Gopro recommendations?

matchand thought this was worth mentioning said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 3:45pm ET

I just got a Blade 350 qx, which has a space to mount a gopro. I was thinking of getting a Hero 3 silver ($300). Any thoughts on that, or alternatives? I wouldn't mind going cheaper if there is a compelling alternatives.

I could also get a camera and gimbal for $400, but a gopro feels more versatile because I could use it for skiing, snorkeling, etc.

10 comments, 7 replies
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matchand said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 3:49pm ET:

I'm also brand new to drones, so any recommended upgrade suggestions welcome.

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- @matchand The GoPro white has a very narrow field of view on 1080 compared to the Silver or Black editions (reviews and you tube). You would really want to run it on 960. I went ahead and bought the Silver refurbished below for 199.62 (same as for the new White edition on Amazon). I just doubled up my protection by using my AMEX card thru Paypal. AMEX always makes everything right if you have a problem.
  
  mfladd said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 5:02pm ET
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mfladd said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 4:33pm ET:

I am going to add an additional question to this one. I just purchased the Hero 3 white (199.00) for my new Phantom 2 thinking I did my due diligence (came in today), but before opening the box I thought I would do some more. I think I made a mistake. What can anyone tell both of us about their experiences between Hero 3 black, silver, white. I am considering going with a certified GoPro (factory sealed) refurbished Silver from Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/321740231810?item=321740231810&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true

This is the GoPro refurbished site on Ebay http://stores.ebay.com/GoPro-Certified-Refurbished-Cameras?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 1 year warranty - 30 days money back.

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ruouttaurmind said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 4:43pm ET:

@matchand, so far we've seen I think half a dozen or so GoPro alternatives in use on this board. Personally I have a cheap little Vivitar 1080p action cam I like to use, and also a Walkera iLook+ with built-in video transmitter.

I like the iLook+ because it puts camera and transmitter in a very tidy package that's exactly the same size as a GoPro 3, but at about 40% less weight.

I LOVE the Vivitar DVR-787HD because it has a touch screen, internal battery, good picture quality and it's very light. But most important... it cost all of $35 and came with a buttload of mounts and accessories. If it breaks or fails... no heartburn. I can replace it about 8 times for the cost of a single GoPro.

What I don't love about the Vivitar... it only has a mini-HDMI out port, so using it for FPV requires a complicated cable and digital-to-analog converter. So I haven't bothered with FPV and just use it for videos. So far it's served me very, very well.

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matchand said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 5:14pm ET:

@ruouttaurmind: Very helpful! The Vivitar sounds like a great fit for what I'm looking for. Unfortunately it looks like it is no longer in stock at the major retailers, so resellers are now selling it for $80+ on Amazon and Ebay.

I'll look on the board for other GoPro alternatives (and if anyone knows of any others, feel free to post here)!

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nltownsend843 said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 5:24pm ET:

My sj4000 takes great video (real sjcams not knockoff)
It output video via the usb, you do have to select "tv out" every time you want to use it for fpv but it works great and im happy with it at $75

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- @nltownsend843 seconding the sjcam sj4000. It's lighter than the gopros and only $80 from bhphoto. Great little camera.
  
  zippyus said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 1:17am ET
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matchand said Wed, Jun 10th 2015 at 11:05pm ET:

Thanks @nitownsend843. Just ordered it.

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garyhgaryh said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 2:50am ET:

I got the AEE S71 and another guy on here does as well (he told me about it). It shoots 4k videos and I maybe able to get it to do fpv soon if @ruouttaurmind fpv cable works.

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- @garyhgaryh Looks like you already ordered it. I also looked at the sj4000. Great cam but going into the menu each time to set up fpv is a pain. Here's a comparison video of the hero vs s71.
  
  garyhgaryh said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 2:53am ET
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- @matchand I was referring to you, not me :)
  
  garyhgaryh said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 3:15am ET
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garyhgaryh said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 11:38am ET:

http://electronics.woot.com/plus/asx-actionpro-sport-cams?utm_source=woot&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=wootapp

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- @garyhgaryh trying to find detailed info on this camera, like confirming it has av out support. Found one YouTube comparison that a commenter said it's not good for fpv, but there are name similarities with another brand so I'm not positive it's the same camera.
  
  $50 one is 720p, $90 one is 1080p btw. Too bad Meh's action cameras weren't gopro-shaped, because they were a better deal.
  
  djslack said Thu, Jun 11th 2015 at 8:00pm ET
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- Looks like this is the camera. The dynamic range is lacking some. I infer from the comments that there must be an analog out because the OP refers to flying fpv with it and not being able to make out the ground :(
  
  djslack said Fri, Jun 12th 2015 at 12:19am ET
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- @djslack Not a great picture, is it.
  
  ruouttaurmind said Fri, Jun 12th 2015 at 2:19am ET
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djslack said Fri, Jun 12th 2015 at 2:48am ET:

Another decent looking budget option: http://www.banggood.com/Original-XiaoYi-Ambarella-A7LS-BSI-CMOS-WIFI-Sports-Action-Camera-p-969228.html

Currently under $68 from China, like $40 more from US warehouse.

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garyhgaryh said Fri, Jun 12th 2015 at 3:53am ET:

Now I'm thinking of getting a cheapo camera. I've been crashing a lot lately and I do not want to destroy my gopro or the S71. I should fly with the cheapo camera most of the time, but use the S71 or gopro on special occasions.. hmm. that doesn't make any sense cuz I should be using the best camera possible since u can't retake certain scenes or actions. Maybe build a small cage for the camera? My lens is getting roughed up as well. should put a polarizer on it so that'll take some of the rock, dirt, and hard landings instead of the actual lens.

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