GoPro HD Hero / 2

[Oakey]

Where's the best deal for one of these? My son wants a video camera for Xmas as he's into his skating / BMXing so this seems the obvious choice. Sure a PH'er said he a had a job lot of them

[Matt..]

The US?
The prices in the UK seem a little silly when looking at US prices

[big dub]

Probably best off from the US, though remember you'll have a tax bill to pay when you collect it.

I got my HD Hero from the US and even after the tax it was still a fair bit cheaper than over here.

[craigb84]

They seem a little bulky to me. I looking for something that I can capture all my sports with (diving, MTB, snowboard, surfing, occasional track days) but to strap one of these on my head would look a bit daft.

I quite like the look of the Contour Roam.

[mattdaniels]

Can't agree with buying in the US. UK prices are very comparable.

edit:

eg. Go Pro HD Motorsports Hero is 219 USD on Amazon.com and 162 GBP on Amazon.co.uk.

Edited by mattdaniels on Tuesday 15th November 14:54

[S47]

It's still a realively big bulky square box of a camera though, guess the designers liked the look of their orignal 'box brownie'

[ben_h100]

Can't go wrong with the GoPro - great little cameras. We use them when jumping out of planes and the quality is amazing. Can be mounted on helmets, equipment, on the body etc.

[craigb84]

I must admit, after spending the majority of this afternoon / evening researching I can't help but keep looking at the GoPro.

It was between this and the Drift HD170 but the GoPro just seems to be the camera of choice.

The only concern is still the bulkiness of the GP. I don't wear a helmet when I snowboard but their head strap would just look stupid. At least the Drift has a more discreet goggle strap attachment.

On the other hand I'm planning on doing more surfing / body boarding / diving next year so the available mounts and standard waterproof housing are more appealing.

On yet another hand the hd170 is quite a bit cheaper and I could get all the accessories and mounts I'd ever need way cheaper than the GP - although I've read there's a major design flaw in that the lenses are potentially fragile and are irreplaceable.

Each has pros and cons. If the GoPro had the Drift body it would pretty much be perfect. Or maybe I just man up and not worry about the way the GoPro looks whilst head mounted.

Edit: Damn I just discovered the DIY mounts part of the GoPro forum. Looks like we have a winner.

Edited by craigb84 on Wednesday 16th November 01:11

[jon-]

Don't worry about looking stupid, at any extreme sport event they all seem to have at least one go pro attached to them these days.

The only thing I hate about mine is the sound quality. Truly awful.

[wilbo83]

Anyone know if the Drift X170 is any good? Seems pretty cheap at 99.99

http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/X170#

[andyr30]

You don't see any contour or drift cameras being used for TV. The GoPro is THE camera to get for sports.

There's plenty other mounting options other than on ya head. The chest mount provides a really good POV aswell

The original HD hero has come down in price a hell of a lot now, think it's on amazon for £179 (was £299 before the 2 came out)

I'm going to get the Hero 2 soon...once the wifi bacpac is out for it, your not going to find a better camera really. Live streaming to smart phone via wifi will let you guarantee you have the shot framed correctly and see how the picture looks

[sjg]

Amazon currently has the Contour HD at £122, and Drift HD170 for £149.

[wilbo83]

wilbo83 said:

Anyone know if the Drift X170 is any good? Seems pretty cheap at 99.99

http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/X170#

May have just found answers myself, GoPro is certainly better quality but the Drift does have some good features for the price

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZqXldNcfp4&fea...

[craigb84]

wilbo83 said:

Anyone know if the Drift X170 is any good? Seems pretty cheap at 99.99

http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/X170#

I don't think it does HD. That, for me, is an absolute must.

[wilbo83]

craigb84 said:

I don't think it does HD. That, for me, is an absolute must.

Just checking out the Drift HD170 Stealth which does though, and that looks pretty decent, and a true competitor to the GoPro. The functions just seem more modern etc, but it doesnt have the huge accessory range as the GoPro. Guess it all depends what you want from the camera.

[craigb84]

andyr30 said:

You don't see any contour or drift cameras being used for TV. The GoPro is THE camera to get for sports.

There's plenty other mounting options other than on ya head. The chest mount provides a really good POV aswell

The original HD hero has come down in price a hell of a lot now, think it's on amazon for £179 (was £299 before the 2 came out)

I'm going to get the Hero 2 soon...once the wifi bacpac is out for it, your not going to find a better camera really. Live streaming to smart phone via wifi will let you guarantee you have the shot framed correctly and see how the picture looks

The 2 has some important feature compared to the one. In particular the mic input. Thats pretty important I think. They also have a wifi remote coming out and it does 10fps in still mode. That's impressive!

It also fits the standard housings from the original hero so I think you're right. This camera will take some beating. I'm sold.

[mrmr96]

wilbo83 said:

craigb84 said:

I don't think it does HD. That, for me, is an absolute must.

Just checking out the Drift HD170 Stealth which does though, and that looks pretty decent, and a true competitor to the GoPro. The functions just seem more modern etc, but it doesnt have the huge accessory range as the GoPro. Guess it all depends what you want from the camera.

I like how the drift has the built in screen, and remote control and all for a good price. However the GoPro Hero HD can have an LCD backpac added, and the Hero HD 2 has a remote control, but also wifi remote screen viewing, which is pretty trick.

Another VERY important feature of the Go Pro for me, is that the camera lives in a hard case. So if it's dropped, or hit by a stone or other debris etc then at least the damage will most likley be confined to the lens COVER or the case, which can be easliy swapped leaving the camera and proper lens unscathed.

I'd be nervous mounting that Drift to the outside of a car or bike, due to the danger of it becoming damaged, whereas the HD Hero in a waterproof case is pretty tough, and the case can be swapped if it's damamged.

[janszott]

You might consider one of these
You can't beat the price for good HD recording.
Bit of velcro and stick it to your hat.
Here is a short video I took on a real drab cloudy day. (switch to 720p)

[jon-]

janszott said:

You might consider one of these
You can't beat the price for good HD recording.
Bit of velcro and stick it to your hat.
Here is a short video I took on a real drab cloudy day. (switch to 720p)

That's crazy for the size / price of it!

[wilbo83]

janszott said:

You might consider one of these
You can't beat the price for good HD recording.
Bit of velcro and stick it to your hat.
Here is a short video I took on a real drab cloudy day. (switch to 720p)

Is the lack of audio the camera or your settings? Bloody good quality tho.

The Drift seems to be a real worthy contender to the GoPro I reckon. Just picked up this months Mountain Biking UK magazine and it gets good reviews in there and is recommended by MTBers, maybe due to its small size and neat attachment to goggles or helmets.