GoPro - Need help selecting

[4x15mph]

I want a GoPro for a sailing trip around the St. Vincent islands. I don't want to buy a new one necessarily since I don't need the latest as much as I need it to be more "disposable". I will use it on the sailboat, snorkeling, and other island activities.

People with GoPro cameras can you point out the features that I will definitely require versus nice to have. I would like to start shopping on eBay since I would guess that some people are upgrading to the newer versions and it would be great to get a camera with some accessories.

 

[Julian]

Not a pro on GoPros....but have lots of stuff for mine. The most important and used item I have is a telescoping stick (the longer the better). I bought a couple of really cheap ones on ebay so if I broke them or took them into salt water, they'd be disposable. As far as the GP itself....my thought is as long as it records 1080 at a high frame rate....that is really all you need. The view back I hardly use. Suction cup mount gets used.

 

[Ronnie]

If you don't need to preview or review your footage on the fly any generation of the go pro should do. For your use I recommend the biggest memory card you can get for the gp you end up with and buy at least 2 extra batteries. I'd also go with a floater for the back door, a short floating handle and a pole/handle bar mount over the suction cup mount but that's just me. Also if you don't have to have go pro accessories you get a lot more for your money (e.g. Go pro batteries are $20 to $25 , wasabis online can be had for $25 for 2 with a wall charger).

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Rent one!

http://www.borrowlenses.com/product...5JXY8sJfaPa-W5CpUQyBVbSBLwA5llEGHhoChGnw_wcB/

 

[4x15mph]

Great information and thank you @Ronnie , @Murf'n'surf , and @Julian . I will get the accessories that you mentioned and 2 batteries.

 

[Julian]

Yeah....multiple batteries are key, and I have multiple 64gb memory cards too. They are cheap enough now....I think I now have 4 or 5 64gb cards for my GoPro and SLR.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@4x15mph you will need something to put all you new go pro stuff in... I just combined all of our gear in a bag with the dslr so I have no use for the case below. If you want it its all yours. Shipping would probably be minimal. I used it all last season and its perfect size. Let me know if your interested in it.

 

[dustinjean]

I will be buying a go pro fairly soon and from all of my research and reviews for high end accessories and bag etc. gopole.com has some really nice stuff

 

[ToddW850]

Know I'm late to the party but I'm a HUGE GoPro fan after getting one this summer. You won't be disappointed. I got the GoPro Hero 3. First accessory I bought was the Pole. Got one I really liked at Best Buy for $59. It allows me to film under water from the boat. I've gotten some great footage, especially of dolphins. All other accessories I've bought since then are GoPro brand.

Good luck and post up some cool videos when you get em.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@ToddW850 if you have any thing to post from the summer... Post it up here.

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

 

[ToddW850]

@ToddW850 if you have any thing to post from the summer... Post it up here.

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

Cool! Will do. I've put a couple videos together just experimenting, but I'll get my "official" one put together and post it.

 

[4x15mph]

@GiddYupJoe (Nathan), thanks for the GoPro storage bag! I received it in the mail yesterday and it was like Christmas all over again. Another great testament to this forum and the close knit group that helps each other out. Thank you

 

[Woodchuck]

I bought the Hero 3+ black. But it sounds like you would be happy with the silver. I waited a couple of weeks to purchase mine and fortunately the 4's came out while I was waiting and the price dropped on the 3+'s. I didn't feel I needed any features on the new ones especially with the higher price. I also don't think I would use the LCD screen and it would be a major drain on the battery.

I bought 3 batteries and 2 memory cards. On our recent cruise I took my laptop to download my memory cards to. I never had to change my card because it was full but I did have to change the battery because it was dead, I have 64 gb cards.

 

[4x15mph]

There is a new Hero entry level that came out when the 4's came out. It is $129 and at that price, I can lose it and buy next years newer version. I think I might do that and put the money towards the few accessories that I want for my trip. Let me know if there is anything specific to the Hero entry camera that should lead me to upgrade instead. I hear that the camera and case are not replaceable but I don't mind that it is more disposable

Also, I have iMovie on my Mac. Will this be decent enough for making movies or are there other recommendations on the editing software. I don't want to do too much editing since I have wrestled with that using my HD camcorder and I know that it takes a lot of time.

 

[Woodchuck]

There is a new Hero entry level that came out when the 4's came out. It is $129 and at that price, I can lose it and buy next years newer version. I think I might do that and put the money towards the few accessories that I want for my trip. Let me know if there is anything specific to the Hero entry camera that should lead me to upgrade instead. I hear that the camera and case are not replaceable but I don't mind that it is more disposable

Also, I have iMovie on my Mac. Will this be decent enough for making movies or are there other recommendations on the editing software. I don't want to do too much editing since I have wrestled with that using my HD camcorder and I know that it takes a lot of time.

4x15mph, I don't believe that the Hero 4 entry level has a removable battery so when it's dead your done until you charge it again. I guess it would depend on how long you plan to record for.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

"Also, I have iMovie on my Mac. Will this be decent enough for making movies or are there other recommendations on the editing software. I don't want to do too much editing since I have wrestled with that using my HD camcorder and I know that it takes a lot of time.

I do all of my editing in iMovie. I am still learning new features every time I use it. It is extremely user friendly and once you get the hang of it, you will be able to toss something together in a few hours. Not sure if you have checked out the GoPro Shorts thread but all of my videos in there have been made in iMovie, incase you want to get an idea of what you can do with it.

 

[Ronnie]

Here is a link to a review of the go pro hero (4 entry level model, a replacement to the gp3+ white edition). It is in another language but has English subtitles.

I would recommend against it since you can't simply replace the battery but have to charge it as @Woodchuck stated. My gp3+ white has been awesome, the video is never skippy and if I record in standard mode I can record over two hours straight before the battery dies. However, I've also noticed that the batteries seem to loose capacity over time so that two plus hours I used to get I doubt I get anymore on the same battery (I can't tell for sure since I didn't out any distinguishing marks on my batteries). The fact that it doesn't have an LCD or remote is no big deal but the removal of the hdmI port is a negative too me since I have used it to play / show raw video on tvs in the past. Also no wifi means you can't preview or review footage on a smart phone or tablet. This can be a pita because you have to link devices but it's still a nice option to have. Based on the information above I'd probably look for a white gp3 or 3+ they may be harder to find even used though but they both have most of the latest features of the new gp4 silver and black but the low cot of the entry level hero 4. FYI the difference between the 3 and 3 + is size, the 3+ is about 20% smaller. The new 4s are the same size as the 3+s.

As for video editing software I think @GiddYupJoe runs what you have, from what I've seen it should be fine. I have read that is it easier to use than a lot of other PC software available.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Has anybody seen this little gadget? Not sure how new it is but it seems pretty interesting. Just don't know how I could incorporate 360 video in movies.
$299 at SAMs. Some of the pictures it takes look pretty neat.

http://m.samsclub.com/ip/kodak-pixpro-sp360-extreme-action-camera/prod16230375

 

[ToddW850]

That's pretty interesting. Curious what the videos look like. Although I won't be moving away from my GoPro anytime soon.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

That's pretty interesting. Curious what the videos look like. Although I won't be moving away from my GoPro anytime soon.

Maybe something like this? I would not be replacing the gopro just added shots to videos, maybe.