Customer Reviews

GoPro Helmet HERO Wide Camera

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was looking for a small, wide-angle video camera to take some footage of a new "ropes-type" adventure course in the Oak Trees high above the Central Florida Zoo. I wanted to create a video of the course so that whoever watched it would FEEL like they were doing the course themselves.

I looked around and it came down to two cameras, the GoPro or the Vholdr Contour. I chose the GoPro because of its: price, 170 degree lens, top mounted on helmet, and it's really waterproof. However, now that the ContourHD is out, I'd seriously consider getting it instead because of it's outstanding feature set.

Here are some pros and cons I have from using the GoPro 5MP.

Pros: Simple, rugged, aim through viewfinder, 170 degree lens (easy to aim!), several mounts included, mounts on top of helmet...not on side, takes AAA batteries (find them anywhere...and rechargeable NIMH's work great). With it's "take a picture every 2s" mode, it can serve as a cheap and portable security camera too.

Cons: No view screen to see replays (but competition doesn't either), only takes 2GB memory cards (1 hour video), Mode icons are too small, no display of elapsed/remaining time, only "medium" video quality.

The end result is the GoPro worked great as an entry level priced helmet camera...it did exactly what I expected and I wouldn't cry if I broke it during an "adventure".

I was so excited to get this and had high expectations. Problem was that this camera worked about 20% of the time. I thought it was the batteries and tried 4 different sets of Lithium and NiMH, but no luck. I thought maybe it was the cold weather on my ski trip, but I had the same problems when biking in 60 degree weather. I was let down. This may be a defective item, but it let me down nonetheless. Relaibility is important to me and this camera isn't reliable. I returned it.

Never before have I been able to bring home the activities that me and my friends get into in such a fun and engaging way. Kayaking, mountain biking, dirt bikes, and skeet and trap shooting are some of the activities that I've already taken this camera along on. You'll want to take the battery advice from the manufacturer, but the camera performs tremendously well.

If I had one wish, it would be that there is some way to get more sound through the polycarbonate case that protects the camera.

This is the camera I wished I had as a kid doing sports and racing! It is small, the price is perfect and what you get is finefor that kind of money, and everyone can see what you did without breaking a sweat! My son is racing 4x mountain bikes and it was really fun to play it back for all of us and his friends. The company Adorama was great, quick and the price GREAT! I would check them out first the next time I purchase.

Everyone's comments regarding the Hero Wide is fairly correct. A few things that I want to add with emphasis on its video recording capabilities.

The Hero utilizes the FAT32 file naming system. Therefore, despite putting an 8GB SD card, the single largest file you can create will be 4GB which translates to roughly a slightly less than 2 hour maximum recording time (it seems to end around 1:40 hours).

Also, your two battery choices are NiMH (reusable) or Lithium (one time use). Since your maximum recording time is a little under 2 hours, a set of fully charged NiMH will handle this and much cheaper than Lithium. Lithium batteries will last closer to 3 hours, but with a 2 hour maximum recording time per file, it seems pointless. Please get at least 1000 MaH capacity NiMH batteries or higher. Anything less and you'll get shorter battery life like some others have experienced.

If GoPro utilized the NTFS file system, then file recording could take full advantage of the maximum 8GB SD Card. (I believe the HD version does this, using the MP4 file format for video recording).

Also, once the maximum file size is reached, you'll need to hit record again to start recording. If you don't, the camera will automatically shut off. Also, if you're recording that long, it's probably not worth starting a 2nd file since your NiMH will be nearly depleted anyhow.

It's a fairly usable video cam and I prefer this over the newer HD version because most of the videos I make are sent over the web, so for the large amount of money to get to HD, I'm not gaining much in video quality if being sent over the computer.

The HD Hero utilized a Lithium rechargeable battery which is great, but its a specialized battery which means once its done, the camera is done. The Hero Wide cam can keep on going with another set of NiMH AAA batteries.

I ordered this camera as an upgrade from a "Flip" camera to record my autocross runs. I was excited about the versatility of the mounting hardware, but when it came time to race I had a difficult time figuring out how to mount it inside my windshield. Truthfully, my little Flip camera held in a cellphone mount recorded better video than this camera. I love the "wide angle" lens, but it sacrifices a LOT of video quality to record WAY too wide. I assume the HD version, which costs twice as much, would provide the better quality, but I would prefer less of the "fisheye" effect.

I also had difficulty getting it to record. When I only get six attempts to race the course, it is INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING to find (after getting home, because there is not playback screen) that three times the camera started and then stopped after only a couple of seconds, but I didn't know that at the time. Luckily my $99 Flip recorded every run.

And I agree with other complaints that the camera should be able to be mounted without the waterproof housing. I had a problem with one of the mounting hardware screws not seating into the nut on the bracket. It left me so concerned about the camera falling off that I didn't mount it outside the car.

To sum it up: Video quality did not impress me. Inability to know that the camera has stopped recording is a big disappointment. Mounting hardware is difficult to set up.

I would NOT recommend this to someone else.

I bought this to use on our ski trip and it was a total waste. The resolution was horrible (I know it is only 5mp but the images were completely pixelated) and sometimes it would record for one second and shut off. There is no way to review your images until you get to a tv or computer (something not possible in the middle of a ski day) so there is no way to know if it is working properly until after the event you want to record. We used our flip camera after seeing the poor images which is a million times better (even though it is not a helmet cam). We literally threw the helmet cam in the garbage at the hotel. Buy a flip instead. I would rate this zero stars if I could.

The camera works great and is as advertised, except for the sound,. I tried to use the camera in my Dragrace Top Sportsman Car and the sound is nothing like the sound of the Car....it seems to kill the sound the instant the engine goes above 1000 rpms.

Other than the sound, I love it.

I use this camera to take mountian biking videos. This product is great and fun to use. I love it

Pictures are clear, but view is distorted due to the 170 degree field. I use it to record my daily commuting trips on my motorcycle, in case of accidents. My main complaint is that it drains the battery like crazy. Instructions say do not use alkline batt, use only lithium and rechargeables. The rechargeables only last barely 1 hr per charge, and the "8X" Lithium only lasts around 2.5 hrs.... Since my commute is 1 hr each day, this gets frustrating.
The other problem is memory space. It only allows 2GB SD cards, which can only store approx 1 hr of view...
On the good side, 170 degrees means it captures everything in your field of vision....
Hope something new comes along soon...