I pulled the trigger on this little waterproof video camera last month and have been messing around shooting video while out on the kayak catching (and sometimes not catching) fish. I haven't done all of the things I want to do with it yet, but I thought I would share my initial impressions after having it out a number of times and spending a bit of time cutting some video together.

I got to the end and then realized how long this got to be. Here is the short version minus the gritty details:

I like this camera a lot. The settings can be challenging, but if you don't mess with them it is very simple--2 buttons. Don't plan on good audio and make sure there is zero moisture in the housing. Video examples at the bottom. Biggest drawback is how ridiculous you look with it on. Feel free to ask any questions you want.

The rest is detailed and long. You've been warned!

First off, my video shooting/editing experience level is fairly low. I know a little bit and have done some audio recording and mixing but not much in the way of video. I am working slowly towards a second master's degree and this fall's class may be Multimedia Productions.

The homepage with all of the specs is here: http://www.goprocamera.com/

They currently offer this camera in three packages: Helmet, Surf and Moto. They are all the same camera, just different accouterments to go with it. All of the packages come with the watertight/shock resisting housing. I opted for the Helmet package, as it included the headlamp-style mount and a couple of other mounts I thought I might find useful. You can purchase any of the other mounts individually. I might opt for the surfboard mount for the bow of my kayak, though on gelcoat it would be a very permanent fixture. I don't know how well it would adhere to rotomolded plastic as it is designed for the smooth surface of a glass surfboard.

I'll get the limitations out of the way first. This is pretty much a one-trick pony, so there are limitations (but it's a pretty cool trick, and there are other hidden tricks). It is a Point of View (POV) camera, meaning that it is designed to be set somewhere to get that view (my head, for example or the bow of a kayak, or over your shoulder...). There is no zoom, so you get the view and that's what you have. It is a wide angle camera, so no zoom means that even though you don't think you are that far from your buddy, your shot of him/her landing a fish might not be as spectacular as you thought. Another limitation is the audio. Basically, don't count on too much of it; the waterproof housing effectively seals off the microphone. You get some, but it isn't quality. This is also a plus, though, because the wind is effectively silenced. See the videos below for examples. Finally, there is no screen or viewfinder to replay or sight your shot. Experience and the wide angle help out here. The lack of a screen also means that the settings for the camera are kind of a code, so the instructions are sort of important

All of that being said, I think it does its "one-trick" pretty well. I have mainly put this on my head to shoot more or less what I am looking at. I have also strapped it to the bow for that "what is in front of me" view (sorry, no examples of this but it works quite well). If I get the surfboard mount it should make for some nice (i.e. entertaining) surf-launch video There is a lot of good video footage on the GoPro website, most of which I would consider the best of what the camera can do (they are selling it, after all). My vids below might give an indication of what you can probably expect right away. Again, I'm not experienced.

There are only two buttons, the main functions of which are on/off and record/stop. On the surface this seems like the ultimate in K.I.S.S. However, these buttons can also be used to adjust settings. Again, this is something that requires the instructions to decode, so it can be frustrating if you inadvertently alter a setting and don't know how to get back to what you want.

A final thing to watch out for is fogging in the housing (example in the first Cape-Cod video). If it is really sunny ANY moisture in the housing will collect right on the bubble of the housing lens. It only takes the ambient humidity. The company recommends keeping silica packets in the housing when until you put the camera in and rain-ex. I've found that if I let it happen, then carefully open and dab out the collected moisture it is pretty much fixed for the day.

Once you are past some of these details, it is a pretty sweet little camera. If you don't goof up the settings it really is easy to use. It has some cool features, including the ability to take a sequence of stills every 2, 5, 10 (etc) seconds. They turn out pretty well, I might add. The HD video I have shot is nice looking, and I think it will get better as I learn more about what I am doing. They claim a 2.5 running battery life, so it pays to be judicial with it. I've started shutting it down completely in the dead times.

I really like the camera, and have had some fun shooting on different excursions. Here are a few of them...
If you go directly to YouTube you can view these larger and in high def.

Fishing with kross57 in Cape Cod: This is a longer vid (9 mins or so) and the worst picture, I offer it here so you can see the fog issue. Also a good example of the poor audio. I sound like I am in a box!


Day 2 in Cape Cod: fog issue resolved


A yakker's first large bass--NJ Coast


Fluking in NJ. This was the first trip out with this camera after working out some of the bugs.

dosent work at night. I found this out after i bought one unfortunetly

Yes. That's true. And in low-light it will be grainy. But I believe that will be the case with any camera (other than night vision) without an external light source (some probably gather more light than this, though) I haven't tried at night in conjunction with a headlamp, but I will and then report back.

Thanks, blackcat.

gotta love the second video. 2 boats while the guy on the kayak catches the fish.

Yeah Baby!

RB....

I'm really considering this sometime in the off-season if funds allow. No, it doesn't do the night trips, but the options afforded by the GoPro is unparalleled for what we do.

Keep us posted as you continue to play with it!!!

Thanks man.

Rol

Here's another one I was looking at.
http://www.epicactioncam.com/

Looks pretty good, Curley. I had to hunt but they do have a waterproof shell for it. Strange they don't seem to have much in the way of sample video on the main page. Have you seen it in action yet?

No, I saw it on another board but cant remember now. I like the small size and the hat clip got my attn. If you don't need HD it can be had for relatively low dough. But like yours it needs the waterproof housing.