Power Kite Forum

GoPro or the alternative(s)???

revpaul - 18-3-2013 at 09:57 AM

need an HD waterproof/resistant recording device that can mount to various things.

GoPro is the easy choice for namesake/popularity reasons but are the alternative(s) a better choice.

I was at a mall kiosk which sold GoPro and Drift.

the Drift had some nice options(rotating lens, longer battery life [3-4 hours], water proof as is up to 10 meters [with no external housing but availalble for deep diving], remote[non bluetooth] and built in monitor.

what is the opinion?

indigo_wolf - 18-3-2013 at 11:32 AM

Odd... on the Drift HD Tech Specs page, the feature bullet (2nd one) only lists it as water resistant. The rotating lens is nice... while the GoPro lens doesn't rotate, it does support upside image capture.

One major plus with the GOPRO is the replaceable and afforadable Lens Replacement Kit (2 pk). Few things worse than binning or sending a camera off for an expensive repair because of a scratched lens.

ATB,
Sam

revpaul - 18-3-2013 at 12:47 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
Odd... on the Drift HD Tech Specs page, the feature bullet (2nd one) only lists it as water resistant. The rotating lens is nice... while the GoPro lens doesn't rotate, it does support upside image capture.

One major plus with the GOPRO is the replaceable and afforadable Lens Replacement Kit (2 pk). Few things worse than binning or sending a camera off for an expensive repair because of a scratched lens.
ATB,
Sam


-I was at a mall kiosk so i did take the "shpiel" with a grain of salt.
as far as water proof(call it weather resistant) goes i can say this...
I use Olympu DSLRs and Oly states only that their line of equipment that have a "weather resistant" rating are only that... guaranteed to be weather resistant and not water proof.
now go to you tube and see what people do to these poor things.
heck...i went to an Olympu (seminar/sales pitch) and the first thing the Rep did was take some images of everybody then print them with an Oly dye-sub then he put the camera and prints in a 5 gallon bucket of water until the end of the 'show'. after the show he removed the camera and passed it aroun to people to shoot with. the prints were fine too.
i went to the Drift site and saw that thier lens is replaceable as well.
i'd prefer GoPro simply to ease of finding stuff for it but i thoght i should give the issue a little more consideration due to the price involved.
another bit of "shpiel" is the Drift's battery is more internally located and 'benefits' from the heat generated by the camera so it(camera) can run at colder temps.

mahgnillig - 18-3-2013 at 02:30 PM

Here's a link to a comparison test of some cameras:

http://reviews.mtbr.com/pov-action-cam-shootout-camera-best

Hope this helps :)

Kamikuza - 18-3-2013 at 04:56 PM

Roam2 - brilliant!

IIRC I went with that instead of a Drift cos it was half the price and I don't need remotes, Bluetooth etc...

revpaul - 18-3-2013 at 06:02 PM

i though there would be more food for though on you tube and such...not really.
looks as though i'll just quit with the procrastination and go with the more popular toy on the shelf.

Feyd - 18-3-2013 at 07:27 PM

Drift requires the waterproof case otherwise only splash resistant. I have submerged mine from time to time briefly without issues. Rain and snow have not been a problem. Drift also has a replaceable lens. FWIW.

revpaul - 18-3-2013 at 09:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Feyd
Drift requires the waterproof case otherwise only splash resistant. I have submerged mine from time to time briefly without issues. Rain and snow have not been a problem. Drift also has a replaceable lens. FWIW.


the highest spec (newest?) Drift 'Ghost' does list as being "waterproof" out of the box up to 3 meters.
there is a guy on you tube dunking it in some grungy pond (yuck).
the manual states it as being water proof but not to submerge for more than 1/2 hour (go figure?).
the other two Drifts are not waterproof.
ughhhh...i looked at GP H3 and it's battery is 1070mA. approx 1 hour recording...@h$t.
the Drift Ghost is 1700mA.
decisions...decisions

Feyd - 19-3-2013 at 06:32 PM

I get various amounts of time out of the Drift and Drift HD. Depends on temps. The stadard battery gives me about 2 hrs in the cold and fills the 16gb card at 1080p.

COrrect the Ghost is WP but only to a point.

canuck - 19-3-2013 at 09:43 PM

Check out the Contour Roam 1600 at Future Shop, MEC or several camera shops. I picked mine up for about $100 on sale at Future Shop. Canadian weather resistant, rotating lens, lots of different mounts, underwater kit good to 60 meters. I haven't filled my 16GB card but the battery is supposed to be good for 8hrs and the unit takes a 32GB micro SD card

revpaul - 20-3-2013 at 11:45 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by canuck
Check out the Contour Roam 1600 at Future Shop, MEC or several camera shops. I picked mine up for about $100 on sale at Future Shop. Canadian weather resistant, rotating lens, lots of different mounts, underwater kit good to 60 meters. I haven't filled my 16GB card but the battery is supposed to be good for 8hrs and the unit takes a 32GB micro SD card

interesting...i've seen a bit about Contour(II).
love the price and battery life.

Kamikuza - 20-3-2013 at 05:21 PM

Got 90 minutes out of mine, line mount out in winter. I stopped the video when I got back to shore...

Having to set the camera up with a PC connection makes me want a Drift though... but IIRC the price turned me off - I think the Roam2 was closer to $200, the Drift $500.

austexblo - 4-4-2013 at 04:29 PM

Go with the GoPro. They virtually invented the actioncam, and are used by National Geographic, Explorer etc. Also used by Hollywood. They are bulletproof and waterproof, and have a huge range of mounts. The GoPro 11 now comes with a remote so that you can send the images to a smart phone. Makes it easy to get the exact positions needed. I have a swag of them, and have never looked back! And NO, I do not work for GoPro. There is a 111 out now, but they are having some small bugs with it. Look around, should find them new for $220-$250.

jgorm - 4-4-2013 at 05:03 PM

I have 3 gopro cameras, the older ones, and the older HD one. Been using them for many years now. The menu's kind of suck, and the sound sucks most of the time depending on the case being used and the sound setting. The low setting will clip badly, and the high setting is muted. The new ones look pretty cool (like the black version) They can shoot ultra fast for kick ass slow motion. They can upload video to your phone and your phone can start and stop multiple cameras. I got the LCD backpack for my HD one and it helps to know what is in the frame vs just pointing and hoping (which works well because of the wide angle lens). They are also cool because they pass out beers at the SEMA show! Their booth has gone from being tiny to super huge over the years. They probably had 30 50+" TVs there last year.

RonH - 7-4-2013 at 11:16 AM

looks like bestbuy.ca has a gopro II with the wifi backpack and remote for $250 cdn...

Kami - does the roam2 have a replaceable lens cover? I like how simple it seems to be. On or off.

Kamikuza - 8-4-2013 at 04:01 AM

I believe it can be - pretty sure I've seen replacement lens 'covers' kits online...

I just love how I never have to do anything special and so don't need to worry about foggin...