HD Camcorder or Go Pro??

[ericjkelly]

Hey guys! Hey so I am thinking about my next purchase for chasing. I have been using two mini dv cameras for a few years and have thought about getting a HD Camcorder with 40x zoom. But a buddy of mine has a Go Pro which is really amazing!

What would you recommend? Does anyone use a Go Pro? I would love to clip it to my roof rack as a bow echo goes over the car etc.


Thoughts?

 

[Bill Hark]

Hey guys! Hey so I am thinking about my next purchase for chasing. I have been using two mini dv cameras for a few years and have thought about getting a HD Camcorder with 40x zoom. But a buddy of mine has a Go Pro which is really amazing!

What would you recommend? Does anyone use a Go Pro? I would love to clip it to my roof rack as a bow echo goes over the car etc.


Thoughts?

The Go Pro camera is very nice as an addition but I would not recommend it as a main chase camera. The resolution is very good but the low light capability is poor. If you can handle the cost, I would recommend both. There are now decent refurbished or used HD camcorders on the market. I recently bought another Canon HV20. Then, add the GoPro for time lapse, interior views of the chasers or other interesting angles.

Bill Hark

 

[Nick Nolte]

I second Bill's recommendation. The GoPro is subpar in low light conditions, it is fine for B-Roll footage, but for primary, no. I have a clip from inside a dome atop my car during the Mapleton, IA tornado. This happened right at dusk, or a bit after, and it gives you a feel for the performance in low light...it's not that great lol. I also find it is not suitable for streaming...the field of view is so large it often distorts any interesting features you might have in frame, and make them a lot smaller than they would appear in a regular camera. Next year, it will solely be my alternate footage camera. I use a Sony HDR-cx500v for my primary cam, but there are alternate/better options for that. I don't quite have the investment in videography equipment that many others do.

Heres that GoPro clip from Mapleton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAzpFcgjEmw

 

[ericjkelly]

Thanks for the wisdom...I do plan to keep my JVC Mini DV as my dashcam. Love the firewire connection etc.

I will add a decent HD camcorder at somepoint. I just like the abuse you give the gopro. Thought for hail and stuff!

Thanks guys