{"id":1905,"date":"2015-04-13T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foell.org\/justin\/?p=1905"},"modified":"2021-01-10T15:52:09","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T21:52:09","slug":"gopro-what-is-it-good-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foell.org\/justin\/gopro-what-is-it-good-for\/","title":{"rendered":"GoPro… Huh! What is it good for?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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?”<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

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.
\n<\/p>\n

Accessories: where did all my money go?<\/h2>\n

Here’s a list of all the things I’ve added to my camera:<\/p>\n

$80 Wi-Fi remote
\n$20 HDMI Cable
\n$20 Mic Cable
\n$40 “Frame” case & Lens
\n$20 Extra sticky mounts<\/p>\n

That’s $180 alone in accessories. It reminds me of an old bicycle poem found in Grant Peterson’s Just Ride<\/em> (Ch. 5 – Accessories):<\/p>\n

Hey, diddle, diddle,
\nThe bicycle riddle-
\nThe strangest part of the deal.
\nJust keep your accounts
\nAnd add the amounts
\nThe “sundries” cost more than the wheel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

\"GoPro<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Minor Problems, RMA-ed<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

So what is it good for?<\/h2>\n

I’ve used it to document bike rides<\/a> (time-lapse):<\/p>\n