There is enough price difference between the 3 GoPro levels that for a first time purchase it could be worth going with the cheaper White version. The image stabilization for 4K 60 video on the Black is worth the price. Hands down I would go with the GoPro. The cheap alternatives do not have anywhere near the same picture quality. 

If you start at Go Pro Hero 5 everything should be waterproof without the plastic casing, and you can usually find some really good deals on EBAY for 5's 6's etc.  And naturally, from the older models (3 , 4) to the 5,6, etc Go Pro has changed the battery style and they are not compatible.

I recently bought the Hero 7 Black. I decided the White and Silver were a definite no-go because i) non-removable battery, ii) no hypersmooth stabilization, iii) no linear mode (only wide).

Those 3 things were complete deal breakers for me. There are workarounds for each, but I don't want to wait to charge through a power bank while on a canoe trip, or buy a gimbal, or apply an after effect to normalize the wide fisheye, etc.

I've only used it on one trip so far (travelling, not a canoe trip), but I was extremely happy with the purchase. I put together a video with some of the footage... most of the video is footage from the GoPro, with some clips being shot with iPhone. Most GoPro footage was shot in 2.7k. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlY9oFXF6gc&lc

It really depends on your needs, but I will say that the hypersmooth stabilization in the Black model is a huge benefit, as well as having replaceable batteries. Of course it's an expensive purchase, especially considering the extra accessories you'll need to buy... but so far I think it's worth it and I can't wait to test it out for my canoe trip vids.

For what it's worth, I bought mine 'open box' from Henry's, and with the cost savings that I got, I bought their 4 year warranty. GoPro only offers 1 year warranty and I've heard they're a complete pain to deal with.

I spent a ton of time researching the different options and all of the accessories (memory cards, selfie stick/tripods, etc.) so if you do go with a GoPro and have any questions, feel free to ask.

edit: forgot to mention, the app is awesome. You have full control over the camera and all settings, which is extremely useful for setting up shots. If you look closely at the video I shared, you'll notice I'm looking down in some clips... checking the app to make sure the shot is set up right lol (1:20 - 1:30 for example)

Last edited by trippythings (4/24/2019 11:48 am)

And the really nice part, all of the accessories are basically interchangeable. I had an Activeon years ago, and when moving to GoPro all of the same mounts, clips etc all still work. You can also buy on Ebay some kits that have around 50-100 pieces for next to nothing, as long as you don't mind waiting 1/4 of a year for the boat to arrive from overseas. Toss in some spare knockoff  batteries and a universal charger and away you go! I also agree with Rob, the sound is 100X better between the 5 vs. older models... but it is still not the same as an external mic.

Not being able to swap batteries is a draw back, but if you carry a battery pack like an Anker Powercore, which you would need to anyway for a trip longer than a day, then you can still recharge at lunch/breaks and at night. I was going through 2 batteries a day on that trip last summer and across all my cameras was just into my 2nd 20,000 mAh PowerCore by the end of the trip. (Although a little more downtime would have had me taking more pictures). 

Any UHS-1 card will be fast enough. I tend to go with higher performing cards like a Samsung EVO but I would say any UHS-1 card with decent reviews will be perfectly fine for 1080p video. Shooting 1080p/30 video I could get a 4 day trip, including photos on a 32GB SD card. 

The White doesn't do 4K. It does do 1440 but that's a bit of strange size, so I would expect most of the material would be 1080/60. 

Of course a larger card doesn't hurt, but if a goal is to keep initial costs down then a 32GB is a reasonable starting point. 64GB would be better and I wouldn't go smaller than 32GB. Picking a card 'approved' by GoPro is a good idea. 

Also, memory cards are dirt cheap even at larger sizes. If you're going to do a lot of filming, especially in higher resolutions, don't get too stingy on what you buy. I've maxxed out a 128 gb card on a camping trip before. Two of my cameras have 128 gb cards, the other has a 256 gb card, and I bring a spare 64 gb card as an emergency backup. 

Edit: 256 GB Samsung EVO UHS-1 - $67: https://www.amazon.ca/Samsung-MC256GA-APC-microSDXC-Adapter/dp/B0752LHMXM/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JDB8YF9GNKS9JV4WPAE4

Last edited by Uppa (4/25/2019 5:13 pm)

MartinG wrote:

...That said, the stabilization on the Hero 7 Black is so much better than anything else on the market. There isn't anything quite like it.

My first time testing it I had it mounted on my windshield in my car. It was rattling like crazy the whole time I was driving, and you can hear me saying stuff in the video like "oh wow look at how much the camera is shaking, this is crazy, I'm really curious how it will turn out with the stabilization".

Perfectly smooth. I didn't believe it was the same footage at first because of how perfect it came out.