Anyone used Go Pro mini video camera?

[Stu t]

Just wondering if anyone has used video cameras while fishing?
Is there an interest in capturing your catch or do still pics do the job?

Ive been playing around with the Go Pro mini waterproof HD camera and am slowly collecting some good footage. Best part is it is attached to my body and is a wide angle view so its just a matter of flicking it on and off when necessary!

[IceManDude]

I haven't used them as yet, but i know someone who uses them on every trip out. Here is one of his videos

<object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mLcNIZJEGB0&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mLcNIZJEGB0&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>

[Doc_Hollywood]

I have a gopro HD havent had a chance to use it on the boat yet but use it on my mx bikes all the time awesome footage.

[Justin Boyle]

You might enjoy this video from one of our members. In HD so make sure you watch it in youtube and click on HD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CCXxZ_wG-w

[lewa]

sounds interesting, Have you got a link to a company that sells the?
How much are they ruffly

[ruski]

I have a gopro HD havent had a chance to use it on the boat yet but use it on my mx bikes all the time awesome footage.

Have you got the motor sport one Doc?

Lewa: http://www.goprocamera.com/products Roughly $300 USD according to the site.

[Justin Boyle]

Theres a few australian sites that have them and also on EBAY. They are all the same price too from what I've seen so no need to shop around. Find someone you want to deal with and go with it.

[Doc_Hollywood]

Have you got the motor sport one Doc?

Lewa: http://www.goprocamera.com/products Roughly $300 USD according to the site.

Yeah thats the one. It comes with the 2 housings as well as a stack of the mountings. I use it on my road bike helmet as well as a couple of off road helmets. It has the suction cup fitting for the car and boat as well. Got mine from adventure cams HQ so it was delivered next day.
Only thing to remember with the HD camera is you cant skimp on the mem card it has to be top quality and a compatible brand. And you will need to get a good video converter, the compression rate is insane on the HD model. I use anyvideo converter simple enough. I think i paid just over 400 oz delivered.

[Mandurah Marine]

A mate of mine is importing mini cameras which he is using/proving all over his BB drag car (the nation's fastest) to monitor many different components and give him more than just the definition he needs.

As well as wanting some for boat racing I will have some water proof units available to buy when they arrive in the near future. They will be around $200. I don't have the specs on hand but if anyone is interested, PM me.

[Leigh_3456]

The GoPro cameras are really good, but converting and editing the footage can be quite tricky without the latest computer and software. Here is a helpful article that provides some advice - http://www.actioncamerasblog.com/2010/05/24/382/

[Mattberk]

I ran into Steve Correia from Fishing WA when he was using a camera and I asked a bit about them. He had two different rigs - one was the VIO POV1.5 (http://www.launchhelmetcams.com.au/fully-integrated/pov1.5) which apparently is great for underwater shots (a lot of the underwater stuff he shoots with this camera) and good for dry use too. He also uses the GoPro HD camera (http://www.launchhelmetcams.com.au/self-contained/HD-Helmet-Hero) which doesn't work so good underwater (a big suprise to me given it has a waterproof housing - apparently the colours aren't very good once you get it below 1 or 2 metres) but it is a great camera to use in the boat or on land. He gets all his stuff from a local supplier called Launch Helmet Cams (http://www.launchhelmetcams.com.au) - I've been talking to them and found them quite helpful. Just need to decide which one to buy now!

[ruski]

Bumping this back up.

Keen to get one before my trip to NSW over Xmas...can anyone recommend a good seller (local/OS)?

Looking at the official GoPro site, the Motorsport HD package is USD $299, but shipping is $85... which seems fairly steep to me...So all up is should be $400 landed.

Could go local and get it for $439 AUD, but just seeing if anyone knows of a better deal out there.

Cheers,
Paul

[Piscateur]

Couldnt find it cheaper than that. Interestingly couldnt find many on fleabay that ship from HK as they are normally the cheapest for camera equip.
Good Luck

[bath tub]

I've been using a Go Pro HD for a little while now and think they are great. I purchased mine from www.thatsverynice.com.au and would NOT recommend it. It took ages for it to arrive and with pretty poor service. There are/were some on ebay for around $370 delivered but I'm not sure where they are coming from.

I've recently captured some video using both a go pro and handheld camera and have posted it in a blog, have a look at the second fish we caught. I've cut between the handheld and go pro (mounted on top of my motor).

You can find it at www.lureandfly.com.

The obvious pros are a waterproof, HD camera with a wide angle lens and hands free recording but the cons are virtually no sound when fishing (waterproof case), have to clean the salt off the lens regularly and it is in a fixed position (hence the need for 2 cameras).

I hope this helps,
Chris

[eddystone]

Online tackle shop have them...!

http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=426

They are a site sponsor too!

Pat

[ruski]

Thanks Alex!

I've been using a Go Pro HD for a little while now and think they are great. I purchased mine from www.thatsverynice.com.au (http://www.thatsverynice.com.au/) and would NOT recommend it. It took ages for it to arrive and with pretty poor service. There are/were some on ebay for around $370 delivered but I'm not sure where they are coming from.

I've recently captured some video using both a go pro and handheld camera and have posted it in a blog, have a look at the second fish we caught. I've cut between the handheld and go pro (mounted on top of my motor).

You can find it at www.lureandfly.com (http://www.lureandfly.com/).

The obvious pros are a waterproof, HD camera with a wide angle lens and hands free recording but the cons are virtually no sound when fishing (waterproof case), have to clean the salt off the lens regularly and it is in a fixed position (hence the need for 2 cameras).

I hope this helps,
Chris


Thanks for the reply Chris.

Funnily enough, thatsvernice was probably the cheapest seller on ebay that I found today. Location says Gippsland, but they could be getting them sent from OS.

Will have a look tonight when I get home.

Few questions... which 'package' did you go for? Leaning towards the Motorsport Hero, but was wondering whether the mount is sturdy enough to sit on the top of my cowling. Also, any tips on other handy mounts that you have found, or handy accessories?

And finally, which memory card are you running?

Pretty sure I spotted a GoPro on the Stratos at the GF @ Metung?

Cheers,
Paul

[bath tub]

Thanks Alex!




Thanks for the reply Chris.

Funnily enough, thatsvernice was probably the cheapest seller on ebay that I found today. Location says Gippsland, but they could be getting them sent from OS.

Will have a look tonight when I get home.

Few questions... which 'package' did you go for? Leaning towards the Motorsport Hero, but was wondering whether the mount is sturdy enough to sit on the top of my cowling. Also, any tips on other handy mounts that you have found, or handy accessories?

And finally, which memory card are you running?

Pretty sure I spotted a GoPro on the Stratos at the GF @ Metung?

Cheers,
Paul

Yeah, we were meant to be running 2 go pros for both GFs but didn't receive the second go pro until the day I got back home. They did ship from overseas as I was required to chase up all of the shipping. They shipped out of the US with a quoted 3 day lead time but it was closer to 3 weeks by the time it arrived.

I got the motorsport hero with a 16gb SDHC card (make sure it is the SDHC). If you can, get extra batteries as there is only about 2.5 hours of recording time on each full charge.

I mount mine using the suction cup to the front of the cowling and cable tie for peace of mind. The mounting system in the motorsport package is pretty comprehensive with the suction cup option as well as some hard mounted options too. I've tried mounting it to the front of my console but with a much more restricted point of view.

Chris

[Piscateur]

Also, any tips on other handy mounts that you have found, or handy accessories?

Cheers,
Paul

I thought you would be looking for a Fosters Hat mount:p

[OnlineTackleSho]

The GoPro HD Hero (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=17) cameras are probably one of the best little true HD video cameras we have come across for outdoor sports filming in a long time.
We have used them extensively for promotional video and advertising recently and so far they have put up with every bit of punishment we can throw at them.

My advice is not to rush in and purchase a kit, think about what your requirements are and maybe just purchase the The GoPro HD Hero Naked (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=426) and the few accessories you need. We started off with the GoPro HD Hero Helmet (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=424) kit but found we didn't use many of the attachments that came with it in stead we use the pole mounts and have it attached on the end of a aluminium pole allowing us to record from some cool angles and poke it almost anywhere we want. We also use the suction cup mount but no where near as often as the pole. I definitely recommend the extra battery until the battery backpacks are released hopefully in the new year and at the same time the live view LCD screens should be available as well.....and get the biggest memory card you can.

The underwater footage is not as good as it could be, its good but limited by the bubble shaped lens cover, there is a customised fix for this by adding a flat piece of polycarbonate on the front of the housing, its a little involved and I can post a link to instructions on how to do it if anyone is interested.

The quality of the footage is second to none, true 1080p HD and comparable to high def. cameras worth thousands of dollars more, we do a lot of our filming in 720p as it records at 60fps and allows seamless slow motion effects and as we are hosting on video hosting sites and use the footage for web marketing true 1080p HD is wasted during the compression process.

For quality editing it is best to use a semi professional editing suite, we use Son Vegas Pro9, the old Windows Movie maker just doesn't cut the mustard if you want something that impresses your mates.

We currently stock the GoPro HD Hero Helmet (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=424) and the GoPro HD Hero Naked (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=426), they are available in our online store.....click here GoPro HD Hero (http://www.onlinetackleshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=17)
We will have accessories available online shortly as well so keep your eye out.

Just one quick note to those purchasers either buying GoPro from the US or thinking about it, the Australian distributors recently released a statement to all the dealers stating that all GoPro cameras are serialised and unless purchased through the AUS dealer network any warranty will be null and void and not covered in Australia.....just something to consider.

Heres some fun stuff we have done with the GoPo.....just mounted on a stick, enjoy....Feel The Vibe (http://www.vimeo.com/14636576)

[yakkindan]

ok im gonna bump this.
how are people going with their gopro's? i wanna get one. does the camera feel heaps awkward on the head strap? is the head strap alone secure enough?

[kaleido]

just editing some videos now
keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks.

[yakkindan]

will do mate

[dpack]

I bought the motor sports package from goprocameraaustralia.com.au

Only takes three days to arrive in an express post bag.

Bought a second battery so It can run over a five hour fishing session.

The motor spots package has all the mounts and more you might need for your boat.

You have to buy a memory card separately (costs around $80). You need a good one. I got a fast speed one that stores 16GB. It gets full over five hours, worth stopping and starting because of this.

Only down side it does not have a view finder. But the cost and all the mounts make up for this.

Also takes great photos.


Dave

[Shauno]

gotta get me one of these...

Thanks for sharing......

[phil jagger]

Here is a link to a modified housing that fixes the softness that occurs when using the Gopro underwater..

http://www.eyeofmine.com/gopro/underwater/index.html

Results speak for themselves.

Phil

[Brad Y]

Im actually eyeing off a drift 170HD stealth... Love the fish eye view.

[Justin Boyle]

Brad the GoPro has a 170 degree view in 720p anyway and while it is an ugly sun of a !@#$% the other cameras just don't touch it. Not to mention the GoPro is waterproof to 60m. The drift is water resistant what ever that means!!!!

My new favorite is the Vio POV.HD. Expensive camera at around $700 but it is the next step up. Not quite as waterproof either.

[Beasty breambo]

Hey man
I use Sunny cams by novoprime
There polarised sunnies that have a camera in the middle :D
they can record for about 5 hours straight
heres a link if you wanna havva look.(sorry its a facebook sit but they dont have a website)http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=199267626765780&id=836909917&ref=notif&notif_t=share_comment#!/pages/SunnyCam-by-NovoPrime/339279706368
i bought them from my local tackle shop for 300 bucks

[Shauno]

got one...

Naked Hero with the head strap mount....

nice bit of kit...

[Brad Y]

I just ordered the HD170 stealth. Cant wait to mount it up on the boat to watch me get smoked by stupidly big coral trout in skinny water.

[Shauno]

Gone a bit silly with the go pro, have numerous mounting options now including

Pole mount up high looking down

suction cup mount for on the outboard cowling and other spots around the boat

flat mount up the front for trasit views

and obviously handheld for warped shots and angles.

Can't wait to get into some big Bream and Snapper possibly kings for the Camera...

[nabs]

Gone a bit silly with the go pro, have numerous mounting options now including

Pole mount up high looking down

suction cup mount for on the outboard cowling and other spots around the boat

flat mount up the front for trasit views

and obviously handheld for warped shots and angles.

Can't wait to get into some big Bream and Snapper possibly kings for the Camera...

Ive been thinking about doing the same with mine. Got a suction cup mount for the outboard and now looking at getting a pole mount of some sort, something that I can stick in the water to get some cool underwater footage.

Did you make your own pole mount or buy one?

[Shauno]

made mine...

doubles as my telescopic lure retriever pole...

works sweet...

[BloodWorm]

Any footage yet Shauno?

Still waiting for one of your Frenzy going WOT.

What top speed did you end up with?

[Shauno]

got some footage mate, its pretty raw though, thinking about collating then editing a nice mix of footage...

I will take some fottage of the frenzy soon...

I think from memory high 60's... need the 20" raker prop but at $800 i think i'll pass.

The jacking plate has been the best investment, the boat rides soo much better now with the plate...

[ruski]

Just ordered the Motorsport Hero HD :D

[Perky]

Nice ruski you will like it.

Like Shauno i have a heap of footage on mine but it's pretty raw also.

Mad Phil gave me some great advice and i am determined to follow it:

"When you take the camera don't take your rod"

I am beginning to think that this is even more important when your using a GoPro because it's harder to get clean and crisp video. I think out of 30 minutes of footage the other day i had like 3 minutes i could possibly use and even that was a stretch. That's probably just me being an amateur at this video footage thing though.

[Brad Y]

Here is a quickie from the Drift Innovation 170HD stealth. I title it "Dowells crotch"

Made a sweet little vid up of my coral trout/cod fishing trip the other week, but of course its mounted to my head and im wearing a cap. It got a little distored when on the move as it was a pretty rough trip, however it was looking into the sun as well so dunno if that would affect it. Wasnt shot in the highest setting, but I can slow it down into slow mo at this setting which is cool.

Anyway here is the quick vid of dowells crotch.
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20979272" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20979272">Dowell</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user6287275">Scaly Pictures</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

[Perky]

I looked at those Brad they looked really nice. I just decided to go with the Go Pro just because of the amount of info around on them.

But it looks like the Drift is sweet as well. Is the underwater good on it?

[Shauno]

Here is a small clip I made late last night... covers some of what went on in the NT...

Go Pro Naked HD with head mount strap...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEShSDGruiY

[BloodWorm]

Great clip Shauno the camera is brilliant. Love the two fish in two casts it must have been insane fishing.

Did you get some of the still photos off the Go Pro?

[Shauno]

the best I did was 6 in a row, but that was once I changed to subsurface, couldn;t help but feel I was missing strikes... even though the sammy was getting raped....

Film mode r3 too.... only 960p but the best for slow mo reply.... in reflection I'd film in full HD..

Cheers

[Shauno]

@BW,

still from Canon digital SLR...

Untill I buy the go pro LCD screen back, probably won't use the still function... After all I bought it for video, having already owned a Canon SLR

[phil jagger]

Hi Shauno,

For the best slow mo with the Gopro use 720p 60fps. Twice as many frames to work with in the same time frame as 1080 or 960 will make your slow motion super smooth.

Pm me and I will go through it in more detail if you like.

Yew!

Phil

[Shauno]

Thanks Phil, my mistake, this was on r3 widest HD video 16:9 @ 60 fps
720 pixels...

in movie maker (very basic) I also slected the slowest playback for those frames, maybe the next one up (faster) would be slow enough and not be a jerky. (i thought it was okay)...

Anyhow, no near near as good a photographer/movie maker as you Phill, nor do I have the time, but I will persist and your feedback is greatly appreciated...

Thanks
Shauno

[phil jagger]

No probs mate.

If you slow down the 60 fps footage %50 it will be super smooth.

Just Pm me if you want any tips/advice, happy to help out.

Phil

[BloodWorm]

I came across this review of the Go Pro HD HERO video camera:

http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/first-test-go-pro-hd-hero-video-camera

[MAINEVENT]

Thinking about getting one of these bad boys. Is the general consensus to get the Motorsport Hero as that comes with more mounts? What are the must have accessories?

Anyone know of any special deals going on right now?

[MAINEVENT]

No one? Any one?

[mcq]

just bought the motorsports,$379 on the gold coast from camera house.you also get a free "grab bag" containing pretty much doubles of all the mounts that actually come as standard,so,pretty good value.i've been using the suction cup mount on the top of my e-tec,and at 50km/hr there's no distortion or shaking,pretty impressed.just google go pro stockists australia,and you might save $30 or so online.

[DrPopper]

I've used and seen the go Pro HD's ...they can get some incredible footage especially in game fishing ....

Check this video out from the 2009 HIBT .......

http://youtu.be/yc3_wHoBPUM

[doolz]

The new go pro was just released a coupla weeks ago n blows the old model out of the water

[IceManDude]

here is my latest video... the new HD Hero2 would be great but i can see the only benefit for me being the drop in price of the original HD Hero which may mean i can grab a second gopro for the yak!!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C7Y9chQghrk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[chrislocke]

whats the difference between the hero and hero2?

[tweedz]

I might get blasted for this but for all the vids i've seen taken on these things I'm not really that impressed with the quality for a full HD camera. I can see how handy they are but the quality of image is lacking and the sound is very average.

Am I the only one??

[IceManDude]

I might get blasted for this but for all the vids i've seen taken on these things I'm not really that impressed with the quality for a full HD camera. I can see how handy they are but the quality of image is lacking and the sound is very average.

Am I the only one??

nah ya not... the sound quality whilst in the waterproof housing is basically useless...nah it is useless. I haven't used it with the open back on it nor outside the housing so can't compare, but to me i need it fully waterproof.

as for the image quality...i am more than happy with the second lowest setting (720p @ 25fps), but it also comes down to the editing software and how it is produced at the end. Ripping footage at 1080p that is recorded in 1080p comes up sweet, but in order to get it uploaded to youtube in any decent time frame i drop the quality to 720p and ripping at DVD high Quality otherwise it simply takes too long to upload!!

[doolz]

the new gopro has a totally different lens in it has 2x better optical quality than the old gopro plus it has better audio options and a 11pixel photo mode.....if ur debating the quality of the new gopros check out the new Travis Rice movie "THE ART OF FLIGHT" then tell me they lack in quality...yes in the water housing the sound is DohDohDohDohty but that is the same with most of the water housings u get unless u have a audio port on your housing.....

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kh29_SERH0Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>?v=kh29_SERH0Y&feature=relmfu[/URL]

[tweedz]

Sorry but there is no way that was entirely shot on a gopro. That is the type of HD quality you would find from a full blown DLSR or similar.

[doolz]

it wasnt all shot on the gopro only the pov clips... it was a bad example. the movie was shot on the red n phantom cameras... if u can get ur hands on the movie n see the pov shots ull be quite suprised at the quality of the go pro2

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/31741120?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;autoplay=1" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

[tweedz]

Fair enough. Please don't think I'm bagging the gopros. Just curious about the best quality you can get out of them.

[StuKlose]

Tweedz i think when you compare the costs involved in getting a DSLR and then putting it into waterproof casings to a GoPro, 90% of people will be happy with what they get from a GoPro.

[tweedz]

Yeah I know, I know. I'm not comparing a gopro with 10 grands worth of SLR it's just............................maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut.:o

Go the gopro!!!

[ecofreak]

I run 3 Gopro Hero2's on my boat, 2 are the standard out of he box motor-sports ones and came with more than enough mounting gear to cover my tub with mounts all over the place. I also bought a couple of bike mount kits so I can run them from one of the many rails that most boats come with. The third one is the outdoor pack that comes with all the mounting gear for a person, chest strap head strap and a helmet mount, this one got an after market housing that has a flat lens, a cyan UV filter and moisture absorbing gel to help prevent with lens fogging. I use the third one exclusively for underwater shots and the footage is as clear as the footage I get from my Canon EOS550D in an under water housing, There is slight amount of vignetting which can be cut out later but it really is minimal. I have almost compiled 7 hours of raw footage with these cams and the only complaint is battery life. I have since ordered a couple of spare batteries also. I still use the DSLR for video on board the boat but it is placed on a secure mount while we are not underway and is used for both video and sound, when we get moving again the DSLR gets packed away till I stop again. So when editing I use the sound from the Cannon and the video of all 4 cameras as they record at the same time. One thing to look out for with the new Hero 2 is the soon to be available wi fi remote control, for fishing when you have your hands full you can not put the fish on hold while you set your camera up so this bit of kit will be worth its weight in gold.

[BloodWorm]

One thing to look out for with the new Hero 2 is the soon to be available wi fi remote control, for fishing when you have your hands full you can not put the fish on hold while you set your camera up so this bit of kit will be worth its weight in gold.

Now that is a great idea.