Jump to content

The GoPro Hero

By DSEon - Read 23378 times
Last
week GoPro sent me one of their new Hero cameras to test in a variety of
environments. I’m somewhat of a snob when it comes to cheap camcorders,
and the people at GoPro knew this from the start. In fairness, this is the least
expensive camera/camcorder I've ever reviewed, and not expecting to be impressed.The
camera arrived in a complete configuration; batteries, 2GB SD memory card,
and the standard box that the GoPro comes with. Opening the GoPro package
requires a degree in disassembly if the box is to be kept in more than one
piece. It took three people nearly 10 minutes to figure out how to open
it. If the box is any indication of how tough this camera is…it’s gonna be a great
little camera.












The GoPro Hero Wide






Physical Characteristics:

The
camera includes several mounting options, including a rubber headband that
resembles a jockstrap. It’s not much to look at, but it’s also not going
to be the common use (I hope) for most users. The camera mount on the
“jockstrap” can easily be removed and connected to more substantial
webbing.
The water housing is impressive. Very impressive for the price, in fact. I’ve
paid more for a cheap housing than for this entire camera, and this
housing is more nicely built than a housing I once paid $350.00 for. This
is a good thing, because the mount for the camera is integrated into the
waterproof/protective housing of the camera. The system is not designed to
be used without the camera in its waterproof housing.



The
camera itself feels “plastic,” even though it is made of light aluminum
and plastic. The plastic lens is fairly exposed; all the more reason to
keep it in its waterproof case and keep the case in a soft bag when not
being used, in order to protect the lens from damage/scratching.













This shot was one of 92
still images captured in a single skydive.




With
a plastic pressure-release mount, there is some fear that a hard strike
will cause the unit to be torn from whatever mounting device it may be
attached to; this is a positive feature rather than negative factor, as
safety is the primary concern of all active sport enthusiasts.


The
plastic mounts are plentiful; GoPro provided three stick-on mounts with
extra double-sided adhesive material. In addition, GoPro provides a pair
of extra mount clips,  and  a mounting arm that allows for a 90degree
rotation of the camera when mounted to vertical objects such as the mast
of a kiteboard, paraglider, or similar. It’s much like an Israeli-arm used
for higher end cameras, excepting that it’s exceptionally lightweight, and
plastic.


 













The camera comes with
several mounting devices/replacement parts.






Technical Characteristics:


The
camera has a very small sensor size, I believe it is 256 x 192 with
doubling, but I was unable to receive confirmation of this from the
relations department at GoPro. The sensor is a CMOS imager, which is
somewhat obvious by the lack of dynamic range (see image with large black
spot in center of sun).

Sporting an output  frame size of 512 x 384, broadcast, output to DVD, or
other full-frame display will be difficult to do with any degree of image
integrity. For web or fun review on a computer in small viewer, it's
perfectly appropriate and will give a lot of enjoyment to the sports
enthusiast that isn't chasing professional results.



GoPro encodes to an MJPEG codec in AVI container (will be .mov on Apple)
and will require an MJPEG decoder in order to read/edit. Most NLE software
includes an MJPEG decoder, and they are available from several providers
around the web. The encoder compresses the video data to 4800 Kpbs, which
is approximately the same compression ratio found on many hllywood DVDs.
However, bear in mind that Hollywood DVDs are framesized at 720 x 480, and
are sourced from film or HD cameras. I mention this, as some of the
marketing commentary on the GoPro Hero compares technical data with that
of a DVD. They’re not remotely the same. Additionally, DVDs are encoded
with a PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio) of .909 or 1.333. This means that pixels
are elongated in either a horizontal or vertical configuration. The GoPro
records a PAR of 1.0 (this means the pixels are square, and are not
stretched, which is a benefit). The display is a Standard Aspect Ratio,
otherwise known as 4:3. This is the “old” format of screen display, and is
no longer available in television displays.  GoPro might consider
providing widescreen in an anamorphic format in their next camcorder
models, as widescreen displays are now the world standard.

30Fps Progressive frames means the image will be smooth for playback, and
clear on computer monitors.

Audio is recorded in Mono @8Khz/64Kbps stream. The audio is useless for
anything other than reference. It should be pointed out once more, that
this camera is aimed at the sport enthusiast that wants to capture
exciting moments for the web, not for broadcast or professional use.












 




Still images may be captured at the rate of one still every two seconds
for up to 65 minutes (over an hour) on a 2GB SD card. Larger cards may be
used. The stills are 5MegaPixels, and for some, this is going to be a
“wow” factor. However, there is a difference between stills captured
through a low-cost plastic lens and a reasonable quality glass lens as
found on most 3-5MP hand cameras. In other words, the megapixel count is
only a small part of the actual picture quality. (More megapixels don’t
assure better pictures in any event.)


SD
flash card is the format in which this camcorder stores data. SDHC cards
do not improve the performance, speed, nor quality of the camcorder.


The
camcorder package also includes a proprietary cable connection that
outputs to USB and video composite signal.


 












Note the hot-spot in the
middle of the sun. I was able to consistently reproduce this artifact
with any bright light source in a high latitude shot. Even a 100 watt
lamp could create this anomoly in a reasonably lit room. I believe
this is a problem with the sensor; it cannot manage high latitude.





Operational Characteristics:


The
camera is easy to operate. The multiple-press menu button that provides an
icon-driven LCD panel doesn’t provide immediate feedback, and requires a
review of the owners manual to decode the iconography of the display. In
my first operation, I captured video from a skydive, but accidentally
deleted the files as a result of not being clear on what the different
icons were indicating.


Additionally, it wasn’t immediately clear on how to turn off the
camcorder, and when left on without operation, the camcorder eats
batteries fairly quickly. With regard to batteries, only Lithium batteries
should be used with the GoPro Hero. They’re a little more expensive, but
this device eats alkaline batteries like they are candy. Rechargeable
batteries may not be used.













The GoPro Hero Wide uses SD
memory cards. The black strip on the back is a rubber isolator to keep
the camera tight in the waterproof housing.





There are only two buttons on this camera, it’s not like it’s a challenge
to operate once the owners manual has received a glance or two. One button
for shutter control/record functions, and one button for menu control. The
beauty of this camera is found entirely in its small size, price, and ease
of use.


Summary:


This camcorder
isn't going to light the professional's eyes up like a professional POV
camera will, but it won't burn the amateur's wallet like a professional
POV camera costs, either. I've tried all the various POV "sport cams"
currently on the market, and for sub $200.00, this is clearly the winner.
There simply is no camera in its class that can compete. GoPro should be
proud of themselves for designing a camera with this quality in this price
range. At $189.00 it certainly isn't a toy, but it is a very fair cost of
the fun this camcorder can record for the sport enthusiast. Mounted to
handlebars, helmets, struts, pedals, forks, kayaks,  paddles,
fenders, wrists, feet, belly, or other body part, the GoPro Hero is a hit
in my book.




-douglas spotted eagle
0
0

SIGN UP OR LOGIN

Create a free account or login to comment on this article.

Sign Up Login

User Feedback


There are no comments to display.



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×