to go pro or not to go pro, that is the question?????

[mavis cruet]

righty-ho, im looking for a robust helmet cam type thing and the obvious choice is the 'go pro black'. my main issue with these is their battery life. does anyone know if you can charge them 'on the go' from an accessory socket? if not what sort of battery life do people get? im also looking at the drift ghost and the new sony action cam. anybody got anything to say about these, or any other options for that matter? cheers.

 

[Nutty]

I had the GoPro, but have now upgraded to the new drift hd ghost. It's much better, clearer quality video, and has a screen built in.

 

[Timolgra]

Get the best ie. go pro, carry a spare battery because you'll need to be swopping the card at around the same time anyway.

 

[Norfolk Tiger]

Just got a drift ghost hd,still experimenting with it so I can't comment on battery life but the picture quality looks good so far.

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

AFAIK you can`t charge a GP and shoot video at the same time, I have managed to charge my GP and shoot time lapse, but on the bike I tend to use only 1 of my 2 GP2`s at once, this allows me to charge the other via the accessory socket on the bike, providing the 2nd camera is mounted in a skeleton case its simple, by the time I`ve depleted the battery on the 1st GP I`m using its usually time to stop for fuel or a comfort break, I find its pointless continually shooting video from the start of the ride, & only switch the GP on when I need it, even on the move, & mounted on my helmet I`m able to switch it on, & I can confirm its running by looking in the bikes mirror for the flashing red LED, a quick toot of the bikes horn gives me audible edit points that I can use while compiling the footage on my PC

 

[cbrgaz]

I use a drift Ghost HD and think its superb, the mounts are subtle and the battery life is great (2 hours or more).
Also you can charge whilst in use and can also use an auxilary battery pack to increase the battery life to something approaching 8 hours.
The camera is a plug and go in my opinion and doesnt need all the boxes, extenders and scaffolding that is needed with the Go Pro.

 

[Micky]

With Timolgra on this one ... GoPro great piece of kit.
Get the battery back pack with it ... doubles the filming time. You need to be selective with the videoing though otherwise you have hours and hours to wade through to edit 'in real time'

I have a car type cig lighter socket in my rear Peli case. USB plugged in and recharge 'on the go'

Sorted ...

 

[Neil W]

New go pro hero 3+ is out 45 minutes extra battery life and apparently all of the previous operating system glitches have beeb sorted

 

[Wapping]

If anyone is thinking about a Go-Pro camera, the latest generation are fussy about their cards, as I think Micky found out.

Here's a well written and clear guide. It may save you some time, effort and frustration later:

http://havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer/gopro-hero-3-black-memory-card

The bod's website is not bad with some other useful hints and tips, too.

 

[Lunepilot]

+1 for the Drift had Ghost very impressed. My mate has the go pro but finds it causes wind drag when fitted to his helmet. No problems with the Drift.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[er-minio]

does anyone know if you can charge them 'on the go' from an accessory socket?

I have a GoPro Hero, the gray one.

You can use one battery while you charge a second battery through an auxiliary socket using the extra battery back pack, that can either be attached at the back of the camera (two batteries at the same time) or used as a charger.

Pretty sure the same is available for the new GoPro.

My mate has the go pro but finds it causes wind drag when fitted to his helmet.

I would not fit a camera or anything else on the helmet. But I digress...

 

[Bounce]

I use a Go pro 2 and am delighted with it's functionality & quality of video & photo's.

When I'm on the GS, I'll fasten it to the helmet and have encountered no problems thus far; when I go out on the KTM, I secure the GP to the chesty harness & angle it back until it stops; with the wide angled lens it has produced some superb footage

 

[Fanum]

I still use an OLD Archos 500 with a bullet cam (AKA "quim cam" )

certainly not as advanced as a go pro, but a fraction of the price and massive storage space (80GB)

As many mounting options as your ingenuity can devise

Probably not an attractive option these days, but don't get sucked into the 'latest must have farkle' lust.....there are waterproof enclosures for pretty much any digital camera, and many have a far better lens than a go pro, which to me, always seems to be 'fisheyed'.

 

[er-minio]

Dust off the top of your garage door's frame!

 

[Micky]

I still use an OLD Archos 500 with a bullet cam (AKA "quim cam" )



certainly not as advanced as a go pro, but a fraction of the price and massive storage space (80GB)

As many mounting options as your ingenuity can devise

Probably not an attractive option these days, but don't get sucked into the 'latest must have farkle' lust.....there are waterproof enclosures for pretty much any digital camera, and many have a far better lens than a go pro, which to me, always seems to be 'fisheyed'.

Yeah but you're still making your toys from egg boxes, yoghurt cartons and toilet roll cardboard tubes

 

[Ed209]

sony action cam with wifi

 

[Taff]

..... You need to be selective with the videoing though otherwise you have hours and hours to wade through to edit 'in real time'

Not using the GoPro editing software surely?

 

[Fanum]

Yeah but you're still making your toys from egg boxes, yoghurt cartons and toilet roll cardboard tubes

And a pair of Val's knickers with some double sided tape

 

[Micky]

Not using the GoPro editing software surely?

I use iMovie on my Mac. Simple, easy, efficient and very intuitive

A real doddle to use .... but you still have to wade through all your movie clips, find where to cut, fade etc and this has to be done in 'real time' on the screen

Not used the GoPro editing software, not found the need to, or even have a look at it what with iMovie. I guess some nerd will come along shortly to claim iMovie is crap

But it works just fine for me

 

[snaponphil]

Drift ghost hd, previously contour gps, all my friends use go pro so I thought I'd try something different..
Newest go pro has fantastic battery life.. waterproof to approx 30metres out of the box.

Contour gps has, well, gps function for tracking routes, great fun in the pub & impressed my daughter who was pillion, gives location, speed & altitude.. Good video or pre set stills set at 10sec intervals. Fiddly controls & not a 'quick' battery change.

Drift ghost.. (newest model)
Lens rotates to any angle for helmet fixing, so ground always level.
Zoom function from very wide to whatever u prefer really.
Built in LCD screen.. (does wifi to iPhone but waiting to update my software) free app download.
Great quality video, nothing in it between mine & my various friends gp pro's
4 shooting modes, (5 actually) when videoing u can also take high quality photos without interrupting the settings, just a quick press of the remote control..
Waterproof to 3 metres out of the box. (we scuba with these so I bought the £40 waterproof housing, safe to 40metres)
Spare battery (came free with haggle) quick to change. Battery life poss over 7 hours using both batteries, so can cover a good ride out.
Ahh, the best bit, the wireless remote, fasten to wrist (elbow in my case) & instantly change function, from video to stills, video on or off, photo, or time delayed photos etc.. (I forget all functions right now)
Sound..! In built microphone, OR, like me I plug in the supplied helmet mike & can narrate straight onto the video recording. (so sound overlay)
So.. The best bit it comes complete ready to roll with nearly everything u need..