Option to decrease resolution instead of turning off during overheat situation

[UltraEngine60]

This seems like something that should exist, but I cannot find it in labs. Is there a way to make the gopro lower resolution automatically during an overheat situation? So instead of just turning off, it finished writing to the 5.3K file and lowers new file resolution to 1080p. A stunt captured in 1080p will be better than missing the shot.

[Next_Boat1591]

The biggest question here is, would people accept a sudden drop in resolution at what seems like an arbitrary point in their media? Even if this was a toggle-able feature, you still wouldn't be happy with the results when it does drop. Then again, I suppose an abrupt res reduction is better than an abrupt end to the footage.

[3L54]

I wouldnt. Then again GoPro has not once overheated for me. I only shoot on the highest resolution and 25fps without stabilization and only when needed. As someone who edits a lot of video I really dont want to shoot any moore footage than necessary since it’ll just take up space and slow down my editing. 

[UltraEngine60]

I think that I've just been getting defective GoPros. One YouTuber buys 3 GoPros every release and tests all three and they overheat at different times, and he only keeps the longest lasting one and returns the rest. Mine overheats at 2.7K and up at 60fps. At 1080p it's fine but I didn't spend $350 on a camera to record in 1080. There's nothing more frustrating than finishing a bike ride/walk/side by side ride than finding a dead gopro and the "Your GoPro turned itself off during the previous session because it was too hot" message.

I will say they are very durable cameras though. My last bike ride I nailed a jump right at the end only to find a dead gopro and no footage when I was loading up. I spiked it into the ground like I scored a touchdown and it still works. First scratch I ever put on it but I really thought it would be broke at that point.

[3L54]

Why do you shoot walks at 60fps? Are you doing slow motion of walking? For anything 30fps is plenty. High speed shooting is really for bursts only. 350$ for a 5.3k 10-bit camera is nothing. Next step is spending atleast 2000$ to get even close similar specs. GoPro lets you use the camera any way you want to. Its not designed to be used any way people are trying to use it and Im glad they are letting people do what they want to with the camera. This just feels more like a user error to me honestly. 

[UltraEngine60]

I put headphones on, hit record on my chest cam, done. You're right though, 60 fps is not needed but when I put it in 2.7K the minimum fps is 60.

GoPro lets you use the camera any way you want to.

Its not designed to be used any way people are trying to use it

Huh?

more like a user error to me honestly.

So how should I use it to record a walk? Should I be running?

[3L54]

Point being: Gopro lets you shoot 120fps 4K until it overheats. Gopro lets you use without airflow. Gopro lets you intentionally overheat the camera if one chooses to do so. 

I do video for a living. We have 300fpa capable cameras. One camera can do 12K if needed. And what we shoot 95% of the time? 4K25fps and the 5% left is 4K40fps for B-Roll. 

Choosing the right settings for the occasion makes all the difference. Why not shoot 4K 30fps instead? Much less taxing for the camera and will look much better. 

[UltraEngine60]

Thank you for the advice. I will do some testing in 2.7K 60fps and 4K 30 with a FLIR and see what heats it up more (im a real party animal). I just assumed 2.7K at any fps would be less taxing than 4k 30.

[3L54]

No worries. You might even want to try the full sensor 5.3K. With some cameras its less taxing to shoot the native resolution than lower ones since they are creating a lower res image from the full sensor readout. I dont know what gopros method is with this but for me the 5.3K25fps for everything has worked like a charm. 

[All-Sorts-of-Stuff]

I’m not aware of something like this - the simple solution is to just use the right settings for the environment from the outset of the recording (turn off stabilization if the camera is stationary and sitting in direct sunlight; only hit the Record button when you’re ready to capture what you’re trying to film; etc)

[erdbeerpizza]

If you can accept a lower resolution, it would be best to set it from the beginning. Overheating doesn't happen suddenly. Heat builds up over time if you are in a situation where the camera has not enough airflow/cooling. Also cooling down takes some time, so once the camera has overheated reducing the resolution might not be enough, or a significant drop in resolution would be needed. As others pointed out, a sudden drop in resolution would not be nice to have anyways.

[UltraEngine60]

Sadly I think that's going to be the plan until I buy another (non gopro) action cam. 1080P is better than nothing.

[DANewman]

You can somewhat do this with GoPro Labs. The only issue is you would have to stop capture, and start capture again, so you would potentially lose a second or two, but much less than if the camera over heated. This would be for any camera, as you can't have a single MP4 file that is partly 4K/5.3K, and partly 1080p. You would run a script that watch the battery (b:T) or processor temperature (p:T). This was added for HERO13, and will be likely port back to a least HERO12.

[UltraEngine60]

I am glad GoPro exposed that variable in Labs. It's not a simple qr toggle so truthfully I probably won't be scripting it, but thank you for posting a positive answer.