Go Pro or other camera

Last year I spent 2 months in Florida. Bought and set up a Hobie Outback for fishing. It got me access to fish canals, rivers, bays and first 2 or 3 miles out in the gulf. Without a $500 charter or exposing my tin walleye boat and motor to salt water. Ended up fishing 29 days in 2 months. Using my $1k+ smart phone for photos. Had a couple close calls. Rangling a toothy critter in a kayak. While trying to take a photo, and retain my fingers. Doing a little research, The Go Pro 7 has picture stabilization, voice shutter activation and most basic features I think I want. But not the price of the latest greatest models. Not looking to film a fishing show. Mostly just pictures. Or maybe a short video of some tail walking.
Looking to stay in the $250 to $300 range. Would consider other brands. Thanks for any help.

have you thought about a phone teather so if you do drop it you wont lose it vs buying another camera?

Yes. Some saltwater fish make holding a holding a snot rocket back home. Like holding an old wet boot. A few pound saltwater fish photo can be a 3 hand operation.

If your phone is water resistant and your just worried about losing it they make cases with tethers so you could attach a float. You only get GoPro footage like the commercials when it’s really bright and you fiddle with the settings a lot or postprocess it. Your phone will probably take much better simple pictures.

I am a big fan of the DJI Osmo Actions. You can go look at “The Net Buddy” on youtube. All the videos are filmed using that camera. only $200 too, and waterproof.

stevenoak wrote:

Would consider other brands.

There are several brands of “Go Pro” style cameras out there. For example this one under $100 with great reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Touch-Underwater-Waterproof-Accessories/dp/B07B2W96JH/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=action+camera&qid=1629214803&sr=8-6

-J.

I have a gopro and love it. Really no issues at all. But I also have a off brand model by Akaso. I got it on amazon and it was well under 100$ it shoots in 1080p but I’m pretty sure you can get ones in 4k now. And you can do mounts on your kayak with it and stuff.

Noticed the Dragon remote isn’t waterproof. But maybe a higher model is. The voice remote is still my big concern.. Saltwater fish have razor sharp teeth and gill plates. I had very few willing to pose for a picture with only one hand on them. When they get away from you in a kayak. It’s usually between your legs. Not on the floor like in a boat. I like the phone because I have an app that I.D..s the fish. Tells all about your catch, including table fare rating. If you allow access. It will even give regulations relating to the fish where your fishing. But could really use that 3rd hand. Thanks for the replies!!

The GoPro is great, especially in good lighting. Here’s a tip: Connect it to an external power supply like a small charger pack and then run it continuously on loop mode. That way it’s rolling for every moment you want to capture. When you want to save a clip just hit the shutter button and the prior several minutes will be saved. Then what you can do is take screenshots of any frame of the video.

These won’t be super high res photos you might get with your phone or dslr, but certainly good enough for a small frame or to save in a digital album.

As a GoPro user and someone who films my fishing sessions for a YouTube channel, the next time I purchase a phone it will be one I can use for filming also. GoPros take great video but honestly that’s all they do. They can be a pain to work with, the battery life is embarrassing and you can’t use an external mic with an external battery source to overcome the poor battery and built in audio. I would use your phone for BOTH photos and videos.

Maybe I should look into some sort of Ram mount for my phone. Then see if there is a delay for photo. Or shoot short video. I’m all for not owning something else with a battery. In my kayak, I run 2 9amp batteries so I have that. One would only run the Helix about 6 hours. My power Pole has its own battery, that lasts for days. I’d heard Power Pro batteries were not the best.

mahtofire14 wrote:

As a GoPro user and someone who films my fishing sessions for a YouTube channel, the next time I purchase a phone it will be one I can use for filming also. GoPros take great video but honestly that’s all they do. They can be a pain to work with, the battery life is embarrassing and you can’t use an external mic with an external battery source to overcome the poor battery and built in audio. I would use your phone for BOTH photos and videos.

I use a Rode Wireless Mic with a Media Mod

3Rivers wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
As a GoPro user and someone who films my fishing sessions for a YouTube channel, the next time I purchase a phone it will be one I can use for filming also. GoPros take great video but honestly that’s all they do. They can be a pain to work with, the battery life is embarrassing and you can’t use an external mic with an external battery source to overcome the poor battery and built in audio. I would use your phone for BOTH photos and videos.

I use a Rode Wireless Mic with a Media Mod

But can you run it AND get power from an external power source? I have the adapter that allowed both to be plugged in but my power source works and the external mic doesn’t even though both are plugged in.

Yes, the Media Mod has a 3.5mm jack which the wireless mic plugs into and then the external power plugs into the 3.0 USB.

Go Pro’s are great, but nothing unique, look at some reviews for less pricey options – there are so many good alternatives out there!

If you get a GoPro or similar camera, please promise us you won’t start a YouTube channel and post your videos on here fishing for views

3Rivers wrote:

Yes, the Media Mod has a 3.5mm jack which the wireless mic plugs into and then the external power plugs into the 3.0 USB.

I have that same jack and it only allows one to work even though both are plugged in.

I’ve got a GoPro Hero8 black – waterproof without a case so that’s a huge plus. Image stabilization works well, good picture quality. But like others have mentioned, battery life isn’t the greatest. They’re $300 at Best Buy right now.

Off topic – any recommendations for kayak fishing out in Florida? I’ve got a Jackson pedal drive and have been thinking about taking a trip for some ocean fishing.

mahtofire14 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>3Rivers wrote:</div>
Yes, the Media Mod has a 3.5mm jack which the wireless mic plugs into and then the external power plugs into the 3.0 USB.

I have that same jack and it only allows one to work even though both are plugged in.

That’s odd, mine works fine with both plugged in.

Don’t have big interest in sound. Maybe a short video of some tail walking. Mostly just pictures
Mike. I fished 29 days in Florida Jan. Feb.. On the Gulf side. Managed to fish any day I wanted. Even some with high wind warnings. You mentioned ocean. My limited experience on the Atlantic side was scuba diving. You could see some pretty big water. Unless you do something like River Lagoon. Couple counties north and south of Tampa have been dealing with bad Red Tide fish kills the last few years. So that’s a good spot to avoid. I’d love to try the Keys a week when lobster season is open. I mostly fish south of Crystal River.

Mike, for a ton of info on fishing Florida check out saltstrong.com. It’s a hundred dollar a year membership pay site. But they have a ton of stuff on their free side.