Member of the Month

partyandBS
December, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Not Impressed With My GoPro, at All.

profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
So I bought the GoPro HD Helmet Hero MegaPack from PointOfViewCameras.ca, what follows is a warning/tale for anyone interested in this camera.

Props to POVC, even with free shipping the camera arrived a week earlier than the Canada post estimated date, and it was undamaged. There were a few mounting nuts missing, is this normal?

I got my GoPro about a week ago, and couldn't be happier. The HD is flat out AMAZING for a 300$, tiny camera like this, I expected much worse. The slow motion (720p60) is sweet, really great for action shots (the whole point of the camera), and the waterproof housing seems legitimately bomber. Now for the bad.

I used the camera for a day or so cliff jumping with some friends= and I quickly realized:

The mounting system sucks. Absolutely incapable of holding the camera straight under any sort of strain, even torquing it tight with a screwdriver wasn't foolproof. it kept flopping over on our pole mount, and while it's not a big problem, it seems like a waterproof camera like this should float.

I had the camera at another cliff-filled area a few days ago, decided to jump off of a 60 foot or so bridge (Indian Brook in Cape Breton, for the 0.5 people who would know/care). I had it ghetto-strapped to my wrist using the helmet strap, which is already ripping, facing my head. I jumped feet-first. The "shock-proof" camera decided to spit out the memory card on water impact, ruining my video. I'm probably gonna return it to POVC, I'm pretty disappointed.

Just a cautionary tale for anyone interested in the GoPro, keep in mind that I might have a defective camera, or that I may be pushing it too hard, but it seems to me that an "action sports camera" should hold up to the pretty unimpressive abuse I've thrown at it.

P.S. Did I format my title correctly? :P
Jul 23 2010 9:21PM
0 0
profile picture
Justo8484
Posts: 3905 - Karma: 206
gopro's customer service is awesome. send them an email and tell them your story, they might help you out. i took a pretty bad fall riding DH two weeks ago with the camera mounted to my helmet and the thing took it like a champ. it moved a little bit, but with a direct hit from a rock, that's to be expected. the video didn't skip and there was really no damage to the case whatsoever, so i'd say their bombproof claim is pretty accurate.
Jul 30 2010 12:30PM
0 0
profile picture
SethLangbauer
Posts: 1119 - Karma: 74
show us the footy!
Nov 5 2010 1:33AM
0 0
profile picture
triebby
Posts: 8670 - Karma: 2,190
Holy shit! That's impressive with the housing on it, but without?! That is just insane!!
Nov 5 2010 8:11AM
0 0
profile picture
snowking249
Posts: 1452 - Karma: 34
Wouldnt mind seeing it either
Nov 5 2010 8:55AM
0 0
profile picture
Caleb.E
Posts: 3556 - Karma: 1,015
this
Nov 5 2010 11:52AM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
A bit of an update:

After talking with Point of View Cameras, from whom I bought my GoPro, they told me that it was actually the cheap memory cards they give out with packages that cause the popping-out, not the GoPro itself. I put a better card in, and haven't had a problem since.

With that cleared up, there's really no merit to what I said before. It's a pretty awesome camera.
Nov 14 2010 10:51AM
0 0
profile picture
joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Weird, I got my GoPro from P.O.V to and I haven't had any problems with the memory card. Good to hear you got that sorted out though.
Nov 14 2010 11:01AM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
Do you have a MaxFlash card? Red and gray label?
Nov 18 2010 6:09PM
0 0
profile picture
thisandthatfilms
Posts: 7714 - Karma: 526
holy shit that was ill
Nov 18 2010 7:26PM
0 0
profile picture
Mogwai.
Posts: 501 - Karma: 29
... that's pretty god damn impressive.
Nov 18 2010 7:58PM
0 0
profile picture
Maximili420
Posts: 565 - Karma: 59
false they advertise it as shock and water proof man
Nov 18 2010 8:06PM
0 0
profile picture
J-Wallz
Posts: 1264 - Karma: 54
and You dont understand it apparently. everyone who know about surface tension knows that's once its broken it looses most of its force. so assuming when he jumped his feet hit the water first thus taking away the surface tension of the water below him. anyone who has jumped off a cliff into water knows this. 60ft jump into water isnt that bad of a jump anyways.

you could set up a model and find the exact force if you wanted to but my bet that is if the OP wasn't super flaily then i would expect the camera to survive.
Nov 18 2010 8:50PM
0 0
profile picture
no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,274
soooo i just smashed mine with a hammer and it broke. the memory card was okay but i snapped it in half and it's broken now. wtf gopro, wtf
Nov 18 2010 9:09PM
0 0
profile picture
MANDER
Posts: 4017 - Karma: 2,038
That was crazy!
Nov 18 2010 9:25PM
0 0
profile picture
thisandthatfilms
Posts: 7714 - Karma: 526
dearlord.
Nov 18 2010 9:28PM
0 0
profile picture
gnarles.
Posts: 2587 - Karma: 130
haha its a camera silly why would it float its heavy dumb ass
Nov 18 2010 10:01PM
0 0
profile picture
brice_SKIIN
Posts: 265 - Karma: 14
YA really get your shit strait, it is not advertised to jump 60ft into water. it is also not gopro's fault u striped the little screws and they will no longer hold, that is your fault, learn how to not strip the threading. I have brought my gopro thru a hole quading season and nothing bad has ever happened to it. U are the only one complaining.

lastly if u try to return it they probably will not take it back because u do not have a legit reason to return it, just your own dumbass choices.
Nov 18 2010 10:45PM
0 0
profile picture
alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
I think his problem was figured out a while ago buddy
Nov 18 2010 10:51PM
0 0
profile picture
brice_SKIIN
Posts: 265 - Karma: 14
ya just read that, i kinda skipped the bottom part after reading the first few comments
Nov 18 2010 11:00PM
0 0
profile picture
tomfallon.
Posts: 104 - Karma: 49
my waterproof camera floats
Nov 19 2010 2:01AM
0 0
profile picture
Most-D
Posts: 729 - Karma: 1,088
How awesome!
Nov 19 2010 6:30AM
0 0
profile picture
meow.
Posts: 21 - Karma: 10
Boats are pretty heavy, they float.
Nov 19 2010 12:23PM
0 0
profile picture
gnarles.
Posts: 2587 - Karma: 130
what im trying to say is they arnt ment to float
Nov 19 2010 1:49PM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
Gnarles, the GoPro almost floats as it is, with the materials it's made of and some engineering (Perhaps an open space within the housing) it wouldn't be hard to make float.
Nov 19 2010 3:04PM
0 0
profile picture
RJ_Res
Posts: 628 - Karma: 292
Can we see this footage?
Nov 19 2010 4:30PM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13


Video.
Nov 19 2010 6:13PM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
The height is anywhere from 38-42 feet, and the camera was on my right wrist.
Nov 19 2010 6:14PM
0 0
profile picture
lilwhiz165
Posts: 502 - Karma: 47
well said my good sir, well said. and yeah youre stupid as fuck
Dec 7 2010 10:04PM
0 0
profile picture
Birdman40
Posts: 2 - Karma: 10
lets see the gopro footy from the drop
Dec 7 2010 10:28PM
0 0
profile picture
CCampbell-A1
Posts: 264 - Karma: 13
Are you stupid? The whole reason I made this thread is because the card popped out on the drop and on other occasions, ruining the footage. Already found out that this was the card and not the camera, problem solved.

Seeing as you dug this thread up from my previous threads, that both of your posts are about me, I'd say you're someone I know who has nothing better to do than make anonymous insults on the internet. Bravo. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face.
Dec 7 2010 10:34PM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)