Good alternative to a GoPro?

Xein · 23 Feb 2015 at 23:16

I've got a few trips lined up and I was thinking about getting a GoPro but then I saw the price (I know they're worth it) but I'd like to see whether there are any decent competitors to the GoPro out there?

I've had a quick look around and found a few others but I'm just wondering whether anyone has chosen an alternative to the GoPro?

postbox · 24 Feb 2015 at 08:16

There is always the SJ4000? never tried one but it could be worth a punt at the price.

Smeghead · 24 Feb 2015 at 08:44

I bought an SJ4000 as a present for someone. They haven't had a chance to try it yet, but judging from clips online, it seems OK for the price.

Search Youtube for user Techmoan. He does a lot of dashcam and some GoPro alternative reviews which are very thorough and informative.

booyaka · 24 Feb 2015 at 09:51

Have a look at the Go Pro 3+ etc - lots of good 2nd hand ones due to people upgrading to the go pro 4 etc. I got a great deal with loads of accessories on a go pro 3+ black.

Unless you need/want 4k or 720p @ 120fps etc - the 3+ model is more than enough still does 1080p60 / 960p60 fps etc

CGrieves · 24 Feb 2015 at 10:51

I wanted a helmet-mounted cam for vlogging. Borrowed a GoPro and you can't deny the output quality, but for helmet use I found the mounting options were a bit fiddly (and expensive). I ended up with a secondhand Drift Ghost HD and am pretty happy. With the latest firmware quality seems good, and with decent bitrate. Low light is pretty good, although the Ghost S is slightly better.

The rotatable lens is very useful (makes mounting soooo much simpler), it's waterproof, and the watch-style wireless remote is great for use on a motorbike with gloves on.

Xein · 24 Feb 2015 at 11:46

postbox said:
There is always the SJ4000? never tried one but it could be worth a punt at the price.

Smeghead said:
I bought an SJ4000 as a present for someone. They haven't had a chance to try it yet, but judging from clips online, it seems OK for the price.

Search Youtube for user Techmoan. He does a lot of dashcam and some GoPro alternative reviews which are very thorough and informative.

I had a quick look at the SJ4000 and it seems pretty good for what it is, so definitely worth having a look into I think.

booyaka said:
Have a look at the Go Pro 3+ etc - lots of good 2nd hand ones due to people upgrading to the go pro 4 etc. I got a great deal with loads of accessories on a go pro 3+ black.

Unless you need/want 4k or 720p @ 120fps etc - the 3+ model is more than enough still does 1080p60 / 960p60 fps etc

The prices still seem quite high for the 3+ but I'll have a look around and see what I can find.

CGrieves said:
I wanted a helmet-mounted cam for vlogging. Borrowed a GoPro and you can't deny the output quality, but for helmet use I found the mounting options were a bit fiddly (and expensive). I ended up with a secondhand Drift Ghost HD and am pretty happy. With the latest firmware quality seems good, and with decent bitrate. Low light is pretty good, although the Ghost S is slightly better.

The rotatable lens is very useful (makes mounting soooo much simpler), it's waterproof, and the watch-style wireless remote is great for use on a motorbike with gloves on.

That sounds good, I'll have a look at both of the options you have mentioned

SDK^ · 24 Feb 2015 at 12:13

Garmin VIRB

Begbie · 24 Feb 2015 at 14:30

I was looking at the SJ4000 a while back and for £50~ it seems a bargain. Got to be careful of fakes. Also worth looking on Aliexpress for the cheapest deal, if you can be bothered to wait.

Kamakazie! · 24 Feb 2015 at 16:00

What about the new budget GoPro?
At under £100 it's a great bit of kit. I've been really happy with mine so far but I can't provide any comparison with others in the same price bracket unfortunately.

famas · 24 Feb 2015 at 20:09

Not a fan of go pros at all!

I took one of the latest go pros and a drift hd ghost on a biking holiday to France and for usability the ghost was miles ahead, so simple and easy to use and set up also as mentioned the rotating lens is a brilliant feature.
It also has a handy remote with coloured LED's to let you know what mode you are in and if its recording.

I got so fed up with the go pros menu set up and the lack of a screen is a real pain, and half the time the wifi to phone feature would cut out, it was more of a chore to use in general.

Admittedly the go pro wins on video quality but the drift certainly isn't bad.

for shear ease of use the drift was the better camera.

englishpremier · 24 Feb 2015 at 20:58

The Sony AS100 is pretty much the best action camera out there at the moment. It's a little bit cheaper than the Gopro

Genoma · 24 Feb 2015 at 21:20

I have a SJ4000 and it does the job nicely + comes with a ton of accessories. The quality is as you expect not top notch, the battery cover is appalling

but it all works.

PU7E · 24 Feb 2015 at 22:10

I use a drift on my helmet when I'm out on the motorbike, quality is good, the batteries last a good few hours and the waterproofing is nice and actually works.

ianh · 24 Feb 2015 at 22:32

I have had 2 Drift 170HD's, a Drift HD and now I've a Drift HD Ghost (all for Rally Car footage inside & out) - All have been phenomenal quality and the biggest feature for me has been the rotatable lens which makes mounting an absolute doddle!

Xein · 25 Feb 2015 at 13:01

famas said:
Not a fan of go pros at all!

I took one of the latest go pros and a drift hd ghost on a biking holiday to France and for usability the ghost was miles ahead, so simple and easy to use and set up also as mentioned the rotating lens is a brilliant feature.
It also has a handy remote with coloured LED's to let you know what mode you are in and if its recording.

I got so fed up with the go pros menu set up and the lack of a screen is a real pain, and half the time the wifi to phone feature would cut out, it was more of a chore to use in general.

Admittedly the go pro wins on video quality but the drift certainly isn't bad.

for shear ease of use the drift was the better camera.

englishpremier said:
The Sony AS100 is pretty much the best action camera out there at the moment. It's a little bit cheaper than the Gopro

I'll take a look at this thanks

Genoma said:
I have a SJ4000 and it does the job nicely + comes with a ton of accessories. The quality is as you expect not top notch, the battery cover is appalling but it all works.

PU7E said:
I use a drift on my helmet when I'm out on the motorbike, quality is good, the batteries last a good few hours and the waterproofing is nice and actually works.

ianh said:
I have had 2 Drift 170HD's, a Drift HD and now I've a Drift HD Ghost (all for Rally Car footage inside & out) - All have been phenomenal quality and the biggest feature for me has been the rotatable lens which makes mounting an absolute doddle!

Definitely interested in Drift's offering as it looks smart and has plenty of great features, and great to see the positive feedback regarding them.

Smeghead · 25 Feb 2015 at 14:08

Kamakazie! said:
What about the new budget GoPro?
At under £100 it's a great bit of kit. I've been really happy with mine so far but I can't provide any comparison with others in the same price bracket unfortunately.

Non removeable battery and no screen, whereas similar priced cameras have both.

lflowers · 27 Feb 2015 at 17:29

Theres also a SJ5000 Plus coming out soon