Which GoPro Camera?

Triathlon Forum
1

I’m moving to Sydney and I want to get a GoPro camera before I leave. I’m just not sure which one I should be looking at. There’s the GoPro Hero, Hero3, White/Silver/Black, bundle packages, etc.
Can someone educate me on what would be the best fit for me?

I’d like to use it for mounting to my helmet, doing some underwater video, mounting to my bike, and general video recording. Being waterproof is a necessity though.

Also it’s not exactly “in the budget” right now, so if I’m going to squeeze it in the budget I’d like it to be as inexpensive as possible. I can give up a few features or a little quality to save some money.

Thanks,
CBR

2

Can’t say which one is best but I have a Hero 3+ Black and love it. Be prepared to get a different mount for just about everything. FWIW most of the mounts and sticks are reasonably cheap. When I travel I bring extra surfboard mounts, stick them to whatever board I’m renting and just leave them behind. In some locations like Oahu it’s pretty common to already have the mounts on the rental boards.

Also keep in mind that while the GoPro is pretty easy to operate, getting those great videos you see on line takes a lot of practice and a little bit of luck. And remember - the shutter button is not the same as the wireless on/off button (made that mistake my first time out, spent a whole surfing session turning the wireless on and off and didn’t get any video).

3

I’m moving to Sydney and I want to get a GoPro camera before I leave. I’m just not sure which one I should be looking at. There’s the GoPro Hero, Hero3, White/Silver/Black, bundle packages, etc.
Can someone educate me on what would be the best fit for me?

I’d like to use it for mounting to my helmet, doing some underwater video, mounting to my bike, and general video recording. Being waterproof is a necessity though.

Also it’s not exactly “in the budget” right now, so if I’m going to squeeze it in the budget I’d like it to be as inexpensive as possible. I can give up a few features or a little quality to save some money.

Thanks,
CBR

I have the Hero3 Silver. It is all that I felt like I wanted to spend money on. Below are some video clips so you can see the quality:

Here is a link for what it looks like when video is uploaded to youtube (once uploaded video always looks degraded):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4WD07FnYw

I mount it on my bike for rides. Unfortunately, the bike mounts aren’t incredibly impressive at removing shock or vibration, so the quality is degraded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw6tXCeDNtM

Here is a swim workout for stroke analysis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WuOmwuB4Ts

…and a ski video in the waterproof housing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yANoyIduygg

4

Just purchased the Hero 3+ Black and it is great! Also, Best Buy had the bike mount for a discount, I picked the mount up for about $10.00

5

wow…think i would have put a different bike vidieo. hope your ok.

6

OUCH! Did the wind bite you or something? Looks like you faded in to the grass and the rest was history. Great camera angle though +1

I have a Hero3+ Silver and I love it. The quality is insane. My friend has the black, and I think the only difference is the support for 4K? Frame rate on the 1080 is 60fps. So technically my iPhone 5S shoots better HD stuff in slomo mode :wink:

Here’s one of my mountain bike videos. https://vimeo.com/87613210 - when you have good light it’s amazing.

I love the time lapse stuff too.

7

And people wonder why triathletes get pegged as poor bike handlers…

/pink

8

And people wonder why triathletes get pegged as poor bike handlers…

/pink
…Let’s just say…I am very careful about the audience where I post that video…Slowtwitch will call me an idiot, but other places will call everyone on a TT bike idiots.

9

Been trying to decide myself.
Recommend you look at the SJ4000 camera too. Can get it for ~US$90 including loads of fittings, it has many great reviews and has a screen (which costs quite a bit to add to a Gopro). Can get it on Ebay or Aliexpress. There are many revews of it versus the Gopro on youtube.

10

I have the 3+ Silver.

I would go with the 3+ Black for the following reason that i wasn’t aware of:
Both the Silver and Black have several Field of View selections: Narrow, Medium, and Wide.
Because the Black has a 4k sensor, when you select a narrow FOV, you don’t get reduced resolution.

If you are only going to shoot in Wide mode, then this is a none issue.

11

My VGA video camera on my bike has just died. I’ve just got my sons GoPro Hero (first edition). It’s more than good enough for my commuter bike, his surfboard, MTB’s and such.

IF i get into more surf photography, I might invest in something better for that, but in the meantime what I’ve got is fine for documenting dickhead motorists on my daily commute.

12

I’d look at the Garmin Virb elite. I’ve been very happy with mine. It’s gotten good reviews as well & stands up well if not “better” in comparisons.
Barb

13

I bought the Hero3+ Black. I figured I’d want those features later so I just bit the extra $100

jaretj