Calgary Jeep Association
General Forums => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: TL-Iguana on April 24, 2011, 01:28:04 PM
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Has anyone used one of these? Im looking at buying one, but have not actually seen one up close, or heard of anyones actual experience using one! I want to get one primarily to mount on the bullbar, and to take out fishing with me, but are they really armored as well as they say? I would just like to get some actual user opinions on them before i put down the money :)
http://gopro.com/
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I may have a Contour HD 1080P with extra battery and waterproof case for sale if your interested.
Very comparable to the GoPro HERO.
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Thanks Vinman, Ive seen those as well, but I do want to stick with the GoPro :)
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I've heard good things about the cameras, but have no first hand experience. I will say that their suction cup mount is flat-out amazing. My dad and I used it as a cowl mount for a digital camcorder in Moab last year, and that thing was unreal. You could use it for pulling dents.
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I had an HD GoPro and love it. The cases it comes with are incredible. I still have to mount it to the Jeep and go for a spin but just using it around town handheld even I've been really really impressed with the video quality you get from them. For their size and application I don't think you can get any better. I'll try to shoot a video from my Jeep with it this next week.
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I'll try to shoot a video from my Jeep with it this next week.
That would be sweet! If you do, let me know :D Id love to see something from it other than what GoPro wants you to see on their site ;)
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For sure. I'm going to try to fix a mount for it tomorrow so there will be some daylight cruising videos to post by tomorrow night.
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Simon, let me know when your buying one. I want one now!
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ive had my gopro widescreen for a couple years now. this is the origianl, not the hd. that being said, its pretty good. for the most part ive used it mountain biking attached to my helmet. ive hit trees, rocks and had plenty of dirt and water all over the unit. camera stays fine inside the case. the hd version is much better then mine. but like i said, the old version is still pretty good. mine doesnt have the best sound quality but i think they fixed that with the Hd versions. the mounting hardware is easy to use and works great. a lot of options to mount the camera. if you want a video or two pm me your email address.
eric
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Simon, let me know when your buying one. I want one now!
Fine be that way.............Group Buy???
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Fine be that way.............Group Buy???
Simon, let me know when your buying one. I want one now!
Hahaha :D
I really want one!!! Im currently trying to get hooked up with them through work, but if that falls through I might be making a trip up to the kiosk in Cross Iron mills on my next day off to see if they will swing us deal on a group buy :D These things are awesome!! Will let you know what he says, but it will be worth my gas just to drive out there and play with one I figure :) Would be awesome to mount on the bull bar and go play :D Ive also seen some neat footage shot from under a jeep... Proabably not recommended, but still cool :)
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Yeah the guy from WayALife who does ProjectJK etc did an under belly cam to show a new suspension setup once. It looked amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKlzdBU2u2E
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That EvoLever setup made me scratch my head...and then it made me drool. Coilovers without cutting your tub. :o
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ive only heard good thing about the GoPro carmera
i know guys that run them on dirt bikes ,quads , mountain bikes , snowboard helmits , wakeboarders use them as well there very water proof and very strong
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here u can see the quality and the strenth of the mounts and cases the camera doesnt even miss a second
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po9hrXXQFaY
just youtube GoPro and theres hundreds of videos of all kinds
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Hahaha :D
I really want one!!! Im currently trying to get hooked up with them through work, but if that falls through I might be making a trip up to the kiosk in Cross Iron mills on my next day off to see if they will swing us deal on a group buy :D These things are awesome!! Will let you know what he says, but it will be worth my gas just to drive out there and play with one I figure :) Would be awesome to mount on the bull bar and go play :D Ive also seen some neat footage shot from under a jeep... Proabably not recommended, but still cool :)
Let me know how many people are interested. I will see if I can get the store manager at my location to swing you guys a deal.
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Dan!! Didnt even occur to me to ask :D
I am in for sure, but am just waiting to hear back from the rep if they will auth us here at work :)
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Hey everyone, I can bring these in. Let me know which one you are all looking at and I will get you prices. There are also helmet adapters etc that you can get so let me know those too.
Right now an example is part #CHDMH001 - $250 (motorsports hero), includes shipping to us. However, if we get enough interest, the price will lower to reflect it. I think the same price would be for the Helmet Hero.
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Right now an example is part #CHDMH001 - $250 (motorsports hero), includes shipping to us. However, if we get enough interest, the price will lower to reflect it. I think the same price would be for the Helmet Hero.
Now thats a good price :D One place I called quoted me $350, the actual gopro kiosk in x-iron mills hasnt returned any of my calls, and the rep doesnt seem to be available to talk to me either.. However for that price, that seems pretty reasonable!
Id be in for sure on a motorsports hero, CHDMH-001, and can you get a price on the ABPAK-001 (Addon battery pack)?
Kev and Shawn you in? The more we order the less it costs all of us!!! :D Not in a huge rush, but would like to move forward by lets say May 2nd? Is this enough time for everyone to make up their minds or do we want to wait a bit longer ::)
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Now thats a good price :D One place I called quoted me $350, the actual gopro kiosk in x-iron mills hasnt returned any of my calls, and the rep doesnt seem to be available to talk to me either.. However for that price, that seems pretty reasonable!
Id be in for sure on a motorsports hero, CHDMH-001, and can you get a price on the ABPAK-001 (Addon battery pack)?
Kev and Shawn you in? The more we order the less it costs all of us!!! :D Not in a huge rush, but would like to move forward by lets say May 2nd? Is this enough time for everyone to make up their minds or do we want to wait a bit longer ::)
Whenever you guys are ready that's fine with me... I will check with my sales rep to see what sort of timeline it will take for them to come in. It's better to order all at once so we can get a better deal.
The part #'s seem to be different and a lot were discontinued so I had to do some searching. Came up with more pricing:
GRBM30 - Rollbar mount - $19.00
GQRH30 - Quick release housing - $20
GSC30 - Suction cup mount - $19.00
AHDBT001 - Replacement battery - $17.00
GMHN30 - Expansion pack - $85.00
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I have first hand knowledge with these units. They have some odd frame rates and bizarre record resolutions. I believe there are standard resolutions of 480, 720, and 1080, but they also do some messed up 635 rez that are unconventional.
Given their small form factor, they have a very small aperture and ccd so they require a TON of light. This also means they don't function well in low light situations. All depends on your application. The record compression is quite good, making for managable / editable file sizes.
I have a coworker that uses his exclusively for Skydiving. The mount has never failed. That is very well engineered.
It's worth what they charge for it.
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I have first hand knowledge with these units. They have some odd frame rates and bizarre record resolutions. I believe there are standard resolutions of 480, 720, and 1080, but they also do some messed up 635 rez that are unconventional.
Given their small form factor, they have a very small aperture and ccd so they require a TON of light.
The only real "off" resolutions are the 960P which is actually a 4:3 ratio image (think tube TV) and the WVGA which had a few different resolutions within it, but for the GoPro it is 848x480 pixels (more common in multimedia projectors). As for the aperture, it is actually quite good at f/2.8. It is lower than most full sized camcorders, but there has to be some give and take. Overall it should function well in any daytime applications.
Good to hear that people feel it is worth what is being charged. I will eventually be purchasing one of these as well.
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The only real "off" resolutions are the 960P which is actually a 4:3 ratio image (think tube TV) and the WVGA which had a few different resolutions within it, but for the GoPro it is 848x480 pixels (more common in multimedia projectors). As for the aperture, it is actually quite good at f/2.8. It is lower than most full sized camcorders, but there has to be some give and take. Overall it should function well in any daytime applications.
Good to hear that people feel it is worth what is being charged. I will eventually be purchasing one of these as well.
Suit yourself.
You get what you pay for.
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I'm going down south in a couple of months and will be picking one up down there... can't wait. ;D
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So I spoke to our distributer and he said GoPro pulled their line out so they could sell to kiosk companies... so I guess we can't bring them in after all :(
Sorry guys!!
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Doh!
Ok thanks Evolution :)
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i buy from these guys. Great service, great pricing. i prefer the Contour anyday over the go pro but my use is mainly helmet mounted (actually goggles are best). Anyways check this package out for GoPro (there are also rollbar mounts you can order)
16GB card is awesome, extra battery is a must. (i actually have 2 extra batteries)
http://pointofviewcameras.com/gopro-hd-helmet-hero-megapack.html (http://pointofviewcameras.com/gopro-hd-helmet-hero-megapack.html)
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I average one video upload per day to my youtube channel which covers mostly heavy equipment but also sneaks some jeep stuff in there too. I use two cameras. My full frame Canon 5DmkII setup for long range (can run full HD video through a 400mm L series lense with a 2x extender to reach out and look like you're beside a mining machine from over a km away) and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1.
The 5DmkII is a $7000 setup and requires a backback to haul around:
(http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206833_139134119493172_118477678225483_254541_6695903_n.jpg)
The TS1 cost $280 and fits in my pocket (yes that camera is sitting in a fish tank)
(http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/panasonic-dmc-ts1-2-480x319.jpg)
The big camera has a lot more control over advanced settings but the little camera is flat out awesome for video. I've shot 98% of my video with the point and shoot. The version I have only goes up to 720p however there is a DMC-TS3 that just came out ($399 at vistek, I'm sure you could find a better price at future shop etc) that does 1080.
All of the DMC-TS series are fully waterproof, dustproof, shock proof, drop proof. I dont even have a case for mine it just rides around in my pocket, bottom of my backpack or in the center console of my work truck. Its been dunked, dropped, run over, filled with mud and it's still going strong. The quality (even at 720p) is amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWfB6_SC8rw
When the GoPros came out I though this was going to be my new camera however after seeing the downfalls I stuck to my TS1. The sound quality is terrible, all of the cameras come with a "wide angle" lens which actually fish eyes the picture slightly. It's a neat gimmick if you want to show lots of things that are very close however you cannot shoot anything past say 30-40 feet away with any clarity and the subject would be tiny. Another HUGE dealbreaker for me is the lack of LCD screen. When I'm out wheeling my jeep or doing something with a piece of heavy equipment I need to know right away if a) the camera is even capturing the whole picture, or do I have something cut off b) if I got the shot. Did I stick my finger in the video the whole time? Was there a huge sun spot that ruined the video? Did I have the subject half cut off?.
The DMC-TS1 lets me review the video instantly vs the GoPro you have to either fork out for the extra LCD pack (which doesnt fit in the fancy waterproof case) or hook it up to a computer. No thanks.
Another thing is there is only one button. Push it to turn on, push again to rec, push again to stop. Due to that system it can be confusing as to weither or not you are actually recording or not. There is nothing more dissapointing then thinking you've captured that amazing jump etc only to find out when you get home that you pushed the button one to many times and only have a 2 second clip of your hand in front of the camera.
The one thing GoPro does have going for them is their mounting options however most of them cost extra. With that in mind, for $100 I bought a 6" suction cup mount from a company in California who specializes in camera rigs for the film industry. I've stuck it on the sides of machines, windows, dashes, coffee tables etc.
Here's what I can do with my suction cup setup, just like the GoPro except I have outstanding clarity for subjects at a distance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geK3_FrHY9k
Summary: The GoPro is a neat setup but has a lot of limitations sound, playback, subject distance, not knowing if you're actually recording or not. For the same price go get a Lumix DMC-TS1 (720p) or a DMC-TS3 (1080).
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Mine has an LCD screen and an extended battery pack.. Only issue is that you have to carry around all these cases depending on what you are going to be doing with your GP.
(http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f237/Unknown303/2011-03-17142029.jpg)
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I'm compiling a video I made bombing down the forestry trunk road yesterday. 20 more minutes of compiling then a few hours to upload I imagine.
Filled a 16gb SD card and the battery + extended battery still had life left. Somewhere around 4-5 hours of video..... :o
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I'm not sure when the audio track will start to work but I had to remove the audio in the majority of the video because of how fast I spend it up. But in 720p it gives you an idea of how the video turns out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZKQqD3e-pM
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Wow!
Thanks for posting that. Definately made my mind up, and hoping to pick one up this week :D
Thanks again for the input! Much appreciated.