You are starting to read an article in which I intend to collect all the information related to action cameras in general and GoPro cameras in particular.
In this article I am going to solve all your doubts and answer the most frequently asked questions related to GoPro cameras and action cameras in general. From the ideal user to tips for photographing with them, including, of course, recommendations on which GoPro to buy .
If you are looking for information about this type of cameras, this is your site. Get comfortable and take note or save it as a favorite so you don't lose sight of it, because all this is what we are going to see.
And if what you are looking for is an original gift for a photographer, here you have many more ideas.
WHAT IS A GOPRO?
A GoPro is a camera for photos and videos with a particularly compact body and extremely light weight. These types of cameras are usually very resistant to shocks and splashes of water, which makes them an ideal camera for action, extreme sports, underwater photography and any other extreme situation.
The term GoPro originally referred to a brandspecific, but currently it is also used to designate a type of cameras, regardless of their brand.
WHO ARE GOPRO CAMERAS FOR?
If your thing is to get pictures wherever you go and whatever you do, whether you are in the water, in the air, or skiing at high speed, it is for you. Although the GoPro is not the only camera model oriented towards extreme situations or sports , it is the best known and probably the best in its most advanced models.
In fact, GoPros have become the name used for virtually all action cameras. If you hear someone saying that they have bought a GoPro for 20 euros, they have actually bought a cheaper action camera from another brand, then we will go deeper into this topic. But for you to finish situating yourself, saying GoPro to action cameras is like calling clinex (Kleenex)with paper tissue, or Nocilla with cocoa cream.
I think the reason why action cameras are so successful is because they are aimed at anyone who loves the style of the images they make. Thanks to its Super Wide Angle lens, you can bring a lot of surroundings into the frame. That allows you to include the protagonists with a good portion of the landscape, or fit a lot of people into the same image.
In addition, as we will see immediately, thanks to its accessories you can create images with points of view, and in situations, that you would not be able to with any other camera. You don't have to be a freestyle fan , you like to swim in summer, ski in winter or go for a walk in the mountains from time to time, you can already find many uses for these versatile cameras.
Of course, if you are also a fan of adventure sports and want to demonstrate the fascinating environments and situations in which you move, an action camera is your ideal camera, without a doubt.
Now, if such a small size, resistance to shocks or adverse weather conditions are not your priority and what you are looking for is image quality and advanced options, then you will have to look for an advanced compact camera or even an EVIL .
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN ACTION CAMERA?
I have already told you a lot, but to give you ideas and clarify more, here is a list of some of the GoPro camera utilities, we are going to call it that since we are among friends, although we are talking about action cameras in general.
- Recording a parachute fall, your experience in rafting , rappelling, bungee jumping , Wingsuiting Flying or any other extreme sport that ends in -ing (or not), but that raises your adrenaline to obscene levels...
- Capture the sequence of how you surf a wave.
- Immortalize the seabed or, for that matter, the mouth of a shark ? .
- Photograph your relaxed bike ride or your descent through the mountains with your Mountain Bike at full speed. Or even on a motorcycle if extreme speed is your thing.
- Capture street scenes with impossible angles without being seen.
- Take the craziest selfies with your friends.
- Place it inside your guitar and record how your fingers strum the strings.
- Put it on the collar, or on the back of your pet and know what it does, where it hides or "how it sees the world".
- Or know what your baby sees from his stroller while you walk.
- Even, why not? Use it as a spy camera.
In short, everything you would like to record and/or photograph but cannot do with your SLR, evil or compact camera, surely you can do it with an action camera.
ACTION CAMERA FEATURES
As I have already mentioned in the introduction, GoPro cameras are designed and prepared for extreme scenarios such as snow, water, and high-speed sports. Thanks to its small size, its lightweight and waterproof body, and its support accessories, it adapts to almost any extreme situation you throw it at.
But... be careful! Not all action cameras are waterproof, although those that are not, can be with a waterproof case, that is, a case to submerge them, like the one in the following image.
Since there are different models, it is clear that the specific characteristics vary from one to another, but there are some general ones that apply to all action cameras:
- Size: more or less they move around 6.2 x 4.4 x 3.2 cm.
- Digital lenses: SuperView, Wide Angle, Linear, Narrow in the top model, and Wide Angle in the most "basic".
- Very light: all models move around an approximate weight of: 120g.
- Submersible without casing up to 10m and with casing (sold as an accessory) up to 40m.
- Resolution up to 20MP, depending on the model.
- Video recording, some up to 5k.
MORE ADVANCED FEATURES OF GOPRO CAMERAS
In addition to the general characteristics, among the most advanced models you can find these others:
- Touch screen.
- Voice control.
- Video stabilizer.
- GPS.
- WIFI and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Application to edit the videos and images and control the camera remotely.
WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF ACTION CAMERAS?
The qualitative leap that these cameras have taken in a few years is surprising. From being little more than curious almost toy cameras , to what they have become today. Cameras with up to 20MP and recording in 5k, in slow motion, with dizzying stabilization, time lapse or night mode, the truth is that the jump is surprising.
Being able to have, in addition, a fisheye focal length that transforms into different focal styles, a touch screen, voice control, GPS, and even being able to work underwater without a housing, all in just over 100g of weight that fit in the palm of a small child's hand, is a joy.
They complement each other through their many accessories, because these cameras are designed not only for you to take pictures by pressing the shutter button, but also to let them work automatically (video, burst) while you yourself are the protagonist of the action .
Thanks to this you can obtain images in circumstances and from unique points of view that would otherwise be impossible. On top of a helmet, on a snowboard or surfboard, on the handlebars of a bicycle, on the chest... Can you imagine how many different points of view you can get just thanks to GoPro accessories??
Because, it is not only with the cameras that GoPro has taken the initiative, but, above all, with everything that complements them and allows you to take them anywhere to do whatever comes to your mind, above from the clouds or under the sea.
As for image quality, obviously it will depend on the camera. There are from 20 euros to 400, and the difference is noticeable, obviously. Some cheap models offer quite decent quality, especially if it is for sharing on social networks. And if we talk about the most advanced GoPros, they pass the exam with flying colors. Obviously, they will not reach the quality of an SLR of the same price , starting with the size of the sensor, but with an SLR you could never take the photos that you will with an action camera. As I always say, there is no perfect camera, but rather the ideal camera for each user.
As a sample of what they are capable of doing, here is a gallery of photos taken with different GoPro models.
EXAMPLES OF PHOTOS TAKEN WITH A GOPRO
As an example of the GoPro Hero9 Black, well, I'd better put this video and that way you clear up any doubts about what it can give of itself.
Not bad at all, right?
TIPS FOR SHOOTING AND RECORDING WITH A GOPRO
It is time to see how to take advantage of action cameras, with these tips your photos will be more spectacular and your videos much more interesting:
- Adjust the appropriate settings based on the type of photos you want to take and the situation. Always check the settings before recording or shooting.
- Clean the lens before starting to record or photograph. It is easy for it to get dirty with fingerprints, dust, or to be tarnished. A soft cloth and that's it.
- Photography with enough light. Since they have the small sensor, photos with light come out much better than when the light is low. Although during sunrise and sunset you can also achieve impressive photographs.
- Think about what you want to record or photograph and how. Analyzing what you want to capture with the GoPro will save you not only having accumulated useless material, but also thinking about the composition or quality of your video to obtain better results. Compose your photos or videos just like you would with a mobile or any other camera, in this article you will find composition tips and tricks to achieve impressive photos.
- And speaking of composition, change the angle from which you shoot video. A long video all the time from the same point of view is very boring. Change the perspective and the distance, for this, use the accessories and, of course, your creativity!! That's right, the one that's free and doesn't weigh or take up space in your backpack!
- In the water these tips will help you.
- Stabilize the camera. There are a lot of accessories to stabilize your GoPro, all kinds of supports depending on the activity you are doing. Use them because they will give you the stability you need for photos and, above all, for videos.
- Take care of the funds. These cameras stand out for having a great depth of field, so I recommend you locate interesting backgrounds because they will be seen no matter what, here there is no option to blur so much that the background cannot be distinguished.
- Record yourself using accessories, such as a selfie stick, tripod or any other (you will see the number of accessories available later). In this way, the angle is better, there are less distortions of the face and, as I have already mentioned, greater stabilization.
- Outdoors, take care of the sound if you are talking or if you are going to leave the sound of the moment. Take shelter from the wind so that there is no annoying noise behind you or use the right accessories to minimize this unpleasant noise.
- For videos, use the highest quality you can enjoy (for example, why record in 4k if you are going to watch the videos on your mobile and you have no intention of sharing them?). You will save storage and battery.
- Be original. Try new things, dare, be creative and show your own vision.
HOW LONG DOES A GOPRO BATTERY LAST?
Battery life depends on the camera model. Approximately, they last about 90 minutes, although some can go past 2 hours.
If we take into account that these cameras are for action and that it is normal to use them in natural environments, the most advisable and sensible thing to do is to carry spare batteries, because recharging them on the spot is generally not an easy task. However, and thinking about possible emergencies, I leave you the following tricks.
HOW TO EXTEND THE BATTERY OF THE GOPRO?
As I was saying, the ideal is to bring spare batteries, or even a solar chargerif your adventure is going to last several days in the middle of nature, but there are also certain gestures with which you can extend the battery life in emergency situations :
- Turn it off when you're not using it.
- Disconnect the Wi-Fi function and all those functions that you do not need.
- Lower the recording resolution.
- Don't use the burst.
- Avoid remote triggering.
- Charge from the wall socket instead of a USB.
- Turn off voice control.
- Keep it close to the body, the cold causes the batteries to run out sooner.
Also keep in mind that the longer you have a battery, the less it will last. Therefore, new batteries have a longer life. Also, you should know that batteries discharge even if they are not in use, so remember to charge it well after not using it for a long time, even if you left it fully charged.
This leads me to talk about the problems that GoPros present.
GOPRO CAMERA PROBLEMS
These are the most frequent problems or commented on by GoPro users, just so you keep them in mind:
- If the battery of a new GoPro discharges in two or three days when it is turned off, it is not normal, it is normal for it to discharge little by little, but not completely so quickly.
- If you shoot in 4k or 5k, the camera can get too hot. It does not happen always or with all but it is quite common.
- Sometimes the image of the Hero 7 freezes, it is solved by changing the battery, but sometimes the situation is not the most appropriate to remove the battery, for example if you are diving.
- The GoPro Hero 9 is not all that glitters, gold, I'll tell you why below.
GOPRO CAMERA ACCESSORIES
With accessories I have always had the feeling of "if you dream it, you have it" ? Almost everything you can think of, they have already thought of before and they have prepared the perfect accessory for it.
- Camera and/or battery case
- camera case
- screen protector case
- chest harnesses
- Smart Remote (remote shutter release)
- head strap
- retaining clip
- Floating grip (or commonly known as a selfie stick ? )
- Suction cups
- Bar support (handlebar, bike seat)
- helmet front plate
- tripod mounts
- Support for hand, wrist, arm or foot
- surfboard rack
- diving filtersto improve underwater photos and videos (make sure they are compatible with your camera, of course).
- Diving goggles with support for the action camera, such as these.
- batteries
- chargers
- Microphone
- anti-fog foils
- microHDMI to HDMI cable adapters
- Tripod or mini tripod (the best mini tripods here).
- And everything you can imagine, even a dog harness with support for your action camera?
If you want them original you can buy them from their official page, if you don't care, you can find everything you can imagine on Amazonat much lower prices.
HOW TO CHOOSE A GOPRO?
Since they are very easy to use cameras, the question is more “how much am I willing to spend” , because the extra features are not always necessary, but they never do any harm. A little more quality here and there or a little more here and there can always come in handy, and for the same size and weight there are never too many. Of course, it depends on how your pocket is and the needs you have ?
What you have to make sure is to find a camera that meets what you are looking for within your budget. If I were you, before choosing, I would answer these types of questions in addition to the one that I have already asked you above:
- What features am I looking for?
- Do I need yes or yes to have GPS?
- Is voice control essential?
- Is the sound of the audio important?
- Am I going to use it very sporadically or very often?
- What video quality do I need? What use am I going to give to the videos?
- What photo quality do I need? Am I going to print them? to what size? Are they just for posting on social media?
Answering these types of questions will help you determine the characteristics that you have to start from when looking for your ideal action camera or GoPro.
CHEAP ACTION CAMERAS VS. GOPRO
I have already told you that GoPros are the most famous action cameras and to which higher quality is attributed. Perhaps this is the case in its most advanced models, or that it was in the beginning, however, there are already so many models and price ranges that this is not a truth without nuances, since there are numerous alternatives.
What is true is that the cheapest action cameras have optical stabilization, connectivity failures with the mobile application, presence of unreal colors, smaller size and/or quality sensors as weak points.
Now the million dollar question.
SHOULD I BUY A GOPRO OR A CHEAP ACTION CAMERA?
If you're still asking yourself this question, really ask yourself why you need it.
Do you want it for regular use? Do you care about video and sound quality because you have content to share? Are you going to trade with them or do any professional work? Are you an extreme sports professional and need to document your exploits? In this case you will have to be more demanding in the choice.
On the contrary, are you thinking of a toy? Do you want to try, experiment, use it as a complement to another SLR or EVIL camera? Is it for use with children? Then a cheap action camera will probably suffice.
Let's look at some recommended models from both GoPro and cheaper action cameras.
WHAT GOPRO TO BUY?
If you are thinking of buying a GoPro camera, then I share the current models with their main features and prices:
GOPRO HERO8 BLACK
Model with improved HDR compared to the predecessor Hero7 Black, 12MP resolution, 4k recording, removable battery, touch screen, improved video stabilization with the HyperSmooth 2.0 version, sequential video capture, and its different SuperView digital lenses, Wide Angle, Linear, Narrow.
It also captures in RAW, allows you to customize settings, has voice control and activation, night sequence video , 1080p live streaming, 8x slow motion, stereo audio.
Regarding the design, the mounting slot is integrated, which means that we do not have to add a casing to connect it to other accessories. Of course, you also have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. among other features.
You can find it on Amazon for €329.95
HERO9 BLACK
20 MP, up to 5k recording, and has "more of everything" than its predecessors, so much so that it's also larger (mainly due to larger screens and longer battery life). They highlight the correction of the horizon, the new front screen with preview, x8 slow motion and, above all, the stabilization of videos that is impressive. Another novelty is that the lens protector can be easily removed, good news because if it breaks, you can change it yourself.
You also don't need the plastic support to attach accessories and support, a system is already integrated to be able to do it directly on the camera. In addition, it comes with a case to store it, which is appreciated.
I leave you the presentation video and if you want more details, you can see them on the official GoPro page.
Disadvantages (because as I told you, all that glitters is not gold, of course): as long as you have the accessories of the GoPro Hero8 such as a microphone, focus, etc. They will not serve you and you will have to buy others.
You also lose HDMI connectivity to watch videos with the cable that came standard. Now you need an extra accessory that has a not inconsiderable price, although it would also serve to add an external microphone. On the other hand, if you are more of videos and night captures, this model does not exactly improve, quite the opposite. Nothing is perfect in this life, what can we do?
HERO10 BLACK
If the Hero9 Black was already amazing, we continue to add progress, although the issue of overheating has not exactly improved. Let's see the main features of the Hero10 Black:
- GP2 processor with higher performance
- 23MP
- Videos in 5.3K at 60 fps and 4K at 120 fps
- Live streaming in 1080p
- HyperSmooth 4.0 advanced video stabilization
- Front screen with smoother playback and rear touch screen
- HindSight: so you don't miss a thing, capture up to 30 seconds before you start recording
- Scheduled Capture and Capture Duration.
- Resistant and submersible up to 10 m
- Three ways to share your photos
- Upload them to the cloud while charging
- Download with the Quik app
- Ultra-fast wired connection via USB
- TimeWarp 3.0 and night sequence
- 8X slow motion (2.7K)
- More than 30 supports and accessories
- Accessories compatible with those of the Hero9 Black
- Price: N/A
HERO 11 BLACK
The latest model of the GoPro Hero is the Hero 11. It differs by about 50 euros from the 10. Is it worth it? These are its characteristics:
- Sensor: 1/1.9” CMOS. The 8×7 sensor allows cutouts to be uploaded directly to social networks.
- 27.13 MP
- Videos at 5.3K at 60 fps. 5.3K Max Resolution: 8:7 (5312 x 4648)
- 2.27″ rear LCD touch screen
- 1.4″ color LCD front display
- Water repellent lens cover
- HyperSmooth 5.0 video stabilization
- horizon lock
- Wider and more enveloping field of vision
- Automatically upload your content to the cloud
- 3 microphones
- voice control
- Night effects such as star trails, light trails from cars or light painting
- Resistant and submersible 10m
- Removable 1720 mAh Enduro battery (better response in cold temperatures)
- Dimensions: 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm
- Weight: 154g
There is also the GoPro Max, but I will talk about it in a future article dedicated to 360º cameras.
