Gentlemen,

Does anyone have experience with the GoPro HERO? I am going to Namibia in a few weeks for a plains game safari. This camera appears versatile as it can be mounted to the Land Cruiser, and can also be worn during stalks.

I would like to record a few hours of video with the aim to produce a 20 minute high-definition video with decent sound quality.

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions.

The quality is very good but the lens is very wide angle, so it doesn't do real well at distance. I use one on my motorcycles and it does real well for recording trips, but I think that you might want better quality for your trip. With a body mount, it would be great during a stalk. Lots of examples on YouTube, since most sports videos are shot with GoPros.

Nashcat

the wide angle lens sucks for anything beyond about 35-40 yards. It's why I sold mine 2 months after wasting money on it. If you want to record stuff just beyond the gun barrel( or if you don't mine seeing video images the size of peas), it's fine.

I agree,

Its a great little action camera, I use mine for recording some of my fishing trips.

The wide angle lens works great for this but for a hunting trip you would need a different type of camera.

Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen.

My wife did some research on her own and will purchase a Canon Vixia. Maybe on a future safari (where I am solo) the GoPro may be useful, but apparently it will not capture footage of animals at any distance.

I agree with all the comments so what would a better choice be? Too bad the Gopro doesn't offer zoom lens options.

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
I agree with all the comments so what would a better choice be? Too bad the Gopro doesn't offer zoom lens options.

I am headed to Namibia at the end of February, so in a few weeks I can give some feedback about the Canon Vixia my wife purchased. It was not expensive at roughly $250, so hopefully it does a good job.

Looking forward to seeing the action.

I have a gopro - use it for diving. As other guys have said, way too wide angle - I would not use on safari.

On my safari - I shot video with both my cameras - a canon G16 and a canon 70D - both came out great.

With the GoPro anything at 40 yards and beyond is just a speck.