Posts Tagged GoPro
GoPro HD Helmet HERO Waterproof, Wearable Video Camera
How to be the coolest mom ever? 1.) Get ahold of one of GoPro’s super-cool, sporty, durable video cameras. 2.) Strap it to your kid while he’s skiing, sledding or mountain biking. Voila! Not only will your child be on the receiving end of all sorts of “ooohs” and “ahhhs,” from all those who spot him and covet the sleek little camera, but you’ll have a blast together looking over all of the fun (often funny) footage he’s captured while enjoying some favorite activities.
The friendly folks at GoPro sent me the HD Helmet HERO last month specifically to take with me on my family’s Disney Dream cruise. While I wore the camera strapped to my head, I recorded a ride — with my son — down the cruise ship’s first-in-the-industry top-deck water coaster. I think the footage is hysterical.
Since then, we’ve also mounted the camera to my son’s helmet so he could film his skier’s-eye-view while skiing the rails in the terrain park at Buttermilk, our local Aspen/Snowmass ski hill in Colorado. My daughter wore it mounted to a head strap while flying head first down the tubing hill at Vail’s Adventure Ridge. If you can’t make it out the words, that’s her shouting, “Suuuuper-man!”
Indeed, this tiny camera is a ton of fun. Housed in its waterproof shell, it’s safe underwater to 180 feet. As my colleague John pointed out, when he reviewed a wearable camera in 2009, the mounting options for GoPros are excellent. You can attach mounts with adhesive to ski or bike helmets (either flat or curved surfaces). You can purchase special mounts for bike seats or handlebars, as well as surfboards. There’s a “waterproof wrist housing,” I’m guessing for snorkeling or diving adventures, and a chest mount (to capture running trails, perhaps?). Plus, we have the head strap that I wore on the Disney Dream water coaster ride above.
The camera doesn’t only film video, but it also takes still photos. You can set it every “x” seconds for time-lapse mode, or just snap a single picture. The fish-eye lens results in some really cool images. I took this one just outside my sunny, snowy front door; even shooting directly into the sunlight, a pretty clear photo resulted:
You can use the GoPro HD Helmet HERO with an SD card up to 32GB capacity. The camera comes with the waterproof housing and also a USB cable for downloading images or charging the battery. Note that the camera does not come with an LCD screen, so unlike most digital cameras you cannot “see” what you are shooting. I recommend purchasing the screen ($80), just so you can see what you’re photographing if you are using the Helmet HERO as a still camera. The light, detachable screen also allows you to play back videos directly on the camera, as opposed to plugging it in or removing the SD card to view on a computer screen.
Instructions for the GoPro HD Helmet HERO are straightforward. Even this non-techy type figured out how to shoot video and take still photos within minutes.
My son can’t wait to use our GoPro for capturing his mountain-biking adventures this summer. I’m planning on bringing it to Lanai, Hawaii, to test its quality while snorkeling in the local bay. This camera is hardly cheap: it retails for $299; check for lower prices on Amazon.com. Indeed, it’s certainly not one of the most practical travel items I’ve reviewed on Practical Travel Gear, but it sure has provided a heck of a lot of fun for this family.
Get the GoPro HD Helmet HERO at Backcountry.com
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family on February 15th, 2011
Getting the Shot: GoPro Helmet HERO Wide Wearable Camera
Whether you’re taking an adventure trip—or a business trip with a sporting trek on the side—it’s not always easy “getting the shot.” Sometimes, carrying a conventional camcorder is just not practical—or even possible.
That’s where the GoPro Helmet HERO Wide wearable camera comes in. This tiny and lightweight camera, which takes video and still pictures, would be right at home no matter what the sport—skiing, cycling, racing, skateboarding, surfing, parasailing or riding roller coasters.
Using GoPro’s suction mount, I even clamped it to the hood of my car and it held like glue. More on the mounting options later.
On the video side, the camera has a built-in microphone and stores nearly one hour of video and audio on a 2GB SD memory card. There is also 16MB of internal memory. Batteries will last two to three hours, depending on the type used.
The AVI video format will work well with many editing programs. The camera shoots at a full 30 frames per second, which means smooth movement.
The still camera has 5MP of resolution—amazing for its size. It can be set to automatically take a picture every two or five seconds.
The camera only weighs four ounces and comes with a plastic housing that’s waterproof down to 100 feet. It’s tiny—barely bigger than a small matchbox—though the removable plastic housing adds some to the dimensions.
GoPro really shines in the mounting options. Besides the suction mount I mentioned, the company offers mounts for helmets and handlebars, a chest harness, a head strap that does not require a helmet, roll-bar mounts and more.
Some of the big boys could even learn a lesson from the designers at GoPro. At the National Association of Broadcasters recently, I saw a demonstration of a Sony point-of-view camera that’s aimed at the professional market. But for the mounting, I was told they got the materials to make a helmet-mount bracket from a hardware store.
Who’s got two or three hours to spend rummaging around a hardware store and making a camera mount? With GoPro, they have ready-to-go mounts for just about any situation—and they are well built.
GoPro offers several different models. The Helmet HERO wide has a 170 degree wide-angle lens. The wide angle is good to avoid missing any of the action and it avoids the jerkiness of narrower lenses when the action gets fast. The lens does produce a fisheye effect with some curvature near the edges of the picture.
The list price for the Helmet HERO Wide is $189.99.
GoPro is promising support soon for a 4GB memory card to double recording times. With the new CMOS sensors now coming to the market, I’d also bet they’re working on future models that will produce even higher-resolution video.
Don’t be fooled by its small size. The GoPro Helmet HERO Wide is no toy, but a serious sports camera that will bring home some amazing shots.
See the full wearable camera line at the GoPro site
Get the GoPro Helmet HERO Wide at Amazon.
Posted by JohnG in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Travel Light on June 15th, 2009
