HD Hero Camera - ArniesAirsoft

Author

orca

The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla

Registered: September 2004
Location: Behind the Orange Kurtain, So. Kalifornia.
Posts: 1,268

Review Date: 3/8/11

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �225.00 | Rating: 0

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great video quality and color clarity. Good internal mic
Cons:

GoPro (USA)
Type: POV Camera

http://www.digitalwastelands.com/bbimages/airsoft/gopro/gopro-hd-01a.jpg

GoPro - HD Hero Camera

The GoPro - HD Hero Camera is a POV (Point of View) camera system that shoots digital video up to 1080p HD. We've reviewed a few Gun Cameras here in the past, but they do not come close to the quality that can be shot with the HD Hero system.

The other problem with gun mounted cameras, is there tends to be lots of shots of the camera pointing down or up in the air and tons of "shakey" shots (i.e. when running, moving, etc). The gun is not always pointed at the action, so the gun camera will follow suit.

Helmet mounted cameras take much more stable shots. More like a Video Game, First Person Shooter POV. The GoPro HD specifically, takes very nice High Definition digital video, but it does have a "fish eyed" lens. The lens effect reminds me of Virtual Reality from the movie Brainstorm.

The GoPro HD is easy to operate. There are only 2 buttons which control the camera and set options. It has no internal memory, so you will need an SD Card for video storage. The largest SD card it takes is a 32GB which will store 4+ hours at 1080p, 30/fps.

http://www.digitalwastelands.com/bbimages/airsoft/gopro/gopro-hd-02a.jpg

GoPro - HD Hero Camera with NVG Helmet Mount

The following video was shot by our friend Spice at a large airsoft event called Operation Lion Claws X on May 27-29 at George Airforce Base, CA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vAmywRkYpfw

Tech Specs:

Camera Optics

Lens Type: Fixed Focus (2ft/.6m � ∞), glass
Aperture: f/2.8 (high performance in low-light situations)
Angle of View: 170� ultra wide angle in WVGA, 720p, or 960p mode
Angle of View: 127� wide angle in 1080p mode

Video

HD Video Resolution Modes: (subject to change, pending final firmware release)

1080p=1920�1080 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
960p=1280�960 pixels (4:3), 30 fps, 12 Mbit/s data rate
720p=1280�720 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 15 Mbit/s data rate
720p=1280�720 pixels (16:9), 30 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate
WVGA=848�480 pixels (16:9), 60 fps, 8 Mbit/s data rate

Sensor Type: 1/2.5″ HD CMOS, 2.2�m-sized pixels
Light Sensitivity: Super low-light sensitivity (]1.4 V/lux-sec)
Video Format: H.264 compression, saved as Windows- & Mac-compatible MPEG4 (.mp4) file
Exposure Control: Auto with user selectable center weighted average and spot metering settings
White Balance: Auto

Audio

Microphone: Built-in, mono with AGC (automatic gain control)
Audio Format: 48 kHz, AAC audio compression

Photo

Resolution: 5 megapixel
Capture Modes: Single shot, photo every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 secs.; 3 photo burst; self-timer

Storage

Memory: SD card (SDHC), up to 32GB capacity (not included)
Average recording times (using 32GB SD card):

1080p (30 fps): 4h 21m
960p (30 fps): 5h 26m
720p (60 fps): 4h 21
720p (30 fps): 8h 09m
WVGA (60 fps): 8h 09m

Camera Connectors & Cables

PC Connection: USB 2.0 (data connection and battery charging)
HDTV Out: HD NTSC & PAL (component cable incl.)
Audio Out: Combo 2.5mm jack with stereo audio and composite video out
PC Compatibility: Windows� Vista or Windows� 7; Mac OS� X 10.4.11 and later

Power & Battery

Battery Type: Rechargeable 1100 mAh lithium-ion
Battery Life: Approx. 2.5 hrs
Charging: via USB to computer or optional power adapter
Charge Time: 80% capacity after 1 hour with optional power adapter; or 2 hours with a computer�s USB port

Waterproof Camera Housing