GoPro HD Hero2 review

If you want to capture slopeside action, the last thing you want to do is peel off your gloves every time you want to shoot a video sequence. The best way of capturing the action is with a helmet cam, and the GoPro Hero2 is the most advanced we’ve seen.

It’ll shoot at resolutions of up to 1080p at 25fps or 30fps, the glass f/2.8 lens has a wide 170˚ angle of view, and there’s a boggling array of shooting modes. The resolution can be reduced to 960p, 720p or WVGA if you need to squeeze more footage out of your memory card; there are slow motion and super-smooth 50fps recording modes; and you can shoot single, burst and timelapse stills at up to 11-megapixel resolutions.

Quality is superb, with footage that looks crisp and colourful, and videos are watchable even though the HDHero2 lacks stabilisation. The camera itself is enclosed in a seemingly indestructible shockproof and waterproof case. And a microphone input and Mini-HDMI output complete the specs.

There are negatives. It’s a little heavy, so isn’t ideal for mounting on the side of a helmet, and the high quality means you’ll need a large SD card for recording long sequences (8GB for two hours at 1080/25p).

But overall, the GoPro is the ultimate action camera, marrying flexibility with top notch video quality.

Author: Jonathan Bray