If you’re into your extreme sports, then the chances are you’ll have heard of UK Company GoPro.
If you haven’t, they make awesome cameras that are perfect for using in dangerous situations. Their range of helmet cameras can be used to capture High Definition video from a rider or person’s perspective, usually when doing something ridiculous such as skydiving or mountain biking down an actual mountain.
GoPro have just announced the latest HD action camera to join their range and it is an upgrade from the HD Hero camera they launched in 2009 – meet the GoPro HD Hero2.
The HD Hero2 is a tough cookie, and also boasts serious improvements over its predecessor. GoPro say that the Hero2 is twice as powerful as the original, capturing 16:9 widescreen footage in Full HD 1080p quality from wherever you choose to attach it. This baby can be strapped to your helmet (you’d better be wearing one!), the dashboard of a motorsports car, a surfboard, wakeboard or windsurfing board, plus many more things, depending on which kit you choose.
The lens of the HD Hero2 is adjustable, allowing you to capture video in narrow (90-degree), medium (127-degree) or wide (170-degree) angles.
Still photographs can also be captured in 11-Megapixel quality, for those before and after shots of the rider.
A full list of improvements and specifications for the HD Hero2 can be found below.
- Professional 11MP Sensor
- 2x Faster Image Processor
- 2X Sharper Glass Lens
- Professional Low Light Performance
- Full 170º, Medium 127º, Narrow 90º FOV in 1080p and 720p Video
- 120 fps WVGA, 60 fps 720p, 48 fps 960p, 30 fps 1080p Video
- Full 170º and Medium 127º FOV Photos
- 10 11MP Photos Per Second Burst
- 1 11MP Photo Every 0.5 Sec Timelapse Mode
- 3.5mm External Stereo Microphone Input
- Simple Language-based User Interface
- Compatible with Wi-Fi BacPac™ and Wi-Fi Remote™
- Long Range Remote Control of up to 50 GoPro Cameras per Wifi Remote
- Wi-Fi Video/Photo Preview, Playback and Control via GoPro App
- Live Streaming Video and Photos to the Web
Video can be stored onto an SD Card, transferred to PC or laptop using the USB connection, or played back on a HDTV using the HDMI connection.
You can order the GoPro HD Hero2 now in three different configurations; Outdoor Edition, Surf Edition and Motorsports Edition. Each contains a different selection of clips, attachments and accessories to optimise the camera for a different extreme environment. Additional accessories and attachments can be purchased separately too.
Each kit costs $299, and hopefully Amazon will be selling the camera slightly later on in the year for us Brits. If you want to see the sort of conditions that people use GoPro cameras in, and the sort of quality you can expect from the recordings, check the video below.
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