Petemac Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Got some spare pennies this month and a friend of mine just bought a Go Pro (he's bragging already) so I was perhaps thinking about getting one but don't really want to waste my pennies being a tight northern so and so, would someone please give me some guidance as to their use what do you use yours for ? so that I have some idea and any limitations on their use, good bits bad bits about them would be great and a rough idea of cost (I knew I should have asked him that but he's away on holiday) Cheers all Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 AdamR is the man to speak with and he does special WSCC prices also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanspoors Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Hi Pete, I recently bought a Hero 4 Silver, and have been very pleased with it. So far used it for Sky Diving, Snorkelling and Scuba Diving the G.B.R, White Water Rafting, Surfing Lessons, Luge and general photos just trekking through the outback and of course on the Westfields roll bar. If you're an active person I would highly recommend one. I would recommend the Hero 4 as it has an LCD screen on the back of it (it's predecessors do not). There are other Action Cams out there for less money, I know Sony has a highly rated one, and there are Go Pro knockoffs kicking about on eBay too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Pretender Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 They're really great Pete - as well as sticking them on your car and getting high quality footage they are also good for any other pursuits. I often took it swimming when we were on holiday to get some footage of my daughter. Lots of additional attachments you can get which allow for really interesting shots. Have a quick look on the gopro site because they have weekly (i think) best vids with all kinds of different ideas for their use. Some creative people out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petemac Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Cheers guys sounds pretty good so far, certainly even more interested now. Cheers Buttercup will have a chat with AdamR Regards to all. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Pros, video quality so good it's increasingly hard to spot the quality change when GoPro footage is edited in to regular footage on TV programs. Ease of use. The range of mount options is superb, and the protection offered by its case system, fantastic. Ability to use smart phone/tablet as a remote viewing controller. Cons, battery life can be an issue for some, external clip on extra batteries are available though. Sound isn't the best, again, external microphones can be used though. What at you do have to remember is what it's designed for. From the get go, it was designed as a wearable camera, able to record the wearer taking part in extreme/action type lea sure activities and pursuits. Achieving this means having a very wide angle lens, so as to get both the wearer and a good portion of the background in shot, all the time. This wide angle might be perfect for filming yourself rock climbing, mountain biking etc, and looks fantastic on a car, driving through marvellous scenery. But, it does mean that any near by cars, if there's a group of you, don't have to be far from you on the road, before they will look tiny on film. There are some zoom modes on the camera, but it's a fixed (high quality) lens, so they're electronic zooms. In theory, that means the more you zoom in, the more it will drop the quality. If you want to do lots of car to car videoing, I'd consider something else. But for the rest, personally, I think the GoPro is unbeatable as an all round package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petemac Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks Dave very informative as always, Just looked at an article of the guy who thought of it he's now a billionaire lucky man, I think I will wait until my friend is off his holiday and go and see it just to be on the safe side before a commit to it, he's back in a few days. Regards Pete By the way managed to sort problem with cars idle (Stepper motor issue) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickmaster Andy Lowe Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Pretender Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Dave makes a good point re the wide angle lens - it makes anything other than stuff within short range seem very far away. You could therefore argue that it's a good camera to have in your toolbox but might not serve every purpose - depending on your requirements. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I think the wide angle view 135 degs if I'm correct is what makes a good car camera some cheap ones are like looking down a tube at about 55 degs That's why I mentioned the angle of view separately, because depending what you want to use the cameras for, it's both a strength and a weakness! It's about 170º at it's widest setting, which is great for really capturing all the scenery around the car. BUT, for car to car shot's, unless they're really, really close to you, they can look a long way away on the recordings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Dave makes a good point re the wide angle lens - it makes anything other than stuff within short range seem very far away. You could therefore argue that it's a good camera to have in your toolbox but might not serve every purpose - depending on your requirements. Exactly! I wouldn't want to be without the GoPro, but I am looking into how I can attach and more importantly protect, a different camera - with an optical zoom lens, to the car, so that I can do car to car tracking shots, without having to be dangerously close on the public roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1pearman Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 There are plenty of copies around too now, but the SJCAM seems to be the one to go for at a fraction of the cost (www.sjcam.com/). I've got the SJCAM 5000 Wifi which is the same as the new GoPro with the 2" LCD screen on the back, and options to control it from your phone. It cost £90 from memory and people who have seen the footage say there is NO difference. I use it for everything even taking stills with the 14 MP camera function it has. There are also copies of the SJCAM now though so watch out for those! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onliest Smeg David Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 The angle of view can be altered to suit filming situation. Definitely talk to AdamR, he'll give you good advise on which one will suit your needs and budget. Theres one for all budgets with cheapest one is around £100 I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickmaster Andy Lowe Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Just as an add onto this thread not trying to hijack it What's a good mic and long lead for a gopro ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onliest Smeg David Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Just as an add onto this thread not trying to hijack it What's a good mic and long lead for a gopro ? AdamR answered this on one of his GoPro forum threads, but I can't find it just now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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