GoPro vs Xacti...

Halcyon Yachts

Halcyon Yachts

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www.halcyonyachts.com
Love 'em or hate 'em, the GoPro is now more popular than ever!

This film was made using footage taken on both the GoPro and the (much cheaper) Xacti. You can clearly tell which shots were taken on which camera:


So which camera is better? I'll let you be the judge...

Pete
 
I preferred the video that was not shot with a wide angle, which looked to be of a lower quality, aesthetically anyway to my eyes; assume this is the GoPro. The non wide angle video was much better, was this the Xacti?
 
The shot of the wing, the arrivals and the car journey are all GoPro. Then the first yacht sequence from and including the pontoon are on the Xacti.

The clearest change is when it goes from the time lapse in to the Corinth Canal (using a Xacti) to the slower moving shots (using a GoPro).

Pete
 
I too have both cameras. The gopro is small, light and has a waterproof case. This means that you can dunk it, take aerial shots etc. it's wide angle makes it easy to get in the whole cockpit/whole boat (depending on where you fix it). It is also very easy to charge by 12v. Downsides are that you get the curved horizon/distortion, unless you are very careful. This leads to the second downside- you don't get a viewfinder unless you buy one.

I use the xacti for things more than a boat length away. I also use a gorilla pod tripod to secure it for remote shots. As the (rather good) video above shows, although you can zoom in, it's very hard to hold the camera steady on a boat. Main other downside for me is that the batteries use a mains charger.
 
erbster said:
Main other downside for me is that the batteries use a mains charger.
Click to expand...

You can use the 12v ciggie/USB charger to charge the Xacti battery when it is still in the camera. Granted you can't use the camera while doing so but it can be done. I'm also pretty sure that you can get a 12 volt model of the mains charger to charge spare batts.
 
Without watching again my impression is that the GoPro delivers a more contrasty and saturated image. However contrast tends to create an illusion of sharpness when it may be the more subdued images from the Xacti which are more accurate.
The flare in some of the GoPro images and the distortion at the edges of the frame annoy me.

We can't really judge on Youtube of course as their software has done it's best to degrade the video anyway.
 
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Just got myself a Garmin Virb. Was going to get it for work but decided to buy it for myself. Early days but looks a cracking bit if kit. Went for the GPS model which I can control from my phone.
 
erbster said:
I too have both cameras. The gopro is small, light and has a waterproof case. This means that you can dunk it, take aerial shots etc. it's wide angle makes it easy to get in the whole cockpit/whole boat (depending on where you fix it). It is also very easy to charge by 12v. Downsides are that you get the curved horizon/distortion, unless you are very careful. This leads to the second downside- you don't get a viewfinder unless you buy one.

I use the xacti for things more than a boat length away. I also use a gorilla pod tripod to secure it for remote shots. As the (rather good) video above shows, although you can zoom in, it's very hard to hold the camera steady on a boat. Main other downside for me is that the batteries use a mains charger.
Click to expand...

I have a 12 volt charger for my xacti

as for wobbles

see my blog for a few tips on getting steady shots

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/cameras-and-steady-shots/
 
Lakesailor said:
Without watching again my impression is that the GoPro delivers a more contrasty and saturated image. However contrast tends to create an illusion of sharpness when it may be to more subdued images from the Xacti which are more accurate.
The flare in some of the GoPro images and the distortion at the edges of the frame annoy me.

We can't really judge on Youtube of course as their software has done it's best to degrade the video anyway.
Click to expand...

I aqree with all you say
 
dylanwinter said:
as for wobbles

see my blog for a few tips on getting steady shots

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/cameras-and-steady-shots/
Click to expand...

Your work is lovely. I often watch some of your shots and think how easy you make it look to get such steady shots from a moving boat. I wasn't meaning to imply that one cannot get steady shots, just that a penalty for using a telephoto setting is that it is harder to get a steady shot.

I won't post a YouTube link to my kite cam video then- it is both unsteady and gopro-curvy ;)
 
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