GoPro Recommendations?

alan0387

Hi everyone,

My name is Alan, I just recently got back into cycling, got myself a Trek Marlin 8, and got myself to The Gap and TickNock. I've been having a great time and trying to document my progress via my GoPro Hero3+ Silver. She is an oldie now, but solid performer in that I've used her everyday for my work commute on the chin bar of my motorbike helmet. The battery is on its way out, and the footage is not as good on the chest mount vs the moto helmet.

I've decided to upgrade and now I am trying to choose between the Hero 8 and Hero 10. Both available direct from GoPro. My limited research so far said avoid the 9....

Coming from a 3+ I'd say I will be delighted with any improvement. The 10 is currently 429 with a bundle deal, the 8 is 310 standard kit. What are the opinions? I've watched several hours of reviews and I'd probably lean towards the 10 but I've seen alot of overheat issues and lesser battery life?

Thanks everyone!

Alan

paddydriver

Hi Alan.. I got the 10 over Christmas and all good so far. I came from a 7 and it is nice upgrade. I got the bundle deal too but honestly not a great bonus except for maybe the 2nd battery and the magnetic clamp - the tripod is trash.

The subscription to GoPro is good and I have been using the Quik editor a good bit - but whether I will keep or renew in 12 months I am not sure.

I would recommend going for the 10. It has their new GPU too and seems very nippy and no lag in menus etc.

One other thing I went for was the Max Lens Mod as it gives a wider angle of view.. it was about 30% off when combined with the bundle; overall is heading towards €500 now so will leave up to you.

Hope this helps.

CramCycle

I have 2 Hero 8s. Battery is about an hour after 3 years of regular use. That is at 1080p at 60fps with everything else turned off. Image stabilisation is exceptional. But an hour is the upper limit on the battery, everything you turn on drops the battery another few minutes, and I have no interest in constantly flicking it on and off so just leave it at that. I did buy spare batteries for my back pocket as well. Having looked at a reviews on youtube, while there are cool things about the 10, I certainly wouldn't see the benefit to an upgrade and if I was buying first time, I don't see enough to justify the 200euro gap other than exclusivity. This said, the 10 will holds its resale value and support from GoPro a lot longer so it depends what you want.

Negatives, the screens both cracked within a week, from what in my opinion were minor bumps, one got tapped by a saddle bag (so my faiult), the other by the bike falling over so it didn't actually hit anything (this I think was weird as it should be built to hold jumping all over the place) and GoPro support were unfriendly as I didn't have a subscription which apparently would have got me a full replacement, even though I had not heard of it until I contacted them and other than to offer me a discount from a 9 which was still more expensive than what I paid for the 8, I couldn't even buy screens myself to replace it.

Positives, have had Contour, Cycliq and others, and the GoPros image quality is still superior by a long shot and they both still work even with the really cracked screens which I don't actually need since I don't change anything on them.

alan0387

Thank you paddydriver and CramCycle!

Good to hear from each side of the coin there. At present there is a €120 difference on the website between the cameras.

Coming from a 3+ any of the newer ones would be phenomenal in comparison. Watching YouTube, it's the stabilisation I really like. Other features like GPS would be great when I go Karting.

I bought the 3+ new from gopro before the 4 was launched. So I certainly like to get my monies worth and that may swing it towards the 10, even if just for extended length of support time. (Last update for the 3 was 2015 I think....)

Ive not had a GoPro Subscription, and basic use of Quik had been sufficient for occasional use after karting or a motorbike spin. But I'd like to use it more for mtb videos and edits so the years trial would be good to see if I get full use.

I really appreciate the advise and sharing of experience, I'll sit down with a coffee after kids go to bed and mull over my choices.

Any recommendations for mounts/accessories are welcome too, I have the GoPro Chesty but my handlebar mount is awol.

Thanks again!!

CramCycle

My opinion on reflection is to go for whichever one has the longest battery life if you can afford it. Hero 10 looks like it wins here, so cash dependent but they are all great.

fat bloke

Just watching Primetime pieve6on bodycams. Seems like high quality video and audio and a small form factor. I wonder what battery life is on them!

alan0387

I pulled the trigger on a Hero10.

€429 including year subscription, Enduro battery and 64GB mem card.

Main deciding factor was how long I've used the Hero3+ and how long I plan to keep the Hero10. Also with being the new processor it has plenty of upgrade potential on the way.

Judging by all the available settings I'll have plenty to play with over the next while!

Thanks for the advise guys!