GoPro HD Surf HERO Camera
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Without a doubt the camera takes great pictures; however, beyond that the overall quality is less than expected.
First, its an HD camera that by the product description and manual should work with 2 through 32 Gig SD cards.. the only card it works with is a 2GB SD – and I’m using top of the line SD cards from Kingston, PNY and Sandisk. The instructions say there is an flash update for filming upside down – there isn’t. The additional roll bar mount kit slips and doesn’t hold the camera still and the bag says the manual is on the web site.. but there’s no manual there so I have no idea if I’m using it correctly or not.. but so far all configurations allow the camera mount to move and cannot be locked into place. Lastly outside of the packaging there is nothing that tells you that you’ve got a surf HD that’s rated down to 180 feet. The case looks exactly like every other waterproof model and the camera has no indication that it is an surf HD capable model.
2GB SD card + 1080P 16:9 resolution = 26 minutes of video on a single HD card and you have to stop and dump the video or change the card.
Rating: 2 / 5
This thing survived three days of large waves. One wave busted a thick glassed 9′0″ and a new super thick leash in one take. The camera and mount were fine and filmed the entire thing. The quality is insane on the HD video even in low light conditions.
Rating: 5 / 5
Purchased for my husband for Christmas and he can’t stop playing with it. He has taken videos, skiing, biking, swimming. Loves it!! Wishes it had a remote and came with it’s own video editing software. He had to purchase QuickTime pro to edit the videos but they look awesome! Takes some practice to get the right tilt on the camera but that’s all part of the fun! Look for videos on youtube from skifam1. He loves his GoProHD!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m an off-roader that likes to capture stills and video on the trail. I have tried all sorts of cameras and attachments to make interesting video’s, but there was always something lacking in the sound and image quality……..until now! This little camera is perfect for off-road use. It’s dustproof, waterproof, appears to be shockproof and takes great video with sound. At first it seems pricy but if you try to put something together close to this in quality and funcuality it would cost a lot more. They are coming out with alot of add-ons so you can upgrade if needed. I find it very easy to use. Being an off-roader I found a mount that works well with the Gopro’s, It’s a billet gopro mount that is sold on the internet. I think this camera is great just taking with you to get family video’s or what ever sport your into.
Rating: 5 / 5
The GoPro HD videocam is fundamentally a POV helmetcam for bikers, skiers, and boarders. It offers reasonable HD resolution, wide-angle, with a scan rate up to 60p, which work well for land, air, sailing, or surfing. For the money, it may merit four or five stars for those uses.
My tilt is from the vantage of underwater use, for which the GoPro HD is gol-durned worthless and merits zero stars.
Attractions:
Here’s what drew me to buy:
1) The device comes with a waterproof case rated to 180′, plus a wide-angle lens, which are intriguing features for a < $300 price. The elastic head strap mount can be worn above goggles. One can also buy dessicant strips to avoid fogging.
2) Dedicated UW videocams cost plenty, and the best consumer “rugged” digicams with HD video (the Panasonic T2 and Olympus 8100) rate only to 30′, have LCD screens that are hard to see underwater, and shoot no wider than 28mm, making it hard to frame shots.
Realities:
I used the GoPro HD while snorkeling and free-diving to about 25′. The Cozumel waters were among the world’s clearest. Lighting was mixed sun and clouds. The camera case was dry and clean, and it contained two fresh dessicant strips. I shot at the 1920×1080 30p setting. The full HD, I thought, would give me some room for digital zoom when editing, to bring key object to center frame. I avoided the 1920×720 60p setting, since that is a “fish-eye” mode best for very close POV shots, blurs more at the edges, and the faster frame rate superfluous for slow UW action.
1) The GoPro HD’s video becomes exasperatingly ill-focussed below the surface. The blur is far worse than my own short-sightedness. I could see far better without my glasses than could the camera. Coral formations were all blurry. Fishes, crabs, and rays appear only as blobs. People who see YouTube GoPro underwater samples that look tolerable probably saw shots of large objects taken with the standard definition models. The GoPro HD’s underwater video is anything but HD. It is worse than SD, worse than VHS, worse than MacGoo vision. GoPro has responded to some owners (but not in its product brochure or manual) that it is “aware” of the focus issue, but has yet to offer any optical or firmware corrections. My problem had nothing to do with condensation, since the case was dry and included fresh dessicant strips sold by GoPro.
2) The angle is wide, but not wide enough to alleviate need for careful manual control. One’s tendency is to aim the thing a little too high. Since there is no preview screen to learn on-location, it would help if the brochure gave buyers some “heads up” on the problem. Essentially, one must set the head strap hinge about 25 degrees downward from the angle of one’s forehead, and NOT have the shooting angle match the foreward diretion of one’s diving mask. Alternatively, one should mount the cam on a pole and point it carefully. If holding it in hand with no pole, be extra careful about diretion, usually aiming below a 45% angle from the water surface.
3) No underwater color filters or white balance adjustments. GoPro sells no adapter filters and no generic or third party models fit. GoPro could introduce firmware that allows digital white-balance adjustments for blue or green water, but has not replied it will ever do so.
Bottom Line:
1) People in search of an action or helmet videocamera for land, air, or above-water use should survey the other reviews, plus comments at a user forum. Most are favorable. The most common complaints, meanwhile, are that the protective case latch can break and that GoPro failed to deliver a firmware update, without offering any new ETA. Go Pro’s wide-angle and 60p mode offer unique advantages for POV action video ABOVE WATER. A wide-angle conversion lens alone can cost plenty, and none of this sort exists for other small models. However, if you can get by with 28mm equivalent wide angle, various “rugged” P&S digicams are more versatile (for stills or video) and have preview screens. GoPro may soon introduce a preview attachment for its devices, but cost extra and require removing the cam from its protective case.
2) Those in search of a device for underwater HD video should explore other manufacturers’ models. Alas, there are few expert reviews that include proper underwater tests. Do not rely on any reviewers’ bathtub tests, home aquarium tests (especially if shot from outside, or samples transcoded or shot with SD models. In its present configuration, the GoPro HD is entirely unsuitable for scuba, snorkel, or other diving shots. The earlier SD models yielded more tolerable UW qualty, but anyone in search of HD results, and a $300 budget, might find an underwater enclosure or “marine pack” for a P&S digicam that performs. Circa $400 will buy the latest and best “rugged” digicams with HD video (Panny T2, Oly 8100) rated to 30′. If one intends to dive frequently, or below 30′, greater expenditure for dedicated equipment may be in order. Otherwise, avoid risk and expense and get a disposable UW still camera.
As a general, neutral word of advice, people who intend to EDIT GoPro HD video should have a multi-core PC with a recent dedicated graphics card. Sony Vegas Pro, FCP, and Pinnacle 12.1 / 14 support the MP4 h.264 files. Other editing packages may require conversion to another codec before editing.
Rating: 2 / 5