post)

Here is a little video comparison of footage shot with ProTun on vs off. You be the judge.

If you want my opinion, I personally like the addition of 24fps and the fact that they doubled the data rate, but the footage looks too soft and the colors seem off. Too much magenta in the highs and too warm in the mids. And at my first stab of color correcting I wasn’t really able to push the image any more than the original. With that said, I do see some benefit of the neutral color profile in the shadows but it wasn’t enough to call it a “cinema” update.

I think that there probably are instances where ProTune would com in handy but as far as I see it, I’m going to have to decide on a shot by shot basis. At least it’s fairly easy to turn ProTune on and off in the menus. well, as easy as it gets in the convoluted GoPro menu system.

I encourage you all to try out the firmware yourself and determine if it’s right for the type of shoot your doing.

All of these updates for the Hero2 camera are performed through their software “CineForm” which you can download here.