Cheapo alternatives to a GO Pro?
Discussion
LostCroc said:
What about one of the cameras from Chinavasion:
http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Digital...
I have the Crocolis 1080 HD (second down on the page) and have been very happy with it as a cheapo camera for potentially sacrificial situations (e.g. under the car). It comes with mounts, accessories and ext mic. You can see these for sale under varying other brand names on Ebay and Amazon. These resellers are buying direct from Chinavasion.
Chinavasion is a China dropshipper/wholesaler so if anything goes wrong their response may not be your usual retailer standard. Order is shipped by mail from China and takes a few weeks to arrive. However, I know 5 other people who have ordered action cams from here and had no issues. Google and you will find those who had issues.
Video quality is not what I would GoPro HD standard but it is close enough for a lot of people. Sound recorded is no good unless the external mic is used. Test footage here without external mic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p34KmzDuamI&fea...
I've just bought one of these as it does what I want it to do for the little time I will use it. http://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/Digital...
I have the Crocolis 1080 HD (second down on the page) and have been very happy with it as a cheapo camera for potentially sacrificial situations (e.g. under the car). It comes with mounts, accessories and ext mic. You can see these for sale under varying other brand names on Ebay and Amazon. These resellers are buying direct from Chinavasion.
Chinavasion is a China dropshipper/wholesaler so if anything goes wrong their response may not be your usual retailer standard. Order is shipped by mail from China and takes a few weeks to arrive. However, I know 5 other people who have ordered action cams from here and had no issues. Google and you will find those who had issues.
Video quality is not what I would GoPro HD standard but it is close enough for a lot of people. Sound recorded is no good unless the external mic is used. Test footage here without external mic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p34KmzDuamI&fea...
Very good review by techmoan
http://youtu.be/Ka9LTPUlSKQ
^ I'll be honest, the sound on the old Go Pro's isn't the best either. I think it's because of the small packaging meaning that it's hard to fit a decent mic in there. An external mic (esp battery powered) would perform much better, and if you're using this then I don't see that the sound would be much different on the gopro or the Chinese cameras.
mrmr96 said:
^ I'll be honest, the sound on the old Go Pro's isn't the best either. I think it's because of the small packaging meaning that it's hard to fit a decent mic in there. An external mic (esp battery powered) would perform much better, and if you're using this then I don't see that the sound would be much different on the gopro or the Chinese cameras.
I was thinking that, but I swore when I watched that techmoan review of the Crocolis posted above it said that even with a high quality mic the quality is terrible.... however just watched it now briefly and can't find where/if it suggests that?
Only that it said the bitrate was low at the end (which I don't mind - it's distortion/tinniness/noise I wouldn't want)Never mind...
Has anyone tried "Liquid Image" products at all ? They seem to be a bit cheaper than a Go Pro. The goggles look interesting as you could wear them inside a car or out on a bike/skiing or whatever. I see the coice is 1080 at 30fps or 720 at 60fps so I don't know if that would be a bit limiting ?
te51cle said:
Has anyone tried "Liquid Image" products at all ? They seem to be a bit cheaper than a Go Pro. The goggles look interesting as you could wear them inside a car or out on a bike/skiing or whatever. I see the coice is 1080 at 30fps or 720 at 60fps so I don't know if that would be a bit limiting ?
I looked at those for our holiday two years ago but ended up going gopro. They look quite tidy but when you think about versatility vs price, the gopro was a no brainer. Fair enough wearing the 'All Sport' for bikes/winter sports but would you seriously consider wearing them driving? 
Apart from looking like something out of a Mr Bean program, reduced peripheral vision etc etc?Pay the extra and don't look daft
Use the lumix if the budget is tight.
I got a £5 eBay rubber suction cup camera mount and strapped my TZ10 to the side of my car for a test run through town. No problems reported & image was far more stable than I was expecting.
I'm now considering how often it's going to be used, and may get a cheap compact camera that records HD video for about £30 and dangle that off the side of the car, rather than a £200 one...
Hope that helps
I got a £5 eBay rubber suction cup camera mount and strapped my TZ10 to the side of my car for a test run through town. No problems reported & image was far more stable than I was expecting.
I'm now considering how often it's going to be used, and may get a cheap compact camera that records HD video for about £30 and dangle that off the side of the car, rather than a £200 one...
Hope that helps
I have a drift innovation HD170 Stealth and think its a great bit of kit for the money. It has an adjustable angle lens, built in screen for lining up the shots and very good battery life. Also it was able to bounce down the Col de Turini at 40mph and still work, with only a few light scratches to the case.
Allyc85 said:
I have a drift innovation HD170 Stealth and think its a great bit of kit for the money. It has an adjustable angle lens, built in screen for lining up the shots and very good battery life. Also it was able to bounce down the Col de Turini at 40mph and still work, with only a few light scratches to the case.
Any links on where to buy?Chuck328 said:
I looked at those for our holiday two years ago but ended up going gopro. They look quite tidy but when you think about versatility vs price, the gopro was a no brainer. Fair enough wearing the 'All Sport' for bikes/winter sports but would you seriously consider wearing them driving? Apart from looking like something out of a Mr Bean program, reduced peripheral vision etc etc?
Pay the extra and don't look daft
Not sure about that... Apart from looking like something out of a Mr Bean program, reduced peripheral vision etc etc?Pay the extra and don't look daft
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Any links on where to buy?
Ebay seems your best bet from what I can see at the moment.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw...
edit: the Drift HD is on offer here!
http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/drift-hd-helmet-cam...
Edited by Allyc85 on Friday 25th January 13:29
LostCroc said:
For an external mic look at Audio Technica ATR 3350 Nice and cheap. Powered with a long life small battery, long cable and good recording for the price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJfRZ3a7iMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NStWqaVYgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayW3lbGWWDM
Good shout!
Edited by MarkRSi on Wednesday 30th January 20:09
MarkRSi said:
LostCroc said:
For an external mic look at Audio Technica ATR 3350 Nice and cheap. Powered with a long life small battery, long cable and good recording for the price.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orJfRZ3a7iMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NStWqaVYgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayW3lbGWWDM
Good shout!
Edited by MarkRSi on Wednesday 30th January 20:09
Standard Mic http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detail...
ART Mic http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detail...
Edited by mrmr96 on Wednesday 30th January 21:10
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