Help me choose a Go pro

[purple vonny]

I have decided to get a Gopro but there are too many choices. I'm stuck deciding. Older models which are perfectly adequate don't have easy processing because the editing tech is outdated or none existent now.
Please help me. I am a technophobe. I need a tiny lightweight camera instead of the big bulky housing and strobes I carry around at the moment. I'm overwhelmed with youtube reviews and feedback.
I don't need lots of bells and whistles, I need a tiny Gopro that takes films, stills, slo-mo videos, easy to edit and fun.
Advise me please. Please make your recommendations easy for me to understand. I really am technically very thick.
Thank you.

[witchieblackcat]

I've got a Paralenz which is a similar thing to a GoPro but designed specifically for diving rather than being a action camera. I'm very impressed with the results. It looks like a small torch that has no light so is pretty easy to carry about (although I replaced the lanyard with bungy as it's a bit flimsy). Paralenz are an excellent company to deal with as well as producing an excellent product.

I edit the video into movies using Movie Maker which is a free Microsoft product (with Windows 10 anyway).

[purple vonny]

I've got a Paralenz which is a similar thing to a GoPro but designed specifically for diving rather than being a action camera. I'm very impressed with the results. It looks like a small torch that has no light so is pretty easy to carry about (although I replaced the lanyard with bungy as it's a bit flimsy). Paralenz are an excellent company to deal with as well as producing an excellent product.

I edit the video into movies using Movie Maker which is a free Microsoft product (with Windows 10 anyway).

I looked at Paralenz reviews on Youtube. I thought they looked like a good bit of kit, albeit expensive. Only thing that put me off was the comments sections where there were complaints of them going wrong, overheating and freezing. Good to hear a positive review, thanks. I'll have another look.

[Paulo]

I bought a Gopro 8 a few weeks ago. Life has conspired against me being able to dive since then though.

The Gopro website were doing them cheaper and incl a memory card than the shops were.

I put the camera into a carbonarm housing which looks the part. Its sat on kitchen table since arriving though

[Ian@1904]

I have decided to get a Gopro but there are too many choices. I'm stuck deciding. Older models which are perfectly adequate don't have easy processing because the editing tech is outdated or none existent now.
Please help me. I am a technophobe. I need a tiny lightweight camera instead of the big bulky housing and strobes I carry around at the moment. I'm overwhelmed with youtube reviews and feedback.
I don't need lots of bells and whistles, I need a tiny Gopro that takes films, stills, slo-mo videos, easy to edit and fun.
Advise me please. Please make your recommendations easy for me to understand. I really am technically very thick.
Thank you.

I use a a Go Pro 3 black. The Go pro video editing software can be download free via the internet, but you have to search around. My video quality can be seen in my recent trip report to Scapa Flow.

[Stuart Keasley]

Older models which are perfectly adequate don't have easy processing because the editing tech is outdated or none existent now.

Not sure what you mean by this? All of the GoPros use standard video formats, so you can edit on anything you like....there are far better options than the GoPro editing software (eg Black Magic Da Vincent Resolve)

[dwhitlow]

I don't need lots of bells and whistles, I need a tiny Gopro that takes films, stills, slo-mo videos, easy to edit and fun.

Before taking the plunge maybe have a go at the edit first. I find the edit is where I usually fail and have loads of footage that never got processed and some where the results is pretty rubbish.

On our last outing the GoPro was in the wrong mode (burst shots aren't that useful when you wanted a video) and my failing eyes didn't notice for a while (oops).

Turning the raw footage into something worth looking at takes inclination, familiarity with the software, time, and a reasonably capable computer.

You can borrow my GoPro 4 Black if you want to give it a try and you are welcome to have a go at editing some of my previous videos. There's 1.8GB of raw video that I threw together into this and I am sure a much better video can be made from it.

[Wibs]

Another ‘vote' for a Paralenz. It’s expensive but I’ve not flooded it in 18 months down to 75m. But there’s no screen, although the most recent version does have a tiny screen. The user interface is OK and works with cold hands in thick gloves.

If I were upgrading I think I’d go for what Paulo has. A decent housing will sort out the flooding and reliability issues. Think he paid about the same for a GoPro 8 and a good housing as a Paralenz.

[dwhitlow]

A decent housing will sort out the flooding and reliability issues.

I suspect the biggest problem with housings is user error, Housing depths ratings are interesting. Both my original GoPro Hero and Fuji F11 (both rated to 40m) visited Justicia (75m) in 2010 and the 'dive housing' on the current GoPro (rated to 60m) visited HMS Viknor (86m). The only housing problem I've had was with Ikelite box my Canon s110 died in. The end was probably user error but I did have a button stick at 50m.

[Paulo]

If I were upgrading I think I’d go for what Paulo has.

Oh great! A Wibs endorsement ... it is like being the top recommendation of both Trump and Tories.

[purple vonny]

Before taking the plunge maybe have a go at the edit first. I find the edit is where I usually fail and have loads of footage that never got processed and some where the results is pretty rubbish.

On our last outing the GoPro was in the wrong mode (burst shots aren't that useful when you wanted a video) and my failing eyes didn't notice for a while (oops).

Turning the raw footage into something worth looking at takes inclination, familiarity with the software, time, and a reasonably capable computer.

You can borrow my GoPro 4 Black if you want to give it a try and you are welcome to have a go at editing some of my previous videos. There's 1.8GB of raw video that I threw together into this and I am sure a much better video can be made from it.

Thanks Dave, Barny has the GP 4 black and he is struggling with editing now - something to do with him being unable to download the updated editing stuff. He's trying simple movie maker at the mo.

[longbow]

One thing that is good about the new Gopro's (7,8 and 9 I guess) aside from the 4k modes, is the digital stabilisation. It works ok underwater but topside - moving boat etc, it's really impressive. I was sceptical but it really does work well. Editing though, is well, editing and will always be time consuming and fiddly whatever version of camera you get. They still have small sensors so I do find the footage a bit 'thin' which makes life a bit harder to colour correct etc compared to say something off a larger camera and bear in mind that the 4k footage which is one of the draws for these newer ones is going to really test your hardware and if it's slower and older - possibly your patience as well...

[Wibs]

Oh great! A Wibs endorsement ... it is like being the top recommendation of both Trump and Tories.

Now you’ve got it, what’s it like? Is the housing really solid? Is it obvious when it’s closed, or more importantly when it’s not closed? Can you power the GoPro on and off when the housing is closed?

[Paulo]

The housing is very robust and all non-touch secreen functions are available through the housing as you would expect

[witchieblackcat]

I looked at Paralenz reviews on Youtube. I thought they looked like a good bit of kit, albeit expensive. Only thing that put me off was the comments sections where there were complaints of them going wrong, overheating and freezing. Good to hear a positive review, thanks. I'll have another look.

My first Paralenz was one with a plastic cap. The plastic caps crack and the Paralenz floods. Mine flooded and was replaced (by sending it back to Mike's who supplied a new one from Paralenz). It all took a couple of weeks.

My second got rusted magnets (because I hadn't realised how important the rinsing process was). Paralenz supplied two new sets of magnets and all was fine. A long while later it fogged up a lot and stopped charging so it went back to Paralenz (free postage) and was returned. A little while after that it flooded (which could have been me or them I was never really sure) and Paralenz replaced it for free once I sent it back for inspection. I was very impressed at how quibble free the replacement was.

My latest one is going strong.

So whereas the Paralenz is not issue free the service is excellent and that is why I think they're so good.