GoPro vs Playsport

I've been going back and forth about pulling the trigger on a new GoPro. After reading tons of reviews on the GoPro I have seen a lot of negative remarks regarding the camera itself and related accessories. Like the 64G SD card having formatting issues to the LCD touch screen having functionality problems. That is all aside from all the bad marks on the camera itself. A common review from most basically says "if you find a go pro that works its the best thing money can buy." But it seems like more people are having issues. It sounded like a bad idea to take the chance.
I haven't done a lot of research on the Play sport but it is cheaper and that is always a plus. Does anybody have any hands on experience with these?
Any suggestions/warnings?

I've used the Playsport for a couple of years with mixed results.  All of my HD videos on my youtube channel were filmed with a Playsport(here's the link if you want to check them out).  The first one I had worked great(it filmed the Octopus video too) until I cracked the threaded mounting hole.  The next one I bought on amazon for about $80 and also bought a Squaretrade warranty with it.  After a couple of months it started recording everything in green.  Kodak replaced the motherboard of it since it was under warranty and it was a mostly painless process.  It works fine now, but every once in a while it will freeze while recording and the battery has to be removed before it will snap out of it.  I've lost some good video footage because of that.  The bummer about the Playsports is that the new models are worthless for kayak fishing IMO because they have an integrated battery.  So what if you have a 32 or 64 gig card that can record 5 hours of video?  The camcorder only lasts a little over an hour before needing a recharge!  A lot of other waterproof camcorders are choosing to go that direction too which blows my mind.  Anyway, I'm now leaning towards getting a GoPro.

On a side note, Squaretrade is amazing!

Your videos looks great. I probably have watched them all...long before I registered to nwka  Back when I was obsessing over getting a Hobie and fishing. Not much has changed since the purchase of the Outback.
I don't know which way to go with the camera. Mixed reviews on both brands has me stumped. The flash and appeal of the GoPro is hard to ignore. I'd really like to share my adventures out on the water with friends. It's my hope to get more people in the water with me.

You bring up a good point with the record time vs battery life.
I am considering the Hero 3 white edition. I guess if I run into problems I can always return it.
Thanks for the info!

I have both, and they have they're pros & cons.

Playsport- great for quick snapping pictures and short videos, both with zoom.  Good quality video and pics, but water proofing is not that great.  I had issues with salt getting inside the camera even though I took good care of it.

Go pro - great water proofing, variety of mounts.  New ones have wireless capabilities and Bluetooth with your smartphone.  But they're pricey.  Difficult to switch back and forth between vid and pics

That is all aside from all the bad marks on the camera itself. A common review from most basically says "if you find a go pro that works its the best thing money can buy." But it seems like more people are having issues. It sounded like a bad idea to take the chance.

Those people that have issues can't read instructions.  If you don't update it before using it, it won't work right.  They put a big piece of stock card right inside the box, it's the first thing you see when you open it, telling you to update the device.

That is all aside from all the bad marks on the camera itself. A common review from most basically says "if you find a go pro that works its the best thing money can buy." But it seems like more people are having issues. It sounded like a bad idea to take the chance.

Those people that have issues can't read instructions.  If you don't update it before using it, it won't work right.  They put a big piece of stock card right inside the box, it's the first thing you see when you open it, telling you to update the device.

I figured that might be the case. The difference in reviews from people here and from various sites is interesting. I'm feeling better about the investment in a Go Pro.

Good thread--I've been debating about the same choice--I'm leanng towards the Gopro silver.
T2

I have been very happy with my Gopros. I don't see the need for a 64gb card if that is where some of the problems lie. They have built in wifi so you don't need to keep it running all the time anymore. I have 32gb cards and have never come close to filling them.  Of course that may indicate I am a crappy fisherman requiring little video coverage. 

Just used my GP black for the first time today. Had read about the problems with the 64gb cards so just picked up a 32gb class 10 card at Costco for $30. Seemed like battery life today was around 1.5 hr or so at 1080/30. I've got the older model gp2 battery bacpac on order as my friend has one & it's compatible. My plan is to order 2 extra batteries for the bacpac as I've already got the newer style battery that came with the gp3 plus two of the Wasabi gp3 batteries off amazon. This will give me 3 sets of batteries for a full day of recording without having to buy 3 battery bacpacs as the new battery bacpac can't be opened, to my knowledge, to change out the battery inside. FYI, the gp2 & gp3 batteries are not compatible hence the need for 3 of each. I'm hoping to get 8-9 hours of record time with 2 change-outs. The cell phone app works good so I don't see the need to get the lcd bacpac.

One question......it was raining today & I didn't want to risk opening the case in the rain to change out the battery. Consequentially I lost possible decent footage of fish aerial acrobatics. Will the anti-fog inserts overcome any serious moisture ie: raindrop, or are they more for tiny amounts of moist vapor.

i have both, and both have issues, i like the ease of menus and play back of the play sport, but the gp seems to be a little more durable in salt water, but  the mount feet, those prong like things that go into the mounts on the kayak keep breaking, have lost three so far, just putting them into the mount, and trust me i was being very careful

The cell phone app works good so I don't see the need to get the lcd bacpac.

 

hey jimmy, you got it to work, ive been trying for ever but it keeps saying no camera, you will have to show me how next time we fish, cameron

hey jimmy, you got it to work, ive been trying for ever but it keeps saying no camera, you will have to show me how next time we fish, cameron

I had that problem too, trick is to go into your phone's wifi settings and connect to your GoPro's wifi network.  Yeah, it creates it's very own wifi network and that's the only way to connect (that I figured out so far)

One question......it was raining today & I didn't want to risk opening the case in the rain to change out the battery. Consequentially I lost possible decent footage of fish aerial acrobatics. Will the anti-fog inserts overcome any serious moisture ie: raindrop, or are they more for tiny amounts of moist vapor.

"Anti fog" inserts are for condensation, which happens when a warm camera meets cold water. They will only absorb a drop, maybe two, of water vapor. We use tampons to absorb moisture in our full size professional camera housings.

We use tampons to absorb moisture in our full size professional camera housings.

That's a great idea!  I'm off to buy some tampons.

-Allen

hey jimmy, you got it to work, ive been trying for ever but it keeps saying no camera, you will have to show me how next time we fish, cameron

I had that problem too, trick is to go into your phone's wifi settings and connect to your GoPro's wifi network.  Yeah, it creates it's very own wifi network and that's the only way to connect (that I figured out so far)

thanks lee, i will give that a try, cameron

When you mount a GoPro or Playsport, do you just run the video recording constantly and then later sift thru footage to get your hero moments?  Or, are you turning the camera on and off fairly often.  Maybe you have a remote...that would be useful.  Just wondering how it's done in reality.  Thanks. Barb