Bushwalk Australia

My kids want me to get one.
We don't need one but they look fun, I think the 15 year old wants to take it caving
Any personal recommendations? Different brands, models?

Our current cameras
My daughter uses a Canon EOS 600D with multiple lenses, but I'm not so keen on her taking this out on longer walks or when she goes on Venturer trips.
I have a Canon Powershot SX50HS which is more compact, (plus the ubiquitous iphone)
My old non digital Canon EOS 300V which now lives in the back of the cupboard
Son has a compact point and press something or rather
Hubby doesn't take photos as that would involve stopping

I use a GoPro, there great.

There are 3 new versions released. Hero3. I own a Hero2.

Best bet would be to go to www.gopro.com and do some reading on the difference between the 3 versions. I wish you luck in picking up the black version. there not easy to come by in Australia.

Have a look at this web site for an idea of how good the GoPro is. Most of the footage on these projects is done using GoPro(in particular those scenes where they are walking up rivers etc). These 2 friends of mine just do this for a hobby but produce some first class footage. http://www.inthebubbleline.com/

oldpiscator wrote:Have a look at this web site for an idea of how good the GoPro is. Most of the footage on these projects is done using GoPro(in particular those scenes where they are walking up rivers etc). These 2 friends of mine just do this for a hobby but produce some first class footage. http://www.inthebubbleline.com/

Tell your mates to invest in a flat lens adaptor for there GoPro Housing for the underwater shots. By default the GoPro does a lousy job at capturing underwater footage as seen in there footages. Has something to do with the way light reflects on the Dome lens on the housing. The newer Hero3 has overcome this problem by upgrading the housing to a flat lens. The flat Lens adaptor I have for my GoPro Hero2 allows me to screw on standard filters.

The difference in quality is to be seen, It will blow you away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_DG44VST2E

I am a contour+2 user (http://store.contour.com/ae/internation ... invt/1700/) also a few other similar camera's out there. Mine is mainly used on a bike and for recording fires from the air. Just watch the field of view with these cameras as it can be quite wide. Lots of videos and comparisons between the different cameras on the web.

http://www.launchhelmetcams.com.au/ - a few more options

Oldpiscator and Phillip and Tastrax thanks for those links. The fly fishing blog is a nice one - lucky friends! You don't realise what a difference the lenses make until you see the comparisons

For moi I use a drift HD but then again I use mine for alpine stuff and I cannot stand the go pro style housing perched on top of my helmet. I like the drift as it attaches to the side of my helmet. I also use it on hikes etc on a monopod or on a pack shoulder strap. Works well.

I aim to do more flyfishing, and have an entry level yak to play around with, so I may want to attach it on to it at some stage. Lots of options. Filming while skiing looks like a fun thing to do too. Thanks for the suggestions. More fun researching and learning

Just ordered a hero3 black. I'll mainly be using it on a helmet and like Bluegum Mic I have always hated the idea of the way they mount. However, after doing plenty of research I just couldn't go past it feature wise. Hopefully it won't get in the way too much.

Grabbed it from backcountry.com as I need it reasonably quickly.

I use GoPro's regularly, tonight I will have 2 on stage at Mona Foma as part of a 7 camera shoot.

One of the problems with these units is people record vast quantities of footage and never do anything with it. The filming is 10%, the editing is 90%. Make sure your daughter understands this

The Hero3 is pretty cool. It's also wise to invest in a range of mounts/clamps to get the most creative angles and best potential for the type of shooting you want to do.

stepbystep wrote:I use GoPro's regularly...

And you didn't film that river crossing for us?! Shame, boy - SHAME!

Onestepmore wrote:My kids want me to get one.
We don't need one but they look fun, I think the 15 year old wants to take it caving

Caving is very hard on gear ... all that dirt or mud getting everywhere, and all the scraping and crawling that happens it would be very easy to damage I would think. (I havent held a GoPro but have done a little bit of caving.) Also it is very hard to get good photos/video in a cave due to the dust reflecting your light source (and just the general difficult of lighting what you are trying to capture). The only easy thing I know of to capture, is to blind people with your torch when coming out of a squeeze and grabbing a photo from a slightly different angle (to reduce reflections from the dust).

AND, I agree with SBS. Getting a good result is all about editing and grabbing the few good bits. And having somebody else to film (rather than thinking helmet cam is in itself interesting ... its not!)

Good advice regarding caving use, and especially the editing bit.
It's the same with photos - now there is no worry about the cost of film, you can take almost unlimited amount of shots on your phone, your camera your ipod, your DS, and often they just sit there on your computer unsorted, unlabelled, unshared and unprinted.
I am sure that in the future there won't be boxes of photos found to sort through, evoking memeories and contibuting to family history.
I do kind of miss that little thril of excitment going to the camera shop to pick up your packet of photos, wondering how many worked out, and the satisfaction of having a 'perfect' photo in your hands (violins)
A bit of a shame in one way

But.....I stil want to play with a Go Pro!

tastrax wrote:I am a contour+2 user (http://store.contour.com/ae/internation ... invt/1700/)

I use a Contour +2 as well, they come with a watertight housing, although I use mine for high mountain stuff.
I have mounts attached to both sides of my helmet and it just slides on.
They can bluetooth with your iOS or Android smartphone.
Good gear.