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GoPro Camera - do I need one?

I'm just about to head off on a holiday to New Zealand which includes the Alps to Ocean cycle trail. I own an 'oldish' Camcorder and used to be quite enthusiastic taking videos of windsurfing, and even whilst skiing (carefully), but with smart phones and cameras taking pretty good video it seems to be gathering dust. I invested in a small ruggedised, waterproof camera recently which has been good for outdoor activities and takes good video, although it ideally needs 2 hands to be used properly so it's 'limited' for action stuff. For cycling I always thought I'd get a headcam I could use for 'insurance' against getting knocked off but I sometimes feel you need to be realistic about how much kit you strap on for a ride and, to be honest, I rarely see anyone using one (I don't live in London mind you). For normal road riding the GoPro 'telly tubby' look is slightly ridiculous but I have to admit the video quality is excellent and they're useful for other activities. My question is, would a spur of the moment GoPro purchase see the resurrection of my video enthusiasm and give me some great holiday footage? Is it one of those things you wonder how you ever managed without? There must be some reason they stick with that design. I do other sports that I could use it for and I'd just 'park' the cycling safety cam idea for the time being. In GoPro terms, does anyone have advice on 'most useful' mounting accessories?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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21 comments

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robertoegg | 8 years ago
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I'm in the market for an upgrade from a DRIFT HD which doesn't really cut it for number plate detection in low light.

How do the GoPros work in the low light/night conditions - any experience?

(unfortunately, even on my nice "country" commute between GFord and Farnham, I get incidents regularly such as tw@ts in low-slung boy racers pulling across the carriage to drive at me for a laugh, the odd bus actually driving me onto the pavement when passing, Eddie Stobart trucks mounting the kerb whilst reading a map (just this evening, camera was full though!))

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untakenname | 8 years ago
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I have a garmin virb elite (gps and wifi model) on the front (waterproof and has decent battery) and a mobius on the back, simply for insurance but also use them both off the bike as well.

I coated the mobius in plastidip to make it waterproof (left the heatsink exposed) and put a rubber usb bung in the mini usb slot.
The mobius now has 2 hour battery life compared to the earlier ones which had about an hour and a bit, you can upgrade the earlier battery to the later one (has 800mah instead of 500) for £4 delivered from banggood.com.

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Al__S | 8 years ago
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SportPursuit currently have the Garmin Virb, RRP £250, for £88.

(if you're not a member, use this link to sign up and I'll get credit to spend. Bit cheeky? Dunno. But worth a punt)

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Haggisbasher | 8 years ago
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I have had a Go-pro for a number of years. The quality is great, but the mounts are dodgy. Mine broke off on a bike event last year. It bounced all the way across the road, and still worked.

I swapped the mount for this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Motorcycle-Handlebar-Mount-Adapter-Holder...

Since then rock solid. I found having it on the helmet, literally a pain in the neck and your video was constantly jumping about as you looked left and right.

Some pointers, get back up batteries, Wasabi batteries are great and 1/3 of the price. Invest in a battery charger, It took a while to figure out that the USB port, just does not cut it.

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Shades | 8 years ago
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Thought I'd add to this topic I started. Having had some luck getting a new job prior to heading to NZ, I threw caution to the wind and bought a GoPro 4 Silver. First impressions; great build standard and the video is really sharp. After mastering the menu etc I tried linking it to my IPhone (via Bluetooth/WiFi). Worked OK but when you turned it off and tried to 'reconnect', I just couldn't get it to work, so for the sake of batteries and sanity I just forgot about the app. Fearing going nuts on attachment options, I just bought a vented helmet mount and (bike attachment not available in the shop - Jessops, who do money off any extras you buy with the camera) a roll-bar fitting. I also bought an extra battery (good tip). Mounting on a helmet; yes you look a bit odd! The extra weight on your helmet is a bit annoying, especially if you mount it towards the front of the helmet. You also have to remember if the camera is off or on when you want to film. You can at least look about to vary the shot a bit. What's slightly worrying is that it's locked on solid, so if you came off onto the helmet it might affect the way the helmet protects you (as in the Schumacher debate). Tried it on the handlebars with the roll-bar mount, which turned out to be quite useful as it's slightly bigger than the bike specific mount and is consequently more versatile. You don't have to shell out on GoPro badged mounts as there are plenty of good, cheaper versions on-line. I thought mounting on the handlebars would introduce a lot of shake, but not really the case and the camera is easy to operate. Anyway, the videos. Anyone can take a reasonable photo these days; equally so with videos, but I think it's how you edit them into an entertaining movie that makes the difference. I've got loads of clips of us riding along through various terrain; the challenge now is to add in photos, music, captions etc to make a movie. GoPros? They're quality bits of kit that are totally at home in an outdoor environment, but don't be 'sold' by the advertising clips as it's down to your imagination with filming and editing skills that will make the difference. Oh yes, Alps 2 Ocean ride in NZ (supported - i.e. someone shifts your luggage); 266 Km of great fun and you don't have to be mega fit. All manner of terrain, so choice of bike is difficult. Probably another post in itself!

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aje | 9 years ago
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I've been impressed with my Mobius ActionCam, around £50, combined with the JooVuu waterproof case. I use it for insurance purposes on my helmet as the form factor is much smaller than a GoPro. You will have to cobble together a cable-tie fixing method to have it sit flush.

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tommydam | 9 years ago
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I think the contour roam 3 action camera is the very good for riders. easy to put on helmet and nice resolution (1080).

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rosscado | 9 years ago
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Yes, it's worthwhile and for an action holiday far superior to a handheld camcorder.

I recommend getting the entry-level GoPro Hero initially; It will minimize your initial investment and you can upgrade later if you find you're using it a lot.
http://shop.gopro.com/cameras/hero/CHDHA-301.html

Pair it with the K-Edge Go Big out-front mount for cycling. (Not cheap but secure and not a tellytubby.)
http://www.wiggle.com/k-edge-go-big-gopro-handlebar-mount-pro-version/

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bashthebox | 9 years ago
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As someone who shoots and edits for a living, I bought a GoPro and have used it on the bike twice. It's really, really boring. Honestly, the footage has so little merit on its own. I'd consider using one on an Alpine descent, but that would mean carrying it all the way up and believe me, 18km into a climb you're considering whether taking all your clothes off will make life easier.
The only person interested in the footage will be you - which is absolutely fine, if that's what you want it for. But if you're thinking you can make a wonderful film from a handlebar mounted camera... nah.

Do you need a GoPro? Absolutely not.

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DrJDog | 9 years ago
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I bought the cheapest GoPro Hero for skiing, and for £85 the quality is very very good. I recorded a ride with it attached to the handlebars in January's dim twilight, and the quality wasn't so good. I'm pretty pleased with it. I won't be helmet camming my commuting, but for my trip to Barcelona next month, and for the Étape, yes.

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wellcoordinated | 9 years ago
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SJ4000 excellent for the money.

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Bazza155 | 9 years ago
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I have the SJ4000 and for the money (I paid about £45) it's great, loads of different mounts but you'll probably end up getting a decent handlebar mount.
Colour rendition is slighty blue.
Can also be used as a car dash cam.

A review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnHDu-oW7_Y

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PaulBox | 9 years ago
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Also consider a Garmin Virb, bought one recently for an upcoming diving trip. I'd say that the footage is almost as good as a Go Pro, it might be as good when I get round to playing with all the settings. With the Virb you also get the GPS / Speed data etc. so you can see a map of where you are in the corner of the footage if you wish. It's also not as boxy as the Go Pro for helmet mounting, though you'll still look a bit of a knob  3

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notfastenough | 9 years ago
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Is the viewfinder important to you? I have a Contour Roam HD, more for the commuter 'insurance' reasoning, but the spec is as good as a gopro for less money, and doesn't look stupid on a helmet mount. Only about 3.5 hrs battery time though.

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Shep73 | 9 years ago
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Check out the Nilox Ducati addition, cheaper than a Go Pro but as good ( in fact I think it has better refresh rates). Also comes with a remote which is handy. I have one and have been impressed with it. That said I don't really use it now as I'm leaning towards more sportive riding than mountain biking.

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macrophotofly | 9 years ago
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I've gone through phases with the GoPro. Initially used the handlebar mount which is a concistent way to go for timelapse. The video was good that was produced from it - although GoPro doesn't actually maximise it (why no 1080 size photo??).
However I started to realise the video you get is 70% road and hence quite dull after a couple of minutes of watching. Phase 1 of my videoing over...
Phase 2 I bought a helmet mount. Didn't put it on the top of the helmet, but at the rear. This signifigantly reduced the air resistance problem and meant I got good videos of people cycling behind me. Also meant I could move the camera side to side to film the surroundings (although notably I couldn't see them at the same time, as I'm looking the other way!!). I had the black 3 which had a remote with it - made it easy to switch on and off. Still didn't seem the best solution.
Finally I happenned to see a film from some cyclists visiting Japan (where I am these days). They used a selfie stick and that made a huge difference to their footage. Suddenly you are taking shots with you and the background in Or just pointing the camera in a concistent direction while cycling. Yes, you have to hold it one handed, but again you can get a selfie stick which the remote fits on and its fairly easy to hold on the flat. If you get to a downhill section, just stop and swap it over to the bar mount. You obviously need a free back pocket to stuff the camera/selfie stick back into when coming to sesctions of road that need more care (I wouldn't cycle through a city with it, but out on the fairly empty South Island roads in NZ, it would be no issue).
Well worth doing, but they eat batteries! I carry 2-3 spare batteries for a day ride.

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Lavaman | 9 years ago
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I bought a gopro 4 silver just before Christmas and have used it extensively since and am looking forward to summer so that I can use it in the surf. Initially used a helmet mount which I was not that happy with, it just looks stupid and also a bit 'wobblyscope'. As I have garmin the following is the perfect mounting solution, a bit pricy, but v good.

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/k-edge-combo-out-front-mount-for-garmin...

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stealfwayne | 9 years ago
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I have 3+ black. cannot fault in anyway. wonderful footage, easy to operate, time lapse is a doddle. Only thing with it is to plan to upgrade your PC, laptop as it will need to be pretty high spec to manage all that data of ultra high quality. There are other cameras for less money, but if you can do it. it's worth it.

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mrmo | 9 years ago
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JA0LQ2C/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=569...

have wondered about this sort of thing, not too much money and if it is ok then maybe get something better later.

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cycling_on_a_sh... replied to mrmo | 9 years ago
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Careful! That amazon link is a fake/clone SJ4000.

You want a qumox or sjcam sj4000, which I'd expect to see retailing over £50, usually about £65-75.

The real SJ4000 is a nice camera for the money if a little heavier than a gopro - I have one and definitely recommend it.

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Reg Molehusband | 9 years ago
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I only wish I had had a GoPro when I visited NZ for a month 3 or 4 years ago. The film quality is amazing. I've been using mine mainly on my motorcycle while on rides abroad, but more recently have been experimenting with it on my road bike. If I was about to do what you're planning, I would certainly recommend taking one.

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