VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 10 of 10
Thread
  1. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Wales
    Search PM
    I ordered one just for action stuff and underwater stuff without even thinking about the quality. But...looking at the specs, it looks better than the camcorder I usually take on holiday. It's 1080p at 30fps, whereas the camcorder is 1080i at 25fps and isn't true HD, either. It's 1440X1080 and squashed up to be stretched out later. There's probably a fancy word for it, but "squashed" is better.
    Anyway, I'm well aware (unlike the majority of the camera buyers that the advertisers target) that pixel count is not the same thing as quality. The camcorder records AVCHD, (That took off well! Almost as popular as laser disc) But I have no idea about the GoPro. Since it records to SD cards, is the compression very aggressive?
    Hell, I've seen some cameras from certain countries advertised as "Full HD" that actually just scale up a much smaller image on upload. I don't think you should be allowed to say "HD" on the box if 2/4 of the pixels are duplicates or compression artefacts.

    Anyway, how does the image on the GoPro hero compare to a 10 year old HD camera? It's a Sony HDR-SR8E (The range that gets the horrible picture roll when they get warm) Maybe I can take one less camera on holiday.
    How's the audio? Every video I can find has music. In fact, I'd assumed they had no audio because of the waterproof thing...I hadn't realised there's a separate waterproof case.
    Quote Quote  
  2. In terms of absolute picture quality, a new Go Pro is probably going to be better than a 10 year old Sony. Keep in mind the GoPro has a fixed lens (no zoom) and the audio is probably not as good. It will shoot at 25fps, which you may want to use depending on your final delivery format. Both cameras use h.264 encoding, but GoPro's implementation seems to be a little harder on editing systems.

    The two cameras are designed for different purposes. Since you will have both, and each is small -- use both. Then you can determine whether your needs can be best met by ditching the Sony.
    Quote Quote  
  3. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Wales
    Search PM
    Originally Posted by smrpix View Post
    In terms of absolute picture quality, a new Go Pro is probably going to be better than a 10 year old Sony. Keep in mind the GoPro has a fixed lens (no zoom) and the audio is probably not as good. It will shoot at 25fps, which you may want to use depending on your final delivery format. Both cameras use h.264 encoding, but GoPro's implementation seems to be a little harder on editing systems.

    The two cameras are designed for different purposes. Since you will have both, and each is small -- use both. Then you can determine whether your needs can be best met by ditching the Sony.
    Well the Sony goes crazy when it gets warm, and I got to Egypt most years, so I have to take my other camera - an old canon xl2. It's a bit on the large side, and the picture isn't great by modern standards, but it's much more reliable. Maybe I'll keep the Gopro for the rough stuff and sell the sony (spare or repair), the canon and all the old miniDV cams I have lying around, and get something fit for purpose.
    What's that ghost hunting show with that guy with toilet brush hair who only goes to the gym on arm days and wears the same black T-shirt that's 4 sizes too small every week? Anyway, a prosumer model like they use would be ideal. The night shot (so probably sony) is something I need too. Something like that would nicely replace both the Canon and sony. A GoPro or similar is always going to be necessary separately for it's inherent fall-apart prevention system and fluid ingress inhibitor.
    Quote Quote  
  4. "fluid ingress inhibitor" You just gotta love that comment. Just wonderful!
    Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence -Carl Sagan
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Wales
    Search PM
    Originally Posted by TreeTops View Post
    "fluid ingress inhibitor" You just gotta love that comment. Just wonderful!
    Actually...gases are fluids too. That includes air. And I hear you can't remove the hero from the waterproof housing. Surely, then, it also functions as a Gaseous pressure wavefront attenuator? Like...how does that affect the audio? Or is there something you can remove? A noise going-in allowing openy bit?
    Quote Quote  
  6. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    Sounds transmit through any medium except a vacuum, so that would include the liquid, the watertight shell, and the air inside. That's not to say it won't be affected - it will very much!

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Wales
    Search PM
    Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    Sounds transmit through any medium except a vacuum, so that would include the liquid, the watertight shell, and the air inside. That's not to say it won't be affected - it will very much!

    Scott
    Yup, but there are losses every time the medium changes. Anyway, I just discovered the watertight case comes with a non-watertight rear door for recording out of water. They think of everything. Except...they used the name Hero for their first, standard definition camera, and now, the latest entry level HD model has gone back to using the exact same name. This is why I accidentally bought an old SD one on Ebay and just now had to buy a brand new current one. And you can bet the seller knew exactly what they were doing
    Quote Quote  
  8. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    Yeah, the "affected very much" was in reference to the losses & changes to the tonality of the sound. If you want true, good sound underwater (well,as you as you can possibly get under the circumstances), you would need to do double-system and use a dedicated hydrophone.

    Hope you gave that eBay seller a bad review (unless it clearly never designated any of the features - inc. HD - that are available to the Hero2, Hero 3, Hero3+ or Hero 4). Or sent it back to them for a refund. Or both.

    IIRC, GoPro makes an enclosure with holes, an enclosure that is watertight but with open-able connector flaps AND an enclose with NO flaps.

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  9. Gopro comes with HD MP4 formats
    Quote Quote  
Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!