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GoPro's?

L

LagunaH1

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,705
Location
Lake Forest, CA
Hi everyone,

After this recent trip to Moab (happiest place on earth!) I want to film more of my off-roading adventures. My iPhone is pretty good, but I don't want to have it mounted outside the Jeep. So: I am looking at the various GoPro cameras.

Those of you who use GoPro's:


  • Which model do you use?
  • Why that one?
  • How do you transfer video from the camera to your laptop/PC/Mac?
  • How is the video quality?
  • How is the battery life?
  • Can your GoPro last a day of wheeling?
  • Can your GoPro be powered externally?
 
alrock

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,452
Location
Scottsdale
  • Which model do you use?
    • 2, Hero5, Hero9 Black. But don't really use #2 anymore
  • Why that one?
    • Because it was the current one on the market. The features change significantly every few generations, but then you also lose some combability. For example, the wireless remotes for the above 3 generations are not compatible with each other. If you buy, consider buying on Gopro.com and doing the 1 year subscription to the gopro service for $49.99. You'll likely save that much in discounts on package deals or accessories that you buy later.
  • How do you transfer video from the camera to your laptop/PC/Mac?
    • SD card transfer or cable. But you can also make quick movies with the phone app called Quik, with some basic editing available.
  • How is the video quality?
    • Awesome, though the wide angle leaves something to be desired when filming off road, meaning subjects become small unless you're close to them. Can be narrowed in settings and that's how I prefer to film most of the time. I think there's good reasons why gopro seems to be the default action camera and used in many shows to film in and out of cars.
  • How is the battery life?
    • Poor. You'll carry extra batteries
  • Can your GoPro last a day of wheeling?
    • Sure, with a few batteries. You can monitor battery life with the phone app, as well as remotely control the phone with the app from viewing the image to starting and stopping recording. Get Ram suction cup mounts for external use. I'd also recommend modest sized SD cards just in case one fails. I'd rather swap 32 gb cards than have everything on one monster card and have that one fail - that's not a gopro specific recommendation, just something I do for digital photography and video.
  • Can your GoPro be powered externally?
    • Not sure, but to do so would leave a sealed door open to the elements. I would not recommend it.
 
rascole

rascole

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,599
Location
Bellflower, CA
You can't go wrong with any GoPro, buy last years model for a discount, they are outdated every 2 years anyways. Consider editing software, GoPro Studio is nice but very slooooooooow to process edits. The main reason I wait to edit videos until after my trips.

  • Which model do you use? Hero 4 Black 4k & Session 4
  • Why that one? Because they were on sale at the time.
  • How do you transfer video from the camera to your laptop/PC/Mac? SD reader but mostly USB cable (easier).
  • How is the video quality? Amazing regardless of setting.
  • How is the battery life? Great for the first year but drops after. My session can last for 3 hours, Hero 4 is too old to care.
  • Can your GoPro last a day of wheeling? Yep, use it every time for various shots, mostly to locate creaks and noises.
  • Can your GoPro be powered externally? Yes, but it will lose its water proof feature. Was my dash cam for 2 years before I bought a real one with real DC features.
 
0

08H3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,319
Location
United States
  • Which model do you use?-- 4 Silver, 9, and Max
  • Why that one?-- 4 just because I still have it. Generally only use it where there's a significant risk of losing it, usually underwater. 9 because the 4K video is awesome, Max because 360 video is absolutely mesmerizing.
  • How do you transfer video from the camera to your laptop/PC/Mac?-- Enabled auto-upload on the 9 and Max to GoPro and then download to wherever I need it. Need a fast connection though as some 360 files get huge.
  • How is the video quality?-- Better than anything else out there short of professional equipment.
  • How is the battery life?-- Decent. Definitely much improved over older GoPros, but you'll want spare batteries.
  • Can your GoPro last a day of wheeling?-- Yes. I've smacked into tree branches many times without damage.
  • Can your GoPro be powered externally?-- Yes
 
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