Review By Meghan Gruszynski
Back in August, Mitch Langfield approached us at Worlds waving his iPhone, demanding we check out his new video. He had just finished editing a clip of him riding with his new GoPro camera. The footage was clean, crisp, and had an “up close and personal” feel to it. We had to check one out for ourselves.
The GoPro camera itself is pretty minimal, it’s only 5.3 ounces, about 2×2 inches, and has two buttons. Functionally, the GoPro is anything but minimal. The 5-megapixel camera has multiple modes: video, photo, time lapse, photo burst sequence, self-timer, and upside down image flip. Pretty unreal. Not only is the camera functional, but the different camera mount accessories allow for an endless possibility of shooting angles. The waterproof and shockproof housing are really what makes this camera so appealing to us and many of our fellow riders.
To put GoPro to the test, we headed out to Orlando Watersports Complex with Phil Soven to test the GoPro Surf HERO Wide and three different camera mounts, the board mount, chest strap, and helmet strap. At first, Phil was a little skeptical. He really didn’t believe the camera would not only stay on his helmet but also capture footage that didn’t make the viewer nauseous from shaking. But after properly setting it up, we were impressed with how stable the camera was on his helmet. Phil shredded the cable with a couple of different angles on the top of his helmet. When he came back in with a full SD card, we were all wondering if the footage would actually have enough quality to use. It did.
Uploading the footage is basic and compatible with both Mac and PC. We were impressed at the quality of the footage we got from Phil that day. The helmet mount definitely gives the viewer a firsthand perspective of what it feels like to be the rider. In this case, for all of you who wish you could shred like Phil Soven, you can dream for a couple of minutes by watching the video.
Here at WBM, we’re looking forward to more experimenting with this camera as well as the NEW GoPro HD camera they just released. Limitless possibilities await. For more info on GoPro check out our video, photos, and their website at: GoPro.com
