big video in a little package

With as active as Marion and I are, and having a buisness that deals with media and the internet, we decided to get a little more involved with the media part and the subsequent posting of it on the internet.  I follow the gadget blogs pretty closely, and there are thousands of cameras out on the market now that are capable of taking video and quickly posting it on the internet. CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) is going on right now, so by the end of the week I expect that number to be so high that only Chuck Norris could ever hope to count to it. In this market of cheap and plentiful gadgets, you can get plenty of multi function, high definition devices that will do a fine job of recording, but that is just what they are, cheap and plentiful and pretty much all the same except all wrapped in a different package.

That isn't the case when you get to the GoPro cameras, which is why I recently picked up a GoPro HD Helmet Hero camera...

Your first impression of this camera won't be great... It has no lcd on the back to see what you are capturing, it has only 2 buttons, a tiny little black and white lcd on the front indicates the mode and settings and it looks like a grey brick. There is nothing fancy about this camera at first glance. What is interesting is everything else it comes with. The housing that it sits in has a big bubble over the lens, and the button extensions that protrude through the case make you really wonder what is going on. The latch on the top, the rubber seal between the front and back of the case, Jacques Cousteau couldn't even ask for more. A box full of mounts and adapters that all attach to the bottom of the case are included, as well as a bunch of straps and 3M VHB adhesive strips. All of the sudden you start to see that this camera was made to go anywhere, attach to anything (helmets, duh). And at this point, you've only scratched the surface of what this device is all about.

You open up the manual, and after reading through some blah blah instructions, you start to worry. You realize that changing the settings on the camera are like changing the settings on your first Casio LCD watch that you got for Christmas in 1985. You remember THAT watch, the one that took a degree in physics just to set the time. The only thing more difficult might have been your parents VHS player, that was in fact so difficult to program, that it blinked 12:00 until they got a DVD player. Ok, it isn't that hard to program, but it can be frustrating when we live in a world of touch screens, dials and user interfaces designed by Apple. What it lacks in user friendliness, it makes up for in plenty of other areas.

Once you get past the initial shock of this awkward little device, you finally get to the recording modes. You see things like 1080p, and 720p and 60fps. There starts to be more to this little brick than meets the eye. You also see things like 127° and 170° viewing angles and again, this little camera starts to pique your interest.

You finally get the camera turned on, and press the shutter to start recording, and again comes the awkwardness with the lack of a viewfinder or lcd preview screen. You remind yourself however that the GoPro has a field of view that is better than yours, so as long as you have it pointed in the general vicinity of what you want to record, you are going to capture it. The first thing you will do is just run around the house with the camera... seriously, its exactly what I did, filming my house, my wife (who says out loud, "you better not be recording") and my daughter, who of course wants to be filmed and stick her face right into the camera. Now you have a few videos, but you are stuck with the realization that you have no idea what you have recorded, as the lack of an lcd preview screen has still left you wondering. You'll undoubtedly plug the camera into your computer and start watching what you recorded. You laugh because the fish-eye perspective warps everything in the near field of view, especially when your daughter gets right up into the lens and the view is reminiscent of when Mack from the movie Cars is making faces in the rear of the polished tanker car truck in front of him.

I see the lack of the lcd screen as a positive, as you are forced to review the videos and pictures after you have taken them. I find that when I take pictures or video with my iPhone, its very simple to just take the media, and then leave it on the device. I may go back to it from time to time, but sometimes that's where it stops. But with the GoPro camera, you almost can't wait to see what you actually recorded. It may not be pointed the right way, you may not have enough light, you may have had your finger in front of the lens!

So far, we have tried the camera out in a couple of situations, some indoor, some outdoor, some action, some stills, and some time lapse. Here are my initial impressions after a week of use:

PROS:

• The camera is small, lightweight, waterproof down to 180 feet, drop proof, bomb proof... you get the idea, it was designed to go anywhere and capture whatever is going on.
• With ample light, the camera captures exceptional HD video, in a variety of resolutions and frame rates with a very wide field of view. Let me also reiterate, 60fps in 720p is awesome.
• There are a variety of shooting modes which include but are not limited to video, 5 megapixel images, 5 megapixel time lapse images in a variety of intervals, delay shooting so you can get yourself into the shot, and an upside down mode if you need to mount the camera that way.
• A full charge battery can record up to 2.5 hours of video, and a 32Gb card can capture around 8 hours of video depending on your resolution and fps settings.
• Enough mounts that you will continually find new angles and places to put this camera to get very creative views, there is even a chest strap that we almost considered for a 1st person view of my baptism.
• Did I mention that this thing is shock proof, cause if I didn't, I even let my 6 year old daughter run around with it worry free.

CONS:

• Most people are going to initially say that the biggest drawback on this camera is the lack of an lcd viewfinder, not knowing what you are shooting is going to be the hardest thing to overcome. (This might go away as an LCD BacPac is coming soon).
• Two words: LOW LIGHT. Lets be honest here, indoor, and low light situations are rediculous, the camera can't handle indoor backlighting, period. On top of that, you don't know that what you are recording might be awful because of the lack of an lcd preview.
• Zoom, or should I say, the lack there of. However, what it lacks in the ability to zoom in, it makes up for in field of view, not to mention less moving parts equals less complex and more shock proof.
• Time consuming menu system. With limited front facing old school casio lcd display, its a bit of a pain. I'm spoiled though, almost everything I own has an easy to use interface... I'll live as I can leave the camera on with almost no impact on battery life so that I can press the shutter and start recording on a whim.
• Extra costs. You are going to have to buy some extras to use the camera. To start, you need a class 3 SDHC card at minimum for best performance. If you really want to capture plenty of video and pictures, you are looking at spending an extra $65 at least. You'll probably want another battery as well, but be warned that when you remove the battery you lose your time and date settings.

Conclusion... well, the half conclusion...

I say half conclusion because there are still some more real world tests that need to be completed before I can come to the full conclusion. But seriously, this is different than any other plain camera that you are going to pick up. If you are active, it will be more fun than anything and will beg you to take it with you everywhere. I dare you to pick one up and not get addicted. I turn this camera on every chance I get, and am attaching it to anything I can, including my RC truck, which is the last video I leave you with today.

This camera takes amazing HD video, in a compact package that is daughter-proof. It has the most basic of functions, but can leave you with clips that are stunning. It is easy to get the videos from camera to internet and with a little creativity you can even make some pretty cool time lapse vids. It isn't your everyday camera. It won't replace your point and shoot, but if you are active, outdoors, and want to capture more than just the pictures inbetween being active, then this camera is an affordable MUST HAVE.

The video below was captured at the 60fps rate and then converted to 30fps to show what slow motion can look like. Be sure to check out some of the other videos I have captured so far at my YouTube channel, the link is at the bottom of the article. Subscribe and you'll get notified when I post more! If you are interested in purchasing a GoPro, click the link below and get it from Amazon!

GoPro HD Helmet HERO Camera