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Go Pro Action camera's alternatives?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Suzanne

Suzanne

Active Member
Aug 26, 2014
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Hola!

I'm looking for a high quality GoPro alternative for making video's?
I'd like to use it for freediving and kitesurfing.

Most important is depth, battery life and pixel quality. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
Hi Suzanne,

I have to ask: Why not the GoPro?

I've played around with some of the alternatives but my opinion is still that the GoPro is the best of the lot - especially when it comes to freediving and now even more so with the launch of the GoPro 4
 
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Reactions: Suzanne
Get a used gopro!!

I am still using a gopro Hero (before the 2, 3 or 4!) and they can be had for real cheap. I bought mine for $179 once the 2 was introduced. Now I'm sure they're on kijiji / eBay for a fraction of that!

I put an Oculus flat lens on it for $20 (before they had an underwater housing that didn't distort the picture) and it shoots 30fps 1080p video down to -60m. That's DVD quality, real time video.

It isn't great at low-light like the new ones and the new ones can shoot 60 and even 120fps+ for awesome slo-mo scenes.

Having said that, the battery is better than any of the new gopro models, despite being 3 yrs old now. I can get over 3 hrs of run time out of it.

The new ones crap out at around an hr or so.

Better to have footage at 30fps than miss the shot at 120fps due to dead battery.
 
Reactions: John B Griffith Jr and Suzanne
I was going to recommend the Sony AC because you can mount it too your mask strap but if price is the issue I would get a go pro.
With the new Hero 4 out now the Hero 3's and 3+'s will be much cheaper. Shop around and see what you can get. I think go pro is the best camera you can get for it's price, the quality is awesome and even the "lower end" models still record with amazing quality.
It seems like a lot but it's a fairly long term investment.
 
Reactions: Suzanne
Hello! If you're looking for a cheaper GoPro alternative then I suggest you get the GoPro killer: the SJ4000
I got mine from this site... And because it was cheaper, I ordered 2 units and I'll tell you the'yre great for my dives!
Actually, equally comparable with the GoPro3 in terms of quality.

http://www.foxoffer.com/sj4000-full-hd-waterproof-action-helmet-camera-p-659.html#.VEqPP2thiSN

Check out this detailed review before making a purchase, just so you will be informed first:

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2014/2/3/the-sj4000-action-camera-review.htm

Hope this helps!
 
Reactions: Suzanne
Maybe I am ignorant to a potential scam, but I think they look pretty good..... Might get one for that price......
I still think i have been sucked in....
 
Reactions: Suzanne
NZFreediver said:
Maybe I am ignorant to a potential scam, but I think they look pretty good..... Might get one for that price......
I still think i have been sucked in....
Click to expand...

I am not a scammer my friend. I am a professional doctor. And I have nothing to gain from recommending the SJ4000. I am just sharing my personal experience with using it... Just trying to help out a fellow diver who asked for other options for a GoPro... you may also purchase it on Amazon if it suits you. They already have the SJ4000. Good day! ☺
 
Reactions: Suzanne
Doc Bass,
I do not doubt you, I just think it looks fishy Lots of dodgy stuff on the internet, just being vigilant (sort of)
Cheers for your recommendation though
 
Reactions: Suzanne
Hey,

I had a hard time deciding which GoPro camera to buy and spent a good amount of time searching for the best camera for me. I stumbled upon this cool site actionscamera.com that asked me a few personal questions and my preferences. It then recommended the best camera for my needs. You can check it out.
 
SJ4000: So, I love a good scam, and I went to the site...price is awesome, website looks good, tech specs about what I would expect...and they DO accept PayPal..which has some built-in protections for you. I read the reviews and found this one "Diving: I had some water infiltration at -15m. Not a lot, but definitly, I will not recomend to use it deeper. Quality is good. Swimming pool: Does the job perfectly !"...so, that's the stopper for me. My GoPro has never leaked on me...battery life is horrendous (especially with the video back), but the camera does exactly what it says it will.
 
I got the SJ 4000 and I am very happy with the results, not only do we go diving but I can mount it on my motor bike, even when dodging the pot-caves on Maltese roads the software keeps a steady image, I do have issues with the wretched time and date stamp that simply won´t go away but a simple crop will do away with that. A diver buddy of mine had it down to 40 metes without a problem, and the quality of the pictures and the vid is more than adequate for a JPEG, (I like RAW format) so all in all the question is: Go Pro! Why?
 
grandslamthe10tonbomb said:
Niiiice work, but how did you get the date stamp to behave itself?
Click to expand...
Not sure. It just hapen as it happens throught the cam. I think there is a setting in menu options that allow you to have the time stamp or not.
However, once the time stamp is selected, there seems to be no way to get rid of it in the video apart from croping it out.
 
There is a on/off setting however it doesn´t work and it stays on all the time, from reading SJ400 forums I gather that it is a bug in the software version, I can live with it but it is annoying all the same.
 
I just bought a GeekPro, which worked well on the few dives I've used it on so far. The case seems to leak very slightly, but as long as you use desiccant pads inside the housing (which you should anyway because it prevents fogging), and don't press the buttons more than absolutely necessary, the image quality is great. Given that it's less than 1/5 the cost of a GoPro, I can live with the quirks.
 
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