GoPro or ... ?

[Drifty//]

I see the latest and greatest GoPro still can't do 1080p @ 60 fps. I'm a sucker for liquid smooth high framerates, but I also like my 1080p.

Are there any good alternatives to GoPro? In particular, I'm thinking of small point-and-shoot digital still cameras (DSLRs would be too heavy).

BTW, I only plan on mounting inside the car. I haven't liked any of the exterior viewpoints I've seen. In-car is my favorite.


Thanks!

[Drifty//]

I should note my biggest concern with a point-and-shoot is image stabilization or mechanical vibration dampening. If anyone can recommend a camera mount that does this well, please speak up!

[zslow6]

not to hijack your thread but i was looking at go pros and some of the other shock proof/water resistant cameras and was curious if those can over lay with a solo dl? While i was looking at the GoPro's they had an aviation one that was $100 less just curious what the difference was between that and the motorsport one?

[THE TECH]

Originally Posted by zslow6

not to hijack your thread but i was looking at go pros and some of the other shock proof/water resistant cameras and was curious if those can over lay with a solo dl? While i was looking at the GoPro's they had an aviation one that was $100 less just curious what the difference was between that and the motorsport one?

IIRC, the cameras are all the same. It's all about the accessories that it comes with.

[klammer]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

IIRC, the cameras are all the same. It's all about the accessories that it comes with.

Yep

[Estoril Blue]

Originally Posted by THE TECH

IIRC, the cameras are all the same. It's all about the accessories that it comes with.

Correct. Each application package has different mounts/accessories.

[zslow6]

Originally Posted by Estoril Blue

Correct. Each application package has different mounts/accessories.

thats what i thought but from best buy website it seems like the only thing you get extra in the auto one is some velcro...

[IS350]

Is the HD Drift a fair comparo? I know video quality hasn't been as good, but worth a look?

[Bbenavitz]

I have a go pro 2 and the video is all you need unless what you have seen does not meet your expectations, which I could not imagine. The problem is sharing your video at the 1080 w/30 frames per second creates a huge file that is too difficult to upload/download to utube. Once you edit them down the quality is no as impressive which is typical.

[Kwando]

I run a BlackVue DR400HD-G and it's a full out in-car dash cam. Mine is currently plugged in via the cigarette lighter although it can be hardwired. I haven't done so yet because there are disadvantages to it but it's been done. It has motion and G-sensor so it'll record even when the car is parked somewhere. I think that only works when its hardwired though. Records up to 9 hours on full HD at 30fps on a 16GB card and it's looped recording. Since you're looking for 60fps this doesn't really apply but its another option.

IMO the video quality is not as good as what I've seen in promo and other user vids..not sure why. And if you want good sound quality forget about BlackVue all owners know it's absolute sh!t..you can hear better talking to someone through a cup phone.

What is your intended use? I only use mine in case something happens and as long as I can see license plates then I'm somewhat satisfied.

Here's one of my clips installed in my daily. It's amazing how some people are so careless driving through parking lots so I'm always extra cautious. I don't know what happened when I uploaded it but as you can see it's all warpped and low quality.

[Cidle]

I use this cinetics mount for a DLSR, link: http://cinetics.com/

Originally Posted by Drifty//

I should note my biggest concern with a point-and-shoot is image stabilization or mechanical vibration dampening. If anyone can recommend a camera mount that does this well, please speak up!

[Drifty//]

Originally Posted by zslow6

While i was looking at the GoPro's they had an aviation one that was $100 less just curious what the difference was between that and the motorsport one?

Be careful that you're looking at a HD Hero2, not the original HD Hero. When using some search engines (e.g. shopping.google.com), I found that one of the low prices was actually a 1st gen unit that somehow got incorrectly indexed (maybe someone entered the wrong SKU?).

Not that the second gen is all that much better than the first, at least in terms of the specs.

[Drifty//]

Originally Posted by Bbenavitz

I have a go pro 2 and the video is all you need unless what you have seen does not meet your expectations, which I could not imagine.

Depends on your viewing environment, I guess. I'm primarily interested in my 1080p plasma TV. It even does 3D, but I figured I should draw the line somewhere (and yep, I did see the GoPro 3D accessory kit).

I'll level with you that I am somewhat of a videophile. So, it's not exactly like the GoPro HD Hero2 isn't good enough, it's more like it's not as good as it could be. But let's be honest, even 480p/30 is fine if all you want is just to see the track and the other cars. Most track vids I've seen on youtube aren't even that high (well, they're getting better of course).

The problem is sharing your video at the 1080 w/30 frames per second creates a huge file that is too difficult to upload/download to utube.

I have absolutely no problem with downconverting for web viewing. I want all the original source material to be as high quality as possible, however.

[Drifty//]

Originally Posted by Kwando

It has motion and G-sensor so it'll record even when the car is parked somewhere.

This is definitely a capability I want. Last year, my A4 got scratched while parked (no note was left, of course) and it cost me $1k to fix. That would go pretty far towards a full multi-camera mobile DVR setup.

Of course, it's also good for accidents that occur while you're in the car.

What is your intended use?

track vids.

as long as I can see license plates then I'm somewhat satisfied.

Um, what about at night?

Here's one of my clips installed in my daily. It's amazing how some people are so careless driving through parking

Wow, no joke!

as you can see it's all warpped

Yes, I quickly picked up on that. Are you sure it's not just the camera? Is its native format 16:9, 4:3, or what?

[Drifty//]

My goal was to find something small, light-weight, and in the same price range as a GoPro.

I found two promising options:

• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V
• Panasonic Lumix ZS20

I went with the Sony, although it cost me $100 more than the Panasonic, and also more than GoPro HD Hero2. People really seem to like the video quality. The image stabilization supposedly doesn't introduce any jerkiness (watch out for this!), and the videos I found from the DSC-HX9 (a similar, lower-end model from last year) looked pretty good. And reviewers who have compared them say the 2012 HX-series models have even better video. It also sounds like possibly a better still camera than the Panasonic, but it's too new to have any professional reviews.

Of course, you can always go higher-end (although they'll suffer from significant additional weight) and I'm sure some of the dedicated camcorders would work well. My rationale for a point-and-shoot is that if it doesn't work out well or if I upgrade to the HD Hero3 (next year or whenever it comes out), I figured a decent, compact point-and-shoot might still be useful to me or another family member.

Well, I'll definitely let you guys know what I think. I plan to post up some vids in this thread, within a few weeks. Maybe not at full res, but probably 60 fps so you can check out the image stabilization.


As for trying to control vibration, I found this:

Rubber Vibration Dampening Mount, #1/4-20 x .25"L Double Threaded Mount, .43"OD x .4"L Rubber

It might not do anything for me, but at least the price is right!


Oh, and never try to buy the cheapest memory card you can find. At best, your recordings will be choppy. At worst, they might just cut out completely. Always try to get a card that has some good reviews and is at least in the middle of the pack, performance-wise, for the class you need.

[Drifty//]

One promising camcorder I found was the Panasonic HC-V500. I didn't research it too much, since I was already leaning away from the camcorder route.

It weighs a bit more than the compact point-and-shoot cameras, but still probably much less than a DSLR. Street price is about the same as a GoPro.

One key benefit of camcorders and point-and-shoot cameras that I forgot to mention is optical zoom!! GoPro limits you to 3 FoV settings, with some tradeoffs on image quality. With an optical-zoom camera, you can frame the image exactly how you want, and with much less tradeoff vs. noise & image fidelity.

[Drifty//]

So, after all this talk of alternatives, I should mention that the GoPro Camera HD HERO2 Motorsports Edition is currently $250 at overstock.com ($9 cheaper than yesterday). That's before shipping, but I think their shipping rates are around $10.

[TurboBimmer]

Originally Posted by Drifty//

I have absolutely no problem with downconverting for web viewing. I want all the original source material to be as high quality as possible, however.

Which software do you use to convert the vids for youtube?

[LiM3y]

Originally Posted by Kwando

I run a BlackVue DR400HD-G and it's a full out in-car dash cam. Mine is currently plugged in via the cigarette lighter although it can be hardwired. I haven't done so yet because there are disadvantages to it but it's been done. It has motion and G-sensor so it'll record even when the car is parked somewhere. I think that only works when its hardwired though. Records up to 9 hours on full HD at 30fps on a 16GB card and it's looped recording. Since you're looking for 60fps this doesn't really apply but its another option.

IMO the video quality is not as good as what I've seen in promo and other user vids..not sure why. And if you want good sound quality forget about BlackVue all owners know it's absolute sh!t..you can hear better talking to someone through a cup phone.

What is your intended use? I only use mine in case something happens and as long as I can see license plates then I'm somewhat satisfied.

Here's one of my clips installed in my daily. It's amazing how some people are so careless driving through parking lots so I'm always extra cautious. I don't know what happened when I uploaded it but as you can see it's all warpped and low quality.

Dear Kettle,

Yes, looking at your video, it is amazing how careless people drive through mall parking lots. You see folks, speeding through a farmers market with kids and people behind minivans, hard acceleration in a busy lot, crossing the the center line, rolling through STOP signs, cutting corners...all sorts of poor, aggressive driving. And that is all in one minute! You are lucky to get out of there unharmed! Fortunately, you have it all on film in case something happens...

Keepin' it real!

The Pot

[Drifty//]

Originally Posted by LiM3y

Dear Kettle,

Oh wow.

Keepin' it real!

The Pot

Green on Green.

[Drifty//]

Hey, so I just dropped in to report on this:

Watch out, GoPro… here comes Sony!

Won't be out until this Fall, but something to keep an eye on.

[WillC310]

FWIW, I've been pretty happy with my GoPro. One of the nice things about is it can be used for other sports (water + snow) without much fear. Now that they also have the wi-fi backpac, I've been thinking about picking that up so I can mount it on the car and start/stop it remotely. Also the GoPro does 960p@60fps so you really wouldn't miss out on too many lines of resolution.