Power Kite Forum

GoPro cams

power - 22-2-2010 at 09:07 AM

Just curious some pros and cons of these cameras, are the HDs worth the extra $? How well do the mounts work? Battery life? Durability?

Drewculous - 22-2-2010 at 11:44 AM

just from the video ive seen... i think the hd is worth it... of course if you can get an sd for dirty cheap, you cant go wrong i guess

indigo_wolf - 22-2-2010 at 12:04 PM

I also think the GoPro's shell and replaceable lens shield (2-pack replacements), are going to make it hard to beat for the "I love my camera, but I am going to beat the ever-lovin' bejeezus out of it" set.

Whether HD is acutally worth it or not depends on what your final output is. At a guess, HD is prevalent enough now that you will probably kick yourself later if you hold onto the camera for not getting it, unless the bottom line cost is an absolute deal breaker.... but nothing compared to say... a paraglider ;). Probably a bigger decision is whether you want to go for the STD or Wide lens, the former has a narrower field of view, the latter has more wiggle room if you don't mind the image curvature at close range.

The mounts seem to cover offer a lot of flexibility and anything that isn't a perfect fit can be tweaked.

John's GoPro has been dragged on a grassy field for a bit without apparent ill effects. I expect that would have toasted some other recorders.

If you are purchasing directly from GoPro, you may not get the absolute best price, but you do get a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

ATB,
Sam

tridude - 22-2-2010 at 12:15 PM

go with HD and a 16 GB card.............................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhWxscpv1Uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM89CTqyTCs&feature=relat...

lunchbox - 22-2-2010 at 12:18 PM

I spent $221 for the GoPro HD and love it. Video is really impressive (IMHO). It's easy to use and appears very durable. Lots of mounts and the different video settings are nice. Don't have really any bad things to say about it.

I've taken it out mountain biking and kitesurfing in the ocean and it's really nice to re-live the stoke!

When going in the ocean, I haven't had any problems with leaks, the camera fogging or water beading...

:thumbup::thumbup: from me!

tridude - 22-2-2010 at 12:27 PM

and a board mounted vid...................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJp4MBPqTWc

zero gee - 22-2-2010 at 12:32 PM

There have been issues with SD cards. Don't go cheap with no name SD cards. Go with a recommended card (brand and type).

There have also been issues with editing the Gopro HD file. Some editing programs don't recognize it at all or only in some modes. This could also be related to the choice of SD card.

lunchbox - 22-2-2010 at 12:44 PM

Quote:

There have been issues with SD cards. Don't go cheap with no name SD cards. Go with a recommended card (brand and type). There have also been issues with editing the Gopro HD file. Some editing programs don't it at all or only in some modes. This could also be related to the choice of SD card.


Truer words have never been spoken! Had problems with my card as well...forgot the brand but someone had warned me about it but I decided to buy it anyway. Big mistake. I forgot what I have now, but it works great.

Also, I believe the output is mp4 so in order to view my footage on my PC, I needed to download this particular program that works in conjunction with quicktime. Unfortunately, I forgot what it's called but you can do a search on KF and you'll find the program name there. It's a free download and it let's you export in other formats. This is just one option. Or if you have Sony Vegas you're good.

Sorry...forgot to mention those two things.

pigryder - 22-2-2010 at 01:17 PM

power for the lil bit extra money get the HD, I had a different helmet cam before my gopro and I love the gopro its just hard to beat

Drewculous - 22-2-2010 at 03:50 PM

ugh! mp4's can suck my ^%@(&$%&^$*(&$(&^$(&*%^)*&%^&^$#$^%(*&^)*&^)*^)*&^)(&*^_(*&*(*(&*&^%$$#$@#@@$#$@#$$^%$^##^$%#% $#$&^$^##$$^&$^%$

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

man i have had untold amounts of grief in my life with mp4's.... basically if you suck it up and buy a real editing program you will have no problems... adobe has a good one on amazon for like 150? if you catch the student version (if not its some ungodly amount like $600) But if you want a free one... good luck with that one pal :thumbup:... i mean :thumbdown:

my big gripe with apple... the mp4... the bane of my existance.... if i go to hell, mp4s will be the only content... streamed.... on quicktime.... AHHHH!!!!!

power - 22-2-2010 at 04:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by lunchbox
I spent $221 for the GoPro HD

Was that with all the accesories (mounts and attachments) brand new?

power - 22-2-2010 at 04:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
Probably a bigger decision is whether you want to go for the STD or Wide lens, the former has a narrower field of view, the latter has more wiggle room if you don't mind the image curvature at close range.


Thoughts on this? Is the wider range of view worth the funky close up image?

zero gee - 22-2-2010 at 04:44 PM

If you want the POV with more parts of your body visible in frame or your full body in the frame (best with wide if your mount is closer to your body) then go wide. If you don't care for this view (prefer a more realistic less distorted view) or just want to mount the cam on your kite (standard will give a larger version of you in the frame) then go standard.

Maybe you should get 2 Gopro's one standard (for kite POV) and one wide (over the shoulder or board POV) at the same time. :)

Like this guy :thumbup:...

power - 22-2-2010 at 09:53 PM

How long do those suction cups last before their seal wears out, and how well do they really hold onto something like a helmet?

zero gee - 22-2-2010 at 10:04 PM

I think most guys use the helmet specific mounts for helmets.

If you use the suction mount even on the flat clean surface of a board ALWAYS leash the camera. A buddy has lost his week old Gopro along with the suction mount to the bottom of the lake when he didn't.

In fact, I would probably leash it regardless of the mount chosen as kiting can be high impact and any mount can break.

lunchbox - 22-2-2010 at 10:37 PM

I think it was the 'motorcycle package' so it came with a few mounts. If I remember correctly, I had to buy the helmet mount and I also bought a chest mount. Got'em pretty cheap so it was no big deal. But it was new...I think retail was $299 but I had a promo code which reduced it to $221.

If you decide to go the GoPro HD route, I think you'll be happy you did.

Quote:

Quote: Originally posted by lunchbox I spent $221 for the GoPro HD Was that with all the accesories (mounts and attachments) brand new?

tridude - 23-2-2010 at 06:59 AM

helmet rig is a buckle assembly, and the board mount suction cups are very robust.............we teather the board mount just in case......................my son likes the helmet and bar mounts best.........................all in all a great package to relive the stoke(s)...........................