What's up?

[Lynne Whelden]

I notice two major GoPro dealers (at least) are having $50-off sales. Over the years I've come to associate such sales with the need to clear out old stock. Has anyone heard what might be going on? Or what's about to come on the scene?

[Kevin Walsh]

They still have some promises to keep for their Hero 2 customers (ProTune, Smartphone app. Buggy 3D system)

The price drop might just be due to increased competition. Especially now that JVC and Sony want a piece of the pie. Who knows?

I hope it means something cool is coming.

[Ian Newland]

If you buy make sure is from an approved dealer, many cameras are being sold by non approved dealers with the camera serial number sticker removed. No warrantee from GoPro.

[Kevin Walsh]

B&H has dropped the price by $50 until September 3. The camera is a real bargain at the new price IMHO.

[Renton Maclachlan]

Prices in NZ have been very consistent across the board, except one place that was offering it at about $30 less than the others...

[Lynne Whelden]

What if...during this final week of August both the Hero 3 and the GH3 are announced????

[Lynne Whelden]

I think I've figured it out! GoPro must have known that Sony was about to release their ActionCam. It's amazing what happens when the little guys step aside and let the big boys take over.

[Lynne Whelden]

The more I research the Sony Action Cam the more I'm impressed! I think GoPro realizes they've finally met their match. The ProTune will only give them a slight edge from here on out but only from a data rate standpoint.

[Mark Williams]

I wanted to like this camera but the compression rates do not impress.

Compression & Media - Sony Action Cam HDR-AS15 Review

[Lynne Whelden]

I was impressed by the video Sony has posted. (Granted, it's shot by professionals who know the camera's limitations. Just like the GPro promo video, I suppose.)
Who's to say it can't be hacked? If it's already offering 24mb/s slow mo, seems like that could be within reach of its HQ settings.
I think this will be BIG.
Keep in mind too, as the one report said, this is the first POV with a quality sensor and a quality lens. That could make up for some yardage seemingly lost because of lesser data rates.

[Mark Williams]

I don't have the Sony or the Gopro but intend to get one for an upcoming project to use for some partially underwater shots. Time will tell but I am leaning towards the Gopro because of the soon to be introduced 35mbs codec. I think that will get me closer to matching my HPX170 after some work in post.

[Ian Newland]

Originally Posted by Mark Williams

I don't have the Sony or the Gopro but intend to get one for an upcoming project to use for some partially underwater shots. Time will tell but I am leaning towards the Gopro because of the soon to be introduced 35mbs codec. I think that will get me closer to matching my HPX170 after some work in post.

The Sony waterproof housing has a dome lens so is blurry underwater just like the GoPro was before the new housing was released., However there is mention of a flat lens replacement accessory available at a later date from Sony.

I've see actual underwater footage from the Sony and it is burry.

[Lynne Whelden]

You know, if Sony tried to release a product with a preamp as noisy as Go Pro's audio is, they would
1-be run out of town
2-forced to recall the product
3-their stock would take a hit
4-their CEO would probably commit suicide or at least issue a public apology.

Such is the privileged life of a small, independent, upstart business accountable to no one such as GoPro!

[Evan Donn]

Hardly - these are helmet cams, crash cams, etc. The priorities start with size and build quality/ruggedness first, then image quality, frame rate, data rate, battery life, interface/functionality, etc - with sound coming in somewhere near the bottom of the list of important features. When the entire camera takes up little more space than some XLR connectors expecting quality sound hardware is absurd - anyone who is serious about getting good audio will use something else to record with. If people complain about the preamps in Sony's helmet camera I'm sure they'd be glad to suggest one of their many other fine audio/video products as a suitable alternative.

[Lynne Whelden]

I disagree. My point (or theory really), perhaps lost in my sarcasm, is that crash cams originated in someone's garage. Or perhaps in the kitchen of an extreme sport person. But clearly not a filmmaker. If it were the latter, sound would have been more of a priority and not an afterthought.
Sony has the video background so I'm betting (who knows for sure?) their audio on this Action Cam will be clean, not filled with hiss and static.

Okay, so flying down a hill is only going to give you a dull roar of wind.
But maybe tunneling through a wave would give you a totally freaky sort of echo-sound (worth recording).
So might biking up a hill (the grunts and gear clanging).
Or the schussing of snow off a ski on a quiet interval.

When you start to look at extreme sports this way, a perceptive (some would say innovative) filmmaker would have to conclude, "Gee, maybe sound is important to record under these extreme conditions. Maybe we've been missing out on something by sticking the mic out of the way, behind plastic walls, with low sensitivity and cheap preamps and counting on rock music to cover over everything."