I see that GoPro has come out with a version 4. Black and Silver version. Of course, NEITHER has a perfect (in my opinion) combination of features for me to think THAT is the one I want. :( If they had included an integral LCD back on the black version, it would be a no-brainer. The silver has one, but the quality isn't nearly as good as what the black can produce. Yeah, you can put an add-on LCD back on the black, but I'm sure battery life, which is already short, would take a real nose dive.

Plus just about all the accessories needed to be functional are optional ($$). With the short battery life, you pretty much need to have three batteries and an external charger. The memory card is optional although it is necessary to use it. :rolleyes: Pricing on the black version is $500, but by the time you add in all the accessories that you really need, the final price is probably going to be more like $1000. Kind of steep for a pocket sized camcorder.

And I'm still not sure how the time lapse works on these things. The documentation states that time lapse is composed of a series of PHOTOS, not an actual video clip. So does the GoPro stitch them together to make a video clip, or do you need to do that with some external program?

Rich, the included software lets me combine all of the pictures into a video.
Actually, it's got a lot of features for "included software", and I really haven't
played around with it all that much. I would suspect that there are better
programs out there, but for an additional expense, that will do a better job
than the included software, but I'm not looking to produce movie quality
videos from the shots I take, so the software that came with the camera
is OK for me. I have no idea what software they are shipping with the newer
cameras, but it's probably similar to what I got with mine. It will get the job
done and that's all I was looking for.........
Andy

I might just get the Hero4 Black sometime soon. I guess it's too much to hope for to find something *perfect* concerning what I would like to have.

Now that the video world seems to be moving rapidly into the 4K format, 1080 is on the road to obsolescence. My home theater screen is a 50 inch 1080i, but it still looks too darn good for me to consider upgrading it. Plus we are still a ways from a 4K standardized world anyway. I have a 27 (or is it 28?) inch 4K screen for my main computer that makes games look really awesome. But it took an upgraded video card to make it work like it should.

Been checking out this new Hero4 via Youtube videos and reviews. Video is really pretty nice looking. But do I understand this correctly that the GoPros only record mono audio? Not even plain stereo? :ack2:

Once again.......niche product. Action oriented with very little emphasis
on audio. Mono recording is all I've been able to find.
Andy
ADDED...... maybe on some future model when the consumers yell for it,
GoPro will incorporate stereo recording, but then they'll probably bump up
the already high cost of ownership.

Story of my life, I guess. I find something that looks interesting, just to find that there is one tiny little thing missing that keeps it from being perfect for what I want. I guess that's why lately I try to spend a LONG time researching something before spending my money and then find that hidden deficiency.

Heck, it must be me. It's awfully rare for me to find something that is absolutely perfect in design and application based on what I would want to use it for.

BTW, how come EVERYONE sells these GoPro units at exactly the same price? I thought price fixing was illegal?

DITTO! And how come you have to go to 2 or 3 Lowe's or Home Depot's to
get everything you need for that weekend project. No wonder why more and
more people are shopping online!
Andy

Heck, normally I will need to go to BOTH Lowe's and Home Depot to find everything I am looking for. But you are right, it is just so much easier to just order most things online these days, rather than running all over town and maybe not even finding what you want anyway.

Well, I finally broke down and bought one of these GoPro Hero 4 Black camcorders. If the weather behaves, I plan on trying it out on the road with the C5Z. Not sure how well it's going to do without image stabilization, though. But we shall see....

Been playing around with the new GoPro. Not too bad for such a small package. Here's the first day I used the camcorder mounted via a suction cup mount to the inside of the windshield of the C5Z on a little trip to St. George Island that a few people participated in recently.



Seems to do the job OK. :thumbsup: