If you’ve been living in a cave the last few years, you’ll probably not have heard of a GoPro camera, and the concept of an action camera may be completely foreign to you. For the rest of us, though, GoPro has become all but a household name with its range of tiny action cameras designed to capture absolutely everything. I have seen GoPros used everywhere from filming while surfing, skiing, driving, racing motorbikes and even arresting criminals (yes, Dog the Bounty Hunter uses quite a number of GoPro cameras to record his show!)
The range is vast, and this isn’t a piece to tell you all about every single model of camera they sell. Today we’re looking at a new addition to the base range, the Hero+ LCD. The early GoPro cameras, and even today’s base range, are pretty simplistic affairs, operated by a couple of buttons and a tiny black and white front-facing display. However, this simplicity powers creativity, because these cameras can be taken many places that other cameras wouldn’t dream of going.
For those who are a bit wary of controlling a camera with just three buttons, the Hero+ LCD might be the answer. You can line up shots with the LCD display and edit video, as well as controlling the camera from a compatible Android or iOS phone. Priced at $429, the Hero+ LCD is built into a protective waterproof housing (unlike more expensive models which can be removed from this housing). Opening the back of the housing allows you to interact with the touch screen, change out the MicroSD card, and plug in the mini-USB charger (yes, sadly, GoPro cameras use mini-USB, not Micro-USB like most other gizmos these days).
That to one side, these cameras are a hell of a lot of fun, and if you’ve been umming and ahhing about whether to get one, like I was, now’s as good a time as any to get on board. GoPro have given us a new GoPro Hero (non-LCD version) and a Hero4 Silver, which can shoot in 4K video. We attached them to a motorbike and took it for a ride around Sydney yesterday, across the harbour bridge, and around suburban Hornsby. With minimal talent (yes, I don’t have much) I was able to produce some pretty entertaining short films.
We had great fun putting these together, and that these cameras could be so easily attached to just about anything (cars, bikes, kids, dogs, roll-bars, you name it) really does mean the sky is the limit when coming up with fun things to video.
The GoPro Hero+ LCD will be available soon for $429 from wherever good cameras are sold. JB HiFi, Paxtons, Camera House are just three, but you can seriously find them just about everywhere.
dat chatswood drive