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Galapagos Isabella 2 - do they have wet suits available and wireless on ship?
I have a go pro camera (WON ON THE TAUCK VIDEO FAN FAVORITE 2014 CONTEST) an figured I could download my footage while on the ship. How's the internet connection? Really slow? Anything is good in the middle of the Galapagos! Beggars can't be choosey! ANY OTHER TIPS APPRECIATION!
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Yes wetsuits for all.
I used a GoPro on our Ultimate Alps tour last summer. If you have never used one or a digital movie camera, you are in for a big surprise. While it is easy to use, editing and uploading can be just the opposite.
Unless you are an experienced videographer, you will discover that you will want to edit out significant portions of your video for a variety of reasons- bad shot- poorly framed, poor light, duplicate, too much or too fast camera movement (common error with inexperienced users), too long, etc. etc.
GoPro provides a free version of their editing software that you can load on your computer, but proper editing like with Hollywood movies, can get really involved and take 2 - 3 times as long, or longer, than it did to shoot the video in the first place!
Secondly, it takes a capable computer - reasonably fast processor and good memory/disk space- to do the editing. The process is: download the video to your computer, let the editing software convert it to an editable format which only takes a few minutes, edit it (shorten, delete, and combine segments, add text, etc.) which can be time consuming, then let the software convert it back to a viewable video- the final conversion can take a long time!! My first attempt - a 20 min. HD video made from a dozen or so shorter segments shot with a helmet mounted GoPro during our Segway tour of Munich, took nearly a hour and a half to convert!!!
Thirdly, and this is the kicker- video files, especially if shot in high def (HD) are really huge!!! Unless you have a fast computer and fast internet connection, 20 Gbps or greater, which is extremely unlikely on the Isabel II, it may take you a veeeeerrrrrrry long time to upload, if it is even allowed or possible at all on the ship. Also, get a big memory card. Unless you bring a laptop where you can download movies and photos daily, bring multiple cards. On a trip I use a 64 GB memory card because I shoot in HD, don't what to open the camera in the field to switch cards (especially around water or dust), and I download it every day to my laptop!
My recommendation- enjoy your trip first. Take extremely short, 1 - 2 min., videos. Play them, if possible on your laptop or phone (maybe TV) to ensure you got what you want, but leave the editing and uploading until after you get home. Since you are on an "Earth Journey", there should be someone on the ship who can help you with the GoPro and help you view what you have taken.
Before you go- practice, practice, practice filming and editing. Try to upload a video or two also, just so you can see low long it may take.