I was able to get my hands on the GoPro Hero Wide Angle camera for a product review. I ride mountain bikes 2-3 times per week and it is always fun to get some video footage while riding. I put together some video clips from a couple different rides that showcase the camera in different lighting situations. I used the standard helmet mount strap for my sample video.

Specs on the GoPro Hero

• 5 megapixel camera with 170 degree lens
• Shockproof and waterproof housing
• 1 helmet strap
• 1 head strap
• 2 curved adhesive mounts
• 2 flat adhesive mounts
• 1 three-way pivoting side arm assembly
• 2 quick release buckles
• 1 USB/RCA combo cable
• One year warranty

What I liked:

• Small size: This is a tiny video camera (1.75” x 2.30” x 1.25”)
• 170 Degree wide angle lens: This captures a nice wide spectrum.
• Variety of mounting hardware: I used the helmet strap to shoot the video above but I have since tried the adhesive mounts to stick the camera directly to the frame for some different angles.
• Waterproof and Shockproof: You don’t have to worry about this camera at all, I usually toss it in my CamelBak or even my pocket while I am not using it and I never have to worry about damaging it.

Other things I noticed:

• Muffled sound and wind noise: This is a byproduct of the waterproof case on GoPro cameras. I tried the camera with the waterproof gasket in the case and without it. When I used the gasket the sound was very muffled, but the wind noise was gone. Without the waterproof gasket the wind noise was very apparent and the sounds were still muffled. I recommend leaving the gasket in to kill the wind noise and not worry too much about the sound because it is just not going to pickup much.
• Confusing settings: This is most likely just my inability to read instructions or retain any of that information, but it took me a few minutes to get a grasp on all the tiny settings. You can change the settings to Video, Still Camera, Auto Camera every 2 seconds and upside down, right side up format. I eventually got this figured out and after you catch on it is easy to use.
• Video Quality: The video is a bit grainy, but works great for YouTube type clips. If you plan on watching this on your new High Def LCD then I recommend the GoPro HD which was just released.
• Video Angles: I noticed that the wide angle nature of this lens tends to flatten out even the steepest of rock drops and bumps. It might be the high helmet mount that I used, but the video makes every trail look almost flat regardless of how steep the climb or decent. I did notice that if you have someone else in the frame in front that it tends to help out.

Thing you will need:

• 2Gig SanDisk SD Card: It doesn’t come with a memory card, so order it when you order your camera. A 2GB card will hold just under an hour of video.
• Rechargeable NiMH or Lithium batteries: You will go through some batteries, so I recommend getting a couple sets and keep them charged. I could not get a set of batteries to last more than 1 hour.
• SD Card Reader: A must have unless you want to drain your batteries while the USB transfer chugs along.

Conclusion:

The GoPro Wide camera is a rock solid wearable digital camera for under $180. I recommend it for mountain bikers and other outdoor sports that require a durable shockproof, waterproof video camera. If you are looking for crispo HD video, then take a look at the GoPro Wide HD.

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