Been eyeballing the GoPro's...any advice?

[KDOG]

Been looking at them every time I see them in stores. Keep thinking of picking up a Hero 3+ . Kinda surprised there isn't a zoom on an action cam at that price point. They seem to win the reviews I read quite handily. Any thoughts on this camera?

 

[Throckmorton]

Very bad fisheye distortion

 

[Imp]

Works good, but yes, fisheye for stills and video on my Hero2 with higher FOV settings. Haven't tested all FOV settings. I bought it partly for the huge FOV though. For action stuff, great camera; for regular use taking boring videos, not so great even with LCD.

LCD screen is useful but not essential. Skeleton housing is great for long recordings and in-car use.

 

[tdawg]

I have the Hero3+ Black Edition and think it's a great HD camera. Not sure why Throck constantly complains about fisheye distortion, given it's a fisheye lens, but whatever. If you frame stuff right, you don't get that much distortion. Either way, I like the fisheye lens look and relish the unique look it can produce.

Here's one sample of the footage. Forgive youtube's compression and be sure to choose 1080p setting; reviewing the footage on my PC it's everything 1080p video should be, in my eyes.

1920x1080 48fps, super-wide setting (gopro default): http://youtu.be/HP13JU688_8

Here's another sample. It's only 720p because I had to download it off my facebook profile (original 1080p is on another machine). Forgive the corny music and such, I was toying around with what iMovie could do. Footage was shot at the same settings as the above video, but compressed down by fb. http://youtu.be/zZCnsphmy5k

I'll get a couple other samples up soon.

 

[HN]

Been looking at them every time I see them in stores. Keep thinking of picking up a Hero 3+ . Kinda surprised there isn't a zoom on an action cam at that price point. They seem to win the reviews I read quite handily. Any thoughts on this camera?

it's not really meant to be hand-held and constantly futzed with for settings / zoom and all that. it's set / mount --> do your thing.

 

[purbeast0]

i've too been looking into a gopro hero and almost got one before my trip to turks and caicos in may, however i held off because i kept hearing speculation that the gopro hero 4 would be out sometime in june. i've been searching google daily to see if any more news has been put out about it but there is nothing yet about availability.

supposedly it's going to have a better still camera than the 3, which was something i really wanted because i wanted to take stills while snorkeling and diving.

regardless, by the time i go on my scuba trip in october, if the 4 isn't out by then i'll have the 3+ black to take on the trip.

 

[corkyg]

Actually, it is a very useful camera. I could not resist this, however . . .

http://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2014/06/20

 

[HendrixFan]

regardless, by the time i go on my scuba trip in october, if the 4 isn't out by then i'll have the 3+ black to take on the trip.

http://dgise.com/post/62262921573/gopro-hero-4-specs-and-release-date-are-disclosed

October release according to this link.

 

[purbeast0]

http://dgise.com/post/62262921573/gopro-hero-4-specs-and-release-date-are-disclosed

October release according to this link.

i saw another link that said next march. but none of them have sources and it's always only a random website that has the info so i don't believe either of them.

 

[shabby]

Here's one sample of the footage. Forgive youtube's compression and be sure to choose 1080p setting; reviewing the footage on my PC it's everything 1080p video should be, in my eyes.

Its funny how video's from gopro's youtube channel look so much better than from a typical user, they seem to do tons of touch up work for every video to make the source look better.

 

[HendrixFan]

Its funny how video's from gopro's youtube channel look so much better than from a typical user, they seem to do tons of touch up work for every video to make the source look better.

I think they might do some color correction and forgo the protective shell to get better clarity. I've gotten some pretty good footage out of mine, most of the problems I encounter are from water droplets hanging on the case. I keep telling myself to Rain-X the case but always seem to not get around to it.

 

[CuriousMike]

Its funny how video's from gopro's youtube channel look so much better than from a typical user, they seem to do tons of touch up work for every video to make the source look better.

No kidding. A guy off the street who posts his GoPro footage always looks like a $49 camera compared to the stuff GoPro puts out.

 

[shabby]

No kidding. A guy off the street who posts his GoPro footage always looks like a $49 camera compared to the stuff GoPro puts out.

Speaking of $49 cameras, my $49 g1wh has much better quality than my gopro2, im not buying into the gopro fad anymore.

 

[tsupersonic]

Love the Gopro. Have the HD Hero 2, and Hero 3 Black. I use it mostly for car (taking car to the track), watersports and biking. It's an excellent action camera. With some minor editing, you can make videos look amazing (like the Gopro guys)

 

[purbeast0]

i sent an email last week to gopro asking about the release of the 4 and if they had any info. this is what i got back.

Thank you for contacting GoPro. We’ve been experiencing a higher than normal email volume lately, and we’re doing our best to answer everyone as quickly as possible in the order in which we were contacted. Thanks for your patience.

We do not have any information regarding the release or development of the next GoPro camera. GoPro typically releases cameras in the fall around October. If you look back at past releases you will find that as well. The rumors and speculations floating around the web are just that, rumors and speculation. There is no official release date for the next GoPro camera.

i just hope it comes out before my scuba trip in october so i can snag it!

 

[pontifex]

Why do they keep bringing out the new ones so fast? I bought a HD Hero and a few weeks later the next version came out. I have not been happy with the videos it produces.

And yes, they heavily edit those videos they put out. Just like the commercials for food - it never looks like whats in the commercial.

 

[blastingcap]

Over time, Sony ActionCams should put a dent in prices of GoPro and GoPro-like cameras. Competition is good.

 

[purbeast0]

it's annoying trying to search for news on gopro hero 4. i search every few days, and there are these stupid sites that keep saying it's coming out in october then say it's been delayed until march 2015. yet there are absolutely 0 sources saying either way.

 

[pontifex]

if gopro themselves can't give you a release date, how do you expect someone else to???

 

[terry.dang.rn]

sj4000 - gopro like quality for a fraction of the price. sj4000 wifi will be out in 2-4 weeks and come october once gopro 4 comes out, rumors has it there will be an update sj4000 with the Ambarella A7 (currently in gopro hero 3+) to do 1080p @60 FPS.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2090990

 

[ronbo613]

GoPro cameras are good for what they are; basic POV cameras. POV cameras have ultra wide angle lenses by default, that's what makes them POV. Ultra wide angle lenses catch plenty of stray light and there is "fisheye" distortion, hard to get away from that with a 180° field of view.

Control of video and image settings is limited, that's why all the GoPro footage saturating the internet looks pretty much the same. Like most inexpensive cameras, good lighting makes for nice looking video and photos, poor lighting, not so much. GoPro pays for better quality video on YouTube and Vimeo. Using a GoPro as a dive camera in water deeper than 20' is not going to look that good because the water filters out some of the color spectrum(if you like photos and video that is all blue, no problem).

GoPro cameras are worth what you pay for them but a $100 point and shoot camera will probably take better video and photos, you pay for the whole "personal camera" deal. I've got a couple of them and use them all the time for kayaking and biking. One camera failed not long after I got it, GoPro replaced it. The LCD screen is nice but sucks the battery.

GoPro pretty much has the major market share for these types of cameras, but they are no longer the only player. There are more than a few GoPro competitors with just about the same quality and somewhat cheaper.

 

[purbeast0]

if gopro themselves can't give you a release date, how do you expect someone else to???

exactly - that is what is so stupid about "new" news articles popping up every day with false information in them. i'd rather not see any new news articles until the official word is out. either way, whether the new one is out or not, i plan to get the latest model before my scuba certification trip in october.

 

[Syborg1211]

Why don't you rent one for your trip? This way you get to try before you buy, and you can still wait for the new one.

 

[luv2liv]

i have the Mobius action cam. usually $70 on ebay. i use it as a dash cam because it is that small. and yea, i use it in extreme sports too. quality is pretty good in good lighting.

 

[purbeast0]

Why don't you rent one for your trip? This way you get to try before you buy, and you can still wait for the new one.

doubtful that i would get the 4 if i got the latest version of the 3. i just want one before i go on my scuba trip. but i'm not in a hurry right now so i'll wait for the latest version at the time of my trip.

but if i do decide to get the 4, i'll sell the 3 and put that towards the 4.