Helmet cam

littleredspot

Can anyone recommend a hd camera for skiing?

GoPro's seem to be the standard but there's a huge amount of cheaper ones on eBay nowadays. Has anyone tried the cheaper models?

CardinalJ

I've a GoPro, but they are pretty pricey. Contours are supposed to be decent as well, but I've no idea what they're like for price. Make sure what ever cam you get comes with loads of different mounts so you can put in on a pole, helmet, ski etc. Can get boring looking at the same view over and over again.

stephendevlin

littleredspot wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a hd camera for skiing?

GoPro's seem to be the standard but there's a huge amount of cheaper ones on eBay nowadays. Has anyone tried the cheaper models?

GoPros seem to be the best bang for buck. Versitile camera and no need to worry about picture quality.
Plenty of videos on youtube to prove that

Rew

littleredspot wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a hd camera for skiing?

GoPro's seem to be the standard but there's a huge amount of cheaper ones on eBay nowadays. Has anyone tried the cheaper models?

GoPro are the best with Contour second. GoPro launched a Hero3 recently so there are plenty of bargain Hero2's second gand on adverts.ie these days.

What's on eBay is generally muck.

Northern Monkey

If you are going to go with a go pro I would do what Rew said and pick up a HD2. There are good discounts on a new one on Amazon at the minute, so keep that in mind if you look at adverts for a second hand one.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=gopro+hero+2&sprefix=gopro%2Caps%2C158

The battery life on snow isn't great. I was getting somewhere around 2 hours from mine in the snow, so a second battery would be advisable if you plan on using it for most of the day. Currently the HD3's battery life is lower (I guess as a result of the increase in picture quality). Someone on snowheads did a battery test on all 3 (at room temperature conditions)

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=93605

I had a couple of issues with mine last year. When it was really cold the video output was really poor (unwatchable), but I'm not sure if this was the result of the camera or SD card not being able to function at lower temperatures.

Youtube is full of snow videos from all the different types of camera, so you should be able to get a good idea on the quality of the other brands.

CardinalJ

The point about problems with the gopro in cold is a good one! I've had problems with mine, but only in proper cold, -10/15and below.

To be honest I'd say most electronics have the same problem though. I just put mine inside my jacket on lifts to keep them warm and it usually does the trick.

Rew

Im curious what problems people had in the cold? There was an issue with pink video last year that they fixed in a firmware update. GoPros intestinally run warm/hot to keep the battery up at a working temp. I heard secondhand that a battery was permanently dead after seeing some extreme temps.

I used mine last year without any issues, there were few really cold days but prob not that extreme.

I use a 32gb card and 2 batteries that I swap over at lunch time and I find I can film all day (4-5 hours of footage). Fogging can be an issue. I tend to use the waterproof back door and I usually blast it with hot air like a hair or hand drier before I seal it up. Antifog strips are useful as well.

I clear the card every day but you could buy 3 or 4 32gb cards to get you though a week.

Northern Monkey

This isn't my picture, but it is a good representation of what the output looked like. It only happened on 2 of the 30+ videos I took over the week and it was really cold both times (top of cime caron in VT). As I say it could easily have been the memory card rather than the gopro, I have a few different brands this year, so should be able to identify if it is a card issue should it happen again.

Rew

This is the pink video issue they fixed with firmware

Green Mile

I have a Drift Innovation Cam.
The reason why I like it is because it has a microphone and it's cheaper than the GoPro.

Rew

Green Mile wrote: »

I have a Drift Innovation Cam.
The reason why I like it is because it has a microphone and it's cheaper than the GoPro.

GoPro's have a microphone

CardinalJ

My vids were bright colours and on one occasion the camera just wouldn't turn on at all.

Rew

The Hero3 runs about 10 degrees hotter then Hero2's wonder is this part of the reason

mr spuckler

i've got a contour and it produces great vids on the bike, skiing & skidooing. they're cheaoer than the gopro but withh a narrower selection of mounts.

cormee

If you use a poor quality SD card you're going to have read/write issues in low temperatures, this will affect picture quality.

littleredspot

Thanks for all the replies. Lots of good info.

I'm surprised no-one has tried the much cheaper ones. I think I'm veering towards the Contour one. (it looks much better than the Hero imo)

Rew

littleredspot wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. Lots of good info.

I'm surprised no-one has tried the much cheaper ones. I think I'm veering towards the Contour one. (it looks much better than the Hero imo)

In terms of spec and quality of image the GoPro is top. The Contour is a great camera and probably simpler to use as well. I dont think the average user notices or cares about some of the differences between Contour and GoPro. They're the No. 1 and 2 in the market so you wont go far wrong.

Keep in mind they both have a number of models. Make sure you compare like with like and that your not getting sold old stock there trying to use up.

I've seen some of the cheap ones the quality is awful and I wouldn't trust them in bad weather or to take the knocks that the GoPro will take.

I've found the GoPro wifi remote to be incredibly useful. No more checking if the camera is recording or taking off the helmet to see if the battery is low etc. The phone apps are great but not for "out in the field" use.

littleredspot

Was watching an episode of Mythbusters there and they seemed to be using a lot of Go Pros! Can't get more of a recommendation:D

CardinalJ

littleredspot wrote: »

Was watching an episode of Mythbusters there and they seemed to be using a lot of Go Pros! Can't get more of a recommendation:D

It's funny, since I got mine 18 months ago I noticed there are loads of them in docs. You see quite a few contours as well.

Rew

Big reason you see them in TV now was the HD Hero coming out 3 years ago. Before that they were SD only. I bought my first one back then after seeing my mate make bits of him self in s ski crash in glorious 1080p and the camera didnt drop a frame :-D

Discovery and National Geographic love GoPro. Quality footage, tough and if they are lost or destroyed cheap to replace. Gopro are going after the pro market in a big way with the Protune update and the Hero3 which can shoot 2k+ in cinema aspect ratio. Supposedly George Lucas used them to shoot parts of Red Tails as well.

The down side is that consumers find the amount of options that GoPros have confusing especially compared to things like the simple on/off recording button on a Contour.

^whitey^

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/action-pro-cm7000-helmet-camera.html

Rew

^whitey^ wrote: »

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/action-pro-cm7000-helmet-camera.html

Contour Roams are £169 and GoPro hero3 White £199 and Hero2's £229 I think you would be mad to spend money on a no name GoPro copy like that.

Jonnykitedude

You get what you pay for, I have had a number of sport cameras and the best has to be the gopro.....it wins hands down.

You can pick up one for $200 brand new with tons of mounts, if you know somebody going to the states that is and that's the hero 2.

We went to Meribel last year with 4 gopros, one 1st gen, two 2nd gen and the 3rd was the hero 2.......we came home with over 70gb of footage and only used the footage from the hero 2 as it was unbelievable. People have referred to the countors as being the same as 2nd gen gopros.....I don't know I never owed one.

Here's the vid from last year http://vimeo.com/39955477

littleredspot

That's a great vid. Now all I need is someone to head to the states...

Rew

littleredspot wrote: »

That's a great vid. Now all I need is someone to head to the states...

Plenty of bargin 2nd hand Hero2's on adverts.ie.

In terms of versions. A Hero3 Silver is identical to a Hero2 for video quality but has better audio and wifi is built in.

My Hero3 Black is wining its way back from the US tomorrow hopefully...

Jonnykitedude

Rew wrote: »

Plenty of bargin 2nd hand Hero2's on adverts.ie.

In terms of versions. A Hero3 Silver is identical to a Hero2 for video quality but has better audio and wifi is built in.

You think with the hero 3 out there would be a few good deals on adverts but lads are looking for 500 quid with a few bits, its crazy!

Think the hero 3 have F2.8 on all 3 new models which will give better performance in darker locations.

Fattes

My Hero 3 arrived yesterday I may consider selling the two on here

Rew

Jonnykitedude wrote: »

You think with the hero 3 out there would be a few good deals on adverts but lads are looking for 500 quid with a few bits, its crazy!

Think the hero 3 have F2.8 on all 3 new models which will give better performance in darker locations.

To be fair to those selling them, a lot of them are selling extras like the LCD screen, extra mounts etc which pushes the price up.

Lens has been f2.8 since the Hero2. The Hero3 Black has a better lens again but just better optics still f2.8

Jonnykitedude

Rew wrote: »

To be fair to those selling them, a lot of them are selling extras like the LCD screen, extra mounts etc which pushes the price up.

Lens has been f2.8 since the Hero2. The Hero3 Black has a better lens again but just better optics still f2.8

Still at that the price its crazy, you could buy all new from the states and still have change left over...I know its easy saying that once you have somebody to bring them home for you.

So what did the OP go for in the end??

Rew

Shiny new Hero3 today, its half the width of the Hero2!

CardinalJ

Where in the States did you get the Black 3 from? Theres none in Vegas. Have mates in Boston, NY and San Diego on the hunt for one.

Just need to hope they don't all get one at the same time!!

Rew

CardinalJ wrote: »

Where in the States did you get the Black 3 from? Theres none in Vegas. Have mates in Boston, NY and San Diego on the hunt for one.

Just need to hope they don't all get one at the same time!!

I used the GoPro site Store Locator and my friend got it in a place called City Sports in NYC. They got 70 in the day before and had 3 left!

http://gopro.com/store-locator/

Bests Buy have an online stock checker as well

CardinalJ

Rather than having mate running around various cities I ordered online and got it shipped to them. Cant believe its €449 here and $400 there. Changing the shipping address gets the US price which is great.

Rew

CardinalJ wrote: »

Rather than having mate running around various cities I ordered online and got it shipped to them. Cant believe its €449 here and $400 there. Changing the shipping address gets the US price which is great.

Yeah its a joke the price here. Tell your mates to be careful coming back customs on the warpath this time of year and a mate of mine had electronics nicked out of his locked bag going though a US airport recently.

I picked up the new battery bacpack as well. The Hero3 + BacPack is the same size as a Hero2 with no bacpack on. I also picked up 3 unbranded batteries and an external charger on ebay for 30 quid.