Saturday evening I got out to Mount Holly for their opening day and took the GoPro® HD Helmet HERO™ Camera with me. I’ve previously used it a few times in my backyard, playing with my dog, and rather unsuccessfully while skateboarding. So I finally have enough experience with the GoPro and my intended use (snowboarding/skiing) to give at least a first impression review.
Date: November 27, 2010
Location: Mt. Holly Ski Area, Groveland Township, MI.
Conditions: twilight/nighttime with artificial light from the ski area’s lights.
Mounting: I didn’t mount the camera, I just used it as a hand-held. If I do this again I should get a lanyard just in case I fall or drop it.
You may have seen the quick video I was able to throw together from that night’s footage, which was shot entirely on my GoPro HD Helmet HERO but here it is again:
Opening day at Mt Holly, MI – GoPro HD Hero.
I do a lot of night-time snowboarding I wasn’t sure it would work well enough in the spotlights at night since most POV cameras do poorly in low low light and my previous attempts to use the Hero to film night-time skateboarding didn’t work out very well. However, the spotlights at Mt. Holly provided just enough artificial light, reflected off the snow surface, that most of the video I took actually came out pretty well, I was able to keep most of it. The early parts of the video when it is still daylight are markedly better, and other tests that I have done in full light conditions were also good.
I’ve showed the video to the guys I regularly ride with, and they were impressed with the quality of the footage. The camera is small enough that one of them didn’t even know I was carrying it that night! For a first impression, this was definitely a success.
I can’t wait to get out with it again especially in daylight, and I’m hoping to catch some great powder shots at Breck in a few weeks.
