GoPro Hero2 -- Big review, comparisons, suggestions

[Marty Cerven]

Thats a pretty thorough review you've got there and well done looks like it took a bit of work.

With your negatives though these 2 I don't really agree with you.

Lack of white balance or scene settings requires filters underwater.

Id love a manual white balance option on the gopro but even if this was available you will still need to use a filter and proper white balancing combined for best results

Battery is undersized.

Battery could be larger but I can record 3 full dives 2.5hrs no LCD or 2 full dives 1.5hrs with the LCD backpack which compared to other compact cameras Ive used in the past haven't been close to these run times. Most cameras would be lucky to get an hours continuous use taking photos or videos. A bigger battery would be great but in comparison to other cameras I haven't seen too many if any that can do continuous recording on a stock battery for longer then a gopro.

 

[Mud&Rox]

thanks a lot for the awesome awesome review! just picked up the hero 2 and sold off my 1....cant wait to try out the lower lighting in the cooper river tomorrow!

 

[conradb212]

Jaybob217,

At this point, I don't think you can buy a bare Hero2. But honestly, each of the three available Hero2 packages (outdoor, motorsport, surf) includes so much cool and useful mounting stuff that it makes total sense to get the whole package. For underwater video, you definitely need one of the flatlens housings. I have the one from EyeOfMine. It isn't pretty, but it works great. EyeOfMine offers both a modified standard GoPro housing and a modified wristmount housing that comes with velcrostrap for your arm. Personally, I found the velcro strap version a bit cumbersome and ended up a small lanyard onto the GoPro housing to attach it to my wrist or BC. If you feel sure-handed, you can also simply carry it in your hand.

Don't count on the Hero2 to be able to get reliable stills underwater; there just isn't enough light most of the time, and everything moves. For that the PowerShot (I always take my G10 with me) is much better. But you can get amazing HD video and snatch very good stills from that. Of course, they'll only be 1920 x 1080 pixel, but that's good enough for onscreen viewing and even small prints.

I'll write about that in more detail, but we also ended up getting truly spectacular 3D footage with a flat-lens 3D housing with two standard Heros. Stunning stuff.

What would you suggest for the GoPro Hero 2 (Package, flat lens, etc.) Like can you buy just the camera without a package? I figure I just need the camera, I like the BacPac option also, flat lens, and then just a way to carry it or strap it to my BC. I mean can you just carry it underwater the way it comes? Like does it have a place to attach a ring for my lanyard to my d-ring?

Thanks!

 

[conradb212]

Marty, thanks for the kind words. I don't disagree with you. Even with adjustable white balance settings, you'd still be better off with filters, and we didn't have a test setup on the last review trip that could accommodate filters. So my commentary just meant to point out that even the Hero2 will not produce great color at depth unless you also have good lighting.

As for the battery, we did not have very good luck. We had one bad battery that barely held a charge. Since I don't like to have to rely on USB charging I bought a charger on eBay with two additional generic batteries. The charger worked, the generic batteries were crap. But even the good battery on the latest Hero2 didn't last long enough with the LCD BacPac for my taste. What it boils down to is that everything's always a compromise. The GoPro's big appeal is its tiny size and simplicity. Start adding on stuff and features, and you'd lose that.

Thats a pretty thorough review you've got there and well done looks like it took a bit of work.

With your negatives though these 2 I don't really agree with you.



Id love a manual white balance option on the gopro but even if this was available you will still need to use a filter and proper white balancing combined for best results



Battery could be larger but I can record 3 full dives 2.5hrs no LCD or 2 full dives 1.5hrs with the LCD backpack which compared to other compact cameras Ive used in the past haven't been close to these run times. Most cameras would be lucky to get an hours continuous use taking photos or videos. A bigger battery would be great but in comparison to other cameras I haven't seen too many if any that can do continuous recording on a stock battery for longer then a gopro.

 

[Down2bizDiver]

I started 2 years ago with the std def version, then HD, then added EoM case, now HD2 and I love them all. HD2 is far easier to use (do not have to point it at myself to see if it is recording) but do not notice any difference in video image. Clips from my first HD2 trip:
Giant Manta Ray Lays a Bomb in HD - YouTube

 

[Dorit]

Thanks for giving me a moment of pause. If the biggest improvement is just the menu, then the use of the LCD bacpac somewhat negates this benefit. Will probably finish building my DIY set of video lights and see how those perform with the original (cree xml 900lm x 2). Though, given the cost of the Hero 2, I may just get one just the same

Incidentally, what light were you using and what settings did you have for the linked video?

Hi Doc Ed, just getting curious reading your post here - can the menu not be operated while the lcd bacpac is on???

BR Dorit

 

[Ed Palma]

Hi Doc Ed, just getting curious reading your post here - can the menu not be operated while the lcd bacpac is on???

BR Dorit

Hi Dorit, with the Hero 1, using the LCD bacpac provides a language based menu as well - as opposed to the relatively difficult menu system found in the front LCD panel - which still remains visible even with the bacpac on.

 

[SFC_Swede]

Awesome thread...I am going to do a little more digging on the board but thanks for the thread! I just purchased the Hero2, LCD backpak, extra battery, and GoPro Dive housing for my trip to St Kitts in 3 weeks.

I was turned on to the GoPro Hero 2 by another diver who had one at our local dive site in PA. Limited vis, green water, but the video came out awesome from such a compact device. At least I have a couple weeks to play with it in the pool to figure it all out.

 

[w ripley]

Thanks. Been thinking about getting one for cave shots and your review helped me with some points. Thanks for all of the lens cautions and solutions. Doubt you would get that from GoPro.

 

[deeper thoughts]

thank you very much for this informative review