The new GoPro Hero 5 lineup.

Looking for a small, mountable, “ideal for sports and action”, inexpensive, high definition video and still camera with a waterproof housing and image quality that Lucasfilm (the Star Wars people) calls “amazing”? This camera will go anywhere and mount just about anywhere. Prices range from $399 to $199, depending on the model (which is a lot less than your typical DSLR with HiDef video).

For several yeas on various “outdoor” TV networks (National Geographic, Discovery Chanel, Animal Planet and others) I’ve watched some remarkable video footage from GoPro HERO cameras. They can be mounted on helmets, cars, motorcycles, surfboards, and about anything else you can imagine. Imagine mounting it on a pole with some bait to record the bite of a shark from inside the shark’s mouth ( it was the “inside the shark’s mouth” video sequence that got my attention and started me on my search for this camera).

Camera Info

In addition to wonderful HD video quality, they are also still camera.

How good is the video quality? According to producer Rick McCallum of Lucasfilm, Ltd., “When I saw the footage from the GoPro on our big screens at Skywalker Ranch, I was amazed…”

This camera will get you to thinking about doing all kinds of photography you may not have thought about before. And the best news is you are not risking your expensive DSLR to shoot high def (4K or 1080 depending on the model) video in high risk shooting situations. So go ahead and mount this camera to your car, bike, surfboard, helmet, chest, headstrap, wrist, or wherever. If you love action video, this is video heaven.

More information on the various models is here.

Links

You can buy the Go Pro HERO 5 models in the Go Pro section of my photography store.

More details are at GoProCamera.com. Be sure and check out the videos.

Series Link

This is one in a series of articles that will guide you to the best of all things photographic. The rest are here: Buyer’s Guide: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More.