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GoPro Hero3 vs Xcel HD2

I am going to buy an action camera in the next few weeks. I have been comparing the Spypoint Xcel HD2 and the GoPro Hero 3 Black.

I am far from a camera guru, was hoping someone can give me some past experiences (good or bad) with either camera.

Spypoint.com Gopro.com

I hope some one gives good feed back as I am looking also

I got a Sony AS10 a year ago and was checking the internet for info on how to best use it and came across a website called techmoan.com this is a gentleman in the UK who checks out these cameras and has done some extensive reviews on these cameras. Check em out!!!

Thx guys. I'll check that website out. I guess I'll add the Sony to my list to investigate.

http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL029293

And I was just learning how to use my Go Pro3? I think I'll see what you guys post up before the next one. Bob.

Bought an epic camera last year and it was the biggest waste of money ever! Should have got the go pro

Go Pro is for action close ups. No zoom. Audio is incredible but its a good 2nd camera- not a hunting camera.

A GoPro has severely limited run time. About ten minutes a pop.

Great for action shots. Not great for taking a whole trip. Not unless you have it on time lapse.

I use the gopro 2 only for those quick video shots. No zoom but the footage is clear and HD quality. I have heard the sony is just as good on video quality. You can find one used for $110.

When they finally make a action camera with a zoom I will be first in line!

I have the Spypoint Xcel HD and it is good. Run time is about four hours with a full charge. IMO the down side is the remote only starts and stops recording and the sound quality is not great with the cover on, but you can buy an external microphone. For the money with all the accessories (bow mount, rifle mount, head mount) that come with it you can't beat it. I have looked in to the HD2 and it does have 4x zoom and a remote to power the unit on and off as well as record.

The Drift Ghost-S has digital tagging so you can run a continuous loop. This means you can Keep the camera taping then when there's an event you want to keep push the tag button and it will save the previous footage you want to keep, otherwise it tapes in a loop over the old stuff you don't want to keep. Very neat when you wouldn't have had the time to push the record button. A remote is included and a +3 hour battery time. The Drift App allows full control over your camera & the ability to share your content over WiFi. But one of my favorite features is that The 300° continuously rotatable lens allows you to mount the camera in all conceivable positions, and yet still provides a straight image. So just plug the camera into the mount, set the lens and get started - no angles, no screws! I've always had a hard time getting a camera straight. From experience only purchase a camera from an authorized dealer as I purchased a very high dollar video camera one time over the internet and it was a gray market version. The best price I've found is at BH and checked with a contact Joan at drift's customer service to make sure BH was a good company. Here's Drift's site. http://store.driftinnovation.com/cameras/drift-ghost-s

Sony is great for video stabilization, low light and price point. If you have a tablet, you'll get great reception over a smartphone when using the app.

I have a go pro hero 3 black that I have used fishing. It has its drawbacks like any action cam. You could zoom in while editing your footage but not sure how much and regain quality. Quality with no zoom is A+. I went over all cameras when choosing one and ended up with go pro. I'm sure there are many great cameras out there but I have heard of problems with some cheaper stuff. Also comment above mentions saving previous clips and deleting later ones. I can do this also and do it a lot fishing. Only saving clips with action. I will probably try mine for the first time bow hunting next week. No matter what you choose you will have great video memories.

This subject came up a few months ago. Someone suggested getting another lens. I followed the advise and found that for $85 each you can get a variety of len's. I bought one that has more magnification than the original. I will purchase another with more magnification for hunting next year. The original came with a 2.9 mm lens, I purchased a 3.60. It brings things a bit closer. I want to drop my GoPro down under the ice this winter to video some ice fishing adventures, so I don't want too much magnification... yet. For hunting next year and maybe video some 3-d shooting this winter, I will purchase a 6 mm. You can purchase lenses from Peau Productions. I have the GoPro 3+ and think it is a great device to use in conjunction with my i-phone.

2 months ago, I bought, and am now returning, a GoPro 3+. Tried it "stand-alone", with the Android App, and then bought the Wifi remote. None of 3 are great options for hunting. Used it both duck hunting and bow hunting. If you leave it on, the batteries drain quickly and unexpectedly, especially if you have the Wifi turned on to use the remote. If you don't leave it on, you'll never get it turned on in time to capture a kill shot. Even when it's on, it is fairly slow to begin recording, and you really have to look at the thing to make sure it actually did start recording. I have many videos up my nose looking to make sure the thing is running. Best way to know for sure is to leave the LED's turned on, which can alert game. Software is very cumbersome - cannot quickly make changes without scrolling thru alot of different options looking for the one you want. Terrible, and I mean terrible, low-light video - I shot a duck 1 minute into shooting time - all you see is a black blob flying thru a very grainy, dark background. The wide angle lens makes it a very small black blob, even at 15 yards. And to top it all off, the "30 day money back guarantee" is not honored, so I will probably have to eat the $80 remote (they wont issue an RMA for the return). Good thing I bought the Camera at Cabelas - they actually do stand behind their products and honor their return policy.

So to sum it up, this thing might be great if you're a surfer dude, or like to ski down a mountainside or ride motorcycles, but it's not worth it for hunting.

Watch this video I took of a fishing trip that also turned into a hunting trip in Alberta. ALL shot with a GoPro.

It definitely has its place.

I love it for it's ruggedness and simplicity.

BTW If this wasn't on YouTube you would see how awesome the quality is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QICKfgfJn4M

BTW That bear is 30 yards away when I shoot it.

The title of this thread looks like a professional football play.

Sage Buffalo, nice video - Looks like you had a great time. I appreciate the fact you got a good kill shot, so i agree that it may have "it's place". But I think you actually back up most of my complaints: 1. All of your video is shot with alot of day light. 2. you are hunting over bait, where you generally have plenty of time to view an animal when it comes in, so you don't have to leave your camera on, draining the batteries. 3. 30 yards is pretty close to a bear - but he is such a small part of the overall camera view - now imagine what my mallard looked like.

Not saying you can't get some good shots with it, as you obviously did. Just saying during low-light, it just doesn't do the job well, IMO. And when you finally get an animal in range, and the batteries are dead, it really makes you wonder why you spent all that money. Trust me, it happened to me more than once.

Shooting: If you are talking duck hunting then that's a whole other ball game and these type of cameras might be good for being placed on barrel or faced towards shooter.

If you want great, consistent duck footage you need a shoulder camera with a buddy who knows how to operate them to film you. Especially duck hunting since the targets are small and are fast and random.

You can use a handheld but it won't be as good as the higher end cameras and for low-light and fast action it stretches most handheld cameras capabilities. Not impossible but not what they are made for.

These action-cams are good for footage when you are lazy and don't want to fuss with your larger camera.

Most of us utilize both cameras in field. I was just showing you can use them in certain situations.

Either way, filming can be more work than hunting itself!

The spypoint has a zoom, probably not enough though

Carcus, I'll let you know. I ran to Cabela's last night and returned the GoPro (THANKS Cabelas!), and picked up the Xcel HD2. Saturday morning is our gun deer opener, so hopefully I'll have a video or 2.

First impressions are good - s/w much simpler, and the display screen much easier to read - important points for us older guys!

Buy GoPro I bought stock;-)

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