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Tech GoPro recommendations

Chuck

Maximum Pace
Feb 7, 2011
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I'm thinking I'd like to record some of my rides in the coming year. Current GoPro (Hero 10) is more than I want to pay. Earlier models are almost half price. I only need the basics but have no idea what is kinda nice to have and what is really nice to have. Does anyone have advice about which earlier models would get the job done without all the latest bells and whistles?
 
No names, but I think someone here has a few older gopro cameras laying around. Maybe you could borrow one for a while? (maybe set up a classified ad - Wanted to Borrow)
 
If the 9 is a half off there's your answer. Probably don't want to go earlier than 8.
 
The Hero 10 was on sale for about $50 less than the Hero 9 before Christmas.
The biggest issue with a gopro is editing your footage.
 
@jdd Thanks, but more hassle than I want to bother with. I'll just buy one and experiment with it.
@Cactaur Yeah. I was thinking the same. Looks like the 10 has more capability than I need so 8 or 9 would work for me as long as I'm not giving up some really nice to have new feature that I would regret not having on the 8 or 9.
@bloaker I see a lot of bloggers using GoPro so surprised to hear it is difficult to edit. I haven't done any video editing so have no idea.

Looking at reviews for various models of GoPro and a significant amount of reviews say they are glitchy or fail within a year or so. Have you had any issues with build quality?
 
The difficulty is in picking your footage.
You do a ride on a gravel road and it is sweet! You remember a jump or some deer, etc...
You record 3 times for 15 minutes each... so 45 min of video.
Now you need to trim the 45 minutes of video down to 4 minutes?
You need to scour the footage, pick out the parts you want, delete parts you dont want, etc...
The Quik program from gopro make it easy to make quik edits, but you don't have full control with it.

I use my goPro to share with friends back in the US for the most part.
I am not a blogger or even that entertaining when it is just a monologue.
 
There is a feature I don't use because I don't think of it as it happens....
On the GoPro, you can click the button while recording and that sets a "highlight" in the recording. It is nothing visible, but the goPro software knows it is there.
In the Quik app, there is a way to let the goPro make your video for you - and it does so based on those marks.
 
I've a gopro hero 9, but I barely use it. Like others have mentioned, it is a big time commitment to edit all the footage down to something manageable. I also find myself to be more of a photo person than a video person, as it's mostly collecting dust and sometimes I use it as my cat's chase cam.
 
I've a gopro hero 9, but I barely use it. Like others have mentioned, it is a big time commitment to edit all the footage down to something manageable. I also find myself to be more of a photo person than a video person, as it's mostly collecting dust and sometimes I use it as my cat's chase cam.
Yeah. Wondering if I'd use one enough to justify the purchase.

As @bloaker and you say, it sounds like more of a time commitment to edit files down into something watchable.
 
My use case would be to log a bike packing trip for future use in Rouvy. Of course that would require a couple of spare batteries and cards.
 
@Chuck - I have an old Hero 2 somewhere. You are welcome to use it and play around and see if it is worth it to you to get one.
I have to find it, but I have it somewhere. I used it in my RC Truck to explore areas I can't get to at times when hiking.
It works fine, just not the resolution of the newer ones. My kid used my old Hero 5 Session.
The big advantage to the 5 over the 2 is voice commands. You can start and stop recording without removing your hands from the bars.
Of course the 5 is higher quality sound and video as well, but if you are using Youtube, it is all going to be downgraded anyway.
If you were to purchase the GoPro online package, then you get unlimited storage and full resolution video.

To me...
It is a fun toy to play with on a rainy day. Sometimes you relly do capture some amazing moments and sometimes you just waste your time.
To decide if it is worth it, consider your target audience. Mine are my friends back home that want to see what the trails are like in Japan. Then I have some older friends that were stationed here 40 years ago asking me to go to certain areas and just roll around videoing things so they can reminisce. The goPro is perfect for that use. Minimal editing as raw footage is the goal.
 
Also I will add another thing that applies to me and not others. I spend pretty much whole day on computer for work, 7 days a week. So the last thing I want to do is spend free time in front of computer editing videos, most of the time my phone is sufficient for my video needs.
 
Also I will add another thing that applies to me and not others. I spend pretty much whole day on computer for work, 7 days a week. So the last thing I want to do is spend free time in front of computer editing videos, most of the time my phone is sufficient for my video needs.
Oh yeah - me too!

BUT - GoPro can also be linked to you phone for quik edits! :D
 
I have the 9 and use it for snowboarding and cycling, along with filming of some of my kids' events at school. As a base device it's a neat idea but some things that are annoying:
  1. To upload to the cloud, your battery has to be at 100% before it uploads. Even if you're at 90%, it won't upload until the battery is fully charged.
  2. File sizes get large quickly, especially if you're filming in 4K.
  3. Point 1 and 2 come together and make sure you do not upload your files over your phone wifi as it will kill your data allowance.
  4. You need to buy a fair number of accessories to make the device worthwhile - bike holder, helmet holder, snowboard attachment, and spare battery charger and batteries.
  5. You can only buy batteries from the official site, with the discount applied, at the time of purchase of a GoPro due to shipping restrictions. I found this out the hard way. And you will need spare batteries.
Some good points:
  1. The subscription model pays for itself very quickly - accessories are 50% with the subscription.
  2. If you cancel the subscription (6,000 yen / year), they will try to get you to stay for another year for 3,000 yen. Not a bad deal there if you use the cloud a lot.
  3. It's hardy and can take a beating. I used it for some snow powder action on Nozawa Onsen and filming my daughter at Gala Yuzawa - changeable conditions that I would not want to use my phone for.
  4. It really is pocket size and handy to use. Especially with the app on your phone so you can set things up and check with your phone how things look.
I don't regret buying mine and will not upgrade for a long time, maybe 7 to 10 years at best. It's versatility really makes it a worthwhile purchase if you have some ideas for what you want to use it for.
 
I have an old GoPro you can have if I can dig it out, and also some mounts.
I'm not a big fan and had an unpleasant experience with the company, but my wife has bought Hero10 and absolutely loves it.
 
I'm selling my DJI ACTION 2 With screen combo if you're interested.
Let me know. Thanks
 
Happy New Year!

@Chuck, I have two Hero2 and an original Hero. I used them to make a home renovation video a few weeks ago. They still work fine, but battery life is limited and they are missing a lot of new functions, as noted above.

So I recently got a brace of Hero9, plus a huge pack of cheap accessories. The Hero9 is great to work with. For me, especially, the flip-out mount (rather than needing to use a case), voice commands, and ability to preview the field of view on phone make a huge difference. I haven't used the Quik iPhone app for editing - prefer to offload everything into iMovie and edit there.
 
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