Gopro alternative

JLW

JLW

Member
Is any one else massively unimpressed by gopro? I have had 3 brick on me, all out of warrantee, response from manufacturer is buy a new one. We use them at the research centre so they get plenty of use (manta id with parallel laser, fish survey etc) So far I have been buying new and second hand replacements as we have loads of spare housings/batteries etc but am tired of throwing money at badly made and unsupported crap. I also tried a wee (I think it was called), we got it as a donation for the manta I'd project, I bubble tested it, took it out and despite having a 100m rating had a catastrophic flood at 6m, another paperweight.
I am in the market for a small durable video camera, anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.
Jon
 
JLW said:
Is any one else massively unimpressed by gopro? I have had 3 brick on me, all out of warrantee, response from manufacturer is buy a new one. We use them at the research centre so they get plenty of use (manta id with parallel laser, fish survey etc) So far I have been buying new and second hand replacements as we have loads of spare housings/batteries etc but am tired of throwing money at badly made and unsupported crap. I also tried a wee (I think it was called), we got it as a donation for the manta I'd project, I bubble tested it, took it out and despite having a 100m rating had a catastrophic flood at 6m, another paperweight.
I am in the market for a small durable video camera, anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.
Jon
Click to expand...

MUVI K2 NPNG

HTH's
 
I have had similar experiences. My 3 decides to not turn on without a quick battery removal. Not convenient while in the water. I think the big problem is finding alternatives that have quality housings or enough production to entice aftermarket alternatives like the Golem housing.
 
They have their issues, but before they came along, we had little options for helmet or scooter cams, that were not big, heavy and expensive housings. My new Hero 4 Black works just fine, even in 42 degree water for long periods of time with a single battery. I do use a Golem Gear housing, as I go pretty deep with it.
 
I agree with that. But I am more than open to alternatives. As soon as a company stops giving a fishes shit about customer service I move on. Especially at the premium price they charge.
 
Pretty impressed with this. http://www.aeecam.co.nz

Includes a 100m rated housing and a mate took his on a dive with me to a bit over that depth rating a couple of days ago and it was fine. Not sure how many deep dives the housing will withstand. We will see.

I'm sick of my GoPro freezing on start up so will be getting one of the AEE ones.
 
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I wonder if the one you flooded was one of the AEE ones? WEE or AEE...?
JLW said:
Is any one else massively unimpressed by gopro? I have had 3 brick on me, all out of warrantee, response from manufacturer is buy a new one. We use them at the research centre so they get plenty of use (manta id with parallel laser, fish survey etc) So far I have been buying new and second hand replacements as we have loads of spare housings/batteries etc but am tired of throwing money at badly made and unsupported crap. I also tried a wee (I think it was called), we got it as a donation for the manta I'd project, I bubble tested it, took it out and despite having a 100m rating had a catastrophic flood at 6m, another paperweight.
I am in the market for a small durable video camera, anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks.
Jon
Click to expand...
 
Was just looking at these too:
http://kodakcamera.pixpro-sp360.com
I like the concept. And carry numerous cameras so might be a nice arrow in the quiver. Housing like the GP is good to 197'. I do like that the Aee is 100m out of the box though. Im rarely less than 200' but also rarely past 100m. My Golem is nice but I have no intention of taking it to 500'!
 
Aquanomad said:
Was just looking at these too:
http://kodakcamera.pixpro-sp360.com
I like the concept. And carry numerous cameras so might be a nice arrow in the quiver. Housing like the GP is good to 197'. I do like that the Aee is 100m out of the box though. Im rarely less than 200' but also rarely past 100m. My Golem is nice but I have no intention of taking it to 500'!
Click to expand...

I've wanted to mount a GoPro on my camera housing for a couple of years now, but still haven't purchased one. This Kodak Pixpro SP360 likes like the one for me.

This seems reasonably priced http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-SP360-Extreme-Accessory-Pack/dp/B00PGNFEP2
 
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It was the AEE, also looked identical to the Muvi K2 thing mentioned above. Looked like a nice bit of kit but the housing was crap. Also used another one of the same which always fogged up no mater what we did to it.
 
I have an Denver, housing to 55m, but holds 70 without problems. Costs: 50-60 euro, so if it flood not the biggest issue.
 
JLW said:
It was the AEE, also looked identical to the Muvi K2 thing mentioned above. Looked like a nice bit of kit but the housing was crap. Also used another one of the same which always fogged up no mater what we did to it.
Click to expand...

Damn, hard to tell whose experience is typical. Will have to see what reviews are out there.
 
Here is the video I shot using the AEE S71 on a 100meter diver.

This is my second S71. The first one flooded on its first dive ( 50 odd meters) and it was replaced with out question from the NZ importer (full disclosure I am an agent for them).

I have had some other issues. One of them being fogging ( never used desiccant). But this is something that will happen to any camera in the same situation. If you assemble the camera into the housing in a air conditioned car/room it will not be an issue. It was never an issue in my trip to Bali with 5 or 6 dives with the camera.
Also the S71 has an inbuilt fan to cool the processor. The exhaust of the fan vents around the lens so defogs the front lens. Pretty smart really.
The other issue I had was the camera reporting a card speed error during the 100 meter dive on the assent. I had to turn the camera off then back on to get it to work again and then it did the same thing several times. It came right during the shallower stops. It has never done this before and I am unsure why it did it at all. The card I used was a 16 or 32g Scandisk ultra class 10 shooting at 1080 30FPS. I have also shot at 1080 60fps in the past and never had the same issue. It also does 4k.
Also the "100 meter" housing back went concave at about 60-70 meters, so much so that the back pressed against the LCD display. While it lasted the dive with no issue I am not 100% confident it would last continuous dives to this depth.
But, I believe if you use the camera with out the LCD this issue will be minimized since there are internal rubber buffers more centralized to support the pressure. Plus you can buy new backs for the housing if they show signs of stress.
Last issue is that it has a power switch on it that must be activated before put in the housing. Once in you can also put it in sleep mode. But if you left the switch in the off position you can not turn it on under water. Mind you, you would need to be a fool to forget to do that on land! ;)

All in all I really like the S71.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6w8zOH7vLw
 
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