Although I suppose technically, the Fuji X-E5 I’ve bought is a compact of sorts, its certainly relatively pocketable with the 23mm pancake lens on, its not something I can attach to one hand with a dedicated mount/strap and flip between photos and videos using a remote control in the other, whilst being dragged along (usually) by a certain dog! Critically, it’s also not weather resistant, let alone proof. I’d need an X-T5 or X-Pro for that and WR annotated lenses and yes, I’m that impressed with the Fuji, I’ve thought about swapping the Zf for one.
So seeing as we’re off on a jolly in a couple of months, somewhere we’ve been told to pack for four seasons in a day, as well as a city where fog is so common they christened it Karl and I’ve already been asked to video a unique ride in a vintage fire engine we’ve booked, it’s time to relearn how best to use the GoPro which has lain dormant in the cupboard since attempting a dog’s eye-view sequence 18 months ago…
To be fair to the GoPro, using it around Disney in 2024 in place of the normal camera gear was actually a breath of fresh air. No bag of lenses and gear to lug around, just a couple of spare batteries, and the Volta battery grip/tripod which was ideal for capturing the nightly fireworks display. But it’s a totally different way of working to a conventional digital camera in terms of still photography, plus with no possibility of diopter adjustment on the screen, unlike the EVF on mirrorless cameras, I have to remember to bring my glasses or the odds of getting any changes correct are nil. Hence I’ve dragged the Hero 12 out of the cupboard to get reacquainted with it, safe in the knowledge that if the weather returns to how its been for the best part of a month, I can’t ruin it.
In all honesty, I did go a little mad with add-ons for the GoPro when I bought it, primarily I suppose because for 12 months, you got them at half price direct from the GoPro site and after ordering the essentials like batteries, the “that might be useful” bits magically got added to my cart. Consequently, I’ve a pile of boxes stashed away and a cupboard of things that really do need using. This includes the Media Mod, Ultra-lens Mod 2.0 and a few more besides, some possibly more useful than others. I used the cold shoe LED light a few times just mounted on a small tripod to help shoot things going on eBay, the afore mentioned Volta works really well when needed, as the extended battery capacity means you’re not worried about running out of juice, while the Media Mod, other than adding an external mic, makes using the Volta easier as it duplicates the USB C connector to the rear of the housing, so more easily accessible, though at the same time, you’re not nearly as weather proof as you need to take off the normal battery door to allow connection to the USB C connector.
Ultra-Lens Mod 2.0 replaces the standard lens with a more bulbous fronted bit of glass that offers 177′ of view and its one of the add-ons I’m not convinced I need. Aside from making it far too easy to get your fingers in frame, I really don’t do anything that exploits it enough. To an extent, personally I think that of the GoPro itself, but I’d doubtless not be popular using it to help fund an X-T5 maybe, plus it’s a handy tool to have around just in case, I love the simplicity of it as well, so it’s going to get some use instead.
Given the size of the sensor, it’s hardly surprising that the output from my iPhone 17 ProMax is higher quality, but regardless of what Apple may say, I feel safer mounting a GoPro on basically anything, certain that it’s liable to survive the experience. It’s also a lot easier to control, especially mounted on the Volta, or once attached somewhere and using the remote control, it’s even easier hand held, unless you’ve some sort of special case on your phone, it’s just grippier.
Below are a few frames taken with both iPhone and the GoPro, all untouched straight out of the box JPEGs. Without resorting to file investigation, see if you can tell the difference.
Not too hard is it, the first one is the iPhone image, the other two GoPro stills, its primarily the field of view which gives it away, until you try looking closer at the image quality.
Video wise, I think I need to adjust the settings on the GoPro as the sequences I recorded along with the above stills don’t seem as good as those I’ve previously created, very muted colours for a start. Sound wise, the clip was recorded with the Media Mod housing fitted and considering it was a bit breezy, the built in mic seems to have done well, despite my voice, which is usually a couple of octaves lower than is ideal. Still, small mercies, no selfies 🙂