Gopro - What One?

[DaveM]

I am thinking of getting myself one of these in the next few month but they are rather pricey by the looks of it. So the question is what one should I get that will be a good all rounder.

This is one that seems to be within the price range that I am prepared to spend, so is it any good?

GoPro Hero LCD

 

[Rocky]

I don't have one and don't know that much about them, but GoPro seems to be one of the best (if not the best) of the action cameras.
Footage from them is used in action and racing television programs so that seems to speak to their quality.
But like all the really good stuff, they don't come cheap.

 

[DaveM]

The do seem about the best in their class but once again you get them in all prices so the thing is what model is the best bang for your bucks.

 

[harper6t]

If you are serious about quality, pay the money or be disappointed over time.

 

[Rocky]

If you are serious about quality, pay the money or be disappointed over time.

That's generally good advice.
Many years ago I was advised to buy the best you can afford - and maybe a bit more than that or you may be disappointed in the end.

I know that everyone doesn't have sacks of money to spend, but I see some my bike buddies spending money on the cheapest tires and batteries they can get only to be replacing them in a couple of years.
In the long run they end up paying more than if they had spent the money up front for quality items.

 

[DaveM]

I always like to purchase quality items if I can afford it but this being a very nice to have I tend to also not want to wast money either.

 

[hemibee]

I haven't used a GoPro 4 or the new one that is to hit the market shortly. I have a 2 and a 3. If I had paid for the 3 I would be pissed off. The video quality of the 3 is sub-par and does not live up to the quality I would expect after having used the Hero2 for several years. The 3 I have is a White so the other two, the Silver and Black may have better quality video but from what I've read the video in the 3 series is all the same, each offers a few extra features as they step up in price.

I'm looking at adding a third camera but GoPro is not high on my list of possible new cameras. I'm looking at the Sony, Contour and Garmin for my third camera. Price wise these three are in the same ballpark as the GoPro.

 

[keystiger]

I cant figure out how to stop DOING things and take pics of the things I am DOING............help.

Hello ...my name is Keystiger and I have a camera problem...........

 

[ChuckB]

I bought a Contour 2 that I truly love. It connects real time to my android phone via bluetooth and has a built in GPS that, after loading the video into the Contour app, shows an aerial map of my ride with the actual speed and other data.

 

[hemibee]

I bought a Contour 2 that I truly love. It connects real time to my android phone via bluetooth and has a built in GPS that, after loading the video into the Contour app, shows an aerial map of my ride with the actual speed and other data.

That was why I almost bought the Contour when I got my first GoPro but I'd never met or talked to anyone that had one to see how well it worked.

 

[ChuckB]

Here is a video I made testing the camera angle:



Also a screen shot of the GPS Contour Storyteller App:

A better video, but the camera was pointing too low:

 

[DaveM]

After looking at a lot of the specifications I think I would if possible be looking at the Hero 4, I never even considered the Contour up until now.

What is the battery life on the GoPro as I cannot seem to find anything on that?

 

[hemibee]

Typical battery life on a GoPro is 2 hours. There is a battery pack you can purchase for extended use. I think they can get an additional 3 to 4 hours with the battery pack installed.

 

[DaveM]

I suppose two hours is not that bad really but I will look into the battery pack and see what that is about.

 

[SarahP]

I'm late to the party here, but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents' worth. Are you locked into the GoPro line? I personally disliked the boxy outline of it on a helmet and wanted something a little less visible.

I watched a lot of YouTube moto videos and took note of what helmet cams were used. I ended up getting a very inexpensive Drift Stealth 2 camera from Amazon. It's about $116 USD. (Update: I believe the Stealth 2 is out of production, although it's still being sold for about $80-$110 USD on eBay. YMMV.)

It has some issues: the rear hatch broke, so I have to be careful if it starts to rain. It's advertised as having a long-life battery, but I only get about 3 hours out of it. The audio quality is bad when riding because of wind noise unless you slightly mod it (by putting a cloth or a bandaid over the mic).

However, I love the streamlined shape and the picture quality is fine for my needs.

I've found that riding with a helmet cam is essential to me now as a safety issue in case there's an accident. I'm not interested in being a moto vlogger (where I ride and blather on to my legions of interested followers ). The Stealth 2 does great in low/no wind noise situations. If I'm in a crash, or there's a low speed issue (confrontation, etc), the camera is fine for my needs.

I'm thinking of getting an upgraded Drift or a Contour for my helmet and mounting my current one (with the broken hatch cover) on the rear of my bike to capture footage if someone runs into me. I've had two 'creeper' incidents recently, where I'm stopped at a light and the driver behind me is texting/creeps forward in his car. Scary. (My $25 upgraded horn from NewBonneville was worth every penny.)

Go Pro is definitely the top of the line, I think - Felix Baumgartner certainly thought so, hard to argue with his results, LOL.

It's a plus if you can get a camera that has easy-to-manipulate controls -- something you can turn on/off with a glove on -- or one that has a wrist-mounted or smartphone-operated remote control.

Good luck, and let us know what you end up getting. I love having a helmet cam.