Gopro knockoff?

It seems like at some point someone posted a cheap Gopro style camera but searching found nothing. Does anyone know of something cheaper then Gopro that could be used like one?

You mean the Contour?

GameboyRMH wrote: You mean the Contour?

That is like the same price as the Gopro.

this? http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Pro-High-Definition-Action-Wide-Angle-Camcorder/dp/B008JFS5W8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_p_3

^That's gotta be it

I was thinking Contour because you can get the original ROAM for cheap these days...$90~$120 for a 1080p camera.

GameboyRMH wrote: ^That's gotta be it I was thinking Contour because you can get the original ROAM for cheap these days...$90~$120 for a 1080p camera.

OH neat. That may be an option. The other one posted is nicely priced. lol.

this one? I've been wanting an in car set up like those Mother Russia have. Something cheap, decent quality and if I can get it to turn on with the car instead of having to manually set it up every time, that would be all the better.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/wife-is-going-to-buy-me-a-new-gopro-any-other-options-to-consider/60212/page1/

I have a Veho Muvi that cost $26 and takes decent video with sound. The mounting strategy the camera uses kind of sucks though

I've had one of these on my car. Not terrible, especially not for the price.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=117&cp_id=11704&cs_id=1170401&p_id=10159&seq=1&format=2#description

I have a couple of "Swan freestyle" cams I bought on Woot. They seem fine.

808 Keychain cam. Only buy from eletoponline365 on ebay. that's the only way of being sure you get the genuine.

I have a couple and I LOVE them. Compact, 720p HD, and I got mine complete with USB and a 32g card for something like $68 shipped. Easy txt config for motion sensing, loop, bitrate, super lightweight... really a great setup.

www.techmoan.com has some great reviews including side-by-side comparisons of gopro and 808 keychains. Bang for buck.

I have a Swan Freestyle and a GoPro Hero 3 Black. The GoPro shoots better video and has some pretty cool options like time lapse video but the Swan is much easier to use.

The last time I tried to use the Hero the only thing I managed to record is 34 seconds of me sitting on grid. Their user interface is way more complicated than it needs to be. Complicated is the last thing you need when you are trying to get a car out on track. I really need to dedicate a couple of hours to figuring the thing out. Also, trying to get the pass through power to work makes mine lock up. Then the only way to get it to reset is to pull the battery. Over all on a scale of one to 10, I'd give it a 7.

The Swan, on the other hand, is stupid simple. Flip a switch, push a button it's recording. It's also been very durable. Mine ended up getting salt water in the enclosure. I figured it was dead. That was last summer and it's still working. My biggest complaint is it doesn't handle vibration very well. Even mounted in my van as a dash camera, the video has a really weird vibration to it sometimes. It supposedly has some anti-vibration software in it, but it doesn't work very well. Youtube does a pretty good job of correcting it though.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably pass on the GoPro and buy a couple of more Swans for the same or less money. Then again I'm looking forward to playing with the time lapse feature on the GoPro.

Toyman01 wrote: I have a Swan Freestyle and a GoPro Hero 3 Black. The GoPro shoots better video and has some pretty cool options like time lapse video but the Swan is much easier to use. The last time I tried to use the Hero the only thing I managed to record is 34 seconds of me sitting on grid. Their user interface is way more complicated than it needs to be. Complicated is the last thing you need when you are trying to get a car out on track. I really need to dedicate a couple of hours to figuring the thing out. Also, trying to get the pass through power to work makes mine lock up. Then the only way to get it to reset is to pull the battery. Over all on a scale of one to 10, I'd give it a 7. The Swan, on the other hand, is stupid simple. Flip a switch, push a button it's recording. It's also been very durable. Mine ended up getting salt water in the enclosure. I figured it was dead. That was last summer and it's still working. My biggest complaint is it doesn't handle vibration very well. Even mounted in my van as a dash camera, the video has a really weird vibration to it sometimes. It supposedly has some anti-vibration software in it, but it doesn't work very well. Youtube does a pretty good job of correcting it though. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably pass on the GoPro and buy a couple of more Swans for the same or less money. Then again I'm looking forward to playing with the time lapse feature on the GoPro.

The Hero 3 Black is now widely known to have TONS of issues. If I were you I would return it ASAP and get the silver.GoPro made a big boo-boo with the Black. Which is a pity because the other cameras are all great in my experience.

I received this as a gift: http://www.amazon.com/ASTAK-ActionPro-Camera-Waterproof-CM-7000/dp/B0068LAAOQ

I was told it was on sale, reportedly records in 1080p or 720 at 60 frames/second.

I bought a clamp mount so I have it on my headrest post of my DD while I try to figure it out, it uses standard camera tripod nut size, whatever that is, in addition to a bunch of included mounts.

Reviews complain primarily about the power button not being accessable when sealed in the waterproof case. So you need to turn it on and put it in the case first, then the remote or buttons to record/take pictures, but obviously this kills the standby time.

Just like the gopro, the screen is detachable to save space. One neat feature of this "action cam" is a built in laser, so if you have it mounted without the screen you can turn the laser on to check where the lens is pointing.

I can't comment on the video quality, I shot some 1080p boring commute video's but my old netbook can't seem to process the video fast enough to play smoothly. I was thinking the 720p resolution may be more useful due to the higher frame rate capturing action/ability to play slow motion.

I hope to have a access to a decent PC as I plan to capture some autocrosses this summer.

Overall, it seems like a decent quality unit for a decent price, with practically no support (typical made in china stuff type support) http://www.mysportscam.com/

The mount I bought: http://www.amazon.com/PEDCO-P-UCA-Pedco-UltraClamp-Assembly/dp/B000ABB4HC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364272193&sr=8-1&keywords=camera+clamp

Mount:

View: (picture taken from video camera, claims 8mp)

about the astak actionpro:

I got the video's to play on my ps3 so I can comment on video quality now:

First, this is not 1080p quality. looks good, probably 720 or 720p quality, but not 1080p (running through a HD projector picture isn't perfect. Additional, the photos I took at the 8mp setting do not look like 8mp, lesser quality.

That being said, it takes great pictures and great video, just not as great as advertised. Good for price point, made in china product "claims" obvious however.

For the video the sound is amazing. Picks up quiet subtle sounds but not overwhelmed by loud noises. No idea on wind noise as I took films from in a car cabin. White balance is okay, but not great. No adjustments I have found yet. My commute home this morning was sunny with fresh snow, the picture got washed out. Again, not a terrible video, but the image in the distance was washed out by the bright white.

Potential issues I see: cold sensitivities and operating complexity.

Benefits are price (less than 150 with all accessories included:remote,case,mounts, cables) and decent (apparent) quality

I left the camera mounted in the car over night, temp in mid 20's, when I hopped in the car after work the camera operated but the video had some errors with sound cutting in and out. Once warmed up it functioned perfect. I was thinking this could be an issue in cold climates especially if you mount in the waterproof container outside a vehicle.

The instruction manual is useless. Once you figure out how to operate the camera and video, it is easy. It took me a couple of days to get everything figured out.

I'm happy.

Toyman01 wrote: My biggest complaint is it doesn't handle vibration very well. Even mounted in my van as a dash camera, the video has a really weird vibration to it sometimes. It supposedly has some anti-vibration software in it, but it doesn't work very well.

If possible turn the "anti-vibration" off. Image stabilization in video cameras is made to compensate for slight movement when you are hand holding the camera.

The problem with any image stabilization in a car whether mechanical or digital is that it ends up "chasing itself". When there is a movement the stabilization tries to correct for the movement. The problem in a car is that the movements come so quickly and frequently that the stabilization can't keep up.

I have used various video cameras with image stabilization as in-car cameras and have always had to turn the stabilization off.

Well I have my tax return to spend on one. All $58 of it...

I just picked up a GoPro H3 Silver last night for $214 shipped after coupon. Sure there are cheaper alternatives out there, but the sweet videos sucked me in.

Enyar wrote: I just picked up a GoPro H3 Silver last night for $214 shipped after coupon. Sure there are cheaper alternatives out there, but the sweet videos sucked me in.

If I needed one of these I would probably invest in a gopro, simply for the available company support network. All the negative reviews with problems mention the company attempting to fix it. I would be worried about the "action cam" having the same network.

However, I don't need one, and the camera I got was a present. A very fun present.

Needing to buy addons for the go-pro is a turn off (extra for remote etc.) As well as no standard camera tripod mount is a negative for a gopro.

Less than $100 the mentioned keychain camera with open source software seems the best option. Less than 150 will get you the "action cam" which I believe is very competitive with the gopro at an amateur level.

My "smart" phone is supposed to record 1080p video, but the frame rate is so poor it is useless.

I'll post up some boring commute video's after the weekend to give you an idea of comparison.

i got a Emerson with waterproof case and mounting brackets at biglots for 40 bucks.........looks just like go pro