Jessi got me a GoPro for Christmas a year or so back. I think it was one of those “what do you get for the guy that has everything?” moments. It was quite a surprise and I asked myself what I would use it for at that moment. So I thought I’d reflect on what I have used it for, and what I have yet to use it for.
Jessi got me the entry level “White” GoPro 3. Anything more than this would have been overkill for me. Wi-Fi? Check. 1080p? Check. Even as one of the least expensive models, the GoPro model quickly became clear to me: you’ll almost spend as much on accessories as you did on the camera. Continue reading →
Accessories: where did all my money go?
Here’s a list of all the things I’ve added to my camera:
$80 Wi-Fi remote
$20 HDMI Cable
$20 Mic Cable
$40 “Frame” case & Lens
$20 Extra sticky mounts
That’s $180 alone in accessories. It reminds me of an old bicycle poem found in Grant Peterson’s Just Ride (Ch. 5 – Accessories):
Hey, diddle, diddle,
The bicycle riddle-
The strangest part of the deal.
Just keep your accounts
And add the amounts
The “sundries” cost more than the wheel.
I haven’t purchased the LCD screen “BacPac” – that would definitely put the cost of the accessories over that of the camera. Instead I use the Wi-Fi and the GoPro app on my phone to preview the picture.
After debating between an extra set of mounts and a head-strap, I went with the extra mounts. To substitute for the head-strap, I made a GoPro hat:
I affixed a curved mount to the brim of a baseball cap. The mounts have some pretty awesome 3M double-stick tape. I stuck it onto a black hat I got for free at the Minnesota State Fair. Boom, instant head mount.
Minor Problems, RMA-ed
I’ve used the GoPro to record drum corps rehearsals (with an external mic for better audio). That’s how I found out my camera induced noise into the audio stream when using an external mic with Wi-Fi on.
My camera also had a problem where it would lock up when I connected it via HDMI to my TV. The support team at GoPro couldn’t help me on that, but when I returned my camera to fix the Wi-Fi/audio issue, the HDMI lock-up problem mysteriously went away as well. I suspect there are a few hundred early revisions of the GoPro 3 White hardware floating around out there with these same issues.
I’ve used it as a point and shoot camera in a pinch, although the fish-eye effect needs to be removed:
I strapped it onto an ATV at our Family Reunion:
I used the “GoPro Hat” to document my R/C racing exploits:
I even put a camera in Jules’ R/C car once just for fun:
I also put the camera on my dad’s Lionel train set after getting it up and running. I forgot how much sparks that thing makes (fun)!
Sometime I’m going to put a GoPro on my sport kite, but I worry it would be too dizzying:
I’ll eventually put it in an R/C plane or a multi-rotor copter and try some first person view (FPV) flying, but I need to learn to fly first 🙂 Until then, I’ll just use it whenever the mood strikes.
I love a beautiful woman just as much as the next guy, in fact I’m married to a beautiful woman. But it has also taken me 38 years, plus having a daughter to realize that our objectification of this beauty is embarrassing. It’s cultural sexism that needs to stop.
Part of the problem (and also the solution) are the male influencers (read: people in charge) of whatever sport, hobby, activity, field, etc. that lacks female involvement. If you’ve heard the phrase, “it’s a male dominated [sport, field, industry, etc.],” that’s a smoking gun. Now it’s time to look towards the top brass to see who’s creating/fostering this environment, and point them in a better direction.
After my son badgered me to bring down my old HPI RS4, I caught the bug… again. So we went to the local track to find out what classes they run so I could get my car prepped. While cul-de-sac crashing is fun, I find competition is a better measuring stick to live by.
Since Jules was so excited to get out my radio control car from the garage, he was naturally excited to drive it. I failed to explain to him how fast it goes before turning the controller over to him. It was like the first time I shot a rifle with a hair trigger. As my friend had just begun to explain how sensitive the trigger is, I had already shot it. It went something like, “Now, you’ll want to – BOOM!”
