GoPro Review

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I’m a technophobe. I never liked gadgets. I was the kid who chose a slingshot over Sega. So, although I like the idea of filming and making movies, I have always been put off by the technical effort, of what I imagined to be the laborious and finicky process of that thing called ‘editing’.

When Spike gave me the GoPro Hero HD camera, and said, “Go make a movie”, I was immediately concerned about how I would cope with all the techno-things. He sensed my consternation (maybe it was the blank-eyed stare I gave him) because he said, “Don’t worry, it’s easy. There are only two buttons.”

He was right, a baboon could operate a GoPro (mmm, that’s an idea …). There were two buttons, one to choose modes; the other to start filming, and when you’re done, you can take the SD card out and stick it in your computer, or simply jack in the USB and dump the raw footage, named in a numerically chronological mp4 format, onto your computer.

To take it further, I used Windows Movie Maker, which is basic film editing software, but it more than adequately enabled this baboon to manage the cutting, and moving around, of clips to make a short video (okay, so the humble effort above may not quite meet the rad tube riding of the official GoPro video inserted below, but still, it's fun, and what's more, it's yours, it's you. Never before has there been such an opportunity to become a legend on your own T-shirt).

The GoPro does not look or feel like a normal video camera. Removed from its water housing, it looks like a giant match-box. The sturdy plastic housing clips closed with a reassuring snap and stands up to way more beating than expected. The camera may not look like much, but the quality of the footage is fantastic. It is HD (high definition) and you can shoot on settings that allow up to 60 frames per second, so you can slow that millisecond head-dip right down and claim it.

Pause, and you’ll clearly see almost every drop of water. The challenge, once the novelty of how kelp looks underwater wears off, is how to get the wow factor. I didn’t manage that, and I suspect the main ingredient is epic surf. The holy grail of this kind of filming is for me, the barrel. As Brian Conley has shown in his excessive documentation of the inside of the tube, it can become a life-long, time-consuming and expensive pursuit.

Luckily, you don’t need only the most impressive footage to make a movie, and the variety of shots you can get with the GoPro is endless. If you enjoy unique and different angles, then you’ll enjoy the GoPro footage. Whether it’s seeing yourself from below getting lipped, or the view as you duck dive past a big fish, the possibilities are endless.

The GoPro also works surprisingly well as a stills camera, but one must take into account the nature of the fish eye (“objects may appear further away than they actually are”). The fish eye sucks in the peripheral view into one homogenous whole, but you have to be as close as possible to your subject. The camera is also very small, so you can easily fit it into your pocket. It would be a great device if you were a spy.

The simplicity was appealing. I liked the rudimentary point-and-shoot approach. No complex technical adjustments. Just find the cool stuff and film it. This may be a draw back for film wizards wishing to manipulate the shot, but for novices it makes it simple to use, and for adventure seekers, it’s rapidly become the most popular tool for capturing your experience. If you want to see what you are filming, you can buy an LCD Bacpac to clip on (check it here).

There are things to take into account when filming. For example, if you are going to use it in the cold waters of the Cape, you’ll experience misting of the lens from a sharp variance in water and air temperature. Get ‘anti-fog’ inserts, a small package of desiccated stuff to keep your lens clear. Play with the packet, even open it and take out the little balls. Insert in creative ways to make sure the small concave dome that houses the lens stays moisture free.

The main thing about the GoPro? Fun. It is fun to use. You see different angles and capture stuff you don’t expect. And the search is on. I want to get that big, clean barrel on film. I also want to put the camera in my friends fish tank (they have a Siamese fighting fish) and throw in an unsuspecting guppy. It’s part of a new series, called fighting fish chronicles. Ok, the last part is a joke, but I will certainly be chasing those barrels.

The video was shot with a GoPro Hero HD video and stills camera (check it out) courtesy of GoPro Cameras SA. Visit them here and score your own. Use promotion code WAVESCAPE with any camera purchase online and they will give you an extra battery (worth R260) and free shipping.

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