I went and purchased this camera two days after it came out. I am new to the GoPro cams but I have done plenty of research on the cameras. Although this camera might not be the best out of there line, it sure did meet my needs and of course, my tight budget. It is super basic, even I knew how to work it, without even having held a GoPro before in my life . For the little filming here and there that I do, this little thing fits the bill forsure. One con is that the camera is non-removable from the case. Even though I knew about it before I purchased it, I didn't think I would mind. Now with using it, and knowing if the case breaks then basically the camera breaks, makes me a little more cautious then I would be with say one of the other Heros that I can simply just replace the case on. So besides being a little more protective of this Hero, I love the camera. For someone who wants something basic, super affordable, clear pics/vids, or for an extra camera on hand, it is perfect.

As I've just come back from a trip for a couple weeks and put this camera to the test, it's now time for an honest review. Thinking back on my usage experience and reviewing my footage, here are my conclusions:

PROS
1. This little camera is so easy to pack, carry, and use -- one can quickly get some nice wide-angle video and pictures, at those times when you suddenly see something you want to shoot.
2. The wide angle lens makes it easy to point and shoot, as wherever you point you will be covering most of the view -- and some of your shots will be stunning.
3. Being able to take this camera in the ocean/water makes for some great swimming and snorkeling shots.
4. The microphone works quite well also, picking up a fair bit of detail, as long as there is not too much extra noise around you.

CONS
1. This camera works very poorly for low light conditions -- my night footage is not useable.
2. This camera works very poorly for hand held moving shots -- I filmed a lot just by holding onto a mounting accessory -- any slight movement made pictures blurry (and useless) and videos hard to watch due to all the shaking. I will use it more in a mounted capacity in the future.
3. No LCD viewer -- of course it would be easier with an LCD screen on the back showing what you are taking, even a very rudimentary one -- but the wide angle lens makes it pretty easy to guess.
4. My new product did arrive with a couple of manufacturing imperfections (see pictures), which you'd never expect for a company of this size. Of course they have no bearing on the camera's functionality (and don't contribute to my rating), but do speak about the company's supply chain and/or QA.
Pictures: a) beneath the clear case the grey plastic has a dimple in it
b) some plastic has been crudely shaved off the waterproof backdoor

My buddy works for these guys and i got to see this one weekend. This changes the whole "action" based camera scene. At a measly $129, you really can capture a lot of great video at great specs. Obvious draw backs, Internal battery (cannot remove so you will have to do with about 1.5hrs of video at a time before plugging in), no remote capabilities even though the go pro remote is grossly overpriced, around $80. I originally found it annoying not having a remote to trigger the camera. but with the different shutter speeds you really don't mind.

But if you want the interchangeable batteries for longer usage while out, and having a remote. Get the go pro 3 silver or white edition. white edition is only $199, so for $70 more you can start to alleviate some of these pains.

I think this camera is great for back ups for professionals or for concert go-ers on a budget looking to capture great video and pictures at a low price from a renowned company. Or hey, were going on vacation and want a cool camera to take under water or on a hike. here you go. I have a dog so i wouldn't mind getting one to put on him, and this fits the bill.

With this new line up, go-pro will own the market indefinitely.

Here's a short clip of how well the GoPro Hero performed underwater for me. This was taken at 1080 30fps. This is my first GoPro, so I cannot compare to the more expensive ones, but I'm definitely happy with the results. Some concerns I've read about in other reviews:

1. Limited storage capacity (32GB max): This isn't an issue for me since the camera reports that it will record over 4hrs at 720 60fps. If you're planning on taking videos to share with friends and post on YouTube, I think 720 is plenty.

2. Short batter life: Potentially true. I took ~170 short video clips throughout the day, and the battery made it all the way through. It died early the next day. One concern though, I don't remember seeing the battery indicator going down. I think it went from showing "full" to "empty" instantly, but I could be wrong.

3. No wifi: Since I didn't mount the camera to a fixed object (like a car or bike), I did not have a need to check the angle of the camera.

4. No display: This was weird for me at first because I bought the camera and started using it right away (without taking some test shots and verifying on the computer). I had no idea if the camera was even recording anything. Anyway, all the shots came out awesome, so no issues. The one downside to not having a screen is you can't review and delete (clean up) bad clips while on the go. You'll have to wait until you connect to a computer. Again, not a huge deal.

Overall, I'm happy with the camera, although I'm itching to upgrade to the Hero4 Black now :) I'm sure that was GoPro's plan.

Awesome!!!! just plain awesome.I've been wanting one of these for a very long time. I did not want to pay full price for one of them because my main use is to put them on RC planes. I was afraid if I had one of these expensive cameras on my radio controlled planes that I would lose it in the event I crashed one of thme and break the camera itself. the camera itself only last a few specifications that are in the higher end models. My only concern for having one of these was the full 1080p resolution mode which performs with no problems at all. After mounting this on one of my planes I took off for a 15 minute flight using a 16 gigabyte micro SD card. With a 16 gigabyte SD card I can take full 1080p video and record up to hour and thirty minutes. After loading the video on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, I was blown away with what I saw in regards to video quality, viewing angle and just overall awesomeness. I have a friend who has a Hero3 and he was pissued off to see what $129 got me versus $300 got him. The biggest drawback for most people is the lack of LCD screen and removable battery. If you really think about it though, the LCD screen on the other models is so small anyways, you really can't experience the full depth of the video playback anyway so what the point? Yes it's more convenient to go to the settings menu using the LCD screen but if you can read an instruction manual it's quite easy to go to the settings using the little LCD screen on this model in the front to choose the settings you want. the removable battery is quite a good option to have but as long as you can charge the unit and get its full use out of every time you use it you should not have a need for replaceable batteries unless you're doing professional filming or other things that require you to have extra batteries for long recording times. The newer models provide WiFi transferring and Bluetooth which are both awesome featurea but you pay $200 more, so if you want all the features of the higher end models minus the bells and whistles, this is the Gopro to have hands down! I never review a product on Amazon if its straight garbage unless its something that's advertised that it's really not. I've never been happier with something so affordable that produces it's uses so well. Thank you Amazon and thank you GoPro!

Here is the very beginning of action video. The GoPro Hero is very inexpensive, but this particular model sacrifices a lot to bring the price down. With Micro SD expandable to ONLY 32 GB, and the ability to record in 1080p, you should bring a few SD cards if you want to capture several shots. The battery life is fair, and the video quality itself is great; unfortunately, this particular model does NOT do well with high action, high impact shots. If this model is hard mounted to something, the video is extremely choppy. Vibration response is okay on things such as on a motorcycle or car, but when you mounts to things like a mountain bike, skateboard, or ATV, expect the video to be a bit bouncy. The mount that comes with this model is very limited to what you can actually mount the camera to, but the good thing is, it is compatible with many of the mount systems offered with the higher end GoPro camera set-ups. The software is also pretty good as well, it allows you to really share your videos pretty well. The best quality about this camera, is the price. It is very affordable for the quality. If you really want to get into action filming, or capturing your adventures, but are a bit low on cash, this is a great camera. Though, you will sacrifice things life Bluetooth, wi-fi, and some feature qualities, but the videos themselves are pretty good if you really prepare well. Good luck.

When I first decided I wanted to buy a Go-Pro, I was hesitant based on some reviews of its quality. I was more than pleased with the outcome. Keep in mind that this device is not really meant to be a standard camera, but an action camera. There is no playback, zoom, or great audio-quality.
Pros-
-Amazing quality when captured in well-lit places
- Very sturdy
-Great versatility with the mounts and included stands
-Fun to use
-Great price

Cons-
-Not great in dark places
-Lack of playback makes it difficult to know if your camera is at the right angle or setting\
-Short battery life
-Screen hard to see in the sun
-Some might have trouble figuring it out upon first receiving the item

I purchased my GoPro with a chesty harness. As soon as my order came in I tinkered with the GoPro to test out the different waterproof and non-waterproof casing, as well as the different mounts it came with. I struggled a little bit figuring out the backing and the screw but watching a video on it made it much easier. Then I put the camera on the chesty harness and on my dog. You can put turn the camera at different angles on the mount so I put the harness on my dog's back and put the camera standing upright. You can also buy a GoPro harness specifically for dogs but the chesty harness worked great for me. It was the evening and my house was not very well-lit, it did not present to be a great video. My normal Panasonic Camcorder does fine in that kind of lighting, but the budget GoPro does not.

I also went on a cruise with the camera. I took it on a ropes course and a waterslide with my chesty harness. When trying to record video on the ropes course the sun made it difficult to see the settings on the camera and I ended up having it on photo burst instead of video recording. This is something that could be solved with instant playback, but remember which buttons to press for record or photo burst should make solve that problem. The pictures turned out great in the long run, so I wasn't too disappointed.

***********Lastly, don't forget a micro-sd card when purchasing one of these because they come separate. You will not be able to record video or take pictures without one!*******

Would have given it 5 stars because the camera is a fantastic value, but I just can't understand why GoPro wanted to permanently attach this camera to it's waterproof housing! Mine got broken while it was in my BACKPACK! The mounting tabs broke off the bottom of the case, and now I am unable to mount the camera to anything. Useless! GoPro offered me a 20% discount on another camera, but I don't feel like that's a fair offer. I don't understand how I'm supposed to trust this thing mounted on my sportbike traveling at 150 MPH, and the mounting tabs break off while safely stored in my backpack.
Would have been a lot cheaper to buy a replacement case instead of a completely new camera.

This HERO is a great low cost option for jumping into action filming. Without the high price tag, you don't have to be hugely committed. The reason I got this version is because it allows you to capture video and pictures at the same level as the previous 299 model, with less than half the cost commitment. Caveat being, that's pretty much where the similarities end.

I initially thought I'd be able to use this with the GoPro phone app -- I was wrong. It requires Wi-Fi, which this device doesn't have. I should have checked the specs more carefully, but didn't notice until I was trying to connect and noticed it didn't have the wifi button.

Just to be clear, you cannot control this camera with the phone app.

Also, the case is not removable. The back can be replaced if broken, but don't think about breaking any other part of the shell.

I had some technical issues getting started. I had to reset the device twice due to non-responsiveness. I did get a firmware update today and it seems to be more stable. That part actually really annoyed me. I initially thought the device was DOA. It was only suffering from bad firmware.

Also, while filming in low light indoors, the video quality is grainy and poor.

I don't need to film more than 2 hours at a time, so the battery life is perfectly fine for me.

Now that's out of the way, time for the fun part.

For my first "action" I strapped this on to my helmet for a Vespa ride through the mean streets of Bangalore, India. Those streets are really really mean, and this camera did a great job of capturing the view. Today it was dreary and rainy and the Hero performed well in it. I especially love how the wide angle allowed me to catch both the traffic craziness and the sideline crazy action. Oh, and it started raining during my ride, and seems like this put up with rainy season perfectly. I did get one stubborn droplet stuck on the lens, but I kind of think it added to the video, rather than detracting.

On my way back, I used the clip attachment to clip it to the back of my scooter, and again, lots of fun film material.

I've been trying to get a ton of film to share my "India life" with people back home, and this fits the bill perfectly. This hero makes it fun and easy to share my world. It's small, light, unobtrusive and fairly simple to use. Riding in taxis, jogging, scooter riding, etc. The videos are clear, sharp, and captures such a wide shot that you hardly feel like you're missing anything. It's true that it is better to have more material that can be edited than having too little. I haven't used it in "interview" mode yet, but I plan to do that soon.

I've attached a screenshot from GoPro Studio. I'll update with film later; right now everything is raw 1080 and excess. Metered Home Internet is already in play here (you should pre-loathe the day TWC and Comcast start doing this); every GB that I upload/download is precious and not to be wasted. I should have that same idea about the water I use here

In summary, I think this is the perfect price and spec sheet. You get high quality HD film, a large selection of mounts for (almost?) every need. The price is reasonable for a "veteran" action cam company. Again, for me the thing that sets it apart is the price. It allows you to dabble with an experienced brand without breaking the bank. It's not fair to compare to a $400 model. No frills, but at this price and with no commitment to film-making, it's perfectly suitable.