As GoPro introduced their new $400-500 Hero4 action cam, they also unveiled a camera for the rest of us. The new $130 Hero is waterproof, out-of-the-box, shoots 1080p, and is compatible with a wide variety of accessories… and will presumably help fill the vacuum left by Flip. Whereas the advanced feature set coupled with extreme pricing kept me out of prior Heroes, at this price point I can justify a purchase for the occasional vacation adventure. While storage and battery details remain elusive, we do know the GoPro Hero weights in at a mere 3.9 ounces and can be submerged to 40m. Stay tuned, as I’ll be picking one up as soon as it becomes available in October or November.
“at this price point I can justify a purchase for the occasional vacation adventure”
Keep your eyes open for when this soon becomes a reality. Excellent return on your investment.
Looks like GoPro and Polaroid are gearing up for the inexpensive action camera business this Holiday season. Makes sense, most people that use the cameras are probably under 30 with many under 20. I often see parents using the cameras when they ski, I know my parents never would have let me take a $300 camera out skiing when I was 10-16 yrs old. But for $130 or $99 (Polaroid) I am pretty sure I’d have had my own camera at the time.
I will probably look at both these cameras when they come out and purchase one to use skiing, boating, etc. I currently have a Swan camera I purchased on Amazon but find it too complicated to use regularly.
Except Polaroid isn’t the company we remember from way back when and isn’t any specific technology, it’s just a brand name slapped on different things. GoPro is the leader in this space – I obviously will be paying the slight premium over the others. (Especially after picking up an absolutely awful waterproof Kodak video camera for my niece in 2012.)
At $130 this could be the top seller this holiday season. I don’t need this, but as you say, at this price it’s easy to justify. The CEO will be moving up even higher on next year’s Forbes list.
Pick up a cheap stick to hold it while you’re at it. Sure you may sometimes mount it to a helmet or whatever, but when you’re diving or in the pool or whatever, a stick is a thing you’ll find you want. Shouldn’t cost over $10 on Amazon.