GoPro Hero 4 set to debut soon

[lddv1224]

I just bought a hero 3 at target for 199.00. I can't wait to use it on the boat next year. I would imagine I will be using it mostly in 720p mode. Where is a good place to get mounts for a fair price?

 

[Ronnie]

http://www.amazon.com/EEEKit-Essentials-Parachuting-Extendable-Adjustable/dp/B00O446E1C/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1417155771&sr=8-9&keywords=gopro+accessories

There are other kits available on amazon but I think this one is pretty good. For some perspective the chest mount alone from gopro is $40 or $50.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@lddv1224 If you have not checked out this thread yet, a bunch of us turned armature movie producers this summer... it may help you get through the winter months.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/post-your-summer-boating-gopro-shorts.1796/

On the recommendation of @Ronnie I picked up the extra battery pack at the link below. It saved me a few times this summer and I have had zero problems with the quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Wasabi-Power-AHDBT-201-AHDBT-301-AHDBT-302/dp/B00AAIPT76

 

[lddv1224]

@Ronnie @GiddYupJoe thanks for the good info

 

[dbrunone]

4k isnt really worth it right now. As far as i know, the highest resolution displays out right now (apple retina and thunderbolt) arent even 4k. 4k TVs are starting to come out but you cant tell a difference unless its over 60". The only people using 4k right now are movie theaters. So like someone before said, unless you are putting this footage in a professional production, 1080p is just fine.

 

[Ronnie]

The recent posts to the Polaroid cube thread motivated me to take my gopro hero 3+ black edition into best buy. I got it in march 2014 and almost every time I've recorded with it in 1080 it skips. That is, if I recorded my son walking across a 20' room I would only see him at the the 1', 5', 10', 15 and finally 20' points. It shouldn't be a memory issue since I used the most highly rated memory available at the time. I also ruled out differences in PC power by loading the same video on newer and fast pcs. I put up with it for 9 months but the problem with the black edition caused me to use it a lot less than the white version which for the most part has been flawless. Since the white version doesn't have the capability to record in high res that the black does the white version doesn't deplete the battery or memory as fast either. I'm easily getting twice the life out of my batteries and memory cards on the white version over the black one.

Anyway, I digress, because the hero 3 plus isn't available anymore (at least my local best buy didn't have any) and some gopro policy, best buy ended up giving me a store credit for the gopro 3 black as well as the $50 I paid for a one year extended warranty for it, roughly $490. I turned around and got a go pro hero 4 silver and a dog mount to go with it. I paid another $30 but that was related solely to the new mount which was $60 (but for the store credit for my extended warranty I would never purchase this mount as it isn't likely to be used much). I passed on the extended warranty this time around since I didn't use it during this return, as I was told my issue is covered by gopro's warranty.

I've since unboxed it but not charged or recorded with it yet. The big physical differences that I noticed are that the battery is slightly different (so I can't use the ones from my gp3 white edition in it) and access to the battery is throughout the bottom / side not the back. Also, although the case is the same size as the 3 + it comes with three backs, a standard solid back, a back which just borders the edge of the rear of the camera and another which borders the rear but has a film over the center similar to that of smart phone screen protectors and which I assume serves the same purpose. Also included is a pic of the black out cover my son got me for Xmas (I put the gp4 in it as its first test fit). These covers are under $15 whereas the black case offered by go gro is $50 something.

Here are a few pics of both cameras. Aside from other regular uses I plan to mount one to my new quad copter, the new gp4 may get a work out this weekend if my son and I go snow boarding.

 

[beachbum]

@Ronnie... you got me going on the GoPro... actually many ppl on the forum got me going ... so when Christmas comes I always buy something for the "family"... yes... i'm in the family too... bought US a GoPro H4 with some accessories. I haven't really used it because I am very lazy when it comes to videos and photos. PLUS... rechargeable batteries WILL be the death of me.

I have been checking out how the camera performs, but haven't put it thru a ski day, boating day or anything... Next week, i'm off to Florida where the warm temps will encourage me to shoot and shoot some more... My brother has his pontoon boat down there... hoping we can shoot some video around Indian River area.

Ronnie great job with the reviews... I was convinced the Silver was fine for us based on discussions here.

Can't wait to produce something with this thing... fun WIDE angle lens. Woot!

 

[Julian]

I have a GP3 and I think I now need to upgrade our home PC as creating videos from the content looked to be a bear on the PC I have and my initial attempt has put me off trying again....not enough time in the day.....

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Now that it is winter and we are not using the GP much at all, I have noticed that the batteries are always dead after they have been sitting for a while. I will fully charge all of them and then put them in the camera bag and a few weeks later they are all dead. I hate just leaving one on the charger at all times... seems like a waste. I have the original GP battery and two additional Wassabi's.

Has anyone else had this issue? or any insight on how to combat it?

 

[Julian]

Happens with mine too. They slowly discharge....not sure there is any way to "fix" that...

 

[Volffas]

I have a GP3 and I think I now need to upgrade our home PC as creating videos from the content looked to be a bear on the PC I have and my initial attempt has put me off trying again....not enough time in the day.....

Same issue here. Our 8 year old PC just can't process the videos. I have a bunch of videos from a couple of our trips that I haven't got around to editing yet. So our next big purchase is a PC that can handle all of our editing needs.

 

[Ronnie]

Happens with mine too. They slowly discharge....not sure there is any way to "fix" that...

I'm having the opposite problem. That is, my fully charged batteries seem to die quickly even when the cameras are in standby mode. This has been more of a problem with the older / OEM batteries. I assume this means that they are "dead" and that I need to do some research into proper battery care before I kill my remaining and future batteries.

 

[Ronnie]

I got to use the gp4 over the weekend. My initial impressions are that it is easy to get used to using the touch screen to configure the camera with the touch screen. The screen is good for quickly previewing shots but is too small to review footage on. I did use it to see if I got the shots I wanted but its tough to see any detail on such a small screen. To my knowledge this is the only go that comes with a built in screen so the controls for it are unique. In opinion it should have been put on the black edition.

A fully charged battery will last about 2 hours, about 90 minutes in standby and 30 minutes recording stills and video at 1080p wide. I ended up charging mine in the car twice for an hour at a time during an 8 hour day. I played back some footage on my PC at home and did not have any of the skipping problems I had with the gp3 black edition. So far this has been a great camera. I recommend it to anyone think about getting a gopro in the near future.