fade94

I have been researching and I find a good bit of negative comments regarding the GoPro. But, they all seem to be of the older camera system. I know they have begun shipping the newest version, HD camera.
Has anybody used the new HD camera and what are your thoughts on it?

spazegun2213

I have not, but a shop owner local to me has, and he said he LOVES the HD. They really improved the microphone (lacking on the SD's) and the rechargeable battery is really nice. The battery life is still not amazing, but they are $20 each, so just grab 2.

I'll be ordering a few as soon as they workout my discount

fire_n_ice

I am also eager to hear reviews about the HD version. I've been using the older model with mixed results.

dbratten

Judge for yourself. This is unedited except for length. I'm very pleased with the results. The camera captured around 10 minutes in 1 GB. Battery life seemed fine and enough for one track day.

--Dan

fire_n_ice

Hey dbratten - thanks for posting those!
I'm very impressed with the resolution quality and overall image (colour, etc.) Looks really nice. There does seem to be a bit of "fish-eye" effect, not sure if that is from one of the camera's settings or if it is always like that?

Also, is there an input for an external mic? The sound is definitely better than the old model, though.

Ramon
p.s. your line in the first vid is WAY better than that boosted 911... I thought he was going to launch himself off the track, he was missing the braking zones so bad!

anotherone

thanks for the vids ; I have the previous model and can see marked improvements. The sound is much improved. Can you tell us how and where you have it mounted?

dbratten

Yes, there is some fisheye as I believe it's filming at 127 deg. angle of view in the 1080p, 30 fps mode which you see. No external mic. I was running with their non-waterproof back that is recommended to use for <100 MPH in the open air. For >100 MPH they say to use the waterproof back to cut down on wind noise. I had the windows down of course but the volume you hear is the default.

It's stuck to the inside of the windshield using the suction cup just to the right of the rearview mirror. It took a few arms and such (in the Motorsports Kit version I purchased) to get it into that position but it turned out to provide a very good view of the track. I may glue a mount there and make it easier to hook up in the future. I only received it two days prior to the track event.

--Dan

NOSLO6

Can this camera film non-HD as well? BIG file sizes.

fire_n_ice

Cool. Thanks for the follow-up. Also, did you notice much quality loss from the original source file by posting to youtube? I've been using Vimeo lately and noticed it is a little more HD-friendly.

Looking forward to more vids!

dbratten

The video is much better locally in Quicktime than on Youtube. Online hosts all seem to limit to 720p while the original file is 1080p. I didn't look at Vimeo but it appears to require that an upgrade be purchased to do HD well. I don't care to do that. Quicktime also has a direct Share to Youtube option which made processing very easy and relatively quick considering the files are around 900 MB each.

Full specs are online at GoProCamera.

--Dan