Anyone using a cheap GoPro knockoff? Experience with it?

[thestrangebrew1]

My daughter's been asking us to get her one. She's 10 and there's no way we're spending the $ on a GoPro. Was looking at some sub $100 on amazon and I've found some pretty cheap stuff. I don't use these action cameras so I don't know much about them. Curious what you guys use. She's just mainly going to use it to record herself riding her bike or swimming in the pool. We'll be out at the lake all week next week so I figure I might try to get her 1 before we go so she can play with it there.

 

[feralkid]

I've had one for a few years that I've taken on overseas trips. Typical learning curve to set the clock, change other settings, etc. Surprisingly good photo quality. Wide angle makes it easy to capture good photos in tight spaces (like medieval alleys and small rooms.) Small size allows for very discrete shooting of both stills and videos in crowded/forbidden venues. My only complaint with mine is that the internal charger gets way too hot, therefore I use an external battery charger...but whenever the battery is removed from the camera, the clock resets to 2015 .

I think I will upgrade to a more current model before my next trip, since they are so cheap.

Maybe this one.

For a few bucks more you can get touch-screen control and image stabilization. Might be worth it.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I would look at some online reviews - Polaroid & Vivitar seem to get high marks.

We have a Sony Action Cam but its not a budget GoPro so cant comment on the budget models -

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Want to record rough and tumble pursuits without trashing your wallet? These are the best budget action cameras under $100

www.digitalcameraworld.com

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Thanks. I found a few candidates on Amazon, but my wife isn't too happy with the kid right now because she didn't clean her room so we might be holding off on getting it for now lol.

 

[Fritzo]

GoPro's claim to fame is their image stabilization, lens quality, and accessories. Might be hard to find add-ons for low end 3rd party devices.

Might be better to get a refurb GoPro4. Honestly after the 4 series the improvements haven't been that drastic.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't have a knock off but I have a Gopro Session 5. These smaller ones are nice for their size, but keep in mind, smaller = smaller battery. The battery does not really last long so I end up using it with a battery bank. Whatever you go with just keep that in mind, if it's a small camera you will want to make sure it works with external power if you plan anything that lasts more than like half an hour. If she is just going around recording things and coming back to upload then it's less of a big deal. I tend to use mine for time lapses so I usually just hook up external power.

One thing you'll want to make sure is that it actually has the option of using a battery bank, and not use some kind of weird voltage/connector for power. Say you go for a trip at the beach or something it will be nice if you can just charge it with a battery bank if you have no power available where you are.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Thanks for the tips! I'll continue to look in case the wife changes her mind!

 

[DigDog]

i got the APE from amazon and it's basically identical, for 1/10th of the price. Accessories are out of this world.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have a Nikon waterproof camera I took to Hawaii a few years ago. It worked great, took tons of pics underwater with it. It would go all day on a charge and was easy to use. Plus, it doesn't require a special underwater case. It is entirely sealed for up to 100'. Don't recall what I paid for it but I think it was around $150.

Edit-Actually, it may have been more than that. I think it is a Nikon Coolpix and looking online they are over $300.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Amazon.com : Dragon Touch 4K Action Camera 16MP Vision 3 Underwater Waterproof Camera PC Webcam 170° Wide Angle WiFi Sports Cam with Remote 2 Batteries and Mounting Accessories Kit : Camera & Photo

Amazon.com : Dragon Touch 4K Action Camera 16MP Vision 3 Underwater Waterproof Camera PC Webcam 170° Wide Angle WiFi Sports Cam with Remote 2 Batteries and Mounting Accessories Kit : Camera & Photo

www.amazon.com

I bought that one and got a $10 telescoping selfie stick.

The pictures are crap...video is shaky and not really good quality because the stabilization is lacking. Ohh...the date also resets every time you take the battery out of it....but underwater video is about what you would expect. It may do better on a gimbal, but the outdoor quality is just really low compared to even cellphones these days....but what can I say, that's a $40 camera!

I shot this 3/12/2020:

 

[Caesar]

My daughter's been asking us to get her one. She's 10 and there's no way we're spending the $ on a GoPro. Was looking at some sub $100 on amazon and I've found some pretty cheap stuff. I don't use these action cameras so I don't know much about them. Curious what you guys use. She's just mainly going to use it to record herself riding her bike or swimming in the pool. We'll be out at the lake all week next week so I figure I might try to get her 1 before we go so she can play with it there.

Your thread got me interested in one of these too. I always thought that they were too expensive for what I needed them for. However, after looking around I purchased this one - it is a used model but the feedback from people that purchased it is great. Also, apparently you can flash the firmware on Hero 2018 to make it the same as Hero 5 Black edition (4K recording). So for $70 this is not a bad deal and probably much better than these ~$50 GoPro knock-offs. Of course they are used so that is something for you to consider. I don't mind getting these types of toys used.

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