Advice on GoPro

[MVS]

I am considering buying a GoPro to do some basic videography during my travels through Texas, New Mexico, and Utah this summer, and wonder if anyone can offer feedback about which might be best. I don't really need anything too fancy, but want a model for which extra batteries can b purchased, since I will go long stretches (three days on White Rim) with no access to a charger (I will be in Jeep).

And can you answer this question - What makes GoPro so much better than other cameras? Or are there others that you would recommend just as much?

Thanks for any input.

 

[12trysomething]

The GoPro shoots incredible footage, however I am not a fan of the GoPro as a primary camera to film adventures with for a couple of reasons. 1) the sound quality is not that good, in fact it stinks in my opinion. Bad sound and you will have a bad video. 2) battery life is minimal at best. There are a number of hikers each year who find this out and end up cutting the amount of footage they capture short to maximize battery life. I had a friend who took off on the AT last year and sent his GoPro back at the first chance. 3) and finally, accessories are expensive. Whether it is extra batteries, mounts or anything else it all seems a bit pricey. Another big advantage of the GoPro is the ability to shoot underwater clips...which I really wish I could do.

I use a Canon ELPH110 which I picked up reconditioned from Canon for $120. I shoot in HD and post my videos in 720HD. The sound is really good and accessories are cheap. I can get batteries for as low as $6-$8. I currently carry my camera, 7 extra batteries, 112G of memory, a stick-pic and a gorilla pod. This whole set up weighs under 12oz and allows me to capture a boatload of footage.

There are a ton of people who love the GoPro and highly recommend it, I struggle to do so. I hope this helps.

- Rob

 

[WasatchWill]

I've been wanting a GoPro myself, but not enough to discipline myself to save up enough to go out and get one. I would steer clear of their current budget model, the "Hero", since it doesn't allow you to swap out the battery for another. I actually ended up just placing an order for a "NoPro" camera, the SJCAM SJ4000, a more budget-friendly camera that looks and functions like a GoPro and I expect it will excel at what I want it for. I was able to add an extra battery ($10) and 32 GB card ($15) to the order all for a total at significantly less than the cost of the basic GoPro Hero. I reviewed some sample footage and watched a couple good reviews on it found on YouTube and thought it would be a good purchase. I figured I would start with this and get some practice with it and so on and if I end up wanting something that shoots at a higher frame rate for smoother slo-mo effects in post and something that handles low light a little bit better, then I'll save up for a higher end GoPro or above.

The SJCAM will also work with just about all the GoPro accessories out there, but I don't think I'll need any other since the SJCAM comes with some many mounts already. I'm looking forward to using the clip it comes with that will allow me to just clip it on my chest strap of my backpack and then unclip and thread onto my trekking pole mount for other shot angles. I don't think the audio is all that great, even a little worse than the GoPros, so I plan to just use it for action shots, trail shots, landscapes, and so on. For shots where I want good audio of anyone talking, I'll probably still take along my small little 8 oz 720p camera that provides an adequate mic. As soon as I get it, I'll have to experiment with it's mic and some amplification in Post, and see how it works out. If the audio comes out adequate at that point, I may be able to get by with it as my only video device. @steve shoots some nice videos with his GoPro and manages to get the dialogue audio of his interviews and narration to come out nice. I believe he uses one of the GoPro Hero 3 models.

Another perk to the SJCAM is that it has a little LCD viewfinder on the back to aid in framing shots (when you're behind the camera) and for reviewing shots captured. It can be set to shut off while recording though, to preserve battery. From reviews, it appears battery life appears to run between 60-90 minutes depending on mode and settings used. From what I can gather, it's weaknesses, when compared to other options out there, like GoPro, are that it has more contrast when shot with its default settings out of the box with shadows being darker and void of much detail and it struggles a bit to adjust to sudden changes in lighting, such as a quick pan from darker area in shadow to a backlit shot under the sun. Its fastest time-lapse rate only goes down to a shot every 3 seconds, but that should be adequate enough for making fun time lapses of clouds, setting up camp, driving to trailhead, etc, if you're into that sort of thing.

If I end up continuing to use my 720p camera, I can take the 1080 footage and stabilize it when needed with minimal effect on the quality, assuming I continue to export out in 720. I still use old computers with slower processors and less RAM at home than what's out there now so anything that shoots 2k to 4k, like GoPro 4 Black would be out of the question for me right now.

That's probably more info that you asked for, but just know that the answer to your question about other options is simply yes, there are other options that may prove to be just as suitable for those who want different features or have different budgets. There is also the Sony Action series, the Contour, and so on.

 

[MVS]

I can't believe you people took so much time to writer such long posts. Thanks so much. I hope someone else wikll also bnefit from the time you invested.

 

[MVS]

The GoPro shoots incredible footage, however I am not a fan of the GoPro as a primary camera to film adventures with for a couple of reasons. 1) the sound quality is not that good, in fact it stinks in my opinion. Bad sound and you will have a bad video. 2) battery life is minimal at best. There are a number of hikers each year who find this out and end up cutting the amount of footage they capture short to maximize battery life. I had a friend who took off on the AT last year and sent his GoPro back at the first chance. 3) and finally, accessories are expensive. Whether it is extra batteries, mounts or anything else it all seems a bit pricey. Another big advantage of the GoPro is the ability to shoot underwater clips...which I really wish I could do.

I use a Canon ELPH110 which I picked up reconditioned from Canon for $120. I shoot in HD and post my videos in 720HD. The sound is really good and accessories are cheap. I can get batteries for as low as $6-$8. I currently carry my camera, 7 extra batteries, 112G of memory, a stick-pic and a gorilla pod. This whole set up weighs under 12oz and allows me to capture a boatload of footage.

There are a ton of people who love the GoPro and highly recommend it, I struggle to do so. I hope this helps.

- Rob

Are you saying that you get good battery life with it? I as glad to hear this because I trust the Canon name.

 

[12trysomething]

Are you saying that you get good battery life with it? I as glad to hear this because I trust the Canon name.

I am very happy with my battery life. I have used the 7 batteries on a 5 day hike which produced almost 2hrs of edited posted movie footage which was probably about 8hrs of raw footage. I don't believe I got into the last battery, although don't quote me on that. Again, I record in 1280 and post in 720. Also, it is important to keep your batteries warm. I do so by keeping them in a chest pocket.

I hope this helped.

 

[steve]

I'd recommend a hero 3 black with a Brunton all-day battery pack. I have a brunton all-day on mine, and I did 3 days on the white rim trail last week without draining it. I also have a hero 4 black, which I absolutely love, but it uses more battery and more memory due to filming in 4k. On the hero 4 they redesigned how the battery attaches, and now you can't use a all-day with it, which really sucks.

WIth the all-day I have, you lose waterproofness, and it makes it bulkier, but it really bumps the capacity up. You can even charge your phone or gps or other devices off the brunton. Add a solar charger like the enerplex and you'll be able to keep it topped off all the time.

I'm really disappointed with the battery design on the Hero 4. That being said, filming @ 4k is awesome.

Whichever camera you get, practice filming with it a lot before you go out, or you'll get shaky shots, misunderstanding of the controls, and potentially lost footage.

 

[steve]

Rob's got a lot of good comments. These apply to most action cams, not just GoPros. I have extensive experience with GoPros, so I can speak to a few tips I've learned:

1) the sound quality is not that good, in fact it stinks in my opinion. Bad sound and you will have a bad video.

I agree that good audio makes a great video. Sound quality only sucks on a GoPro when you're using a waterproof case. If you use the frame or an open-back, you'll get much better audio. Check out the audio on this video, all done with the GoPro, without the waterproof housing.

15:11 especially shows how great these mics are (with some added compression in post).

2) battery life is minimal at best. There are a number of hikers each year who find this out and end up cutting the amount of footage they capture short to maximize battery life. I had a friend who took off on the AT last year and sent his GoPro back at the first chance.

If you're filming in 4k or 1080p, I agree. If you're filming in 720p or 480p, you'll get a ton more battery life. Fortunately you can control the quality/battery life balance.

For HD, you'll need multiple batteries, or a big one like a Brunton, or an external battery to charge them every night, or a solar panel charger. I have all of these and I use them all a lot.

3) and finally, accessories are expensive. Whether it is extra batteries, mounts or anything else it all seems a bit pricey.

Agreed, if you buy them from GoPro. Fortunately GoPros are so popular that there are tons of companies making mounts, batteries, and accessories for them. Amazon is a fantastic place to find replacement batteries, cases, housings, mounts, etc. But I agree, if you're buying from GoPro, it's going to be super expensive. That being said, I feel GoPro's quality is unmatched, so at least you're getting quality products when you buy from them.

A few more things I love about GoPros:
1) portable.
2) extremely durable. I have dropped mine countless times. It's even been run over by a big jeep loaded with a weekend's worth of camping gear, and nothing broke
3) it's easy to find mounts all over the place. If I'm traveling, I can find extra gopro mounts at walmart, bestbuy, sporting goods stores, climbing stores, you name it.
4) mounting solutions are awesome. The design of the sticky mounts, clips, and the little barrel adjuster is foolproof and does a darn good job. We all know that different angles make for more exciting video, and GoPros (or any wearable action cam) allow you to position the camera in so many different locations
5) wifi connectivity. This is huge. By being able to control my camera with my phone is huge. I wish my DSLR had this (for some stupid reason it's disabled in video mode on the 6D). It's a great viewfinder, big menu, and really comes in handy.
6) picture quality is insane. Many motion pictures are using GoPros for some of their sequences.


Action cams have their limitations though, and you should be aware of them.
- most don't have a screen, so you might struggle to know what's in frame. That's why the super wide angle of the GoPro is so fun, you almost always capture everything\
- no zoom
- photos aren't as good as with a good camera
- limited in use. If you're not going to be wearing it, you'll probably prefer a regular camera.

Hope that helps.

 

[steve]

I don't really need anything too fancy, but want a model for which extra batteries can b purchased, since I will go long stretches (three days on White Rim) with no access to a charger (I will be in Jeep).

Why not get a 12v adapter to charge your camera? You can leave your camera plugged in all the time and never worry about a battery draining. Or you could be charging a spare battery all the time, so you've got a backup. If you were backpacking that'd be a little trickier, but if you're in a jeep, you've got tons of options.

All models of GoPros (or any other camera in the world) will have replaceable batteries that you can buy. I've had great luck with wasabi brand, which is about 1/3 the price of a battery from GoPro. Others prefer to use factory batteries. I also have great luck with Smartree batteries, though I've only used them for a few months so far.

I don't really need anything too fancy

That's good, you have lots of options.

Here's the difference between gopros.

image quality (from least to most)
white - silver - black

Price (from least to most)
white - silver - black


The hero 4 white is the cheapest with the lowest image quality (though it's still quite good)

The hero 4 silver is middle of the road quality, but includes and LCD screen on the back, so you can play back and see what's in frame

The hero 4 black is the highest quality, with no LCD screen, with the best sensor for low light. I used to have the LCD screen on my hero 2, but I never used it, so I opted for the hero 4.

What makes GoPro so much better than other cameras? Or are there others that you would recommend just as much?

In my opinion, no other action cam can touch a GoPro H4B's image quality in high and low light.

There are tons of great action cams out there. GoPros will have mounts and parts available in more places than any other action cam. They have great marketing, they have a fantastic image quality, they are nice and small, and there are more mounts for GoPros than any other action cam out there. Plus they're popular enough that there are a lot of 3rd party mounts/accessories that the other cameras don't have.

My brother has the sony action cam, and he prefers it over his old Hero 3. It's got better battery life, but lower iq.

Contours have been trying to gain ground, and they're fantastic cams too. These also have geo-tagging so you can track speed, distances, etc.

Basically, you have to choose between better image quality or better battery life. Also, the better your image quality, the bigger the files, so the bigger (and faster) the sd card you'll need. Then you'll need a beefier computer to handle the editing. It gets expensive quick.

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

Go to Youtube and see the comparisons of the GoPro vs. SJ4000. You will be surprised ...and at a 1/3 of the price too. I bought a GoPro a few weeks back and ended up returning it in favor of an SJ4000 with wifi.

 

[WasatchWill]

I should have my SJ4000 in hand on Monday. I opted for the standard one without WiFi. I didn't see myself using that feature much at all, since I like to keep my phone in airplane mode or all the way off as much as possible when it out in the backcountry to preserve battery and because there is already an LCD screen on the camera.