GoPro Hero2 Camera Arrives

    Hopefully this is the day that my photographic skills took on a whole new and different aspect. I visited the 'Youtube Website' and checked the videos of people skiing, racing, and air-gliding with a GoPro camera strapped to their bodies for some truly remarkable footage. I fell victim to the propaganda and ordered one for myself.
   Currently they market a Hero3 camera, and it comes in three levels,..a white, silver, and black models. I checked the aspects of all three and discovered the last generation of Hero cameras was basically the same as the silver model of the new generation...and it took full size SD cards instead of the mini cards....  BUT getting to the story,...my Hero2 arrived today.

       Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Circuit City were all displaying the Hero3 models and told me they would NOT be receiving any more Hero2 cameras... That left me with Ebay and I found a new one at a camera dealer in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hero2 comes in three different versions,..the Motorsports, the Outdoors, and the Surfing models. The camera is the same in all three versions, but the accessories are different. I wanted the Motorsports model for the suction mount, but I found one of those on Ebay for less than five dollars (Hong Kong) with free shipping. My camera is the Outdoors model and it also comes with a vast selection of accessories.

      There is a headband attachment that I have around the box.. the long strap attachment is for weaving thru a bicycle helmet.. the 3-way mounting attachment is below the strap.. The whitish item is the battery, and it is the same as the first generation Hero camera battery, BUT different from the Hero3 battery. The camera is in its waterproof case atop the clear box it came in from the factory. Below it you can see the USB cord for charging the battery from the computer and four mounting plates (two flat & two curved). The little white thing-a-ma-jig is to fill spaces in the mounting plates for a supremely tight fit. GoPro also includes three stickers promoting their name with the hope that users will display them during their shooting adventures.

      I immediately applied one of the curved mounting plates to an old helmet that I seldom use anymore. The adhesive on the plates is made by 3M and is suppose to be almost permanent if held in place for thirty seconds. I still had my doubts, so I also applied some 'super glue' around the mounting plate. 

     Here is the way the camera will look when I take it out on the motorcycle. I tried using a handlebar mount with my other camera and it came out so shaky that I alerted Japan for a possible tsunami headed their way. In the above configuration I will be able to record everything that I see without taking my hands off the controls of the bike. That should come as a relief to my oldest daughter, who thinks motorcycles should be on the same echelon as cancer and scarlet fever.
     I will attempt to post a video of my rides soon... but I just wanted to tell you about the arrival of the camera and to also give you some advance warning about what is to come in the future.

     I am NOT the most geeky high-tech individual around,.. and another thing I liked about the Hero2 is the functions of the camera are easily displayed in a small window. I can understand that!  The camera is very versatile...it will take video or still photos and so much more. A photo burst feature will take ten photos in less than a second so you can pick out the best one. A time-lapse feature will take photos anywhere from a half-second apart to a full minute apart. A self-timer can be set and it allows a full ten seconds before the shutter goes off, allowing the photographer to be a part of the picture. Best of all, the Hero2 has a slow-motion mode AND a super slow-motion mode. 
   The newest generation cameras from GoPro might be the thing for professionals and serious photo buffs, but I think I have made the correct choice in the Hero2. I look forward to a lot of fun with this model.