Cheapo "GoPro"

RandomlySet

RandomlySet

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Been considering buying a cheapo GoPro for a while, and SWMBO had this pop up on Amazon at the weekend - £35 flash sale

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Obviously I have a "proper" GoPro (Hero 4 Black), and have also just ordered a Hero Session. Decided to take a punt on this and see how it compares, and also use it on the outside of the car during our road trip part of our America holiday later this year (that way, if it was to fall off I wouldn't be too fussed).....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product...cb-21&linkId=4c7b825905e36b4403419cf094bf8e8a
 
I've just had a bit of a look at the items you get, and after thinking "this case will come in handy for my proper GoPro", I noticed that this comes with a WiFi remote as standard! Nice.
 
Is this battery only or can it be USB lead powered via car socket?
 
I've got one of the Chinese clones.

IQ is indistinguishable from the genuine article to my eyes.

Plus you get a screen on the back and can use it as a dashcam.
 
I bought one before going to Greece a couple of years ago cost me about £30 a victsing I think ,used it for the swimming in the pool and for snorkelling in the sea ,my lad was using his £400 go pro set up and in all honesty the videos were indistinguishable .
 
very similar to the one i purchased last year. used it loads in cyprus. very clear under water plus used it when we hired a buggy.
 
It amazes me how many mounts and such you get included.
Buying half of those from gopro would be more than the full kit costs - they are gopro compatible too but perhaps slightly dubious quality.
That little case would be another £10 and could be used for other stuff.

The original fake Gopro was the SJ4000 which is still popular and costs about 2x this one
A lot of these minor names are copies of the copy and you have to be cautious as some are 'creative' with the stated specs.
Hero4 footage really is pretty good and this won't be quite as good but a lot of the time will do just fine.
I
 
Oh I totally agree on all points.

TBH, the only use this camera will get is the odd B Roll... My "main" camera is my Lumix G7, followed by my Hero 4 Black, Mavic Pro and - if required - my Galaxy S7... This will just be for additional angles where I may drop in a 3-5 second clip
 
4wd said:
It amazes me how many mounts and such you get included.
Buying half of those from gopro would be more than the full kit costs - they are gopro compatible too but perhaps slightly dubious quality.
That little case would be another £10 and could be used for other stuff.

The original fake Gopro was the SJ4000 which is still popular and costs about 2x this one
A lot of these minor names are copies of the copy and you have to be cautious as some are 'creative' with the stated specs.
Hero4 footage really is pretty good and this won't be quite as good but a lot of the time will do just fine.
I
Click to expand...

SJ7000 is the newer one, I have two, paid under £30 each, complete with all the cases, mounts etc. eBay with 2 day deleivery
 
I bought a Chinese clone and it worked perfectly for about half a day then died the death never to work again.

It's the risk you take and for the money worth a punt.
 
Took a £15 cheapie to Thailand incase we went snorkelling.

Worked a treat :)
 
I use the Apeman series of fake go pros. Really good for the money.

Mine gets used for mountain biking etc so its likely to take a few wacks.
Also take it to south east asia, not really bothered if I lose it. The data on the card is worth more to me than the camera, even the card itself!!
 
M
zendog said:
I bought a Chinese clone and it worked perfectly for about half a day then died the death never to work again.
It's the risk you take and for the money worth a punt.
Click to expand...

I've got two working, one broken because I lent it to a colleague who tried to ram the micro sd card in back to front. It still works but the sd card now springs out. Could use it as a wifi camera I suppose.
The other two have never been in the housings, get used mounted to the car with a cheap £3 'go-pro' suction mount. They were used on the TVR, now I just use one on the mx-5 as a dash cam as I have a dual camera system on the TVR now. I've used it when shooting, at some live gigs in pubs, quite fun to play with and unobtrusive.

These are the ones I have
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SJ7000-W...terproof-Action-Camera-Camcorder/322940562000

Decent quality too, if you think this was just stuck in the windscreen at the last minute
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygnSbHyMXmY


I got caught out, didn't expect to be waved straight on so didn't have my seatbelt on, helmet done up, hence going along the Kemmel straight at the beginning hands off wheel desperately doing these.
I said to my friend in the silver tuscan I'd film him, then got bored when he was going slow :)
 
I use an SJ4000 on board a Lego train at shows, streaming to a PC and monitor - a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. :D
I do have to power it from an external USB brick as the internal battery only lasts 45 minutes but a 5600mAh lump lasts all day.
 
It looks identical to mine which came from Groupon. Images aren't very good but video is ok. Although I've often wondered how it compares to a proper gopro but don't have one to compare. Sometimes I do find the video to be grainy.
 
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Mine's a GIT1. Came as a kit with a waterproof casing and assorted mounts. Not used it in anger yet but have just stuck a mount on a bike to see how it performs above the surface before I take it away as a backup U/W camera.
 
7DayShop seem to be doing one at the moment for £24.99 which looks like a good punt. They’ve also got a massive accessory pack with other mounts etc for £16 or so which may fit the other cameras too for anybody out there with the others :)
 
Be aware that the accessories may break more easily than less cheap options. One of the clamps that go on tubes (handlebars for example) snapped well before it was tight enough to not twist back round under wind pressure (at 50 MPH). The stick on one that's attached to the top of the headlight seems pretty sturdy though.
 
Whenever I've had a GoPro mounted in strange places (car windows, bedroom windows, overlooking ledges etc), I always tie an old shoelace (I have several in my bag) around the camera and attache it somewhere else.
 
I bought one about 2yrs ago from one of the Chinese sites, it was supposed to be an SJ4000 1080p, came with waterproof housing etc for €24 - well, it was a pile of cack. 12mp? more like 2mp at a push :LOL: I bought it as a stocking filler for our little one, she didn't really care about the quality, she just wanted to record her toys in the garden - but for anyone wanting to use it half seriously it was pish. Just be wary of those 'clones' - I'm sure there's some good ones about, but a lot of stinkers too., The one we got wasn't anything even close to what @RandomlySet shows in his review - so if you want something half decent, go for the one he shows, looks alright, though atm it is £49
 
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Nod said:
Be aware that the accessories may break more easily than less cheap options. One of the clamps that go on tubes (handlebars for example) snapped well before it was tight enough to not twist back round under wind pressure (at 50 MPH). The stick on one that's attached to the top of the headlight seems pretty sturdy though.
Click to expand...
This is true but GoPro's own are nothing special.
I've started getting metal versions.
On the other hand if attached to helmets and such you'd want the mount to break in an accident.
 
I wouldn't have one attached to a (motorbike) helmet - they (helmets) cause enough drag and buffeting without a chunk on top as well!
 
I've tried a gopro on the (helmet) chin bar which wasn't too bad, I'm using a Drift Ghost 4K on the side now though, much more streamlined and tiny.
 
I use a flip chin lid, flipped back a lot of the time! That would rule out the side mounted bullet cam as well (unless I used the open face basin instead.) Quite happy to keep it on the headlight, although a lower PoV appeals too. Might have to trust the clamp on the engine bar next time I play.
 
Bought a couple of the cheap clones that 7dayshop are knocking out at the moment, mainly to use as semi disposable underwater cameras (I don't have much luck with "proper" underwater ones!) but have mostly been using them for time lapses of sunsets (I've knackered my back which has rather hampered snorkelling...) Work a treat and get about 2 hours of time on 1fps. Decent enough quality too. Shower proof to boot, although I can't yet comment on their underwater capabilities!
 
I've got 3 action cameras (a go pro. a cheapo clone and one called a bitmore), out of the 3 I'd buy the bitmore again and again purely because its as good or better than the goppro picture and it has a zoom function on the camera that works.
 
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