GoPro Session

[Little Nac]

Hi Guys. We are in the U.S. for still a couple of weeks, and I bought a Monster Villian Action Camera from Frys Electronics. I have used it around the Hotel, Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm and the video is really excellent. Marg just found a GoPro Session in Wal-Mart, but can't get any sense out of the employees there. Can anyone tell me what they are like? And how they compare to the Villian? Would I be better off getting another Villian?
Thanks for any help.

[sidd finch]

As always there are plusses and minuses for both. It kind of depends on what you are looking to do and what you want to spend. If you want to shoot action then the GoPro might be a better choice because it shoots 60fps, the Villain only does 1080P at 30fps. The session has a non removable battery, but the Villain but does have a replaceable battery. The Session is water proof and has a unique microphone system. The Villain needs a case to be waterproof. The form factor is also unique. The GoPro is pretty small even by small standards. The Villain is standard GoPro 3, 3+, and 4 Size.

To Me the biggest factor is that the Villain shoots at 8Mbps @ 1080p/30 and the Session shoots at 25 Mbps @ 1080p/60.

One aspect that is always overlooked is the camera ecosystem. Mounts poles attachments etc. That is where you can spend some big money on mounts batteries etc. You might check out YouTube and see if they have any comparison videos and see what you like better in terms of performance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbMGtbf2vmc[/youtube]

Villian

Product Highlights
-1080p Video at 30 fps
-12MP Still Photos
-140° Wide-Angle Lens
-2" Rear LCD Screen
Image sensor Type: 5MP CMOS
Backend chipset (DSP): iCatch SPCA6330M
Lens Type: Fixed focus
Aperture: F2.4
Effective Focal Length: f=3.1mm
Lens Viewing Angle: 120°
LCD monitor: Size: 2.0" HD TFT
Resolution (RGB):480*240


GoPro Session:

•Supports 1080p60 / 1440p30 (4:3) Video
•Capture 8MP Still Photos
•Ultra Wide Angle Glass Lens + SuperView
•Waterproof to 33'
•Control with GoPro App or SmartRemote
•Time-Lapse and Photo Burst Modes
•Auto Low Light + Protune Mode for Video
•One-Button Operation
•Standard Frame for Mounting
•Flat and Curved Adhesive Mounts Included

Sidd

[Chuck Engels]

I am really enjoying my GoPro Hero 4 Session. Got a few accessories that did not cost a lot. Love the phone app that I use as a monitor and remote. Great quality and extremely small and portable

[Little Nac]

Thanks Guys for the info. The only thing I don't like about the Go Pro is the non removable battery. I was able to buy a couple of extra batteries for the Villian, which come in handy at a place like Disneyland, where I can't charge a permanent battery. Will check further, but thanks for the help.

[Chuck Engels]

I wonder how one of those little portable chargers would work. The GoPro seems to charge pretty fast and the battery has lasted for about an hour.

http://shop.gopro.com/accessories/porta ... C-001.html

Maybe Sidd has a recommendation for this ???

[sidd finch]

In my opinion the portable external charges are a must have. It allows you to recharge while on the go which is a huge for me.

Putting on my "Bob" hat I have the following.

Villain Battery = 1200mAh
Session Battery = 1000mAh

GoPro Charger = 6000mAh
1.5 amp USB ports fully recharge two Go Pros in 2 hours so you get approx. 4x charges on the device
cost = $80 USD
quality = excellent

This is where I become a bit frugal.

I do not record enough that I would need that much power, and I have the ability to recharge every day. Also, cost is a big factor. The GoPro is an excellent product / but high cost.

I use 2 Duracell Du7169 Powerbank's.
Charger = 2,600mah
cost = $15 USD
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Du7169-6 ... +batteries

For me the cost and the form factor are why I choose the Duracell. I like to take time lapse pictures from a 13 foot mast. I attach the camera to the Duracell so I can take long lapses. I feel that the GoPro battery charger is too big to hoist up in the air. For me the Duracell adds about 2 hours of additional recording time for each charger, which is plenty for me. Also remember that with the Session camera, when you press the stop record button the camera shuts down thereby maximizing your record time.

Here is a link to the session teardown in case you have any interest.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/GoPro+H ... down/44307

I would steer towards selecting the Session but it is really a decision you need to make.

Sidd

[Chuck Engels]

Great info Sidd, thanks

[Little Nac]

Thanks again Guys for all the valuable info. My Wife has gone out today to check them out at various stores. Tried to find out some info at Wal-Mart yesterday, but said she may as well have asked her Teddy Bear, for all the good it did. No one had a clue. Thanks again. Cheers, L.N.

[Little Nac]

Was just sent an e-mail from a company I deal a lot with in China. I have bought many mobile phones, GPS, a Action camera which is a little hard to see the screen as it is a touch display, but takes beautiful movies in Full HD, Tablets etc. from them, and they are probably one of the most honest companies on the Net. I have never had a problem with any of their products. Here is the link. Looks pretty good to me. What do you guys think?
https://www.chinavasion.com/china/whole ... ts-Camera/

Thanks again for all the help. Cheers, L.N.

[sidd finch]

Knock-off's are always tricky. There are some really good ones (sjcam, and xaiomi, dazzne, etc) just to name a couple. But, it is hard to know because sometimes the specs that they advertise are not always the "real specs" (video example below). There is a YouTube site called Techmoan that does lots of reviews on GoPro knockoffs. He might haves some insigButht to the camera you are considering.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk3DtM9irwc[/youtube]

Sidd

[Little Nac]

Well Marg has just phoned me and has gone to Wal-Mart, Cost Co, and Best Buy. Got a pile of info from Best Buy. Looks like it may be the GoPro Session we will be getting. But if I may just ask two more questions. Firstly, with the non-removable battery, what happens if the battery packs up, do we need to throw away the camera also? Or can you replace it with a new one. Let's face it, batteries won't last a life time! Also Chuck, Best Buy have the battery chargers from $15 to $80, and said they work all round the world. What would be a good one, and do I need adapters for our country? Thanks for the all the help. Cheers, L.N.

[Chuck Engels]

This is a pretty cool article on one of the possible charging sources
http://news.outdoortechnology.com/2015/ ... o-session/

[Chuck Engels]

The battery is non-replaceable so technically when the battery dies so does the camera.

I have looked everywhere to find an estimated or expected battery life expectancy but have not found one. I have emailed GoPro Support and asked the question and will post the answer when it comes. I am expecting that it will be 4 - 5 years with average usage and recharging, but the life is shortened by the number of recharges. So depending on usage the life expectancy of the battery could be vastly different for everyone.

[Bob]

Chuck is correct, the battery is not replacable. When the battery dies, you replace the camera. LIfetimes for Lithium batteries are generally a function of the number of full recharge cycles -- generally regarded as about 1000 cycles, but there is a fair amount of variability. If you do a full recharge daily, you can expect about a three year lifespan. Unless you're planning on using it as a dashcam, you'll probably be using it a lot less than that with a corresponding longer lifespan.

As for chargers, the U.S. and Australia use different power line conventions and plug configurations. The U.S. uses a nominal 120v 60 cycle line while Australia uses a nominal 230v 50 cycle line. The frequency difference won't matter for a charger and many chargers are designed to handle both voltages -- make sure to get one that can. But, you'll definitely need a plug adapter as the U.S. plug will not fit into an Australian socket. You can buy a separate plug adaptor or get a "travel" charger that includes the adaptor.

[Little Nac]

Hi Guys.
First of all I want to apologize for placing my question in the wrong place. My Wife tried to tell me, but I didn't get the idea of what she was talking about.
Now to the external battery charger. I'm left in the Hotel Room (Drs. orders) to do all the research, and Marg has gone to Disneyland (her birthday).
I understand about the different voltage and wall plugs. Now am I on the right track? Our Mobile phones at home we use a USB charger either from the computer or the electricity plug in the wall. Now we bring our phones over to the U.S. with us, go with Metro PCS and just charge them with a U.S. wall plug. Is this the same with the battery charger? Also can they be charged from the car?
Here is one I found, which has good write ups and I like the idea of the "Special" USB ports.
Do you think this would be suitable for the Session. It mentions that it will charge the GoPro cameras, so hopefully it will work with all power.
Thanks again for all the help. I know very little about electrical stuff. As I always say, "I need a manual to operate a hammer!". Thanks Guys, L.N.
http://www.amazon.com/External-Kinps%C2 ... al+battery