A Scooter in the mist…

I recorded another GoPro video  this afternoon, and this time I mounted the camera on my helmet.   I knew from my Midland camera experience that helmet mounts are much more stable (like I said below, my fat head makes a good vibration dampener…kind of like the rubber mounts Harley uses for their engines).  It was cold and misty up in the mountains today (real Thanksgiving weather for us), but it was still a lot of fun.   Anytime I get on a motorcycle, it’s fun.   

This video is a long one, folks…but making it sure was a hoot.   And the video quality and clarity are outstanding.   So, fresh from the run down Mt. Baldy (and starring the Baja Blaster), here you go…

I’m still getting used to the GoPro camera, and there are still things I like about the Midland better, but the GoPro is a nice little camera.   If any of you watched 60 Minutes this past Sunday, they actually had a segment on the story (and success) behind the GoPro company.   It was a great bit of reporting and I found a link to it on the Internet here.   That was quite a coincidence…I bought the GoPro on Saturday at Costco, and on Sunday I watched a TV show about it.

One of the things about the GoPro I haven’t decided if I like or dislike is the field of view.   The Midland seems to have a wider angle lens, and because of that, it is less sensitive to where you aim the thing (in other words, the up or down and left or right angle doesn’t matter too much because the Midland’s wider angle lens captures it all).   On the GoPro, the angle is not as wide.  I think I got the left and right part squared away, but the up and down is off a little (I think the camera was aimed to low).   Next time I’ll angle it up a bit more.  It might be that there’s an adjustment on the cameras that would make them the same, but that would require actually reading the instructions and I don’t do too well with stuff like that.   I want to just take the thing and use it.   In that area, the Midland is clearly the winner.   But wow, the image quality from the GoPro is outstanding!

The GoPro comes with two camera case backs, as I mentioned earlier today.  One is for below 100 mph and above water (it’s open), the other is intended for use above 100 mph or under water (it completely seals the camera).   The earlier video (the one I posted with the camera mounted behind me) had the open back, and I could hear a lot of wind noise (not as much as with the Midland, but still more than I liked).   In the video included in this blog, I used the “over 100 mph” case back.   It let almost no noise get through (you can barely hear the engine).   But as my speed increased, I could hear the wind.   I’m not sure where I picked up the idea that the GoPro had wind noise canceling software (maybe it does, and it’s just not that effective, or maybe I just need to read the instructions).

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed the ride.   You can bet there are more coming.