We had someone arrive at our offices a few days ago claiming to have already bought the new GoPro Hero 3 camera but when he showed us the box I broke his spirits by explaining that this gopro cam is in fact called the GoPro Digital Hero 3 and not the Hero 3 and is in fact about 5 years old. We're not sure what specs the new Hero3 will have built in but this digital hero 3 certainly isn't the new one so please don't let anyone tell you that it is. We'll be posting a review and comparisons against other leading helmet cameras as soon as the actual GoPro Hero 3 is launched!
The long awaited GoPro App is now available for free download on the iStore! Get the iOS app now for iPhones and iPads, the Android App will be available soon too.
So, what's so awesome about this application from GoPro???
With the GoPro app on your phone you can log into the WiFi hotspot created by the GoPro camera and then do all kinds of awesome things to control it! As you open up the app it will bring up a live pre-view of what the camera is looking at, you can then simply start your video or take a bunch of photos and control this from your phone / tablet. Not only can you control all these important functions via the Go Pro App by you can also change all the settings remotely. Very cool!
So, if for example the camera with the wifi bacpac was mounted outside your vehicle or somewhere way out of reach then you can have absolute control over it through your phone.
The awesomeness of this app doesn't end there though. Now that you've taken a video you want to get instant reply right? Well, all you need to do it click on the GoPro app to download the videos and photos from the camera to your iDevice through the WiFi connection. It'll download two versions of each video and photo; one large size one for you to view in full quality, and another smaller version of that same file so you can quickly pop across to your facebook or twitter app and upload this smaller (easier and quicker to upload) file to your social networks for instant sharing online.
WOW!
Check out this video tutorial for more info...
GoPro App Tutotial - How to use the Gopro Application
Note: If this doesn't work immediately then you'll need to download the latest firmware from GoPro.
The Go Pro Wi-Fi BacPac and Remote is on its way to South Africa soon. The Action Cameras Team traveled all the way to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to see the new WiFi Backpack and remote from GoPro. Here's our exclusive shot from the event.
This GoPro WiFi BacPack and Remote is going to revolutionise the world of helmet cams. This will let you stream your video live to the internet or your smartphone anywhere! The remote will also work over hugh distances plus you can snyc up 50 Gopros to one remote. Nice!
Check out the Go Pro Wi-Fi BacPac and Remote for more info and availability in South Africa.
A customer and friend of ours Coenraad shared his tips for how to more easily remove the battery from the Go Pro 2 camera. As they are designed to fit quite tight inside the camera it can be difficult to get it out when you need to replace it or put it into an external GoPro charger.
Coenraad's solution is to stick some boxing tape on the underside of the camera sticking out the side so that you can grip onto this and gently remove the battery without having to bump the camera body around to try loosen the battery from its tight spot. This even works perfectly with riding gloves on.
If you have a bunch of extra batteries then you may also want to number them to keep track of which you've used and which is still fully charged and ready to power your Go Pro 2 helmet camera.
It's almost that time of year for giving and we're getting into the Xmas
spirit early by offering a FREE 8Gb Kingston SDHC Memory Card with all
of our GoPro HD and GoPro 2 cameras.
This free 8Gb Card deal saves you a cool R250 but you can also choose to
increase this to a 16Gb or a 32Gb memory card at a hugely discounted
price of just R299 and R599 respectively (see the drop-down menu on the product pages).
With all these new HD helmet cams being released in quick succession it can be difficult to figure out which one you want. You may have know three weeks ago but now there are so many new ones which look awesome - so which one do you go for?
GoPro has just launched the GoPro HD Hero2 which is a super fast and high quality upgrade of the normal Go Pro HD. Drift Innovation just launched the Drift HD cam which delivers awesome video and still includes the screen, remote and rotating lens which is terrific. Contour's not missed a beat and have also recently launched their Contour+ Plus which pushes them up into the professional camera levels.
How do you compare one against the other? The Go Pro 2 has the waterproofing and loads of awesome accessories but the Drift HD comes with the screen and remote which makes using it super easy. Comparing the GoPro 2 and the Contour Plus is tricky because the GoPro Hero2 offers more user functionality but the Contour+ has all kinds of extras which make it suitable for the professional market. Again comparing the Contour and Drift means you need to compare functionality against user friendliness. It's not an easy choice.
Luckily Action Cameras has taken a lot of the confusion out of this comparison by putting these top HD action cameras together in a side-by-side comparison review. Check out this page to see the review....
In stock today at www.actioncameras.co.za, the GoPro HD Hero2 cameras are going for just R3,999.00 including free delivery anywhere around South Africa.
This incredible footage was captured by a South African customer after placing his Go Pro HD 2 in the bush looking at a bush buck carcass. The Crowned Eagle is pretty rare so this truly is an interesting shot.
Have you lost your GoPro HD user guide or manual? I know from personal experience that trying to navigate the GoPro menu on the cameras small screen can be flipping difficult.
Not to worry though, click the following link to start downloading the English GoPro HD manual.
Looking for the GoPro HD Motorsport Hero? It sure is an awesome camera for filming your extreme sports on the track. Its the same Full HD GoPro camera which comes with the Helmet Hero and Surf Hero but its just the mounting brackets which have been tailored specially for the motorsports enthusiasts.
GoPro HD Motorsport Hero
You'll get the GoPro HD camera and the waterproof housing and then a whole bunch of motorsport related mounting brackets like the Suction Mount, flat mount adhesives for putting the GoPro onto a flat surface of the vehicle/ bike, curved mounts for attaching the camera to a helmet or curved surface and a J-hook which allows you to mount the Go Pro camera on the side of your helmet.
Mounting it on your bike with the suction cup or on the side of your helmet with the j-hook is a must for offf-road riding so you don't loose your GoPro the first time you duck under a low branch. We personally tested the suction cup up to 270km/h at the 2008 Isle of Man TT so we can vouch for the hardcore-ness of this suction cup.
Loads of guys have been trying to figure out how to mount their GoPro or Drifthelmet camera to their bodyboard. Well, this guy has finally figured it out but stretching his Drift head strap all the way around his board and using the camera inside its waterproof housing.
To do a comparison review of the Contour and the GoPro HD you need to look at quite a few varying factors. You need to compare the features beyond the video quality as they both deliver 1080p HD video and are both made for extreme sports.
GoPro HD
ContourGPS
It's always good to kick off a comparison review with a video comparing the warmth of the video quality between the GoPro and the Contour helmet cameras.
Let's also take a look at all the features compared on a side by side chart.
Go to the comparison section on the Action Cameras website to generate this head to head comparison for yourself for the GoPro and Contour cameras or for any other helmet cam.
Unfortunately we've had more then one customer phone us up in the past to say that they had lost their GoPro while diving or kitesurfing and now it's with the fish rolling around the sea bed.
Well this should never happen again now that GoPro has launched the GoPro Floaty backdoor which is a little buoy device which sticks onto the backdoor. Not only with this mean that it will no longer sink but it'll also be super visable as the Floaty is bright orange (No it wasn't designed to match the Action Cameras colours - or maybe it was!)
The Flat Lens for filming underwater with the GoPro HD makes a terrific difference to the quality of your video when shooting underwater. The curved lens which comes installed on the standard GoPro housing is awesome for filming above the water but as soon as they is under water is bends the images and softens the focus. This is where the flat lens for the GoPro comes to the rescue. In fact, its so effective that all film makers using the GoPro underwater are now using the flat lens to give incredible shots.
Once you have the flat lens then you may have some difficulty installing it to your gopro housing. The video below gives an excellent tutorial on how to replace the standard domed lens and install the flat lens to the gopro housing.
Remove the camera and unscrew the 6 screws on the front of the black ring on the front of the GoPro housing. Lift this off the GoPro housing carefully so as not to loose any of the little screws.
Step 2 -
Lift the black ring off revealing the domes lens and the black rubber seal (washer).
Step 3 -
Life out the domed lens. If the washer sticks to the domed lens then take it off the lens (it peals off pretty easily but take care not to damage the washer). Replace the washer in the exact position that you found it. There is a slight rim on the washer, this should be facing downwards (the same way it was when lifted out of the GoPro HD housing).
Step 4 - Now take out the Flat Lens and place it on top of the washer with the ridge of the Flat Lens facing upwards.
Step 5 -
Now all you have to do is put the black ring back in place and tighten up the screws.
Step 6 - TESTING THE WATERPROOFING
GoPro won't cover your warranty if you have any issues with the self-installed flat lens so we highly recommend testing the waterproofing of the camera housing before using it with the camera inside. To do this, seal up the housing by closing the backdoor and dunk it in the pool, basin or bucket. Its best to leave it there for a while. Watch for bubbles or any water inside the casing after the test.
Last years Cape Epic race saw loads more helmet cameras then the years before - which is excellent for the rest of us as we get to relive some of the action afterwards without having to slog the entire race! Here's an excellent GoPro HD video captured on a massive downhill - lookout for the wipeout!!
Something that not many people talk about when talking about GoPro cameras is that people tend to go a little crazy and do things that they normally wouldn't do if they weren't wearing a GoPro HD. There are somethings that people just shouldn't do. Case and point.... This video.
This guy is taking wingsuit flying to a whole new level. But I guess we gotta thank him for wearing his GoPro (actually it seems that he's got about 5 GoPros all over him!) so we can check out this kind of sport without having to try it ourselves. Crazy stuff.
The GoPro HD Surf Hero camera isn't only for mounting on your surfboard but, as you can see below, can also be used for getting epic photos of your mates big wave!
I want to see the actual photo from this guys GoPro Surf Hero! This was shot by New Pier, Durban, South Africa.
If you would like to learn how to add the flat lens to your GoPro housing to give crystal clear underwater images then check out this post which is a tutorial to install the flat lens to the GoPro.
Today our accountant walked in and asked quite seriously; "What would you use these action cameras for?"
Seriously!?!?!? Our answer was along the lines of "What can't you use these cameras for?" While these cams have been designed for extreme sports and helmet mounting, you really can use them for just about anything. We've sold GoPros to everyone from surfers and bikers to miners and surgeons! The list of uses for the GoPro is really unlimited, even Kevin Pieterson could figure out how to use one!
Action Cameras were invited for a live interview on the SABC 3 Expresso Morning Show. This aired on Monday the 8th of August, if you missed out then check it out below. We also announce how you can win a Drift HD and the GoPro HD. Nice!
Visit Action Cameras for more info on these cameras and more...
