Product Description
The Motorsports HERO Wide is the newest waterproof mini wireless digital video camera for motorsports. Sporting a new 5MP sensor, improved low light performance, faster -Inchphoto every 2 seconds-Inch mode, and mega-wide 170 degree lens….this is the highest performance HERO camera yet. It’s quick-release design simplifies click-mounting the camera to your car, motorcycle, helmet, etc. Developed at the track, the Motorsports HERO shoots TV resolution 30 fps vdeo with sound tuned to capture the grunt, squeal, and stoke of driving at the limit. Records 56 minutes of video to a 2GB SD card. 2 AAA batteries.
Buy Gopro Motorsports HERO WIDE 5 Megapixel 170 Degree Lens Camera (Silver) at Amazon
Tags: Camera, Degree, GoPro, HERO, Lens, Megapixel, Motorsports, Silver, Wide
Gopro Motorsports HERO WIDE 5 Megapixel 170 Degree Lens Camera (Silver)
I was excited to see the video clips on the Gopro site. My use is on a Motorcycle. When I go the product, I found the display a bit disappointing. It is very small and you read it upside down as you might look at the camera with the ‘Hero’ logo in the lower right corner. The unit itself is somewhat simple in design and doesn’t give you the feeling of the quality in even the most common digital camera’s you would buy today. Two double AAA batteries go in the back with a cover that you slide off. This cover has a tendancy to slide off while general handling of the camera and is annoying. Do not, let me repeat, Do not use alkaline batteries in the camera– they don’t function properly. With fresh batteries my unit will only run for a short while and then shut off. It also has very erratic operation. Changing to the recommended Eveready NI-MH batteries solved the problem and although not cheap with the charger and all, they are necessary.
The quality of video is ok, but does not work well in low light. This camera does not adjust well to varying light conditions and should generally be used in brighter conditions or full sun. The camera has no anti-shake capabilities so on a motorcycle things are jerky. Make sure you want the 170 deg wide angle as everything is noticably bent with the wide angle even in the focal portion of the picture. And, don’t expect clear audio–you won’t get it here. The audio quality is terrible. Even with the camera out of the protective waterproof case, there is a constant buzzing noise and the volume is faint even if you talk right in the microphone. In the case on a motorcycle, the sound is unuseable and unrealistic.
For digital cameras these days, being limited to a 2gb card doesn’t make sense. The entry level cameras will take 8gb at this point. In talking with GoPro tech support, they are working on a patch to allow 4gb cards, but it seems like a major task for them. All in all, I am disappointed in the quality and performance of their newest product.
This thing is the bomb. Using the tall mount on top of my helmet, you can just see my hands on the handlebars. It’s as close to being there as it gets, the wide angle view looks goofy in a still, but is just how you see it when you are in motion. My wife (non-rider) saw the video the first time and was all excited. She’s seen helmetcam video for a year from my Oregon Scientific helmetcam, but it’s a 52º Field of view, compared to the 170º field of view from the GoPro. She says this one is amazing, and that she didn’t ‘get’ what was exciting about riding MX from the other cam.
It’s a quality unit, light enough you don’t know it’s there. New cases are about $40, so if you biff and shred it, easy fix. You will have to get 1000ma NiMh batteries, battery life is crap with regular duracells. I got by with a new set of batteries each day, but the NiMh give adequate life. The mount isn’t direction sensitive, so you can stick the camera in backwards without any modifications if you like. Get the Motorsports version, it’s got your helmet covered and has all kinds of cool other mounting options in the box. 8^)
To see what the vid looks like, go to the GoPro site and check out the example video from Loretta Lynn’s Am. Nats. Excellent!
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad of a product
I like this little video/camera. It’s not crystal clear but you get the idea.
The batteries do not last as long as they say they do for video.
A friend of mine had a GoPro Hero and I really liked the quality of the images produced from the tiny thing. So I ended up craving for one. I noticed GoPro released the Hero Wide version and after being amazed at the video quality from their testing along with user uploads, the choice was easy. The ease of use, picture quality, and built-in features was more than I expected. 5mp pictures and TV quality video is all I was really after, but also being able to mount this shock/water proof camera in various places was the icing on the cake. I love it, go buy one or five!
The only bad thing I noticed was that some of the plastic mounts it came with were a bit cheap and broke easily. But I still give it 5 outta 5
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very cool for the Price
If you don’t want to spend to much money insted of VIO 1.5 buy this product.
4.0 out of 5 stars
GoPro Hero Wide Motorsports
A good buy for the money. It has been used about six times so far. I have attached it to my helmet on the chin guard and it works fine.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great videos in a small camera
The GoPro camera let’s you take excellent video in a very small package. The camera can be attached by either a suction cup or a 3M tape strip with a bracket.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun product
I really like my Gopro Camera. A little upset that the unit itself was simply double sided sticky taped to the top of the display box.