Go Pro Hero Video Camera

[mclee47]

Wondering if anyone has a Go Pro Hero video camera that you use with your RV activities. We are planning an Alaska trip next summer, and I am thinking that a Go Pro would be a good way to capture some of the road scenery. We also tow a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon that we could use as a video platform on some of the rougher roads. If you have one, how do you use it? Mount it?

[CaptJeff1731]

If you get one find a go pro hero 2 i have abused mine from biking to diving and use it on my maritime job. It has preformed way better than my co workers hero 3
Good luck

[Liltippy]

I have a Go Pro 2. I had it mounted on my Honda S2000 CR. I had a mount that placed it about 18" off the ground. I also used a suction RAM mount to attach it to the wing on the car. Used to film autocross and track days. Found it to be of high quality and reliable. Additional battery pack is a mandatory addon.

I have also mounted it on my boat.

I am waiting for them to solve all the problems with the 3 series before I upgrade.

[hershey]

I have the Go Pro 2. I use it primarily to take video and stills from a quadcopter or RC plane. It has served me extremely well, never have had a problem with it or have it fail to do what I wanted. I've also heard some of the less than good reviews of the GoPro 3's.
Over priced? probably but its size is a real asset to me. The battery life is a bit less than I would like but a quick recharge puts it back to use again.

[Bumpyroad]

Thunder Mountain wrote:


The GoPro would work as a dashcam. I would suggest using a 12V to USB adapter to power the camera and the remote. I would think you could find a cheaper alternative for what you want.

a poster said it would fill up the card and stop. worthless as a dash cam. I bought my first experimental dash cam for $17.88. just ordered my new deluxe one 🙂 for $52.00.
bumpy

[Thunder_Mountai]

My experience has been different than the rest of you. I bought a GOPro Hero 3 Silver edition last September and used it about 8 times. I bought it on a closeout at Best Buy because the 3+ was due out. We Here is my personal review.

The early Hero 3 had some serious software issues. If you go to the GoPro website and do a search, you will find an apology from the CEO. They revised the software to fix the freezing issues etc.

We are ATVers and I mounted the camera to my helmet.

The good: Excellent picture quality in various lighting conditions. HD is really amazing. Captured Colorado fall colors well. Very wide angle lens. I captured some great video first time out. The camera functions and settings are easy to understand. Lots of mounting options.

The bad: Very expensive and very over packaged. Standard battery lasts less than a half hour. You have to buy the larger piggy back battery which then extends life to about 2.5 hours. If you enable the Bluetooth remote it is a serious battery hog. The battery for the remote has a very short life. The free editing software you download from GoPro is very minimal. I understand that the Hero 3+ has addressed the battery issues.

The GoPro would work as a dashcam. I would suggest using a 12V to USB adapter to power the camera and the remote. I would think you could find a cheaper alternative for what you want.

[Bumpyroad]

Simplygib wrote:
I have the GoPro HD Hero 960 and have used it sporadically for a couple of years. I've been satisfied with its performance but occasionally (maybe once every ten times it's turned on) it doesn't record sound. Not sure why. Other than that, it lacks one feature that irritates me - the ability to record indefinitely. Once the memory card is full, it won't record any more until files are manually deleted to free up space. Not sure if the newer versions are like that or not - or if there is a software update that corrects it (haven't checked). I use it mainly as a dash cam or rack cam (mounted on my touring bicycle's rack).

I also have this little HD 808 keychain camera that I really like, and it does have the ability to record indefinitely. When the card gets full it deletes the oldest file and keeps recording. Great video quality for such an inexpensive camera, but not sure what to expect in terms of longevity. Lots of info about this one here.

A drawback to both of those cameras is battery life but luckily both will operate continuously with an external power source (5v USB).

can you tell it is not recording sound while you are using it? if not, you lose that recording if there is any sound you want. and you paid $200-$300 for that privilege.
bumpy

[The_Texan]

Two or three folks that ride ATV and snowmobile with us have them and ALL have had major problems with them. Have not seen one go an entire ride without a malfunction. The GoPro customer service has been completely non existent. One company has them on sale for $229 right now, because they can not sell them anywhere near the MSRP.

[Simplygib]

I have the GoPro HD Hero 960 and have used it sporadically for a couple of years. I've been satisfied with its performance but occasionally (maybe once every ten times it's turned on) it doesn't record sound. Not sure why. Other than that, it lacks one feature that irritates me - the ability to record indefinitely. Once the memory card is full, it won't record any more until files are manually deleted to free up space. Not sure if the newer versions are like that or not - or if there is a software update that corrects it (haven't checked). I use it mainly as a dash cam or rack cam (mounted on my touring bicycle's rack).

I also have this little HD 808 keychain camera that I really like, and it does have the ability to record indefinitely. When the card gets full it deletes the oldest file and keeps recording. Great video quality for such an inexpensive camera, but not sure what to expect in terms of longevity. Lots of info about this one here.

A drawback to both of those cameras is battery life but luckily both will operate continuously with an external power source (5v USB).

[Home_Skillet]

I have a BRAND NEW GoPro that never worked. GoPro told me to go pound sand.
Can't recommend their product.

Garmin, JVC and Sony do have some excellent adventure cameras.

[RCMAN46]

Go to Amazon.com and read the comments about the Go Pro 3. I was interested in one but after reading the comments I am back on the fence trying to decide what to do.

[Bumpyroad]

yep, I always thought they were overpriced for what you got. now if you want something to stick on your helmet while ski jumping, hang gliding, etc. yep. but any decent digital camera mounted on the dash of a vehicle will do the same job better for travel video. JMHO
bumpy

[docj]

Just the other day I was talking with a friend who owns a Go Pro. He said that despite all the hype, it has been unreliable and has become a family joke. He said that there are other less expensive cameras on the market that have nearly equivalent performance which have been more reliable for him. Not my opinion, just reporting the comments of someone who owns one.