Action Cameras

Started by Calnefoxile, May 02, 2018, 11:36:08 PM

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Calnefoxile


Dear collective,

My daughter is off to South Africa for a months work experience on a Animal Reserve, and for her 21st Birthday she's requested an Action Camea.

Now obviously she's asked for the most expensive one, a GoPro 6 Black which is out of our price range, therefore I'm hoping that the great Collective that is the NGF members, can advise me of a decent, cheaper option  :D :D

We could probably stretch to about £200, but that will have to include any.  Extras we need to buy, like spare batteries, memory cards etc.

Hope you can help me out.

Cheers

Neal

DaveGlew

#1
 :hellosign:
I did 5 weeks "volunteering" on two game reserves in South Africa last year (Welgevonden & Panzi Bush Camp) and my daughter is going this coming summer.

Firstly - what a fantastic experience it will be, I hope your daughter has a great time.
Secondly - I would honestly recommend a DSLR camera with a long lens (300mm min) rather than a Go-pro or similar. There's an awful lot of bush out there and picking the animals out with a video camera can be tricky from a bouncy jeep. Unless she is in a very prolific area like the main part of Kruger, I think a video will show a lot of grass! Also, a DSLR will be far superior for long shots, birds in particular. I suggest a good think about what she wants from image capture before spending. For the occasional need for video, I just used my phone.
Thirdly - I recommend buying or borrowing a good pair of binoculars. Photos are great, but the experience of just peering and watching is unimaginable and will stay in the memory for years afterwards.
Finally - If she has the money (or a good library) I recommend a pre-visit read of "The Bushveld: A South African Field Guide" by Lee Gutteridge.
If it looks right and it works then I'm happy.

zwilnik

While a DSLR is ideal for actual photography an action camera is a lot better for, well, action. The point being you can wear it and forget about it, capturing everything. You also don't have to worry about it getting wet or knocked and if she's there doing work experience it may be a lot more practical.

In terms of which action camera I can heartily recommmend the GoPros. They're absolutely bomb proof. They are expensive but they will survive almost anything. The only worry is if it's likely to be stolen of course. (Travel insurance!).

There are much cheaper action cameras on the market but it's always a gamble whether they'll survive accidental or deliberate action. 7DayShop for instance are usually a good source. Another option might be to buy an older GoPro model 2nd hand.

njee20

Go Pro do have a bit of a monopoly, perhaps a NOS or second hand older one? This Hero 3 Black is good value, shoots up to 4k, includes a spare battery (got another one) and a few mounts. There are dozens on there, NOS and second hand.

I've got a Hero 2 and a cheap (£40) Chinese one; an Eken H9R. The Chinese one is actually far better, but it's now quite a dated GoPro, no WiFi, no screen, so that's no surprise. The battery life is rubbish, so get lots!

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