GoPro Surf HERO - digicam

[Timmy!]

Has anyone seen this before? Looks pretty slick, especially for $159.
http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php...2&productid=7#

Shoot 56 minutes of TV resolution video with sound or 5 megapixel photos automatically for over an hour while your surf. Waterproof to 100 feet/30 meters.

Features a 170º ultra wide angle lens and high-resolution 5 megapixel sensor. The lens is so wide, it can capture a 6'2" surfer from head to toe while he/she is riding a 6'0" surfboard.

[Greg Mallek]

Looks pretty cool, but I woouldn't want to put a plug in my board to mount it.

[Surfdad]

So...I pulled the trigger on one of these and the 2 gig card!!! I have a bunch of donor boards, where should I place the mounts? I want to have one on the nose and I'd love to have one just in front of the front foot maybe turned towards the inside rail. What do you guys think, where would the best mounting positions be?

[ImaPigDog]

Let us know how well this works...I was looking into the Flip Camcorder with a waterproof case but have seen very mixed reviews. This appears to be more durable/waterproof.

What about mounting from the back of the board facing forward?

[Timmy!]

So...I pulled the trigger on one of these and the 2 gig card!!!

Sweeet! I can't wait to see some footage. Can you put one on the very back of the board facing forward so you can see how first hand what it's like to get some air? My only concern with these things is landing on them with your foot or other appendage.

[ImaPigDog]

Also interesting is the suction cup mount to attach to the transom or side/hull of the boat facing the rider.

[Surfdad]

I wanted to try the suction cup on the swimdeck - would be another one of those crazy angle shots. I'm hoping that the shutter speed is fast enough that we actually get some pictures and not just a blur

At the back of the board I was afraid that all we'd get is a bunch of butt pictures

Maybe from the nose pointed right?

[Surfdad]

That was fast! I ordered it yesterday and it arrived today. The instructions indicate to mount it 9" down from the nose of a shortboard or at the very tip of a longboard. I'm thinking that is about thickness of the board rather than focal point of the camera.

I'm tempted to attach it as far forward as I can. Hopefully I'll get a few pictures taken in the "livingroom" this evening as a test and I'll try posting them.

[Surfdad]

The video works great! The stills...I don't know. Any movement seems to just get blurred. We'll have to see how it works out on the boat. It also needs a TON of light, the waterproof housing cuts back on the amount of light getting to the lens.

[ImaPigDog]

Surfdad,

Since this camera is generally tuned toward action sports in daylight, it may be struggling a bit to take stills in low light situations, even though the video appears more responsive.

The camera has a fixed aperture of f/2.8 (for those unfamiliar with photography, this generally does very well in lower light)...but there are two other variables involved - shutter speed (how long it exposes the sensor to light) & ISO (what level of sensitivity to light the sensor has), that determine the exposure of a photograph. The shutter speed in this camera is variable based upon the amount of light...unsure about the ISO (have that question into their support now and will update later with a response).

Video works a bit differently than still photos - more like the human eye that can constantly adjust to different light levels. So, this may function better indoors with video but still be decent at stills outdoors.

Thanks for sharing!

BTW - James ROCKS!!!

[Surfdad]

Thanks Imapigdog! I knew there would be an expert that could give me feedback. We put the mount on the board in the living room and as you can see there is an open window in the far south of the house, but the camera was basically pointed up at like a 60-70 degree angle so I can imagine that it wasn't getting much light. I'm not sure if we are going out this weekend, but if we do, I'll be sure to post up the pictures.

Thanks also for the props for James, he's a good kid.

[Surfdad]

This was great fun! Just like imapigdog concluded, with a ton of sun, the pictures were crisp and clear.

[Surfdad]

The video is kind of fun too.

[Surfdad]

[ImaPigDog]

Surfdad,

I love the still photos - great wide angle/fisheye view. The vids are cool too.

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Great job for the first time out with it!

That is impressive to see that it took photos during a good dunking and seemed to have no ill effects. So, when you get a chance, can you give us some feedback on the use of it. It appears to be very simple to use. How was it installed on the board?

Did you do any post-processing (e.g. Photoshop) or were the photos straight from the camera?

Thanks! I'm anxious to see some more over the summer!


BTW - I contacted the Mfr. and they claimed the ISO is equivalent to 100, which means it will function best with a lot of ambient light (e.g. - bright daylight).