Go Pro? Which model


B16Swt

Carguydiaries
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Looking to buy a go pro for track days.
Looks like they range from £100 upwards, is the base model good enough or do you need to spend more to get a good picture?
What do you guys use?
 
I've got an old hero 2. Not sure you can even buy them anymore.
Picture quality is fine, we'll decide for yourself and watch my videos lol
Tbh if your like me and unlikely to use the features on the more expensive cameras then go cheap...
 
Yeh I've watched your videos and they're good!
I don't want any fancy features, just as long as it's compact and records my sessions that's good enough for me! I've seen they make some good mounts for roll cages. So will get a cheap one I think and a mount.
Thanks @jesse888
 
That looks like a good option! I like the price!!!
 
Ive got an old Hero 3 + black ediition and makes a great job for me. Havent got any racing videos yet but got some other videos made with this and I am happy
 
My misses has bought me the base model go pro for my birthday! Should do the job perfectly.
 
If you're going to use it in a race/track environment then I would go for the base model 3. They then offer a push button start/stop and also battery pack. Means you can start recording when you want instead of starting it in the pits.
 
Ah right that sounds useful, not sure what model it is exactly, I think it's just a hero base model so not sure if it has those functions.
I'm using it for track time, will be mounted on a roll cage.
 
This is the guy. Means you can control it sat in your seat, so you start and stop when you go out. Saves on battery life, recording memory etc. I wish I'd seen them before I bought my hero 3 silver, as they don't do it for mine :-(
http://tombarley.wix.com/gopro-remote
 
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I have an old hero 2. picture quality is 1080 HD
I bought a wifi backpack for mine so I could set it up through my phone and also so I can start stop record via the remote or phone.
 
I bought a knockoff gopro for 35 quid in China. They have a screen and wifi and every possible mount.

Takes great video.

I showed it and its video to a mate who'd just spanked 200 odd quid on a GoPro and he was really really angry - especially about the screen.

It makes me wonder why people want to "buy a gopro" rather than buy a "track camera" or buy a "nutribullet" rather than a juicer.

My point is just this; Other track cameras are available.
 
Yeh I don't doubt that there are other cheaper cameras on the market and they do just as good job, if not a better job!
I personally have gone for the go pro for quality, and for the fact that if it breaks it will be easy to get it repaired and it comes with a warranty.
I've found with some things though especially electronic items, you buy cheap you buy twice.

It's my luck really though! If I ever buy something cheap it never lasts! But if someone else does they never have a problem.
 
Get the best one you can afford

the difference between even just the black 3 and 3+ is noticeable watching back :)
 
I have to agree with JohnTurbo.......and sorry i missed your question about the gopro....i would have advised.
I use a SJ4000 off the Bay....35 to 40 quid, comes with all the fixings you would ever need and a waterproof case etc, which works (took it to Spain on hols last year, was brilliant jumping in the pool and underwater). I use mine for motorbike trackday vids are they are perfect, i even use it at 720p and you really dont need much more for watching back...
There are comparison vids on youtube with screens side by side and honestly its hard to see any difference...
At this price you can get two....front and back facing!

Also for me if it goes sideways on circuit i dont trash hundreds of quids worth of cameras!....you can fall off a bike but not a car ;)
 
I highly suggest you get the latest GoPro series like GoPro Hero 4. I have the black one because I really thought about how long this will last me into the future and worth the money. Long lasting meaning that the quality it has will still be very very good years from now. You have to think about it's future use and if it'll be acceptable by then. If you get the Hero 2 or 3, then you will regret not getting the later and better ones. Think about the future. The extra money you pay now saves you money for years to come.
 
Did you adjust many settings for video? My clips seem jumpy and grainy. Mine is set to 720p at 120fps.
 
Did you adjust many settings for video? My clips seem jumpy and grainy. Mine is set to 720p at 120fps.
120fps is usually used for slow motion. My normal use setting is 1080p/60fps/medium/spot meter on. Do not turn on "Auto Low Light" even though it helps you see in the dark spot. All GoPros in general have a huge weakness which is darkness. In fact, every camera's weakness is darkness because it requires low ISO (longer exposure time) to capture a better quality image but at a slow snap which can create blur. When you enable Auto Low Light, it will constantly adjust FPS to accommodate your dark and bright spots. Because it's adjusting between like 24fps to 60 fps (if you set the fps to 60, 60 is the highest it will go), this will produce a jumpy footage like you mentioned or a laggy or skippy motion. I think this is quite the dumbest option I have ever seen but it's understandable why they made it because some people want to improve the dark footages. You are sacrificing video smooth play for a more clear (less grainy, video noise) footage. Lower FPS, better quality in dark. Higher FPS, worse quality in dark because exposure time is too fast on high FPS. You don't have to turn Spot Meter on but I do sometimes to keep the object I'm filming in the middle have a good lighting initially.
 
Quality when it comes to electronics is very difficult to quantify!
One mass produced PCBA against another. A year's warantee has its uses though.
 
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