by Sean Devlin, Front Rush
We here at Front Rush been playing around with GoPro cameras. These are the devices that a lot of extreme sports athletes wear on their helmets to record videos from their point of view. Let me tell you, they are very impressive. To start off, they are inexpensive $200 to $330 depending on the model. The only add-on that is required is an SD card (the thing that stores all the video) and they are approximately $40-$80 . After that, it just gets better.
First off, they are built to get beat up. The default casing is waterproof so you don’t have to worry about weather conditions. Secondly, they are mountable to almost anything: helmets, tripods, your wrist, your jacket, your body, whatever. No doubt you have seen some antics with these things where you are watching from the perspective of a dirt bike rider doing back flips or a skateboarder clearing a set of stairs. And this is just the beginning of the creativity.
All of the models have built-in Wi-Fi. This means that the GoPro can be mounted anywhere and with a remote controller (or an iPhone app), you can control the recording with a simple click of a button. And with that click of a button, the quality of video is as good as it gets. If you have any ambition of posting video to the web, the GoPro can record at definitions far higher than what you can stream on YouTube.
There are a ton of accessories and they are all inexpensive. Whatever you are looking for, you can probably find. Whether that is a tripod or a way to attach it to a fence or pole, or a helmet mount, there are inexpensive options and third party suppliers.
The GoPro also records audio which is a nice touch. The only negative is that it does feel a bit old school to attach the files to your computer instead of remotely transferring them. But, this is just a mere drag and drop, but still an extra step compared to what you may be used to on your iPhone or Android device. Overall, the GoPro is a great tool for coaches and players alike. As soon as you start using one your creativity knows no bounds.