best camera/recorder for kayaking and sports

I am getting ready to buy a gopro 3 ( newest one right ?)here in a day or two and wonder if folks here have already done the learning curve that I will be undertaking...prices...all included vs buying by the specific mount needed...different brands than go pro...underwater or extension pole mounts...remote control buy separate or as a kit....white edition?/silver edition?/black edition hero 3 - whichI'm told has all the stuff to get going in one kit

anyone got an extra for sale...or know where the best place to buy is

should I just ebay ...or save money in the long run and just bite the bullet and buy the top of the line all included costco model and not screw around...that is how I am leaning so far....
any ideas or experiences as you bought yours would be great
CRaig

Hi Craig,
     I own and have used several action cameras and would like to share my opinions with you.
For POV shots, I use the ION Air Pro 2 which was recently updated from the 1st generation Air Pro.  The Air Pro 2 has a better sensor and is better in lower light conditions.  I have it mounted under the bill of my baseball cap.  It starts recording from complete OFF to recording with a slide of the switch, thus saving battery life.  The only improvement I would ask is that they make it with a removable battery, so I can swap it out and keep on going.  It is waterproof right out of the box too.
     I have also owned the Contour HD1080P and used it as a POV hat cam.  It took good video but was harder to turn on.  You have to push the rear power button first, wait for the laser orientation lights to come on, then slide the record switch.  The Contour hat mount shows part of the cap in the picture which I don't like.  It now rests somewhere underwater at Shelter Cove with videos of big Black Rockfish on light tackle spinning.
     For overall pole cam video, I have the Drift Ghost HD by Drift Innovations.   I have it mounted to a pole which fits in a Scotty Tube Rod Holder.  The benefits of this camera over the GoPro is that it is always recording but not saving to the card unless I hit the wireless remote to save the prior 10 minutes and keep recording.  The wireless remote is like a watch, and it blinks different colors to let you know what it is doing.  For recording video with this tagging feature, it blinks green telling me that it is recording but not saving.  When I hit the tag button, it blinks red, telling me it has saved the previous 10 minutes and is still recording.  Because of this feature, I have made a portable battery box with USB power sockets and run power to the camera.  The camera is always on, I never have to worry about running out of power.  Because this camera has a microphone input, I am currently working on mounting a microphone with a wind fuzzy to my console to get better audio.    This camera only does 1080P at 30 fps.  The new model that just came out does 1080P at 60 fps.
     I also have the GoPro Hero 3 Silver.  I hear that the new Hero 3+ Black is awesome.  I like GoPro's image quality and have used it as my pole cam before being replaced with the Drift Ghost HD.  My new use for my GoPro is the RodCam.  I mounted it the butt of my Swim Bait rod and it gives a different perspective to the video.  Here is a video of the RodCam...



Overall, I like all of the cameras that I own.  They all have their specific jobs to do.

Well Craig,

The GoPro Hero 3+ is the newest model so you might be seeing a lot of Hero 3 cameras at lower prices.  I have a Hero 3 Black Edition with built-in WiFi and the remote.  I haven't used the remote yet.  I like to change the settings on my camera via the WiFi with the app on my iPhone.  If pricing is a concern, I would suggest looking at the different specs for the cameras and determining what you are realistically going to shoot and edit in.  There is now need buying the top of the line GoPro if you are only going to shoot in 1080p at 30frames per second.  GoPro has improved the battery life with the Hero 3+ and low light capabilities.  Having the WiFi will drain the battery faster, and that is why I still like the older Hero 2.  If you don't need the WiFi or 120 fps then the Hero 2 will do just fine.  Another factor, if you are planning on using it for diving, I would go with the Hero 3 or Hero3+.  They come with the specialized dive lens and take better footage underwater.

Personally, I like the GoPro products, but there are other players in the market now that are putting the heat on GoPro.  Most of them still don't match up to GoPro, but they are getting close.  Liquid Image, Reel and Sony have nice cameras.

Hopefully this helps a bit.

Good luck!  I look forward to seeing some of your videos in the near future.

Bret

I own a couple of Gopro 3 Blacks and I like them so far. The image quality is amazing and fairly easy to use. I hate the battery life though. The 3+ is a bit better in that department.  If you are leaning towards the Gopro, make sure to compare the Specs on the different models. The black has waaaaay more than just an extra remote. To me, the Black edition is the way to go. But like others have said, don't pay for settings you won't use.

Whatever you choose, I doubt you will be disappointed. The market is very competitive which leads to great products. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks guys...I saw 100 or just under 'sharper image' knock off gopro looking thing on ebay with like 270 sales so far...but I think you guys filled me in on the basic..Dry bones you dont mess around...wow that is a lot of info...
I think a gopro 3 blac edition or 3+(did not even know there was a 3+) will be the model I go for...by the time I learn how to use it and it's stuff...it will be outdated by the gopro6 

thank you for taking the time to share your great experience with em
Craig

went to walmart and they only had the gorpro 3 white edition...maybe all I need...wanted to wait as they had no to help answer questions and the few sales team they did have would not even walk near that section or make eye contact...very busy

went to best buy and they had the hero3+ black edition and the silver edition but no head bands /no float attachment...picked out the silver 3+ GoPro...got in line and then decided we did not want to impulse buy without a head band and float package...also need more research...still old and dumb on this...looking online at the dive gopro3+...I want to only buy this thing once...price is secondary once you have to toss the cheap shit you bought and buy again....silver edition...I'm so confused....they also had a water proof sony that uses a watch type remote...but had no watches left...it was like 100-150 cheaper...impulse shopping is not my favorite way to buy a 2-300 dollar item

The accessories are usually a lot cheaper online. But I agree do a lot of research before you buy. Go on Gopro.com and look at the Comparison chart. That will give you a good idea to the differences between the three models.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ended up with a used gopro hero2 and a good amount of gear to go with it....seems fine...may buy  a few things make a few things for my use...
120 bucks ready to use everything 5 minutes away from a guy c-list that got hero3+ for x-mas

use this for a while then pass it on if I think I need a better one...really like the cheap sony with the wrist watch....maybe just more to break though...
thanks for the input...lot of options I did not know about..gonna ride a canyon on my kawasai balls out later today and see if it records the terror...joy...

The Hero 2 should be fine.

Can't Wait to see some footage...