GoPro Hero3 vs. Polaroid XS100 vs. Ion Air Pro3
 

I'm looking to get a camera for the lake and need some input on which one to get. Obviously the GoPro is the first one everybody thinks of, but I'm still not quite convinced it is the best one for using at the lake. The GoPro has to have a case to make it waterproof, whereas the Ion and Polaroid are both waterproof up to 30 ft without a case, which is plenty for me, if it's 30 ft deep, I'm not getting it back anyways. Also with the GoPro having a case it seems like the picture comes out a little more washy compared to the other two. I know King of Wake is sponsored by Polaroid and their picture and videos look really good. The shape of both the Ion and Polaroid seem more fitting as well, shaped like a bullet, instead of a box. They all seem to have pretty close to the same specs as far as image quality and pixels and stuff like that. What I am skeptical about is which one has the best mounts and accessories to make it the camera of choice for wakeboarding, whether it is mounted on my board, helmet, or somebody beside me shooting me riding. I do like the idea of the "GoPole" because you can get some crazy shots up close or far away.
Price is really not a factor in this for me, I'd really just like to get the best one for my needs, that way I won't kick myself in the ass later for not getting the good one.

Let's get some input on this, I'm sure I can't be the only one trying to make this decision.

Thanks guys!

I'm not sure anything can compete with the hero 3+.....

I use a Gopro. Nothing can beat the Gopro. It is extremely durable, versatile and easy to use. There are plenty of mounts to use from Gopro and there are also many aftermarket mounts. The gopole is a great one to use because it floats the camera and anything on it. Here is a link to a video from a buddy of mine who used one hero 2 to film it. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j8GB2hucNqc

Why not get a drift cam thay have great video quality and play back on the cam

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@Andrew, that is a good video, I like the way he filmed it from so many angles.

I have used the GoPro on my wakeboard before and the one thing I complain about was that it came off the board multiple times. The piece that sticks to the board was no problem, the GoPro would just slip out of the mount on the board, due to hard impact landings or when I would cut hard, the water would push against the camera. I had it mounted behind my back foot in the middle (not on the edge). I wanted it to look up at about a 45 degree angle, but found it tough to get a good angle, due to the floaty that had to be on it, I wasn't about to dare take that off. Also once I found an angle I could settle with, it was hard to keep that angle permanent for the ride, it kept wanting to move down. I'm sure the other cameras aren't perfect either, but I'm looking for people that have experience with more than just the GoPro, and have opinions. I'd still like to hear GoPro opinions too, they all count towards my decision I make.

I did manage to snap a cool photo from my experience with the GroPro
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...78664055_n.jpg

Sweet pic! Not sure if this would work, just thought of it, but you might be able to use the Gopro tripod mount and screw it into your binding mounting hole on your board. That way the camera will not slip off. As for the angle issue, I'm sure you can put on some extensions and use a screw driver to tighten them down. Hope this helps!

Ya regardless of what camera you're using I think the impact of landing on a wakeboard will prove to be a little too much force for any type of mount. I know GoPro specifically does not warranty any issues with mounting on the board.

Gopro all the way.

Here's a good way to mount it on a board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9lWZlm6v3o

Use a leash! Big Kahuna leashes are great.

We used a gopro last year on a tube while filming riders that were a bit further back. After watching the film there were water spots all over the lense and it made a terrible video. Im sure thats unavoidable but dang that was lame!

Gotta lick the lens occasionally.

Go look at all the Gopro tip videos on the channel of the video I linked. Mitch Bergsma.. TONS of good info there (and the dude is a heck of a wakeboarder)

Yea. Lick the lens. Thats what I do. Another reason it might not have been the best is because if the rider is further back you need to go to narrow view. Wide makes them look to far away and increases the size of the water spots in the video.

I wouldn't discount the cams by Contour either. Yeah, they kinda went under and now got bought out and are making a comback...

Go Pro... End discussion

would u rather have an iphone 5s or one of those random samsung deals :confused:

Not sure what that's supposed to mean? But I have a galaxy 4s and would prefer that over an iPhone any day. It has way better picture and video quality. The only plus to a 5s is the slow-motion.

Yeah.. bad analogy. The SGS4 pretty much destroys the 5s in every way (except, of course, marketing).

The one thing the iphone does have, which makes the Gopro analogy almost work... is the ecosystem of accessories. If you have one of those other cameras, your options are limited... the Gopro has a massive 3rd party ecosystem of mounts, accessories, etc. Search for 'gopro mount' and watch how much you find.

It only takes one mount to be the most reliable. I'm just looking for which camera might have the best system for mounting.

I have a go pro and take it all over the place. We have a blast with it.
It gets a lot of lake/water time and it's an awesome gadget.
But distance is not its strong suit


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That'd be the gopro.

Has anyone tried the Sony camera? I have been reading about it and looking for video's that were shot with it and a comparison of the gopro and this camera.

Unless the others are a LOT cheaper or somehow a LOT better (they're not either), I can't imagine a good reason to NOT go with a Gopro.. it's such a proven product.

I have a Countour Roam that I got a year ago on Amazon for $100. It's waterproof out of the box, no case needed. I put the Roam2 firmware on it to enable 60fps. I use it for snowboarding, wakeboarding, and surfing. Several friends have gopros. I can't tell the difference in picture quality. I mount mine to my snowboard helmet, surfboard, and I have a pole (Xshot) that I found for $30 that works really well.

The newest gopro is better, but not for a price difference of $200. For the money, I'm completely happy with the Contour Roam.

Here's a video I shot at Keystone last week. Keep in mind, YouTube turns the picture quality way down to save bandwidth. The original of this vid shot at 720p @ 60fps looks WAY better.

http://youtu.be/wyIzet51txQ

Out of the box the Gopro can shoot at 1440 p and 60 fps. Not positive on the 60 at 1440 but at 1080 p u get great quality at 60 fps. And the Gopro editing software has come a long way and is great to convert the film into slomo without all the hassle.