I’ve combed Lemmy for a forum and this seems the only applicable forum available for talking about specific tech. Since I don’t want GoPro or other camera rep shills like over on Reddit, I’m posting here. Apologies if it’s the wrong place.
I want to discuss pocket/motion camera kits on a budget that aren’t your phone.
I recently bought a kit from GoPro. I wanted an all in one package that doesn’t involve me hauling around a Nikon and bag, possibly more than one lens, while in the woods. Sound that can listen to a river and rain, at quality. I also want to do shop work with a camera, in motion, safely. (Yes, I’m one of those).
What I bought. GoPro13. Camera. Macro lens. Mic adaptor. Battery pack. Seemed good on purchase. I just repacked it all for return.
Prior use: AKASO and GoPro7. Each fell short.
AKASO has an absolute failure of an app such that you fly blind during the footage. Sound is mediocre at best with no WiFi ability for an external mic. When it works, the vid imagery is pretty decent, but good luck with framing while flying blind without an app. Again though, sound is meh. Still photos are garbage. Barring problem when facing any light or white surface that fills too much of the frame.
GoPro7, fails in anything but Kmart level lighting. Mediocre sound. Has a barring problem in the footage when too much of the view is white/light colored. It does have a separate tiny door for plugging in mic adaptors. Better than having the battery and SD card case open to metal filings and other dust flying about in the shop.
Back to the GP13. Macro lens is not a macro lens, it’s a fisheye lens. This is such bullshit. Why would you call a fisheye lens a macro lens with such a long history in photography of macro lenses being something else entirely? The GoPro “macro” (not macro, fisheye) is for cute, big head pics of your dog or cat, not capturing pollen on a bee butt or dew on a leaf.
Even so, it’s the mic adaptor that’s the worst. It’s not just a floppy unit. On the 13 (but not the 7) you have to open the battery/SD compartment (on a motion camera) and leave the delicate door flopping about (while you and the camera are in motion) in order to attach an external mic to get better sound. Engineering no doubt intended for breakage.
So, what do you guys keep in your pockets that is not your phone, for photo purposes? (Tried the phone, with no app to monitor on my phone which is not longer in hand to watch as needed, I’m not only flying blind, but the phone randomly turns itself off mid-vid. External mics are a go though).
What’s good here for <$500? Motion camera to 4k with solidly good still photos. Preferably with an app capacity for monitoring on the phone. Preferably with external mic capability that isn’t as stupid or as intended for breakage as the GoPro13.