A phone’s front camera is convenient for filming yourself performing, but a GoPro is another excellent option.
Here are the benefits, along with footage I recorded during a live show.
A Wide View from Close Range
This performance was filmed with the camera just beyond the effects pedals at my feet.
The GoPro’s fisheye lens captures a remarkably wide view even from the stage.
Because it is within reach, you can start recording after the show begins. It also stays onstage and out of the audience’s way.
At home or in a rehearsal studio, it requires very little space.
If you record at Full HD rather than 4K, you can also disable the fisheye look to avoid distortion at the edges.
Good 4K Image Quality
GoPro cameras can record in 4K and provide strong image quality—good enough that they are commonly used in television production.
One useful trick is to play the 4K footage on an iPhone, pause on a frame you like, and take a screenshot. The result can be clean enough for social media when you need a photo from a show without a photographer.
Good Built-In Audio
GoPro audio quality is useful too.
The HERO7 Black was my first GoPro. Reports at the time said its audio had improved significantly over the HERO6, so it was the better choice if you planned to use the camera’s own sound.
Conclusion
One major HERO7 Black feature was strong image stabilization, but that matters little when the camera is fixed in place.
For stationary self-filming, an older model may therefore be sufficient.
