GoPro Camera - life expectancy ??

[Johnny]

fellow shutter bugs - I have been involved in photography in one form or another since 1964.
I have either used or owned myself some very fine film cameras. Now that we are in the
Digital Age, I am slowing gaining the confidence of these little Point n Shoot models. I have
given all my film cameras to my daughter for her kids to have when they grow up. LOL about
a 30 pound box of misc. lenses, film backs, bodies, etc. all in very good condition.

ok now the issue at hand. I have just destroyed my 3rd Point n Shoot in less than two years
by either dropping it or dunking it in the drink.

I really don't have $300 for a new GoPro but I would really love to have something that will survive
and occasional drop on concrete or a quick dunk in water. I see these "Sports Camera" things
on e-bay from China that are supposedly a GoPro clone for $75.
Does anyone have a particular water/shock-resistant model that they are happy with ??
Not interested in any kind of WiFi capability.
Thanks

 

[Johnny]

Something similar to this model is what I am looking for. (sorry, I missed the cut off time for the edit)
Just a simple Point n Shoot model around $75-$85..
Anyone have one they like and would recommend ?
Thanks

SPECIFICATIONS:
16.0 MP Max Resolution
5.0 MP CMOS Sensor
Fully waterproof to 10 feet - no case necessary!
Features 720p HD Video
4x Digital Zoom
2.5” Color LCD Display
6 Scene Modes
Uses SD Memory Cards up to 16GB (not included)
Uses 2 AAA Batteries (included)
Includes Hand Strap, Instruction Manual, USB Cable, Image Editing Software CD, and Camera Pouch

 

[Y_J]

I've never heard of either one of those brands, but I have seen several different pocket point n' shoot cameras at Big Lots for a rather inexpensive price.
Personally I still don't have a pocket camera YET, but been kind of looking around. My Canon 5D took a nose dive onto the road a few months back and my Canon 20D went to a dark watery grave at the bottom of the Chattahoochee River a few weeks ago when my boat flipped over. Sux big time.
Since 1964 huh.. wow and I thought I been in there a while (1971)
I'll keep my eyes open and see what I can find in your range.
Hang in there.. Something will show up...

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Keep in mind that GoPro has an extreme wide angle lens.

 

[SaltyGhost]

The GoPro is a video camera mainly, not a point-and-shoot camera. It doesn't have a screen on the back and no viewfinder. There are plenty of waterproof point-and-shoot cameras on the market for under $200. Check out DP Review. They did a waterproof camera shoot-out a while back.

 

[New River Rat]

From the pics and vids I've seen from the gopro, I personally wouldn't waste the $$$ on one. But that's just me.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

The video from a GoPro is awesome.

 

[flatboat]

had several generations of these .... they are tuff NEVER had a failier they have been put thru hell https://www.getolympus.com/us/en/digitalcameras/tg-830-ihs.html

 

[BigTerp]

About to pull the trigger on the SJ4000 WIFI. Did a bunch of research and after watching/reading tons of reviews the SJ4000 seems to be comparible to a GOPRO, some say even better. For 1/4th the price of a GOPRO I figure I can't go wrong. Plan on using it during waterfowl hunts, fishing and maybe even as a dash cam. I'll be sure to report back after I've gotten some use out of it.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-SJ4000-Waterproof-Camcorder-Makibes/dp/B00MIT658W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412602876&sr=8-1&keywords=sj4000+wifi

 

[Jim]

BigTerp, Keep us posted.

 

[BigTerp]

Ordered from Amazon earlier in the week. Also got a head strap (for hunting) and 2 extra batteries. Expecting to have it in next week. Unfortunately won't be able to get any hunting footage until the second duck split opens up on November 8th. Been reading up on it all week, and for around $100 it is supposed to be the bees knees!! Here is a pretty in depth review.

[youtube]uirzCD-qALE[/youtube]

 

[WPS]

I have a GoPro 3+ and really like the camera!... I've had it for 2 years!

I use it to record while hunting... I have a mount that goes on my bow... I also use it to just take pictures and they look nice!

GoPro also has a LCD touch bacpac, but I haven't it bought yet... They have a GoPro App, and I can use my iPhone to see what I'm recording!... I can also start recording by using my phone... The GoPro has WIFI on it.

I have A LOT of mounts!... I have made most of the mounts.. One mount that I like the best is an extension pole.. I made it from a gun shooting stick! :mrgreen: ... I like to use it and stick the GoPro under water when my wife has a big Bass on!... I like the tripod mount too!

I just made a mount that floats!... I made it from 2" PVC pipe.. You can use it as a handle too.. After I made it, we used it in the lake when we was swimming!

One thing I don't like about the GoPro is: The wide angle lens... But if I use it to just take pictures, the pictures look nice and the videos do too!... I have a few videos filmed when I killed some deer with the GoPro.

I have a head-strap and that is a nice mount to use on everything!... I'm thinking about making a mount to work on my fishing rods!... I have a 50'x50' pond in my yard that I dug with my backhoe... The pond has Bass & Bluegills in it... Also have A LOT of baby fish from this year and last year... I take the extension pole with the GoPro and stick it in the water to look at the baby fish.... Then watch the video on my TV... Pretty cool to watch.

 

[BigTerp]

Got the SJ4000 in the mail yesterday. So far I'm VERY impressed. Video quality is excellent and everything seems quality built and sturdy. Comes with a ton of mounts, but also works with any GoPro mount. Messed around with the head strap mount last night and it worked great. Nice thing about this camera is it comes with a built in LCD screen and WIFI capabilities. I think GoPro sells an LCD attachement of some sort, but they are not built into the camera, and I'm not sure what/if any GoPro's are WIFI capable? The nice thing about the WIFI is I can adjust the camera while on my head mount to get it set up perfect by using my phone. I can also adjust settings, start/stop The WIFI app is a bit buggy at times (android) but works very well overall. The biggest drawback for me is you have to download the video clip to your phone/tablet before you can view it via WIFI. Quite a nusiance because video files can get pretty large and you'll have to delete them from your phone after viewing. Definitely not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of. I bought a seperate micro HDMI cable which allows me to view the clips on my TV right from the camera, which is really nice. Another drawback is the camera does not come with an SD card. I purchashed a class 10 32gb one from Amazon.

Overall I'd say this is an exceptional camera for the $$. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another. My brother has a GoPro Hero 3 black edition that he uses to record motorcycle rides. From the little filming I've done with the SJ4000, I'd say the video quality is comparible to his GoPro Hero 3 black. I'm still messing with/figuring out uploading, editing, etc. But I'll try to get a few sample videos up when I get all of that figured out. If we get out fishing this weekend I'll be sure to bring it along.

 

[BigTerp]

Edited a few short clips so far, but my desktop at home is so slow, old and crappy the final product doesn't do the camera justice. I'll work on getting a better clip to share. Planning on fishing this weekend, so hopefully I can get some decent footage then. So far the camera is worth every penny I spent on it ($119 on Amazon). When viewing the footage on my TV it is in 1080p and awesome!! Just need to figure out the editing/uploading part to keep the quality.

 

[BigTerp]

Finally got a bit of footage to share. Nothing crazy. Just me and my buddy shooting at a duck that, from out of nowhere, swam into our decoys. The second part of the video is some deer that were running around the island we were hunting. Camera does a great job for what I use it for. It seemed to be struggling a bit with the brightness/white balance in the beginning of the clip. I have the white balance set to auto and it was shortly after sunrise. Maybe I should adjust those settings? Be sure to change the video settings to 1080p and watch it full screen to get the best picture.

Hopefully the hunting picks up and I can get some better action to share next time.

[youtube]Js0k8DHtZH4[/youtube]

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Photo from GoPro Hero 3 from this weekend. I use the app on my phone to control the camera. App works pretty good.

 

[BigTerp]

Photo from GoPro Hero 3 from this weekend. I use the app on my phone to control the camera. App works pretty good.

Any luck?

What do you do for contrast, white balance, etc. settings? Especially for low light conditions like early morning or late evening hunting? You can see in my video my camera trying to adjust. I have my white balance set to auto. It also has daylight and cloudy settings. ISO (whatever that is) is also set to auto. Everything else is set to the defaults. Just curios if there is some optimal settings I should be using.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Photo from GoPro Hero 3 from this weekend. I use the app on my phone to control the camera. App works pretty good.

Any luck?

What do you do for contrast, white balance, etc. settings? Especially for low light conditions like early morning or late evening hunting? You can see in my video my camera trying to adjust. I have my white balance set to auto. It also has daylight and cloudy settings. ISO (whatever that is) is also set to auto. Everything else is set to the defaults. Just curios if there is some optimal settings I should be using.

I usually touch up in post production with Adobe products. Need good light for the GoPro. Probably same for any cam with a small lens. Smalls lens = less light gathered.

 

[BigTerp]

Here is a little clip I put together with my SJ4000 from a float hunt my cousin and I did last week. Make sure to change the YouTube settings to 1080P and watch it full screen. If any of you are interested they are coming out with an SJ5000+. Uses the same chip as the GoPro Hero 3 black edition. Looks to be at around a $160 price point. I'll probably end up picking one up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdOcturAlkY&list=UUlN9cR_5iQUEobTWPLR6ysg

 

[Jim]

Very cool video! Good quality too!