GoPro users....Need some experienced opinions.

[TX_Phil]

I've done some research on action cameras in general in an attempt to capture my daughters volleyball games and since February I've shot about 750GB of raw footage. These things are pretty impressive when they are in their "sweet spot" so to speak. The lack of a zoom lens is the biggest drawback to recording something like a hunt in my opinion. That being said there are other ways to zoom in on the action with software. No, it's not the same as a good zoom lens but if you are shooting high enough resolution you can get some good output.

Here's a clip I've been playing with learning how to zoom with the software. The video was shot at 2.7k @ 60 FPS. I can crank it up to true 4k @ 60 FPS but the files are really big and my wimpy computer takes forever to process them. Note, this clip has been downgraded to youtube default resolution.

https://youtu.be/LSvPlF0fDXg

The camera is on a tripod and about 8 feet in the air. The color, lighting and white balance are all at default values. Which is something else to consider, high speed video needs good bright light to give you the best picture.

[AntlerCollector]

I'm in the group that no longer uses one. If I find mine I will send it to you. It's been a year or two since I've seen it though.

[CrossTimbers]

I have both a GoPro and a Tactacam. The Tactacam is much better at seeing what you are shooting at, but the GoPro is great at giving you the wider field of view, but objects farther away (even in bow range) are tiny.

[ByronB]

Use the GoPro for all of the up-close photos and video. I sometimes video driving to my area, walking in to my area, catching video of when I draw my bow on an animal, etc. Use your regular video camera for the actual shots on the animals from your blind. You can also set up the GoPro on your feed pen and video a different angle of your shot. Heck, you can place it on the ground in the pen as well. Just buy the remote control for it. As a Family we have four of them. I use my Wife’ Go Pro if I want to add a second one to my hunting setup.....along with the use of my Panasonic video camera.

[Miller]

I have had one for a 2-3 years and like it a lot for a secondary camera when hunting. For better or worse I haven't used it for anything else. So with that said it does just sit in a bag for a lot of months.

I have only used it for reverse angle footage or at least closer to the action. I will say it is one more thing to do when you get to your setup and another piece of electronics to charge and lug around. So when I have the kids with me or I am dropping off guests and short on time it doesn't always get put out.

I think I have the GoPro Hero Silver 3 or something like that. I have had problems with it when using my phone/app as the remote. Sometimes if it stays dormant for over an hour my phone just can't pick up the wifi and sync with it. So that can be frustrating. The newer models may not have that problem?

I really have wanted to get some good footage of a Tom reeking havoc on my DSD Breeding Pair with it, but they usually come out of nowhere and attack it so quick I don't have time to get it turned on. I think I am going to start hitting record at the first sign of a Gobbler coming in from now on.

To sum up I am glad I have it. Like you, I got mine for a gift for the very same reasons. It does take up some time and you will second guess having it when you make it back to camp and realize you left it clamped to a tree. Or worse you came all the way home and realize it is still out in the field.

[Michael]

I have had one for a 2-3 years and like it a lot for a secondary camera when hunting. For better or worse I haven't used it for anything else. So with that said it does just sit in a bag for a lot of months.

I have only used it for reverse angle footage or at least closer to the action. I will say it is one more thing to do when you get to your setup and another piece of electronics to charge and lug around. So when I have the kids with me or I am dropping off guests and short on time it doesn't always get put out.

I think I have the GoPro Hero Silver 3 or something like that. I have had problems with it when using my phone/app as the remote. Sometimes if it stays dormant for over an hour my phone just can't pick up the wifi and sync with it. So that can be frustrating. The newer models may not have that problem?

I really have wanted to get some good footage of a Tom reeking havoc on my DSD Breeding Pair with it, but they usually come out of nowhere and attack it so quick I don't have time to get it turned on. I think I am going to start hitting record at the first sign of a Gobbler coming in from now on.

To sum up I am glad I have it. Like you, I got mine for a gift for the very same reasons. It does take up some time and you will second guess having it when you make it back to camp and realize you left it clamped to a tree. Or worse you came all the way home and realize it is still out in the field.

I started taking advantage of the "looping" feature. You can set it to record for a specific time. For example, I usually set mine to 5 minutes. It records 5 one minute files, and if I haven't stopped it by then, it will start recording over the first minute. Once you hit stop, it retains the previous 5 one minute files. If there's no action, you don't have to worry about filling up your card or having a bunch of excess footage to go through in editing. The only issue is that you have to remember to stop recording or you can potentially lose the footage. I've done it!

[Cervicide]

I got the Hero 4 a couple years ago, its small lightweight, and waterproof. The biggest thing that I learned with GoPro is you have to realize its not going to be the quality of a camera like you would see on a hunting show. However that being said I really enjoy using mine. I would suggest taking it out and using diffrent mounts to find the angle and picture you want. It will be almost usless if trying to film anything while rifle hunting or anything further than about 70 yds out. But it is pretty sweet on a spot and stalk hunt or anything bow or shotgun hunting. I took mine on a turkey hunt last weekend and it worked good. All that being said it is something cool and diffrent to use on your adventures and its a nice way to re-live them. One more thing i would mention is mine has a very small blue light on the top corner that is on whenever the GoPro is, so i just put a small piece of black tape on it to cover it while hunting. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[systemnt]

[Rounder]

I have had one for a 2-3 years and like it a lot for a secondary camera when hunting. For better or worse I haven't used it for anything else. So with that said it does just sit in a bag for a lot of months.

I have only used it for reverse angle footage or at least closer to the action. I will say it is one more thing to do when you get to your setup and another piece of electronics to charge and lug around. So when I have the kids with me or I am dropping off guests and short on time it doesn't always get put out.

I think I have the GoPro Hero Silver 3 or something like that. I have had problems with it when using my phone/app as the remote. Sometimes if it stays dormant for over an hour my phone just can't pick up the wifi and sync with it. So that can be frustrating. The newer models may not have that problem?

.

I have had the same problems with the app on my phone. For those of you with the GoPro remote, is this an issue or does the remote connect to the camera better?

[quarterback]

Last summer I bought a Hero 5 Black and used it extensively on our annual Colorado fly fishing trip. The video footage from that trip alone was priceless and I'm glad I bought it. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. Pictures are fun and all that but video is the best.

[ATX Tyler]

I use a couple quite frequently for second angles. I have a main "big" camera for pointing at the animal, but the Gopro is typically mounted in the tree facing me or over the shoulder, and I also use it a lot for showing the walk to the stand, climbing up the tree, following a blood trail and things like that. I've found that these second angle shots and the b-roll shots it can help capture really make a video a lot more interesting.