Grateful for the opportunity to play with the GoPro.
Well, I think I am about done with the GoPro. I have learned a lot about it. And, about various video editors. Note: I did not try Final Cut Pro. I don’t need full Photoshop and I don’t need Final Cut Pro. iMovie 10.1 with a little help from Lightroom does everything I would ever need.
So, am I going to get a GoPro. I can afford one. No, I am not going to get a GoPro. I can understand why the price of GoPro stock has cratered. The GoPro is mostly a toy. A toy that doesn’t really belong in an old woman’s toy box.
The Good. It is really small. And, I really like small. And, it is very low maintenance. It seems to just need a little shower after a trip in the ocean. Even in the underwater case, it is still small. It doesn’t need to be loaded into the housing in air conditioned spaces. And, I haven’t had any issues with fogging. You can charge it with your iPhone plug. As long as wifi is off – battery life is OK. And, I dropped it from waist high to asphalt with no noticeable problem.
Video image quality is good, even great. It has 3 buttons.
The Not So Good. No stabilization. Still image quality isn’t as good as my Google Phone. There is the whole no viewfinder at all thing. It is truly a ‘Point and Pray” device. And, with my elderly eyes – even with my glasses – I can not see all the tiny words on the LED. I was never able to get it to link up to either my android phone or iPad.
Bottom line. It was fun to play with. But, if I need a “rugged” or “snorkel” camera – I would be better served by a little ruggedized PS camera from Panasonic or Olympus. It would be bigger – but image quality, versatility, and functionality would be better and the package would be cheaper. If I just need small – my phone works fine. And, if I really want to do good work underwater – I’d best get a housing for my Olympus. And, the housing would cost more than the camera body. And, a fine fussy underwater setup really doesn’t fit into my simpler lifestyle.
So, I think I am about 45 years too old to appreciate the GoPro. And this is one of today’s GoPro efforts. About as good as it is going to get, I think. (It is less than 2 minutes.)
Watch it in full screen.