GoPro vs competitors

Considering a GoPro or legitimate alternative. Not a Chinese knock off/clone. Looking in the $150'ish range. Means I could maybe get the original GoPro Hero (think I can find refurb for like $115), Hero Session, YI action camera, and some other random options. Ive heard GoPro customer service is great and they are the standard. Am I foolish to go with anything else? I like the idea of the session with it's size and I don't really care about 4k video.

 

I have had 0 problems with my Go Pro and its an older one now but still parts and access. are galore. you check out WASP also.

 

It's hard to beat a GoPro.

 

I've had good results from my Sony AS100V action cam. I like it because it's not a brick hanging off the side of my helmet, like the GoPro would be. Image stabilization is built in, and does a pretty good job. The newer generation one's are supposed to be even better. The AS#V series is splash proof, so you don't have to have it locked up in a airtight case. Makes them less prone to heat failure. Battery life, when not running the WiFi remote, is pretty good. The battery is easily removable, so swapping in spares is an option. The only real issue is sound. The mics are in the front of the camera under the lens. So they pick up a lot of wind noise.

 

I'm still a Contour fan, you can find them used for a decent price. And you can update the firmware on the original Contour Roam to Roam2 specs, which is .wmv instead of whatever was on the Roam originally.

 

i have a 5 Session, it's great. small enough to hide anywhere and easy to start/stop recordings.

only thing that worries me is the flimsy plastic case that the camera is locked into. i would wrap duct tape around the camera to the case in case of a crash.

 

I had about 4 or 5 Chinese knockoffs before I bought a real GoPro...But looks like you're not going to make the same mistake I did. I have the hero 4 and also the 5. Love both of them (except for the skeleton case the 5 comes with).

I heard the Contour is good and the VIRB.

 

I have a GoPro Hero, the cheap one you can buy at Walmart. I think I paid like $120. Great camera until the other day I dropped it and the bottom mount broke off. The problem with that is that the camera is mounted into the housing and there is no way to replace it.

 

on bike comparisons

 

I have a Contour HD and a GoPro Session. The GoPro beats it hands down. The only thing I don't like about it is there is no way to default the function of the button to take a pic, time-lapse, or looping video. It's locked into only taking video. The iPhone app is easy to use except it takes FOREVER to download a video from the camera to the phone. The editing software is okay and let's you add music pretty easily. GoPro is trying to get people to buy into their cloud storage and music background service for extra which I will never do. Not a good value. Overall the camera is solid and works real well.

 

drift... I use 3 of their stealth 2's. only $99, 1080p, and has a rotatable lens so you can mount it just about anywhere and rotate the lens to shoot video correctly oriented. Have been through 3 crashes as well and held up fine.

Here's some example video following my buddy around at a trackday. I've been pretty happy with them.

 

i have a GoPro Hero3+ Silver and a ReplayXD Mini. the GoPro has worked every time and the video quality is good enough. the Replay occasionally fails because the memory card vibrates inside the camera too much and it doesnt handle heat as well. if i was buying a new camera, id have a hard time not getting a GoPro Session.

 

GoPro is best. The new hero 5 image quality, audio, and ease of use is amazing. Not to mention it has GPS and gopro provides a pretty good data overlay. The user interface is easy enough to use and their mobile app are excellent. I have two her0 5's and one hero 5 session.

 

I like the Hero 3+ or newer because of the built in wifi. Makes watching fresh video on your smartphone simple at the track via the GoPro app.

 

Yep, same here. I tossed my go pro in the trash after suffering with it for three years.

The Roam 2 comes already set for the best video options on the bike, one switch to turn on and off...easy peasy and just as easy to download. Heck, don't even have to remove off bike...hook up cable and boom, downloaded.

 

And with the SD card, I can pop the card into my tablet and watch and upload the video right after I get off the bike.

 

Whatever camera Ellison was using in BSB cause he crashed the shit out of it and always worked. Drift maybe?

 

Just bought a hero session. Will see how it goes

 

A friend of mine just gifted me a GoPro copy - MosPro. I'll let you know how it holds up on the bike. The video is real good in initial tests.

 

Plus 1 for the Sony Action Cam.