Sometimes, name brand isn’t everything.
We decided to buy a GoPro Hero to help document our adventures.
It was a great little camera, and I ordered plenty of goodies – various mounts, stands, tripods, and monopods, the works.
One thing that I neglected to buy was, unfortunately, a floating case – which is why, about a week after buying the camera, it ended up on the bottom of Lake Norman.
Be advised, just because something is waterproof, that doesn’t mean it will float.
Of course I decided to buy a replacement camera immediately, but in the meantime, Jake found the GeekPro camera on Amazon – for a mere $80 – half the price of the GoPro, and offering all of the same ruggedness and superior capability – including full 1080 HD video recording, a display screen on the back, and compatibility with an app that lets you remotely control the GeekPro – all incredibly useful and important, and, at that pricepoint, nearly disposable, even for the higher-end device that we purchased. At that pricepoint, multi-camera setups become a practical possibility.
Now, to the camera itself.
There was substantially more to the Geekpro than the GoPro that I purchased. It came in a durable case that had enough storage for most of the mounts (which, I should add, are completely compatible with GoPro mounts), and had several mounts included which were paid extras on the GoPro. The documentation was also somewhat superior.
In terms of actual quality – the mounts on the GoPro are of slightly higher quality, but my initial impression is that the case and the actual camera itself are of equal quality. The color screen with function menus and the multiple indicators are a definite plus, in my book.
The fact that it charges with a Micro-USB connector that’s the same as almost every modern phone (other than the iPhone), means you can buy a charger for this camera at any gas station and may even have a few extras laying around your house or in the car. The GoPro hero, by contrast, uses a slightly larger, slightly more outmoded mini-USB.
One more advantage: the battery is removable, so it’s possible to have spares handy if you’re on a long outing with the GeekPro and your battery runs down.
Side-by-side video comparison with the Hero shows that the GeekPro’s video quality is every bit as good.
If I had to make one nitpicky complaint, I would say it’s the fact that the GoPro allows access to charge it through the case, and the GeekPro doesn’t, but that’s really a minor concern in the grand scheme of things.
Bottom line – if you’re on a budget but looking for lots of functionality, or have an application for which you need a disposable camera, the GeekPro really is a good route.
-
- GeekPro Case
-
- Rear display
