GoPro. Any rivals?
Discussion
As a total newbie to the 'action cam' im thinking about getting a GoPro. However, I am fed up of watching videos on YouTube with utter crap sound that my galaxy s3 could capture. So, are there any rivals out there to the gp? Or is it a monopoly. Surely theres a gap in the market for something with amazing visuals and sterling sound, not just one or the other?
Sony Action Cam AS-15
Have a look on youtube the footage speaks for itself.
I have just my hands on one and so far I'm really impressed.
Plus points
Feels better made
Sound quality is better (however still not the best in the case)
Batteries on tests we have done lasts for around 3.5 hours with the wifi stuff turned on
It has steady shot which works really well if you are walking around with it etc etc
Much cheaper £170.00
No Crashes or updates needed.
The only thing the Sony won't do is 4k but you won't really need that
Have a look on youtube the footage speaks for itself.
I have just my hands on one and so far I'm really impressed.
Plus points
Feels better made
Sound quality is better (however still not the best in the case)
Batteries on tests we have done lasts for around 3.5 hours with the wifi stuff turned on
It has steady shot which works really well if you are walking around with it etc etc
Much cheaper £170.00
No Crashes or updates needed.
The only thing the Sony won't do is 4k but you won't really need that
I have a latest Sony HDR-AS30V and to be honest I'm in two minds about it.
I like the form factor, I bought it cheaply at Melbourne airport (with case AND LCD screen attachment thingy/Converter around £170), the battery life seems to be pretty decent but I don't think image quality is better then GoPro. Also, really annoyingly camera heats up when recording in the case in or underwater, which creates condensation EXACTLY in front of the lens. Sony sells special inserts which should stop it but it is a bit of a stupid solution.
I may keep it for some action shots etc but HD video quality from my Canon S120 compact is MILES better for casual recording.
I like the form factor, I bought it cheaply at Melbourne airport (with case AND LCD screen attachment thingy/Converter around £170), the battery life seems to be pretty decent but I don't think image quality is better then GoPro. Also, really annoyingly camera heats up when recording in the case in or underwater, which creates condensation EXACTLY in front of the lens. Sony sells special inserts which should stop it but it is a bit of a stupid solution.
I may keep it for some action shots etc but HD video quality from my Canon S120 compact is MILES better for casual recording.
rottie102 said:
I have a latest Sony HDR-AS30V and to be honest I'm in two minds about it.
I like the form factor, I bought it cheaply at Melbourne airport (with case AND LCD screen attachment thingy/Converter around £170), the battery life seems to be pretty decent but I don't think image quality is better then GoPro. Also, really annoyingly camera heats up when recording in the case in or underwater, which creates condensation EXACTLY in front of the lens. Sony sells special inserts which should stop it but it is a bit of a stupid solution.
I may keep it for some action shots etc but HD video quality from my Canon S120 compact is MILES better for casual recording.
Thanks for a brief moment I was umming and arghing about the GoPro but I know it's the right choice, some of those comparison videos on youtube seem loaded in one direction.I like the form factor, I bought it cheaply at Melbourne airport (with case AND LCD screen attachment thingy/Converter around £170), the battery life seems to be pretty decent but I don't think image quality is better then GoPro. Also, really annoyingly camera heats up when recording in the case in or underwater, which creates condensation EXACTLY in front of the lens. Sony sells special inserts which should stop it but it is a bit of a stupid solution.
I may keep it for some action shots etc but HD video quality from my Canon S120 compact is MILES better for casual recording.
Blackvue the makers of the Dash Cams are bringing out a sports camera the BlackVue Sport SC500
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyrVz0YP980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyrVz0YP980
Cheers muchly for all the replies.
That argos Hitachi one seems to good to be true at that price! Will have to search youtube for a review.
Just came across this. http://vio-pov.com/pov-hd
Not sure if its available in the UK but the quality of the build and hardware looks very nice indeed. 399USD though.
That argos Hitachi one seems to good to be true at that price! Will have to search youtube for a review.
Just came across this. http://vio-pov.com/pov-hd
Not sure if its available in the UK but the quality of the build and hardware looks very nice indeed. 399USD though.
Just found this on the hitachi..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGclvBJzS8o
from 27 mins in there are some cracking shots from it. Good review too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGclvBJzS8o
from 27 mins in there are some cracking shots from it. Good review too...
It's always tempting to look for alternatives but if you have the cash just get a GoPro. They're the most widely supported with tons of (extremely overpriced) accessories and mounts.
I managed to pick up a Hero 3 Black (not 3+) for £230 a few weeks ago but I think the stock is all gone now. Have a look on ebay/gumtree if you're on a tight budget as a lot of people use these cameras once for a scuba trip, etc. and don't touch it again.
Don't get the silver or white versions though, their low light performance is significantly worse than the black - have a look on youtube. Speaking of youtube my footage looks significantly better in vlc on my computer than on youtube which re-encodes and downgrades to 30fps.
I managed to pick up a Hero 3 Black (not 3+) for £230 a few weeks ago but I think the stock is all gone now. Have a look on ebay/gumtree if you're on a tight budget as a lot of people use these cameras once for a scuba trip, etc. and don't touch it again.
Don't get the silver or white versions though, their low light performance is significantly worse than the black - have a look on youtube. Speaking of youtube my footage looks significantly better in vlc on my computer than on youtube which re-encodes and downgrades to 30fps.
Shaoxter said:
It's always tempting to look for alternatives but if you have the cash just get a GoPro. They're the most widely supported with tons of (extremely overpriced) accessories and mounts.
I managed to pick up a Hero 3 Black (not 3+) for £230 a few weeks ago but I think the stock is all gone now. Have a look on ebay/gumtree if you're on a tight budget as a lot of people use these cameras once for a scuba trip, etc. and don't touch it again.
Don't get the silver or white versions though, their low light performance is significantly worse than the black - have a look on youtube. Speaking of youtube my footage looks significantly better in vlc on my computer than on youtube which re-encodes and downgrades to 30fps.
This is the thing, I do think that GoPro IS slightly better than my Sony, but it just pisses me off how expensive everything for it is. You have to buy an extra attachment to have tripod socket ON A CAMERA??? Come on! I managed to pick up a Hero 3 Black (not 3+) for £230 a few weeks ago but I think the stock is all gone now. Have a look on ebay/gumtree if you're on a tight budget as a lot of people use these cameras once for a scuba trip, etc. and don't touch it again.
Don't get the silver or white versions though, their low light performance is significantly worse than the black - have a look on youtube. Speaking of youtube my footage looks significantly better in vlc on my computer than on youtube which re-encodes and downgrades to 30fps.
rottie102 said:
This is the thing, I do think that GoPro IS slightly better than my Sony, but it just pisses me off how expensive everything for it is. You have to buy an extra attachment to have tripod socket ON A CAMERA??? Come on!
Luckily there's lots of cheaper alternatives for mounts, etc. on ebay which seem to be of just as good quality (they're all just plastic in the end). But not for the mic or combo cables though, that's £20-30 which you'll just have to bend over and take.I want to see a side by side of the gopro against the hitachi. They look exactly the same. I bet they share a lot of components on the pcb... Cant find a comparison on youtube though.
GoPro seem a bit like Apple with their over-priced must have accessories. Ingenuity/bodge/ebay is my likely path.
GoPro seem a bit like Apple with their over-priced must have accessories. Ingenuity/bodge/ebay is my likely path.
Trtj said:
Just came across this. http://vio-pov.com/pov-hd
Not sure if its available in the UK but the quality of the build and hardware looks very nice indeed. 399USD though.
I have one of those, good bit of kit with a few plus points over the GoPro (battery life, you don't look a tool using it on a helmet)Not sure if its available in the UK but the quality of the build and hardware looks very nice indeed. 399USD though.
Big down side is you have the recorder unit which needs to be somewhere safe, which sort of rules out having it stuck on the front of your car etc etc.
Action Cameras blog on their best bits from this year.
http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/blog/our-team-favou...
http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/blog/our-team-favou...
I like the drift ghost-s, HOWEVER I still think that SteadyShot on my Sony makes up for its other shortcomings comparing to GoPro and Ghost... Can't stand shaky videos and IMO nothing looks less professional. Yes, I know IN THEORY you can fix it in PP but it's a PITA and takes a lot of time AND it still doesn't work as well as the IS system active in the camera.
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