2013 POV ratings,reviews and opinions
An newer thread for up to date reviews and opinions on the POV cameras that are currently on the market.
Anyone care to start off? Maybe you would like to rank your POV action cams in the order you rate the?
Care to make a list with POV cams in order of preference Spaz?
I am interested in peoples reviews on POVs as I am in the market for another 10 head cams and I am not entirely sure what to get. They need to come with waterproof housings or have an option for a waterproof housing that isn’t to expensive. About 6 months ago I got 6 Gopro2 and they have done the job perfectly with no problems however they seem hard to get hold of now.
In any case this time I was told specifically to get 10 Gopro blacks but I think I have talked them out of that. I am wary of getting Gopro blacks at the moment mostly because of bad reviews I have read on poor battery life and problems with freezing etc).
GoPro Hero 3 Silver, is my suggestion instead.
LIST OF POVs (in no particular order)
GoPro;
White
Silver
Black
Drift
720
1080
Ghost
VIOHD
ION
Contour
Plus2
Roam2
Replay
720
1080
MuVi
Liquid Image
Rating System (feel free to suggest categories)
Out of 10
Image quality (IQ)
Usability (U)
Waterproofing (H2O)
Cost ($)
Accessories Supplied (AS)
Accessories Available (AA)
Bang for Buck (B4B)
Size (S)
Average Rating
I’ll rate/review these later but my top6 are;
1. ReplayXD720
2. ReplayXD1080
3. Drift HD Ghost
4. Drift HD 1080
5. ContourPlus2
6. GPH3s
Right now my preference is for ReplayXD720 because of its size,
price, simplicity and accessories.
ReplayXD720
IQ - 7
U - 8
H2O - 7
$ - 10
AS - 9
AA - 9.5
B4B - 8.5
S - 10
Average 8.625
This is the smallest camera of any weighing 51g.
Scored low on IQ because it shoots in 720p@30 or 60fps. I had some contrast issues when shooting at an all blue sky but I can change the settings when the microSD is plugged into my computer - I might increase the IQ score to 7.5 if the lower contrast setting improves the image. Other than that the quality is excellent in both dark and bright.
rrp=$179
Bullet style shape.
Includes microSD, 4 mounts, carry bag, cloth pouch +++.
Fits my old analog lipstick cam mounts.
Doesn’t come with or fit the dive housing.
O-ring sealed - I’m willing to take it surfing (but not until I get the 1080 model).
You’ll notice I didn’t list GoProHero3-Black in my top 6.
Sure it has incredible image quality but it has many shortcomings.
I wouldn’t list my CanonXHA1 in this either, it has amazing image quality but as a POV camera it doesn’t cut it and neither does GPH3b.
If there was a KISS rating Black would score the lowest.
You’ll notice I didn’t list GoProHero3-Black in my top 6.
Sure it has incredible image quality but it has many shortcomings.
I wouldn’t list my CanonXHA1 in this either, it has amazing image quality but as a POV camera it doesn’t cut it and neither does GPH3b.If there was a KISS rating Black would score the lowest.
I was most worried about getting a black because of the battery issues.
i say get the replay 720, they look good! i want to get one but would rather buys stuff for my dslr instead. Anyway let us know what you end up getting
i say get the replay 720, they look good! i want to get one but would rather buys stuff for my dslr instead. Anyway let us know what you end up getting
They sound good but they Don’t come with a dive housing. Rules it out straight away for what they are needed for (which is marine science classes).
I took the ReplayXD720 into a retail snow shop the other day (that sells GoPro) and they were more than impressed.
When they saw the raw footage I shot, on the card from it, they ordered one to try on opening weekend.
ReplayXD1080 $339(rrp) has a dive housing $49.95(rrp). $389 total
GPH3silver $378 + SDcard (ReplayXD comes with card).
They are the same price-ways. Same quoted standard battery life.
Form and function they are very different.
CRACKERS; quote coming your way tomorrow.
^^ this
No worries Spaz Ill pass it on as soon as I get it. You can ad the quote for the replay if you want as well and ill suggest they investigate further. The quote I got for Silvers was 340 anyways.
There are a few other reasons that gopros were the first choice.Plus you have to consider what they will be used for, previously they were using SD cameras with minidv tapes in big old housings and the footage was pretty average. Anything is going to be better plus it is only going to be used for students to ID species. From the staffs point of view anything is going to be so much better they will be amazed (because the people ordering this have no idea about cameras to be honest). Id argue that they may as well get the best bang for buck but they are fixated on gopros and they are hard to dissuade. I tried to suggest other camera types last time but they wouldn’t go for it and just got a whole pile of gorpo 2s.
I think sticking with GoPro for them is the way.
Should something fail it becomes a “I told you” scenario NOT “oops, I’m sorry”.
customer is always right - until they admit being wrong
Plus they have GoPro mounts from the hero2.
Replay quote will be added so as to plant the seed. 
NOTE: Above were retail prices. But even when discounting both they are still on par.
For the number of cameras your getting I’m going well below $340.
GoPro (Black at least) still have a return rate of around 30% - according to the retail outlets I’ve spoken with.
^sort of getting back on topic.