gopro hero plus lcd waterproof made in china

Today GoPro announced its latest action camera, the GoPro HERO+ LCD.  This marks the first time GoPro has done an ‘off-cycle’ release of a new camera product, as the company has historically released new action cams in the September/October timeframe.  It also bookends a rather busy week of announcements for the company.  Last week they announced both their intentions of launching a drone early next year, as well as their crazy 6-camera spherical mount system.  And that’s all before we talk about an apparent upcoming software update to start cloud sync of GoPro files to some sort of still unannounced internet service.  And don’t forget that even more crazy 16-camera virtual reality mount they built for Google.

The new GoPro HERO+ LCD is sorta exactly as the name implies: It’s the 2014 GoPro HERO…plus…an LCD screen.  Well, and connectivity over WiFi and Bluetooth Smart.

You’ll likely remember that the entry level GoPro HERO was $129US, and had a non-removable external case.  That meant that you couldn’t take it out of the case, which in turn meant you couldn’t add in any additional rear-attaching accessories such as the extra battery packs or LCD screen.

They also added in the WiFi and Bluetooth Smart compatibility.  Not for sensors, but rather for connecting to your mobile phone. This connectivity allows you to transfer photos and videos over to your phone, and then up to the interwebs.  Further, the HERO+ LCD includes the remote highlight tagging, which wasn’t available on the lower end model.  This means you can use the remote control to tag highlights so you can find them quicker later on during editing.

Finally, the camera has an internal editing capability, allowing you to slice the clips a bit better before transferring them.  This helps reduce the time to transfer video clips to your phone, making the process a little bit quicker.  This is planned to come to the HERO4 Silver later this summer, and the HERO4 Black as well (if you have bought the additional LCD back touchscreen).

The Hero+ LCD unit includes a few different back doors, so you can use it in wet environments and still touch the screen, as well as using an open door too.

Definitely an interesting market for sure.  For those curious about my recommendations – for 95% of folks it’ll likely shift from the Hero4 Silver to the HERO+ LCD, assuming there are no issues with it.  The reason being that if you’re using it for cycling and such, you can actually use your Garmin Edge device with the GoPro, inside of Garmin’s free VIRB Edit software suite – thus getting all the benefits of data overlays there (I suppose Garmin is probably happy you’re buying their device).  It’s really only if you’re doing direct to camera sensors and don’t already have a GPS device for speed/distance/pace/altitude that I’d recommend looking at the Garmin X/XE lineup.

Note: You can now order the Hero+ LCD via both Amazon and Clever Training.  While both sites help support the site here and all the work I do, by using Clever Training you’re also going to save 10% on your order with DCR Reader Coupon Code DCR10BTF – further, you’ll get free shipping within the US!

The Hero+ LCD"s price, on the other hand, does not say "entry level." At $300 in the US and £250 and AU$430 in the UK and Australia, respectively, this is a somewhat pricey camera for the category given what it can do. The $130 (£100, AU$169) Hero model is truly entry level in price and features. That"s a considerable price gap between it and the Hero+ LCD.

That is, as long as you"re willing to put up with the rest of the Hero+ LCD"s design. Like the Hero, this camera is permanently in its rugged housing. Some might find this to be a plus since it means the camera can"t fall out and is always protected. However, since you can"t pull the camera out, if you damage the housing you"re not easily swapping it for a new one. While it can certainly handle a lot of abuse, if you manage to scratch the lens glass, you"re stuck.

With its standard solid plastic backdoor, the housing is waterproof to 131 feet (40 meters). There is also a waterproof touch backdoor that"s good down to 10 feet (3 meters) as well as a skeleton door that lets more sound reach the built-in mic. External mics, by the way, are not supported on this model.

On its own, the video from the Hero+ LCD is very good and stands up to other models priced around $300 such as the Drift Ghost-S and Replay XD Prime X, though only the former has a live-view screen. Sony"s Action Cam Mini with its Live-View Remote is another option and is better in image quality and features, though it"s not as easy to use.

For casual viewing on a smartphone or tablet and posting to YouTube, you likely won"t be disappointed with what you get from the Hero+ LCD. As with most cameras in this category, when viewed at larger sizes you"ll see compression and motion artifacts and details are pretty soft and mushy. These things only get more pronounced when shooting in low light.

It"s pricey for its shooting options and performance, but the GoPro Hero+ LCD is also one of the few action cameras available with a built-in live-view screen. That"s a feature that"s tough to beat, especially if you"re looking to simplify your shooting experience.

GoPro announced a quadcopter droneand two separate virtual reality camera rigs in the span of less than 24 hours last week. This week? It’s back to action cameras. Today GoPro has announced the Hero+ LCD, a new low-end option in the Hero line of action cameras. The camera goes on sale this Sunday, June 7th, and retails for $299.

The Hero+ LCD isn’t going to wow users with the ability to shoot extreme slow motion or 4K footage, but the specs are slightly better than what’s found on the relative bargain bin $129 Hero. The new camera shoots video up to a resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second and photos at 8MP, and has an LCD touchscreen on the back — all improvements on the entry-level version. The rest is basically the same: it’s waterproof up to 40m (131’), has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and supports microSD cards up to 64GB.

While the price isn’t necessarily cheap, it fills the one obvious hole in GoPro’s line of products. With the Hero+ LCD, GoPro now sells its Hero4 line of cameras at prices of $129, $299, $399, and $499. Companies like Sony have tried competing with GoPro at the high end to mild success, but the best weapon for the likes of Garmin, Xiaomi, and even HTC, has been price — until now.

The HD HERO also offered an expansion port on the camera"s rear panel, branded the HERO Bus. Optional accessories included the LCD Bakpac, which offered a small monitor that displayed and played back video, and the Battery Bakpac, which doubled the battery life of the camera.

The HERO3+ camera models claim dramatically improved low light performance and have a waterproof enclosure which is 20% lighter and 15% smaller than the HERO3"s, according to the GoPro website. The HERO3+ camera housing is 20% smaller than the HERO3. The cameras are claimed to have improved image sharpness (close focus down to 7" vs about 3 ft on the HERO3, at the expense of distant focus which is slightly less sharp

In September 2014, GoPro released an entry level camera named simply "HERO", priced at $130, alongside the HERO4 Black and HERO4 Silver. It is built into a waterproof housing, unlike the HERO4 line.

The GoPro HERO (2014) can capture 5mp still images and has a 5fps burst option. It is able to record 1080P at 30 or 25fps and 720P at 60 or 50fps on to a MicroSD card up to 32GB. It has an LCD non touch display on the front and is waterproof down to 40m.

In June 2015, the company started to sell the GoPro HERO+LCD, which provides video recording at 1080p at 60 fps and 8 megapixel photos. The HERO+LCD is also built into a waterproof housing.

The HERO8 Black largely introduced several new functions into the camera. Physically, the HERO8 Black now incorporates the connecting prongs that are used to connect accessories, directly onto the camera. Originally, the cameras would only be able to access the prongs if the cameras utilised either the frames (for cameras HERO5 to HERO7) or the protective cases for HERO4 and before. Moreover, the GoPro logo moved under the LCD screen to make way for extra microphones. More additions to the camera most notably were part of the software aspects of the camera. These included an option to switch between various settings presets, including standard, activity, cinematic and action shots and adjusting on-screen shortcuts of the user interface. Most notably as part of software, was the introduction of the night-lapse video, which similar to the time-lapse video mode, automatically stitches the frames captured by the camera at set intervals, however with the addition of improved low-light performance.

The HERO8 Black also attempts to address vloggers who may wish to use the GoPro in such a manner. As such, GoPro has also introduced an external accessory known as the "Media Mod" which includes a USB Type-C port for supplying power to external microphones and accessories, a micro-HDMI port and a 3.5mm microphone port. Moreover, the accessory includes a mount to connect either external microphones, LEDs or an LCD screen.

And while all three new GoPros come with built-in Wi-Fi that"s 4x faster, the Black Edition is the only model to ship with a Wi-Fi remote. However, I don"t think that"s a deal-breaker because the GoPro app is far more user-friendly and quick than the remote. Just the fact that Wi-Fi is finally built-in is a win. With the older models, I had to use the Wi-Fi back, which prevented me from using a battery back or LCD back if I wanted remote functionality.

The choice between the GoPro application and the Wi-Fi remote was a no-brainer for me. While the remote has its advantages in the range and battery life department (you can save your phone"s juice), the GoPro application is just too pleasant to use, especially after enduring years of clunky GoPro menu systems on a monochromatic LCD screen smaller than a postage stamp.

OCLU offers a few interesting accessory add-ons as well including a waterproof housing, various helmet and body mounts depending on the activity, and an expandable grip mount for recording vlogs or POV. The waterproof housing allows for shooting at depths up to 165ft (50m).

Construction-wise, the AkasoBrave 4 comes with a touchscreen in addition to the usual USB and HDMI ports. The camera is waterproof on its own up to 1m without a case or 30m with the included case

Although not waterproof on its own, the Garmin VIRB becomes so with the addition of an external housing, which is rated at a maximum water depth of 131 feet. Amazingly, the touch screen and voice recognition controls still work with the housing installed.

Due to its bullet shape, the Sony FDR X3000R may not fit in the same places that smaller cubical action cameras could. The X3000R does come with a built-in tripod mount that is compatible with GoPro accessories though so there are still lots of mounting options. Note that the body itself is only splashproof and that an external case will be required for underwater use. With the case, this action cam is waterproof up to 197 ft.

Build-wise, the VIRB 360 delivers in every way that Garmin action cam should. The camera is waterproof without a separate housing for up to 100 feet and is, overall, very durable. Control wise, the VIRB 360 is very straightforward, offering a series of physical buttons and an LCD screen for accessing in-camera menus.

The majority of the camera’s settings and controls are found within the LCD menus that are accessed via the rear touchscreen. Though responsive, the rear touchscreen suffers from glare in bright lights, which is a common phenomenon. There is a settings button in addition to a power found at the front camera but that’s all.

The SJCAM SJ7 is not waterproof on its own and requires a separate housing (100 ft)  to be so. Unlike the Yi 4k +, the housing in addition to several other accessories is included with the SJ7 camera package. Oddly enough, there is no tripod threading found on the bottom of the camera, the inclusion of which is pretty much industry standard in all cameras these days.

The recording capabilities may not be impressive but the overall construction is definitely up to standard. Like a true action camera, you can toss, drop, and beat up this camera like any other. The Polaroid is not waterproof and will require an external housing to be submerged.

The body of the Bandit is particularly hardy and is, aside from the front lens elements, waterproof. By removing the standard lens cover and installing a separate “dive” cover though, the Bandit becomes fully waterproof up to 131 feet.

The TomTom shines because of its controls and connectivity. Between the on-camera buttons and the LCD viewing screen, setting up the Bandit is a snap. In-camera menus are also very easy to navigate and changing settings are very straightforward.

The Olympus Tough TG-Tracker is a bullet-shaped action camera. Unlike other bullet-shaped cameras on this list, the TG-Tracker is very light and weighs only 180 grams. This camera can easily fit in your pocket and, since it’s fully waterproof by itself, won’t get any bigger with the addition of a separate housing! You will need to mount a small waterproof cover for the lens to make it 100% waterproof though.

The Olympus Tough TG-Tracker is very straightforward and easy to use. There are multiple buttons on the camera body for changing settings and starting videos. The LCD screen flips out like most camcorders but cannot be rotated. A small LED light is also present for low light shooting.

Though the DSC-RX0’s optics feel more like a conventional camera, its construction is still purely action camera. The DSC-RX0 is tiny – around the size of a GoPro – and fully waterproof. There are several ports as well that can accommodate additional accessories like a microphone, HDMI cord, and small travel tripod.

The iSaw Edge is built very well and rivals the GoPro in ruggedness and portability. The iSaw Edge is around the same size as the GoPro both in and out of its waterproof housing. When inside of the housing, the iSaw Edge is waterproof up to 130 feet.

Overall, the iSaw Edge is very easy to use. There are three physical buttons that are used for turning the camera off/on, shooting, and changing settings – these are all very straightforward and very useful. There is a touchscreen LCD screen as well but it suffers from the usual glare that afflicts such screens.

The Olfi One.Five’s design is both unique and impressive. The camera body is flatter in shape looking like a small remote rather than a cube. Overall integrity still feels very solid and, though it may feel like the Olfi could break at any time, it’s actually very durable. The Olfi One.Five will require a separate housing to be waterproof, which, unfortunately, does add some bulk.

One of the most appealing aspects of the Olfi One.Five is its very easy-to-use controls. There are only a few buttons on the body itself and an LCD screen, which, contrary to many cameras in this guide, performs quite well in direct sunlight. The in-camera menus are very straightforward and settings are modified with ease.

Of special note is the waterproof depth of an action camera, that is, how far it can be submerged before the sealing is compromised. 30 feet is generally the shallowest depth for action cameras though an increasing amount can go upwards of 150 feet. If you’re a deep-water diver, these numbers will mean more to you.

The GoPro HD camera sits inside the standard GoPro waterproof housing, which is claimed waterproof to 60 meters, an excellent rating for this type of unit (the Drift X170 is waterproof to 0.5 meter only).

The GoPro comes with a separate open back for the housing that can be used to allow better access to the microphone, but using the open back obviously makes it non-waterproof or even water-resistant.

If the Drift X170 had full HD, it would probably be a clear winner in this comparison, unless you needed the full waterproof capability of the GoPro. I’d bet that Drift will have an HD version sometime soon.

The non-waterproof backing to the case makes a big difference. This may be an issue in more tropical climates where rain comes without warning, but in arid areas it works great.