Motorsports HERO Wide – Video Camera

Front Row Seat to the Action:

Ever wanted to catch the action, maybe your ride on a Harley, a SeaDoo, your skydive or any place you can mount a suction cup or adhesive strip. The GoPro Motorsports HERO Wide is designed to capture the moment with sound in video, in 5MP stills, on in time lapse photo’s. To top it off the HERO Wide comes encased in a clear plastic waterproof housing from which you can still operate the controls. This gives the cam much greater flexibility and means scuba diving and underwater adventure becomes a real possibility. How much video can you capture? 56 minutes with audio on a 2GB card or 1945 photo’s.  Interest piqued?  Imagine the possibilities and places you can go with the HERO Wide.

Our unit came to us from Motorcycle ToyStore which has the HERO Wide for $169.

First Impressions:

Checking out the package upon arrival we actually felt that the product might be more toy than business.  Having been to CES and several other electronics conventions over many years I have seen many products packaged in a similar fashion and they have always been more toy than useful. I’m very happy to say that my first impression of the HERO Wide was completely wrong. Once opened I found that the HERO Wide is actually a little heavy, the casing is rubberized, and the optics and device seems very high quality.  The waterproof housing seals excellent and does not obstruct the video footage at all.  I can honestly say I was excited to strap this thing to my motorcycle or on my helmet and take it for a test drive. If you are into sports, gaming, or anything of an explorer or adventurer, the HERO is must have hardware.

Let’s take a look at what the HERO’s specifications are:

GoPro Official Statement:

The world’s smallest, wireless on-board video camera.

The Motorsports HERO Wide quick-release attaches to helmets, cars, motorcycles, boats, planes, etc.  Features the industry’s widest 170º wide angle lens and 5 megapixel sensor for the most immersive point of view video and photos possible from a wearable sports camera, period.

Sets up in seconds and is easily moved between different mount locations.  Shoot 56 minutes of high-resolution video and 5 megapixel photos automatically in “Photo every 2 seconds” mode. Use as a hand held camera, too. Shockproof and waterproof to 100 feet/30 meters.

Based on the best selling original Motorsports HERO camera, the Motorsports HERO Wide features improved video, photo, audio, and low light performance. Reliability in ultra-high vibration environments has been improved with an entirely new internal circuit design. Battery life is improved to 3 hours of video record time when using Lithium batteries and 2 hours when using NiMH rechargeable batteries.

Five quick-release adhesive mounts and industrial strength suction cup are included. Suction cup is GoPro-approved for external high speed driving and riding, and is strong enough to pull dents out of a car door (unfortunately tested by GoPro). Adhesive mounts are removable but require purposeful removal by user. Safe on painted surface.

Additional expansion mounts available separately, including roll bar, handlebar/seatpost, chest harness, and surfboard mounts.

Specifications:

Model Number: GMHW5170 Resolution: 5 megapixel (2592×1944) photo, 512×384 video Sensor: CMOS Video Format: MJPEG, 30 fps, saved as .AVI file Optics: glass lens, f/2.8 aperture, with ultra-wide 170º angle of view Modes: video, standard photo, photo every 2 or 5 secs, 3x photo burst sequence, self timer, upside down photo/video flip Exposure Control: auto White Balance: auto Self Timer: 10 seconds Microphone: built-in with adjustable recording/input level Audio Format: 8kHz, mono Memory: 16 MB internal, expandable to 2GB with SD card (not included), expandable to 4GB with SDHC card (not included) via free firmware upgrade Capacity: 56 minutes video (incl. audio) or 1,945 photos with optional 2GB SD card. 1hr 52min video (incl. audio) with optional 4GB SDHC card Power: 2x AAA batteries (not included), lithium batteries highly recommended. 3hrs. video recording with lithium, 2hrs. with NiMH TV Out (with RCA cable): NTSC or PAL PC Connection: USB + RCA combo cable PC Compatibility: Windows ME, 2000, XP, and Vista; Mac OS X 10.2 and later Waterproof: rated to 100 feet/30 meters Dimensions: 1.75″ x 2.30″ x 1.25″/4.45cm x 5.84cm x 3.18cm (H x W x D) Weight: 4.9 oz/139 g

What’s in The Box:

• 5 Megapixel Camera with 170º Wide Angle Lens
• 1 Shockproof/Waterproof Quick-Release Housing–100 feet/30 meters
• 3 Flat Adhesive Mounts
• 2 Curved Adhesive Mounts
• 2 Horizontal Surface Quick-release Buckle
• 1 Vertical Surface “J-Hook” Buckle
• 1 Suction Cup Mount
• 1 Three-way Pivoting Side Arm Assembly
• 1 USB/RCA Combo Cable
• Warranty: 1 Year

So what we see here is actually rather nice. The HERO Wide saves video files as AVI’s which means widespread ability to view the files without a special converter or codec. The HERO also takes 5mp still images which is impressive given its size.  It records video in 512×384 which is rather small but GoPro also has an HD HERO which boosts that all the way up to 1080p and is scalable. All of the necessary attachments and mounts are included and the HERO itself runs off two standard AAA batteries though GoPro suggests NIMH or Lithium for best results.

Actual Use:

In actual use we found the HERO Wide was very simple to operate which leaves you mind free to concentrate on the activity instead of the camera. A simple push of the button to start and another to stop, after that is you have set the HERO to your desired recording mode.  We found downloaded files to be a bit on the scratchy side for audio and as expected the audio is muted by the presence of the waterproof housing. A slight alteration in the way we had the audio setup really improved the audio recording. The only suggestion we would make to GoPro is that they might want to consider adding a housing that allows the HERO to be used outside the waterproof case for normal operation and audio.

The HERO’s operation is actually quite thought out. The LCD in on the front which can take a bit of getting used to. It is also upside down which allows you to use it when mounted on a car or in an upside down position. The interface also allows you to set the video recording to upside down so that you do not have to fix the video later.

File Transfer:

File transfers from the device itself are very slow so we suggest inserting the SD memory into an external reader or your laptop and moving the files that way. In our tests the transfer of a 150mb video took approximately 1 minute 30 seconds.

Mounting and Articulation:

The HERO can be mounted one of two ways, via a large suction cup or by use of a static adhesive mount. The adhesive mounts are also an example of GoPro’s forethought into the design of the device as three of the five come in a curved shape allowing for much better grip on surfaces like helmets, fenders, etc. Included are also three flat mounts to assist in mounting to other surfaces. GoPro also includes a spare adhesive pad that can be used on any of the included mounts if you decide to remove and reuse it.

We should note that in our initial use of the device one of the clips for the included mount did break. This could be a fluke or a sign of brittle plastic. We did not encounter this issue in further use but it does bring up the interesting potential for this device to become unusable over time due to the mounting brackets breaking. We will be contacting GoPro to see if they are aware of this.

The mounting brackets and articulating joints can all be combined and assembled in different ways to achieve the desired angle. The joints are all held securely in place with screws that can be easily adjusted with a twist of your fingers. The overall design is actually quite easy to use and nicely implemented.

GoPro Lineup:

GoPro offers the HERO in several varieties including:

• HD Camera Wide Lens
  • HD Helmet HERO – $299
  • HD Motorsports HERO – $299
  • HD Surf HERO – $269
  • HD HERO Naked (yeah they went there) – $259
• Standard Definition Wide Camera Lens
  • Helmet HERO Wide  – $189
  • Motorsports HERO Wide – $199
  • Surf HERO Wide – $159
  • Wide HERO – $139
  • RC HERO – $179
• Standard Definition Normal Lens
  • Wrist HERO – $139
  • Motorsports HERO – $179

Let’s get into the Action

Sample Video:

This is a sample taken in my car with the Lo audio setting. The wide lens adds a bit of barrel distortion but allows you a much greater viewing angle than a standard lens.

Here are some additional video’s taken with the HERO Wide:

And Finally:

Conclusion:

With an approximate retail price of $199 and $169 at Motorcycle ToyStore the MotorSports HERO Wide falls into the sub $200 category and represents an amazing value for those with an interest in sharing their experience with others in first person style. The HERO offers excellent video quality and while the audio could use improvement the HERO is not really intended for that role. As you can see by the demo video’s many users supplement the video with their own music tracks which definitely gives their experience a whole new level of excitement.

The possibilities are endless with the HERO Wide and for less than $200 anyone with a desire to record their experience in the great outdoors would do well in purchasing one of the GoPro HERO line.

Upping the ante to $259 to $299 you can purchase the HD HERO and take your experience to 1080p which I really believe is worth the money. For less than $200 the HERO Wide is the best action camera for outdoor sports we have seen and truly the best value for your money.