GoPro Hero Editorial Review

If there's one thing more frustrating than buying something only to have it not work as promised, it's when you can't even get customer service to respond to you. Why, this very night, I came a breath-holding ten-count away from going all Michael Bolton on my printer/scanner/fax.

So, it is with some degree of happiness that I relate to you that my customer-service experience with a little company called GoPro, which makes an even littler video and still camera called the Digital Hero, was a rip-roaring success. They jumped on every issue I had and put a new camera in my hands toot sweet.

Wait, wait, wait… I think I may have gotten ahead of myself. Let me back up a second and say that my first Hero was a failure of epic proportions. It liked to turn off spontaneously mid-shot, the sound was either inaudible or blown out depending on the setting, the still photo quality was mediocre at best and, to top it all off, the final time I took it out, it corrupted 19 of 23 files! The first draft of this review was merciless. I ripped that camera three new holes, and none of them were "in holes." The metaphors contained therein were proportional to the frustration I felt at losing shots over and over and over again. Then, I and the GoPro folks spoke and they convinced me I had a lemon on my hands. They sent me a new Digital Hero, which is far less temperamental than the old one.

Voila. You're back up to speed.

That's not say I'm in love with my little camera. I kind of like it, but GoPro has some work to do before I can rave about it and tell you to go buy one before they sell out.

I'll begin with its best points. One, it's compact. In today's world of smaller and smaller electronics, this may not seem like much, but helmet cams are a bit different. With most, you need a camera (which mounts on the helmet), a recording unit (typically a regular digicam, which you carry in a pocket or a pack), and a mic to record sound. Not so the Hero. The whole package is all contained in a sealed plastic case that's smaller than a pack of smokes and only slightly heavier. Two, the Helmet version of the Hero comes with a variety of attachments so you can mount it to your lid and to random gear, like a kayak or snowboard. I tried out a few mounting options and they all worked great, especially the headlamp-esque elastic band, which enables you to wear it, even if you don't have a helmet. Three, the Hero is certainly quite waterproof. Take good care of the case - keep it closed at all times except when removing and installing the camera - and it will treat you well.

Now for the not so best…

The Digital Hero's biggest liability is its lack of a view screen. That might not, in and of itself, pose a huge problem, except that the Hero, when mounted on a helmet, is very difficult to aim. This may be a problem all helmet cams share, but at least with larger traditional units you get a view screen to check your composition before shooting and to double check afterward. With the Helmet Hero, however, you can't tell if you got the shot you wanted until you get it back to a computer and upload the files, and by then it's too late. By the end of my first Hero's miserable life, I completely disregarded helmet mounting and took to holding it in my hands while looking through the tiny viewfinder - which negated its utility as a hands-free device.

GoPro, however, is addressing this issue as we speak. Next generation Heroes will likely have both a view screen to end the did-I-get-the-shot mystery game, and a slightly wide-angle lens, which will probably solve the aiming issue, altogether.

Another issue I had with the Hero was that, when surrounded by noisy action, it's impossible to hear the camera's audio alerts that, yes, you turned it on and, yes, it's rolling. Even with my second - much less bitchy - Hero, I missed a few shots because - not for lack of trying - I never actually turned it on! I soon learned my lesson and began removing my helmet for a visual check at the start of each shot. (A funny aside is that I now have a whole library of shots of my confused mug peering into the viewfinder looking for the telltale blinking red light.) And later, I also took to using the sticky mounts GoPro provided to put the camera directly on some of my gear, such as a riverboard. This gave an easier way to make sure it was rolling. (At first, I was skeptical about the sticky mounts. But when I finally used one and watched my little Hero take 10-foot standing waves to the lens again and again, it was hard not to appreciate GoPro's foresight in including them in the Helmet Hero package.)

The shots of a lifetime and all I had was a three-megapixel camera.

I was a bit disappointed with the Hero's still-photo capability. At three - THREE - lousy megapixels, it sees about as well as a myopic fruit bat. On several occasions I found myself wishing I'd brought a better camera with me. And again, the lack of a view screen is a major annoyance. I missed shots by just a bit that I might have gotten better had I something to look at before walking away from the action. GoPro also plans to add megapixels in the near future, which will be a huge improvement.

My final beef is that the Hero doesn't come with an SD card. I think I'd be happier if GoPro upped the price a bit to include one.

All in all though, I do feel like I've taken some decent video with my Helmet Hero. And since we're still sort of on the subject of price… at $170 for a video camera, a still camera, and all the helmet mounts, it's hard for me to tell you to stay away at all costs. On the contrary, if you consider yourself a videographer of any level, I think the Hero makes an outstanding second video camera for cutaways, and I can't wait to try it out SCUBA diving in the Virgin Islands this summer. A word of advice, though: if you pick one up, use only Energizer Lithium batteries with it. You'll be talking to customer service, if you don't.

Full disclosure: The company that makes this product provided it free of charge to Rockclimbing.com, which then provided it to the reviewer as compensation for the review.