GoPro HD HERO Cameras

1080p Cameras that Are as Extreme as You Are

Matt Schirano

What it Does

GoPro HD HERO Cameras are wearable 1080p HD video cameras with 5 MP photo camera capabilities. They can shoot in 30 or 60 frames per second, allowing you to enhance or diminish video quality to manage file size. There are several different versions of the GoPro HD HERO Cameras, based on the type of extreme sport you are doing. They are listed below:

HD Helmet HERO - $299.99 - Skiing, biking, hiking
HD 960 HERO - $179.99 - Same as the Helmet HERO but in 960p not 1080p
HD Motorsports HERO - $299.99 - Driving
HD Surf HERO - $269.99 - Surfing, wakeboarding
HD Naked HERO - $259.99 - Daily activities

All of these cameras can last 2.5 hours on a single charge, so you'll be able to go on a decently lengthy adventure before having to recharge. As for recording time, these cameras can fit up to 9 hours on a 32GB SD card which is not included. Basically you choose the size of SD card you want to put in there.

An interesting feature of these cameras (the 960 not included) is the ability to automatically shoot 5 MP photos at differing intervals. Intervals include 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. This is a great feature for taking time lapse photography of your adventure, or just taking periodic pictures during a party or family gathering. This feature is capable of automatically taking photographs for up to 2.5 hours.

A really cool feature of the GoPro HD HERO Camera system is the ability to shoot in 3D. Combine two 1080p GoPro cameras and house them in a 3D case ($99.99). The two cameras connect via an interface on the bottom side, and combine to shoot 3D footage in 1080p.

Accessories

Accessories are an extremely important part of the GoPro HD HERO Camera experience. Depending on what you want to do with it, there is an accessory for it. The question is just how much do you want to do? There is a chest mount harness for hiking, biking, or anything else where you might want it strapped to your chest. The rechargeable Lithium-ion battery lets you bring a secondary battery with you in case you're planning on recording for a long time in a single day. A suction cup mount lets you mount the camera to the inside of a car on a window, or on the dash. A camera roll bar lets you mount the camera to the handlebar of a motorcycle or bicycle or even a dune buggy or car with a roll bar. There is a camera mount accessory kit in case you want to mount the camera to a wall or some other solid surface. A head strap mount is pretty straight forward, strap it to your head and people will see what you see! A tripod mount lets you slap the GoPro HD HERO Camera to the top of a tripod.

Sources:

http://gopro.com/products/?gclid=CNGrhJTG_KkCFQM-bAodVjd1YA

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/gopro-motorsports-hd-hero/4505-6501_7-33874215.html

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/gopro-HD-hero-review-and-helmet-cam-face-off/

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DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.

Published by Matt Schirano

Matt Schirano is a freelance writer living in Glendale, Arizona. He has a Bachelor's in Journalism and a Masters in Library Science.  View profile

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