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GoPro....2 or 3
- Thread starter Tharpo
- Start date
panhandler1956
Well Known Member
I have been using a Drift170HD. Just bought a Hero 3 black edition. I don't get it until Christmas though.
Same as Jeff said, the wifi remote should be nice for external ops, which are mostly what I do.
Same as Jeff said, the wifi remote should be nice for external ops, which are mostly what I do.
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Don Patterson
Well Known Member
Gopro
I have the original gopro mounted out on my wingtip. Takes great videos. Will buy the new gopro 3 this spring.
I have the original gopro mounted out on my wingtip. Takes great videos. Will buy the new gopro 3 this spring.
Capflyer
Well Known Member
The Black Edition has the included wi-fi remote. The one time you have an amazing flight with it mounted on the wing and then while in flight realize you forgot to turn on the camera you'll wish you had the remote. The app looks like a must have as well. Having held the new one, I like the smaller size as well especially for mounting to my tiny RV4 windscreen. The specs on this one blow away the 2. I had the HD and now HD2. Both great cameras but the new ones are at a whole new level. The only reason to get the HD2 instead is if cost is a primary concern. It works great and used will probably be pretty cheap to get.
Mark Albery
Well Known Member
I've just bought the wi-fi backpack for my original Hero.
The remote controller claims to be able to control up to 50 GoPros, but I haven't studied exactly how it works.
AIUI I think you can mix different generations with the one remote controller.
Brantel
Well Known Member
Tons of info on the GoPro forums....
This one is really helpful:
http://goprouser.freeforums.org/
Lots of footage and stills at various settings to compare.
This one is really helpful:
http://goprouser.freeforums.org/
Lots of footage and stills at various settings to compare.
flyboy1963
Well Known Member
how about the SONY or JVC?
there are some new offerings by some big hitters out there!
Do your own research, but I believe the SONY and JVC have built-in wi-fi. & can stream to, and/or be controlled by your cel phone etc etc.
lots of bang for the buck!
...hard to beat the millions of goPro users, accessories etc. out there of course.
I'd love to have the Contour based N-flight cam, but pretty pricey, and there are a LOT of negative reviews of the Contour cams, so I'm scared to go that route.
...so far I've just stuck a $20 wide-angle lens on my iPhone, but I'm not about to strap it to the wing!
there are some new offerings by some big hitters out there!
Do your own research, but I believe the SONY and JVC have built-in wi-fi. & can stream to, and/or be controlled by your cel phone etc etc.
lots of bang for the buck!
...hard to beat the millions of goPro users, accessories etc. out there of course.
I'd love to have the Contour based N-flight cam, but pretty pricey, and there are a LOT of negative reviews of the Contour cams, so I'm scared to go that route.
...so far I've just stuck a $20 wide-angle lens on my iPhone, but I'm not about to strap it to the wing!
All the Hero3 cameras are not equal! Silver, White, Black...
Personally, the lower resolution with highest frame rate on the Hero2 (720p/60 fps) works just fine for me.
The Hero3 Silver edition is pretty much the Hero2 repackaged into the smaller form factor with wi-fi built in. Figure the cost of adding in the feature to the Hero2 and the Silver Hero3 makes sense.
Ditch the remote if you can, as the iOS app is much better IMO. Let's you do everything much easier/quicker as well as getting a live video feed to aim the camera and time snapshots.
Personally, the lower resolution with highest frame rate on the Hero2 (720p/60 fps) works just fine for me.
The Hero3 Silver edition is pretty much the Hero2 repackaged into the smaller form factor with wi-fi built in. Figure the cost of adding in the feature to the Hero2 and the Silver Hero3 makes sense.
Ditch the remote if you can, as the iOS app is much better IMO. Let's you do everything much easier/quicker as well as getting a live video feed to aim the camera and time snapshots.
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n5lp
fugio ergo sum
The video monitor function of the app is extremely handy for aiming but it is not close to real time. There is a delay of several seconds.
Flying Scotsman
Well Known Member
Here's a vote *against* the GoPro Hero3 Black edition.
I got mine around Christmas, and it didn't have the current firmware. No big deal, but it took several tries to get it to upload correctly (a known problem if you look at the various forums discussing GoPros).
Then, it would more often than not fail to power on, requiring the battery to be removed and reinserted. A known problem, again. Inconvenient at best, impossible at worst, once it's mounted behind my head in the plane. A week of emails and finally get an RMA to send it back.
Several *weeks* later, the replacement camera shows up. Different problem, will boot up but locks up with just the movie camera icon showing, again requiring removal and reinsertion of the battery. AGAIN, a known problem.
So this one will have to go back, as well. I've now lost a couple of months of opportunities to video flying in my new airplane because of poor quality, albeit rather expensive, cameras. I am extremely unhappy with their QA and their customer service, and if you read their forums, other forums, or the ratings on Amazon, etc., you'll see...this is a poor product apparently made by an amateur company.
I'm now looking for an alternate solution...any suggestions?
I got mine around Christmas, and it didn't have the current firmware. No big deal, but it took several tries to get it to upload correctly (a known problem if you look at the various forums discussing GoPros).
Then, it would more often than not fail to power on, requiring the battery to be removed and reinserted. A known problem, again. Inconvenient at best, impossible at worst, once it's mounted behind my head in the plane. A week of emails and finally get an RMA to send it back.
Several *weeks* later, the replacement camera shows up. Different problem, will boot up but locks up with just the movie camera icon showing, again requiring removal and reinsertion of the battery. AGAIN, a known problem.
So this one will have to go back, as well. I've now lost a couple of months of opportunities to video flying in my new airplane because of poor quality, albeit rather expensive, cameras. I am extremely unhappy with their QA and their customer service, and if you read their forums, other forums, or the ratings on Amazon, etc., you'll see...this is a poor product apparently made by an amateur company.
I'm now looking for an alternate solution...any suggestions?
Flying Scotsman
Well Known Member
Oh...and be aware there are reports that the Hero3 will destroy (not corrupt, not sort of mess up, absolutely TRASH) certain microSD cards above a certain size.
Read the forums related to these products for more info.
Read the forums related to these products for more info.
I've got the original hero and the black 3
The Hero 3 Black has worked perfect for me and takes noticably better video. The remote is nice but I think the big thing is the video. It's super clear. I use 1080P and show it on the TV. I now use the original inside the cockpit and the 3 on the tail.
The Hero 3 Black has worked perfect for me and takes noticably better video. The remote is nice but I think the big thing is the video. It's super clear. I use 1080P and show it on the TV. I now use the original inside the cockpit and the 3 on the tail.
Jeff A
Well Known Member
Steve,
Sorry to hear that the 3 is not living up to expectations. Knock on wood, my 2 with a Wi-Fi backpack has been working flawlessly, both flying and snowboarding. My only personal complaint is the battery life, but I typically have mine mounted somewhere INSIDE the cockpit, and a USB cable and 12v adapter has solved the problem in most cases. The iPhone app is a major plus. Maybe get your hands on a 2 through eBay or something? Or, try the Contour or Drift? Good luck anyway....
Sorry to hear that the 3 is not living up to expectations. Knock on wood, my 2 with a Wi-Fi backpack has been working flawlessly, both flying and snowboarding. My only personal complaint is the battery life, but I typically have mine mounted somewhere INSIDE the cockpit, and a USB cable and 12v adapter has solved the problem in most cases. The iPhone app is a major plus. Maybe get your hands on a 2 through eBay or something? Or, try the Contour or Drift? Good luck anyway....
I have the 3 Black Edition and it performs flawlessly with a 64GB micro SD card. The wifi and the app on your iPhone can't be beat IMHO. I generally stick the GoPro to the canopy, open the app, and control it from there. It will even show you a preview of the shot so you can position the camera perfectly. If you have the wifi version and an iPhone, you'll probably never use the remote because the app is far superior. the app is also a lot easier to manipulate the settings in the camera as well. Two thumbs up here for the Black 3.
Video Camera
Don't have the Hero but I use a Drift HD Action and I must say the video quality is amazing. Maybe it's because I just upgraded from an older non HD Canon. The Drift HD Action has a remote to stop/start recording but you have to remember to turn it on before you get all strapped in. The remote is on a velcro strap you wear like a watch and is easy to use. The other thing I like is the external mic jack you can tie into the intercom system. The drawback is that the camera jack is 2.5mm and the audio patch cord they sell is 3.5mm so you need to get an adapter at Radio Shack. The newer Drift Ghost: http://driftinnovation.com/camera/drift-hd-ghost/
has the WIFI features built in with a 3.5mm jack and a larger 2" screen. The thing like about the Drift is the 170 deg field of view. Personal choice of course but the camera is easy to use and takes great videos. The one thing I don't like about it is the tiny LCD screen but you can still line up shots OK.
Is this comment about the HERO 2 vs 3, No but just thought I'd throw out another option. I also got my Drift HD Action pretty cheap on Ebay.
Oly
Don't have the Hero but I use a Drift HD Action and I must say the video quality is amazing. Maybe it's because I just upgraded from an older non HD Canon. The Drift HD Action has a remote to stop/start recording but you have to remember to turn it on before you get all strapped in. The remote is on a velcro strap you wear like a watch and is easy to use. The other thing I like is the external mic jack you can tie into the intercom system. The drawback is that the camera jack is 2.5mm and the audio patch cord they sell is 3.5mm so you need to get an adapter at Radio Shack. The newer Drift Ghost: http://driftinnovation.com/camera/drift-hd-ghost/
has the WIFI features built in with a 3.5mm jack and a larger 2" screen. The thing like about the Drift is the 170 deg field of view. Personal choice of course but the camera is easy to use and takes great videos. The one thing I don't like about it is the tiny LCD screen but you can still line up shots OK.
Is this comment about the HERO 2 vs 3, No but just thought I'd throw out another option. I also got my Drift HD Action pretty cheap on Ebay.
Oly
