Paikea Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 It seems that GoPro Cameras are all the rage for recording outdoor activities including fishing. Not being to well up on digital technology (unlike my grandkids) can anyone offer some (simple language) advice on choosing the best model for boat and shore fishing including underwater shots? The reports that I have read all go into great detail about the technical aspects of each model but unless one is up to speed on what each reference to pixels, depth of field, aperture etc means in terms of ease of use and application it is difficult to come to any conclusions. Ideally advice from someone who owns and operates a GoPro and can describe how and for what they use it would be great. Thanks Cheers Paikea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolforjesus Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Hi there, I decided to go for a Sony "Action Cam" over a Go Pro. Reasons being: 1/. The battery life lasts 2-3 times longer than the GP. 2/. As opposed to the GP under saturating the colours, the AC over exposes, which in my opinion is the better of the two. 3/. For the AC wifi version (ability to live stream to your iPhone) it's cheaper by around $100 than the GP Black. 4/. Watching a side by side YouTube comparison, the verdict after numerous tests was the Sony AC was overall the pick out of the two. That said, the GP has a better range of mounts at the moment, however Sony are getting more available all the time. I recently upgraded the waterproof housing to the flat door, and for underwater footage it's excellent. I got the camera for fishing, and to me battery life was a big advantage with the Sony AC over the GP. Overall I'm very happy with the Sony AC. I am in favour of the GP too, but I think for the cost, the battery life, the saturation, the Sony is the one to go for. Not to mention Sonys famous anti shock stabilisation. I would imagine at some stage in the not too distant future, a brand will come out that captures the best of all the leading action cams. As for today, I think Sony is the way to go. Cheers, Chris Edited August 29, 2013 by foolforjesus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeb870 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I was tossing up between the Sony and the GoPro, ended up going with the GoPro Black. Excellent device but unfortunately the worst battery life ever. Chris is also right about the price, the Sony was cheaper and every time my battery runs out I hate myself for not going with the Sony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharris Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Ive been looking at the sony but not sure yet dont like the mountings and also are you able to run muti cameras at the same time like the wifi black cause thats the main reason im looking at the gopro Sent from my GT-S7500T using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjc123 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Get a battery pack with the GP. Doubles it's life to a bit over 2 hours. You can also grab another battery to have charged as spare and then you have over 3 hours battery. Bit of a pain the battery life but the cameras perform well. Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolforjesus Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Get a battery pack with the GP. Doubles it's life to a bit over 2 hours. You can also grab another battery to have charged as spare and then you have over 3 hours battery. Bit of a pain the battery life but the cameras perform well. Cheers, Tom Fair comment, however, when I was tossing up between the Go Pro Black and the Sony, the reviews and testing leaned more towards 45 minutes tops on full settings with the Go Pro Black. Which would give you 1.5 hours with the battery pack, and just under 2.5 hours with another battery in reserve. If your happy to shell out another $100 plus on top of the $450 (Go Pro Black) for the extra batteries that's cool, just thought I'd throw that out there as well. I can confirm that I use the Sony pretty much all day off and on, and rarely have need to change over the battery, getting between 2-3 hours use from the one battery. Which ever way you go, imo, they are both good and have pros and cons. Edited August 29, 2013 by foolforjesus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewie Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I work in TV and we use Gopros every week. I would recommend the gopro as it is so established now. It has so many versatile mounting options, and is great quality. i would recommend buying the hero 3 silver or black. Black is the best if you can afford it. as you want to do some underwater shots, make sure you have a flat lens on the housing. the hero 2 models have a round lens on the housing and underwater this limits the focus of the camera to about 1 meter (buying the dive housing eliminates this problem but if you get the hero 3, the flat housing is standard. the wifi in them chew the battery power so turn it off when your not using it. also, the wifi does not work underwater. other great cameras are the contour brand. all have there pros and cons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbdshroom Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 (edited) Quality comparison. http://vimeo.com/54860841 Everyone's got their own opinion but imo I prefer the Sony. Video and sound appears sharper. Sound is underrated but it's very important. Edited August 29, 2013 by nbdshroom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolforjesus Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I find the wifi streaming does work on the Sony underwater,but only for around 5 seconds. It's a case then of lifting out of the water for it to re connect, then go back under. Wifi obviously struggles to work through water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benm Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Sony Action Cam looks okay, but from what I have read, using it with the waterproof cover seems pretty lame with just one button for start/stop recording. You can't make any adjustments at all or even turn it on/off without taking the waterproof cover off. In any fishing environment you will want protection from the water so that's a big let down for me, especially since my main use would be on my kayak. I have been looking for 6 months and still can't decide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolforjesus Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I got the head mount for the Sony Cam, which doesn't have to be in its waterproof housing, which is excellent. The audio is top notch, and of course cracking HD video. I then quickly change the scene to water and pop it in the underwater housing and I'm straight underwater. The audio is pretty good too in the housing, plus there is a new door with two small homes for improved audio waterproof to 10 metres which is great too. I honestly don't find the one button record in the housing an issue, plus you can access some settings from wifi anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolforjesus Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I guess on a kayak though you would want to keep it in the underwater housing just in case you went tipsys. So yeah, it's not bad IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest no one Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I just got a MUVI Atom which was on sale for only $100 which is perfect for what i want to do with it as id feel very bad about casting a $300 camera off a beach! I bought mine to get a better idea of my bait presentation and bites while rock/surf fishing... strait away I have made mods to the underwater casing so it can attach to my line and sit right away from my rig. I want to get an underwater view of the fishing grounds i target and more of an understanding of my rigs... lots of R&D should help me catch so better fish, also I cant wait to see the results and the size of the fish that are not eating my bait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderace Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Have a look at contour, good battery life, simple to turn on, wate proof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen801 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Go the Pro. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paikea Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 Can all of these cameras take still shots as well as video? Thanks Paikea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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