Many of the point of view videos you see from outdoor sports enthusiasts are taken with a GoPro camera. I’ve been using one for several years now and the image quality and ease of use are fantastic. There is a vibrant user community for the GoPro HD HERO camera and members have pointed out improves that would be useful. It appears GoPro has been listening with the HD HERO2 release. If you want to capture your sporting activities in video or pictures, take a look at this new camera.
The new HD HERO2 is based on the HD HERO which is a high definition camera in a small form factor with mounting hardware to suit nearly any filming situation you can dream up.
Announced today (24Oct) the HD HERO2 main upgrades are described by GoPro as:
The HD HERO2′s new processor delivers twice the processing power, taking full advantage of a new high performance 11 megapixel sensor that delivers more than twice the image detail along with professional low light performance. A totally redesigned wide-angle lens was required to take full advantage of the HD HERO2′s increased image-processing, resulting in a lens that’s twice as sharp as the previous model. And with the arrival of GoPro’s new Wi-Fi BacPac™ and Wi-Fi Remote products slated for release this winter, the HD HERO2 will enable video remote control via the Wi-Fi Remote, smart phones and devices, tablets and computers as well as enabling live GoPro video broadcast from anywhere there is Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot.
The HD HERO2 comes in three Editions (Outdoor, Motorsports, and Surf) and are all priced at $299.99. Each edition contains the same camera with activity specific hardware mounts and accessories. For example, the Surf edition has a floating backdoor which will come in handy when dropped or mount failure occurs while in the water. I’ve read many painful stories of people losing their camera to the ocean.
The HD HERO2 is a major update to the HD HERO. The new camera has a redesigned lens and claims to have addressed the poor low light performance of the previous version. This will be a huge improvement for the camera. At a minimum, the range of use will increase as the HD HERO worked best in full sunshine.
In addition, the camera can be operated via WiFi with the GoPro WiFi BacPac hardware available this winter. One of the WiFi BacPac’s feature is live streaming video. Record one video stream to your HD HERO2′s SD card while sending a second video stream via WiFi to your smart-device, computer or the Web. This will open up the camera to live TV use for sporting events. And also allow users to stream video for pre-viewing content and viewing activies as well. If you want a camera that can capture adventures almost anywhere that a human being can travel, the GoPro HD HERO2 will do the job.