The GoPro is a tiny sports camorder that is waterproof and shock proof and comes with lots of accessories that you can purchase to meet your needs. The HD hero comes in two variants, the 960 and the 1080p. I suggest getting the 1080 at about $300. You get more shooting options and more compatible accessories.
With this camcorder, you can literally put it anywhere (if you have the right accessories)! Out of the box, it comes with a head strap that you can use to strap it to your head and 4 sticky mounts that you can mount to wherever you'd like. You can buy an additional tripod mount for tripods, helmet mount for secure helmet mount, a wrist strap, or even a chest strap.
The things you can record with this gadget is endless. Think of all the activities you can record. All you'd have to do is mount it somewhere and press record. Be it scuba diving, snorkeling, skydiving, snowboarding, anything! Hope onto youtube to see this baby in action.
This tiny camcorder does not have an LCD screen, so you don't really know what you are shooting until you load it onto your computer. This makes sense, since you probably won't be looking at the LCD screen anyways if you're just going to mount, record, and forget. But they do sell the LCD screen for about $80 and I do recommend getting it. You can make sure that you're recording what you want to record, and then take turn off the LCD to conserve battery.
The HD Hero as an aperture of f/2.8. This is better than my Pentax Lens, which can only go up to f/3.5. What this means is that it'll shoot pretty well in low-light settings. The lens is a super wide angle lens so you'll get a fish-eyeish effect, which can actually look pretty cool. If you're into modding, you can get custom lens at ragecams.com that can change the viewing angle, aperture, and more.
Another cool feature with the 1080p variant is that you can shoot 720p at 60fps. This makes for a smoother video and great if you want to slow down some footage. Check this video out:
Once snowboarding season comes, I'll post some of my videos up.
The Gopro has many accessories, but none of which you have to buy. You can buy it a little at a time, but the start out pack gets you well equipped. At $300 for an awesome sports camcorder/camera, this is a Gotta Gadget
Hi Hoa,
ReplyDeleteI actually tested this camera yesterday. The head attachment is sweet. It basically looks like a headlamp, and its super small. Its smooth even when your walking or running. You can buy an attachment to mount it on a surfboard which is also pretty sweet. It looks like it can take a lot of abuse. The price is awesome. The fisheye lens is a good feature. The camera is best for wide shots.
Downside - Disclaimer - This is from video heads
It doesn't take especially detailed shots, 60 feet and you lose facial expression. There is no light control. If its bright out your all set, but a single shadow will kill a shot. It looks good for outdoor shots, especially with snow cover, it would be fine. You might notice all the demo shots are taken in bright bright outdoor lights.
*It seems to get along best with PCs! even when we imported the footage into final cut on a mac it was glitching.
There is audio capabilities, but even the guy who sold my classmate one said its useless and to use it only for a placeholder for synching separate audio.
Overall-It's a good product to hit the market. It'll be interesting to see what people do with it.
Hi Heather! while it is true that there is not light control, it has an aperture of f/2.8, which is pretty good. I took some underwater videos and you can see everything pretty well. As for the detail shots and the lighting, this is a sports cam so it's mostly for up-close and outdoor footage.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that you need a fairly good PC to edit the videos as it records in H.264. And I don't know what you mean by audio capabilities. Do you mean an extern mic?
Thank for the comment!
Interesting piece you have here. The video you added is awesome! It's so cool to see a time lapse video of a plant growing. Definitely post more videos when snowboarding season arrives.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like something I would put on my holiday wish list. Please tell me the manual is not like my IR textbooks!
ReplyDeletecan you post some things on the lower end of the price range too? as nice as that looks, its way out of most people's budget
ReplyDeleteHi Hoa,
ReplyDeleteI'm totally on the verge of getting a pc for video. Mac v. PC the endless question may have an answer, RIP Steve Jobs.
I meant you can record audio but not fabulous audio.
Thanks for the response.
Heather
that second video is amazing, but the song made me want to die.
ReplyDelete