GO PRO HERO camera thoguhts

Anyone ride with one of these cameras? I was thinking of picking one up to record my brothers bachelor party which is a ride on enduro's anround Taylor Park in Denver.

 

Pros:
Tons of accesories available.
Rugged. Mmine came off in an 80mph crash at the track, battery and memory card were ejected. It still works great.
Takes very good video.
Well supported. I lost the case latch in the crash and you can't buy one from Go Pro. I sent an e-mail and they sent me a latch for free.

Cons:
The controls suck.
There is no way to tell if you are recording by looking at the back of the camera. (Big gripe for me)
It's kind of bulky compared to other cameras like the Contour.
Sound isn't great, especially if mounted to a hard part on a motorcycle. The engine vibs get transferred to the mic and it sounds terrible.
Example: Talladega Gran Prix - 2up Session - July 11, 2010 - YouTube

 

New GoPro hero2 has red LEDs that blink on back, front, and side. Makes it easier to know when your recording. Also has an external mic input. I have the camera on the side of my helmet with a mic (not included) in my helmet. This works very well. Also if you have the $$$ you can purchase a color LCD monitor that connects to the rear of the camera to be used as a viewfinder and to preview your Video clips.
I,m very pleased with mine. See example.

[video=youtube_share;qDVZ9pzG4SM]http://youtu.be/qDVZ9pzG4SM[/video]

 

I have on that my girlfriend got me, and I do like it. Yeah the controls suck and the viewfinder isn't standard, but the picture quality is great and the mounting options that come with the kit are very good. I doubt you'll be disappointed, its a solid camera setup.

 

Pleased with my H2 as well. Rugged, accessories and mounts are the cheapest out of the options available. Contour, Replay1080, etc.

Keep in mind this summer, GoPro is launching the WIFI PAC. Wireless remote up to 50 feet for easy start/stop recording and cycling menu options. Also, wireless playback of movies straight to your iPhone or iPad. Even allows you to live view on your phone to compose the shot before recording.

No other competitor has this.

 

Thanks for the input. I will most likely pick up the HD2 this weekend. seems worth the extra coin.

 

If I were buying new I would go with the HD2. I have had my HD for about a year, so I can't justify buying the HD2.

 

Its definitly worth the money. I have used one for a couple of years now. On freezing mountain tops, under water, on motorcycles, cars, snowboard, skis. I use the photo function a lot also, making timelapse videos. Here is a pic from last night. I am going to upgrade to the new one soon, I really want that external mic option.

 

GoPro sucks because they obviously didn't conduct any testing to determine if their cameras would be ok after spontaneously popping out of their case and getting wedged between header pipes for almost a year LOL!! See pic below.



Rollin

 

I've had my eye on one of these cameras for a while. There's a Swann brand camera that apparently is pretty decent (meant to compete with the GoPro) and I've seen it pop up on woot.com a few times in the last couple of months. The camera is called the Swann Freestyle and it comes with a detachable LCD screen, remote, mounts, underwater case, etc. Reviews seem to be decent and it is priced right. I think it was in the $130ish range when on woot.com. Next time it comes up, I'm going to try one I think.

Swann - Advanced Security Made Easy - Freestyle HD Wearable Action Video Camera with LCD Viewer

 

I'm not sure if my camera still works since the button to turn it on and off has melted off. I've already bought a replacement camera with remote for less than $150 (Muvi Gumball 3000) and have been pleased for the price.

Rollin

 

I LOVE my Hero2. I've had the Hero (Non-HD), Hero1 and Hero2. You want the motorsports package. Other accessories depend on what else you plan to do with it. Wrist mount is cool, chest mount as well. I've mounted mine on nearly everything I use... On the bike it has been on the tank, my helmet, and the rear seat cover. Examples... If you want to see them in HD, please click the "YouTube" button on the videos and you can change the quality.

Old Hero Cam (Near crash into a guardrail/woods):
Brush With Death On my Former Honda NT650 Hawk GT Motorcycle - YouTube

Hero1 HD (Near head on crash):
Audi Head On vs. VFR800 Interceptor Motorcycle in PA - YouTube

Old Hero Cam (Running off the racetrack and almost crashing):
Running Off the Track on my Honda Hawk GT at NJ Motorsports Park - Lightning - YouTube

Hero1 HD (Skiing a Double Black Diamond here in PA):
Double Black Diamond - Razors Edge? - Blue Mountain Ski Area - YouTube

Old Hero Cam (Off-roading in my old Wrangler):
On Board - Hill Climb - Go Pro Hero Cam WIDE - Rausch Creek Off-road Park - Jeep Wrangler TJ - YouTube

Hero2 HD:
Drive Route: Ryan Dunn & Zach Hartwell's Final Drive ROUTE Prior to Their Fatal Crash - YouTube

Hero1 HD:
On-gun HD Camera - Boneyard & Alamo @ LVP South - YouTube

Hero2 HD:
Races: Mustang, Camaro SS, Trans AM, Fairlady 300ZX Twin Turbo - YouTube

Hero1 HD:
Centralia, PA (The Real Silent Hill) Hill Climb in My Jeep Wrangler TJ - YouTube

Hero2 HD:
Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Racing! - YouTube

I can post more if you want to see. Buy one - don't think twice about it! You will love it. Takes a few days to get the settings and such down, but it really rocks. I use the case with holes in the back for better sound if I am under 100 MPH and not planning on having water exposure. I'm purchasing a Dive case to use it while I'm Scuba diving - can't wait to use it in Bonaire this summer!

These photos were shot with the 5MP HD Hero1, the HD Hero2 I have now is 11 MP :-D Pardon the water spots on the lens - need to RainX the new one.

 

It's most likely post processing of the video. You can make images much clearer and detailed with any PP program. However, I have always been happy with the outcome of my videos, especially when I view 'em in 1080 and especially on the HD Hero2!

 

It's a fun toy

 

Here are a few shots I've captured. I made these stills from the Raw video on the hero 2

 

This seems like a good place to post this. I just got a GoPro Hero White Edition. I had been playing with a Vivitar bike mounted camera that was cheap and worked every bit as well as it price. I took the GoPro out today and shot some unremarkable stills and a few videos. I think the camera needs to be higher to give a better sense of the shape and layout of the road ahead. I kept and edited one pretty boring ride video of the ride up the road to my house. It serves two purposes, 1) It proves that the suction cup mount is pretty damn stout. I didn't have a bit of trouble even though I fashioned a tether to keep it safe in the event of an accidental detachment. 2) I want to so my friends and riding buddies why my bike is always filthy and why I seem ambivalent about it.

[video=youtube_share;gW5w34f7Qv0]http://youtu.be/gW5w34f7Qv0[/video]


This is actually a pretty fun road but the images just didn't do it justice.