GoPro setups?

I have no clue what happened to my old Hero 3 but I'm looking to buy a new setup. Something mainly for cars and motorcycles with the occasional hiking trip. I know for the car and motorcycle stuff, wind noise is the biggest thing. I'm not looking to start a Youtube channel or get really fancy stuff but I just want it to be decent. It's been probably 8 years since Ive been in the market for one and Im sure everything has changed. Where to go to buy a bundle with this stuff? Ebay?

Look for a decent camera with wifi control via phone.

Case

External Microphone

Suction mounts and flexible clamp mounts (Jaws clamp or whatever thats called?)

Thanks

If you must buy new, you can get way better value for your money than buying a GoPro, they are some of the best action cameras but you can get 80% of the capability for a fraction of the cost. I'd recommend something from SJCAM. Their cameras are compatible with GoPro mounts, which similarly are generally not a good value for money. There are aftermarket mounts that are just as good for a fraction of the cost.

If you want to cut down wind noise, an external mic won't necessarily help, you might be better off adding muffs to the built-in mic - both a stick-on type directly over the mic hole on the camera itself, and muffs stuck over the holes in the outer case.

I went down this path recently as my trusty old original hero finally started to die and I wanted something with external mic capabilities. I almost bought a new gopro when they were (and maybe still are?) $100 off, until I realized I would need $100 of extras for it to do what I wanted, including the world's most expensive and poorly designed external mic adapter. Instead I went to ebay and bought a lightly used HD hero2 which records 1080p, takes an external mic with no adapter required, and has the ability to add the wifi backpack for phone control (though I didn't get one). I ended up paying less for the camera than the external mic and it does everything I want. Just took a quick look on ebay and there's one with the wifi pack and some other accessories for under $60.

dps214 said:

 Just took a quick look on ebay and there's one with the wifi pack and some other accessories for under $60.

Yeah I feel like there are so many options that I would miss something I needed when ordering. I'd love to get the oldest cheapest one that does everything I need but I'm not sure where that cutoff is. (WiFi,external mic capability, 1080p) I want engines and exhausts to be heard instead of wind noise and my old setup from 2012 didn't cut it

I'm on the hunt for a new one too.  I know the hero 7 came out with a significant advancement in image stabilization, so that's where I was looking.  Haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet though.

crankwalk (Forum Supporter) said:

dps214 said:

 Just took a quick look on ebay and there's one with the wifi pack and some other accessories for under $60.

Yeah I feel like there are so many options that I would miss something I needed when ordering. I'd love to get the oldest cheapest one that does everything I need but I'm not sure where that cutoff is. (WiFi,external mic capability, 1080p) I want engines and exhausts to be heard instead of wind noise and my old setup from 2012 didn't cut it

Hero2 is the oldest version that does everything. The 3 and newer have integrated wifi which makes the camera less bulky but kills battery life. The wifi add on that the older cameras use adds some bulk but has its own battery which is nice. Also the newer ones require a mic adapter of some form and somewhere around the 5 I think they made it so that only the gopro specific adapters are compatible.

Yeah I have a hero2 with the wifi bacpac - be aware than any bacpac you buy will probably need a new battery put in, even if it's new in the box, which is a fine soldering job. I never felt like I was missing anything until I mounted it to a bike helmet, then I saw why people like image stabilization.

Ok it looks like Im picking up a Hero 3 silver from a buddy who upgraded. Just need the external mic, jaws clamp holder, and suction holder. Ebay?

Sure, I got a suction cup mount from "sublimeware" that's indistinguishable from an official GoPro suction mount, which I also have.

I have a few GoPros, and I will say that I have had mixed results. My older Hero4 Cubes were super-convenient and flexible due to their size, but battery life was poor and connectivity was always an issue. I want to trigger the camera remotely from a smartphone, and they were frustrating in this regard. My new Hero 7 seems to be a lot better, no issues so far and I like the on-camera screen.

GoPro no longer offers software to edit your clips, which kinda sucks because I liked their old setup. You could simply trim a clip and post it. Now, everything is done on the smartphone App, which is not bad actually, I just prefer working on a computer.