This afternoon, my name came up in a discussion of a potential GoPro camera purchase by a guy on one of the boating forums I frequent. Here is my response...
Joan bought me the GoPro 3 Black for my birthday last summer. I was a professional photographer for 32 years, so I have a bit of experience in that field.
(Master of Photography, Photographic Craftsman, Certified Professional
Photographer, Internationally Affiliated Photographic Juror {for
judging professional photography competitions})The GoPro is a solid little unit, with good resolution. Good for use on a boat, with the waterproof housing. That said, I am not really into video (our studio offered video services back in the days of tape and lengthy editing). As a stills camera, the GoPro (to me) is pretty much a one-trick pony, due to the fact that it is extremely wide angle. Back in the film days, I shot with Hasselblads; once or twice a year, I would use the HWC Hasselblad SuperWide for a particular commercial shot. There are times when only extreme wide angle will do the job. Other times, it is nice to have normal and telephoto views.
Regarding the video, when the GoPro is in the waterproof housing, the audio is almost non-existent. Fine if you are going to drop music over the video. I did a few small test videos, but really don't care for the time it takes to edit. One of the last times I used the camera for video, I shot about 30 minutes of video on our motorscooters; edited that down to less than 2 minutes of video... and it was still something I only cared to watch once.
If you are doing "extreme" stuff (surfing, skiing, motorcycle off road, alligator wrestling), there is probably no better camera for POV video. This old body gave up "extreme" stuff a long time ago... it takes too long to heal these days.
Mounts I bought: rail mount, helmet mount, head mount, tripod mount (can use with a monopod), and a variety pack with some stick-on bases. What I use the most: the tripod mount and the rail mount.
One last gripe. I have reasonably normal size hands (men's size large gloves)... that isn't the gripe. The GoPro has essentially 3 buttons that are pushed in different sequences to scroll through the menus to get to the mode you want. Three relatively SMALL buttons. I get a lot of photos of views up my nose, while messing with those little buttons. That is the most frustrating thing about the camera. In case you think I am just a duffer with a camera, please re-read the first paragraph.
I don't take a lot of "selfies" with my phone, either. And that is something the extreme wide angle view of this camera is especially good for.
So, if you know what you intend to do with the camera... are willing to spend some time editing the video... have fingers the size of a #2 pencil... and good vision to see the menu screen that is about half the size of postage stamp... well, this may be exactly the camera for you.
I also bought an aux charger and a couple extra batteries... the batteries last about 20 minutes, on average. And, each time you replace the battery, you get to scroll through that damn menu maze again. Sorry, I got frustrated just writing that.
The first unit I brought home was DOA, right out of the box. GoPro Customer Service was good, but the first two people I spoke with seemed to think I just didn't know how to run the camera. (Please read the first paragraph again). It took a couple weeks to get the camera replaced under warranty (did I mention the camera was brand spanking new??).
I have to say, the videos I see on the internet look GREAT! People surfing monster waves. Guys doing flips with dirt bikes. Girls in bikinis running in slow motion. No, I just made that last one up, but I'm sure there are plenty of those if you search.
I get WAY more use out of my little pocket point & shoot that has a decent zoom lens. I am sure you will get other rave reviews from folks who are doing extreme stuff. I was excited to get in a little nap this afternoon, but I don't need video of it.
Hope that helps.
-------------------------
Yes, I still have the GoPro. I just thought it would be helpful (at least for me) to have this user info somewhere that I can refer to it again, when the question comes up.
;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment