GoPro HERO11? 10? Something else?

All these comments make me wonder if all I really need is some kind of aimable magnetic mount for my iphone to mount between my head rests. It already takes flawless 4k video with great stablization and just plain works. 

Image stabilization, even the GoPro kind, makes me queasy with the way everything ebbs and flows, and I always turn it off.  Use as solid a mount as possible to prevent bouncing and if the car shakes, it shakes.  That's realism.  This isn't a video game.

I just picked up an Insa360 X3 and I have to say it's pretty magical. I have not tried pulling GPS data off it yet but the image quality is just as good if not better than GoPro. Keep an eye out for some of the footage in upcoming car reviews. 

I'm still pretty happy with the reliability of the now-ancient GoPro2. Recently I pushed a battery to the limit and recorded a 1.5hr 720p video. I have an ffmpeg script for quickly stitching chaptered videos together and there are plenty of free and libre tools for editing the files they put out, no need to worry about what the manufacturer wants you to use.

The biggest reliability issue I've seen is getting videos with no audio, if you see any other trouble with early models it's likely a failing SD card or it's just too cold outside, they really don't like that. The Gen1/2s also never overheat, while overheating seems to be the #1 issue with newer GoPros.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Image stabilization, even the GoPro kind, makes me queasy with the way everything ebbs and flows, and I always turn it off.  Use as solid a mount as possible to prevent bouncing and if the car shakes, it shakes.  That's realism.  This isn't a video game.

Stabilization is nice if the point of view is mostly stationary but not very stable. As soon as things are actually moving (like a car changing direction a lot) it's complete garbage. At worst it's actually unwatchable, at best it's watchable but really hard to tell what's actually happening. If you just want a video that looks cool some slight stabilization *might* be okay, but if you want to learn anything from it all of the stabilization stuff needs to be off.

dps214 said:

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Image stabilization, even the GoPro kind, makes me queasy with the way everything ebbs and flows, and I always turn it off.  Use as solid a mount as possible to prevent bouncing and if the car shakes, it shakes.  That's realism.  This isn't a video game.

Stabilization is nice if the point of view is mostly stationary but not very stable. As soon as things are actually moving (like a car changing direction a lot) it's complete garbage. At worst it's actually unwatchable, at best it's watchable but really hard to tell what's actually happening. If you just want a video that looks cool some slight stabilization *might* be okay, but if you want to learn anything from it all of the stabilization stuff needs to be off.

Depends on where you mount it. For a harness bar mount it probably does more harm than good. For a helmet mounted camera it was almost required. For exterior shots like maybe a bumper cam it can be helpful, depending on use and mount rigidity. Some of the go pros do weird panning when you leave it on. That's why I liked the insta360 stuff. Either way I'd rather do it in post so I can choose not to use it.