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Camera Gear - GoPro

Currently, I'm using a GoPro Hero 8 and I love it. Most of the videos you see on this site were shot with one of three GoPro cameras I've used. I'm going to cover those first, then I'm going to cover accessories and the other cameras. You can grab the Hero 8 on Amazon HERE.

GoPro multiple cameras


We're going to cover these cameras I've used myself:
  • GoPro Hero 8
  • GoPro Hero 6
  • GoPro Hero Session
We're also going to talk about some important things you might need with your camera (SD cards, floating grip, etc.).

GoPro Hero 8

gopro hero 8 bottom mounts
  • Great stabilization with HyperSmooth 2.0
  • Improved low light performance
  • Media mods
  • Improved HDR
  • Bitrate of 100Mbps for 4K and 2.7K
  • Waterproof up to 33ft/10m or 196ft/60m with housing
  • Built in mount
  • More...
GoPro Hero8 on Amazon

This camera features great built in stabilization. It doesn't support the Karma grip but you probably won't need it anyway. One of the big advantages of the built in stabilization is that it still works under water ( unlike the Hero 6 with the Karma grip ). Since the Karma grip can't go underwater, the 6 didn't have underwater stabilization.

GoPro Hero 6

GoPro Hero 6 Front

This camera is terrific. It can shoot in 4K at 60 FPS. It doesn't include stabilization like the later models but that can be fixed using the Karma grip.

GoPro Hero6 on Amazon

This camera was eventually destroyed. Connecting to the Karma Grip requires that you remove the door from the side of the camera. That is fine so long as you put the door back on securely before bringing it in the water. I wanted to get some quick snorkeling in. When I transferred the camera from my Karma Grip to my floating handle, I forgot to put the door back on. These cameras die pretty quick if you put them in the water without the door. I left it to dry out for weeks. There was water stuck behind the LCD and around all of the components. I had assumed it was gone for good so I went ahead and bought a Hero 8. As it turns out my Hero 6 is actually working now. I still made the right choice getting the Hero 8 because it is amazing.

GoPro Hero Session

This was my first GoPro camera. I originally bought this so I would have something to record underwater videos while snorkeling. I've since used it for a ton of stuff. It shoots good quality video that generally comes out crisp and clear. It is relatively old now so you can usually pick it up for a relativly low price.

Shop around and don't pay too much for this since it is really old. Find the regular Hero Session on Amazon HERE and find the Hero 5 Session on Amazon HERE.

gopro hero session angle cage
  • Great video (good bitrate, 1080p but no 4K)
  • Simple (no screen, no removable battery)
  • Small
  • Inexpensive (old)
  • Don't confuse this with the Hero 5 Session (newer but still old)

The Karma Grip

I was so happy with this. The Karma Grip works great with the Hero 6 and 7 but is NOT compatible with the Hero 8. Up to this point my videos had tendency to be pretty shaking. The Karma Grip made it easy to take perfectly smooth video. It compensates for just about anything. The Karma Grip takes up a fair amount of space. You will want to make sure you have enough space in your bag.

GoPro Karma Grip with hero6
  • Amazingly smooth, shake free video
  • Charges your camera while plugged in
  • Better than Hypersmooth (automatically disables Hypersmooth when plugged in)
  • Battery isn't removable
  • Takes up space in your camera bag
GoPro Karma Grip on Amazon

Accessories

GoPro Shorty Mini Extension Pole Tripod

When I bought the Hero 8, I bought the slightly more expensive package which included an extra battery and this handle. I'm glad I did. The only thing I could possilly complain about is that it doesn't float. Thats fine since it is more compact and does a bunch of other stuff. When I want to go in the water I swap handles. Find it on Amazon HERE.

gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod

GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip (old version)

I bought the older verison of this handle a few years back. It is a little bit different from the newer version. They both float. The biggest difference, besides the look, is that the newer one uses a clip instead of directly using the bolt. That may be a bit more convienient but it doesn't quite feel right to me. I perfer the older version. Find the old version on Amazon HERE. Also, find the new version on Amazon HERE.

GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip

XSories U Float GoPro Handle

This works great. The only issue I have with it is that it is a bit more bulky than the official handle. Find it on Amazon HERE.

XSories U Float gopro handle

Spare GoPro Batteries

Batteries go fast. You don't want to be stuck without power. It is 100% worth it to have at least one spare battery. I generally carry two or three spares in addition to the battery in side my camera. I swap them out as needed. I've read that there may be issues with third party batteries. I have no idea how true that is. It may just be GoPro wanting you to spend money on official batteries. Either way, I opted for official batteries as I didn't think they were that expensive anyway. Find them on Amazon HERE.

GoPro Battery

GoPro Dual Battery Charger

Find the battery charger on Amazon HERE.

This one may seem a little expensive but it is worth having. Without it you will have to charge each of your batteries one at a time, in your camera. Also, without this, you wouldn't be able to use your camera while charing your spare battery. You can get third party chargers but I just went with the offical charger. This was a few years back and I forget my reasoning but this is what I decided on. One way or another, at least get some type of separate battery charger so you don't have to leave your GoPro plugged in just to charge a spare.

GoPro Dual Battery Charger battery removing

SD Cards

SD Card Samsung 128GB evo U3

Recording, especially at higher resolutions can eat up a lot of storage space quickly. Fortunately SD cards are getting bigger and cheaper every year. Personally I've bought multiple 128 GB U3 SD cards from Samsung. These work great for my GoPro Hero 6/8.

Find these SD cards on Amazon HERE.

Make sure you get the right SD card if you are recording in 4K. Here is a chart that can help:

SD Card Class

SD Card Case

If you have a lot of SD cards to manage this is really handy to have. It keeps them all in one place. You can put the full cards in the back and the empty cards in the front. It also helps to keep them dry if you are outdoors a lot (which you likely will be if you are using a GoPro). Find it on Amazon HERE.

Memory Card Case inside Memory Card Case

Head strap

This is a great little accessory to have. It allows you to strap the camera right to your head. You can capture first person video while keeping both hands free. This is great for for kayaking. Pictured here you can see both the official GoPro head strap and the Amazon Basics version.

GoPro Head Strap

Chest strap

This allows you to strap your camera to your chest. This will place the POV a little lower than the head strap would. You could also potentially block your view a bit with your arms. It is great for situations where you don't want your camera on your head or potentially other situations.

GoPro Chest Strap

Media Mods

Mods are available for the Hero 8. The are incredibly popular. I haven't tried them myself yet but I am planning to. We have been needing something like this for years.

Video Editing Laptop For 4K GoPro Videos

WARNING - If you are editing 4K video you will need a recent processor with enough power render the videos. The CPU does most of the heavy lifting so a good video card won't really save you here. I was actually shocked at what an Ivy Bridge (3rd gen) i7 wasn't able to do. I could barely play my 4K GoPro videos. An Ivy Bridge i5 basically doesn't work at all

Things to consider when picking out a system for video editing:

3rd Gen i5Can't really play, you may see a couple frames
3rd Gen i7Super laggy playing video
9th Gen i7Works great for playback and editing
Mac Book Pro 16 inch Mac Book Pro 16 inch closed

I'm using the new 16 inch Mac Book Pro. I bought the lowest end 16 inch 2019 Mac Book I could. It works great. It comes with a 9th gen i7. If you want to render faster you could get one with an i9. A Mac Book Air would actually work just fine to play and edit the video but it would take a really long time to render. One issue to be aware of is that your hard drive space will be eaten up fast. This is fine for me because I just upload all of my videos to my NAS when I'm done editing them. You could also buy an external drive for long term storage if you don't have a NAS. Find the new Mac Book Pro on Amazon HERE.

I've also built a Linux based desktop PC with a 9th gen i7. It works great for editing 4K videos. It has enough power to edit 4K videos and the software is usable. I've worked with Kdenlive and OpenShot. They are OK but I've run into too many issues and decided to buy a Mac. iMovie makes things so much easier. Once I outgrow that I may start using Final Cut Pro.

GoPro Hero 8 - Picture Gallery

gopro hero 8 angle gopro hero 8 angle gopro hero 8 angle gopro hero 8 angle gopro hero 8 back gopro hero 8 bottom mounts gopro hero 8 bottom gopro hero 8 door red gopro hero 8 front gopro hero 8 front gopro hero 8 battery out gopro hero 8 open door with battery gopro hero 8 open door gopro hero 8 open door gopro hero 8 sdcard slot gopro hero 8 side door gopro hero 8 side mounts gopro hero 8 side mounts gopro hero 8 top angle

GoPro Hero 6 - Picture Gallery

GoPro Hero 6 Front GoPro Hero 6 front GoPro Hero 6 front angle 1 GoPro Hero 6 front angle 2 GoPro Hero 6 front no cage 1 GoPro Hero 6 front no cage 2 GoPro Hero 6 back no cage GoPro Hero 6 back GoPro Hero 6 battery door open GoPro Hero 6 charing door open 1 GoPro Hero 6 charing door open 2

GoPro Hero Session - Picture Gallery

gopro hero session angle cage gopro hero session angle cage gopro hero session angle cage gopro hero session angle cage gopro hero session back cage gopro hero session back fingers gopro hero session back gopro hero session cage separate gopro hero session cage separate gopro hero session cage separate gopro hero session door open sd card gopro hero session fingers gopro hero session front angle gopro hero session front angle gopro hero session front angle gopro hero session front cage gopro hero session front in cage gopro hero session side gopro hero session side

GoPro Karma Grip - Picture Gallery

GoPro Karma Grip charging door GoPro Karma Grip charging door GoPro Karma Grip charging door GoPro Karma Grip with hero6 GoPro Karma Grip with hero6 GoPro Karma Grip with hero6 GoPro Karma Grip with hero6 GoPro Karma Grip GoPro Karma Grip GoPro Karma Grip

GoPro Shorty Mini Extension Pole Tripod - Picture Gallery

gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod gopro shorty mini extension pole tripod

GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip - Picture Gallery

GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip

XSories U Float GoPro Handle - Picture Gallery

XSories U Float gopro handle XSories U Float gopro handle XSories U Float gopro handle XSories U Float gopro handle XSories U Float gopro handle

GoPro Dual Battery Charger - Picture Gallery

GoPro Dual Battery Charger battery inserted GoPro Dual Battery Charger battery removing GoPro Dual Battery Charger front GoPro Dual Battery Charger top GoPro Dual Battery Charger with battery

Misc - Picture Gallery

GoPro Battery GoPro multiple cameras GoPro multiple cameras GoPro multiple cameras GoPro multiple cameras GoPro multiple cameras GoPro multiple cameras

Small Print

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