This camera is small... as in: really small. It came with a wifi remote and several ways of connecting it to stuff. Unlike most cameras, there is no viewfinder. It has an extreme wide-angle lens, so if you have it pointed in the general vicinity of what you're trying to shoot, you'll probably be OK. It shoots video and stills. It is waterproof and shock resistant. People are connecting these things to surf boards, motorcycles, helmets, etc, etc.
Here's a look, next to my phone...
And, that's in its underwater housing. Here's the camera outside the housing...
I thought it might be fun to use on the boat or when we're on our kayaks... maybe even on the motor scooters.
Fun. Some of the fun goes away when you turn the camera on and it locks up. As in: it won't scroll through the various modes, and you can't turn the damn thing off.
I started off by contacting the place I bought it. I used their "chat support" on the internet. I got a "Oh, that's not good," comment from a guy named Pisith. Yes, I am childish... I couldn't think of much beyond what my chat friend Pisith must have put up with in school... as in: Did you Pisith your pants-ith? I told you I was childish. I'm sure in India or whatever country Pisith is from, that name is as common as Bob. I pictured his parents saying, "When we have a son, let's name him after an Old English slang for urination." As in: "Foresooth! I fear I have Pisith in my suit of armor." Yep, childish.
On the not-so-bright side, Pisith was not able to do a damn-ith thing-ith for me. He gave me an 800 number to contact. I think I got Pisith's cousin... I can't say for sure because the accent was so bad I couldn't understand a thing he was saying. As in: not a damn word. Maybe he had a bad phone? Or, perhaps he was born without a tongue? Seriously, I could not understand one single word.
I hung up and tried using the 800 number on the receipt. I got someone named Paula... and I was able to understand every 3rd word. That is quite an improvement. She gave me another 800 number for GoPro after determining that there wasn't a thing she could do for me... "Did you try turning it on? Did you try turning it off?" Really. She gave me their "direct line for contacting GoPro." As near as I can tell, it was to the back room of a porn producer, because the answering machine was less than professional, and they didn't say who they were.
Joan said, "Don't you dare leave our phone number!"
I went back to the internet and found a real phone number for GoPro phone support. A guy named Robert answered... and spoke perfect English. Well, there was a bit of a California accent, but I can totally understand that. Robert was good. It took him about 10 seconds to diagnose the problem: the mini-super-micro-infinatesimally-small-puny-itsy-bitsy card that goes in this camera doesn't have the proper speed rating. It was the best one could find on this island; well, it was the only one we could find on this island. Set your watch back 20 years. ;-)
His exact words: "You are trying to drive a Maserati on a dirt road."
"I could do that," I said, "I would just drive slow."
So, it will be a while before I find out if this GoPro actually works. But, Robert gave me hope.
I was just happy to talk to someone I could understand. I didn't want to hang up. But, I had to go take a Pisith.
I am ashamed of myself. Ummm, myself-ith.
I'll let you know in a week or so if I can get this thing to work.
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It was a great day on the water today. The whales were on the west side of the island, running north... quickly. When I pulled away from the dock, they were a little more than half way up the island. By the time I was a half hour off the dock, they were beyond the island, and passing Stuart Island. I took the "back way" and met them at the pass... Boundary Pass, that is.
My passengers got a great viewing. From what I was hearing, the whales were just moving north before we got there. The first thing we saw was a great spy hop. Then about a half dozen dorsal fins running together. A tail lob. A pectoral slap. Another spy hop. Plenty of activity, and the passengers were oooooohing and ahhhhhhing.
I did manage to get a few photos, but I was busy at the helm...
No, not the crispest images; driving, watching, avoiding, and taking photos at the same time means some compromises... well, for the photography.
The wind kicked up by the time we were headed back to Friday Harbor. I was concerned the guests might be bothered by the ride due to the waves and the flying spray... nope, they were whooping it up each time. I like it when people can find the fun in the situation!
And back home at the boat, little Izzy was waiting for her Daddy...
"I bet he wants to feed me!" ;-)
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