GoPro has taken the leap into the realm of high definition, having just received our first GoPro HD Motorsport Hero we are really excited to present this unboxing review which has been done by an independent reviewer, Svengalie of YouTube fame.

>>> READ MORE ABOUT THE GOPRO HD < <<

Up till now the GoPro Hero Camera has had a memory capacity of only 2Gb. By downloading this firmware upgrade onto your camera you can now expand it up to 16Gb of memory. With a 16Gb card you will now be able to record nearly 8hrs of footage with the same camera. Not bad! What’s better is that this upgrade is available for FREE from Action Cameras!

Read below for instructions on how to add this to your camera.

Firmware Upgrade Instructions

PLEASE READ THROUGH ALL INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. This upgrade will not work with older 3MP GoPro HERO cameras.

STEP 1: Download/Copy Firmware Upgrade to SD Card

1. Download the appropriate file for your particular model HERO camera (Note: you do not need to open this file):
* Download Firmware — 5 megapixel HERO Wide lens cameras
* Download Firmware — 5 megapixel HERO Standard lens cameras (available 15-Nov-2009)
2. After downloading the firmware (Main.zip), ensure that the file has been unzipped, leaving you with a file named “Main.elf”
3. Put a blank SD card in your camera
4. Connect your camera to your computer using the USB cable
5. Drag the file onto the top (root) level of the SD card (this will be the first window when you open the card)
6. Once the file is copied onto the card, you can disconnect the camera as you would normally

Note: if you have a card reader, you can alternatively use it to copy the file onto the SD card instead of following the above steps

STEP 2: Load Firmware Upgrade into Camera

Before beginning this step, ensure that your camera is powered off. Also ensure that it is loaded with new or fully charged batteries (Lithium or NiMH recommended)

7. If it isn’t already in the camera, insert the SD card with the firmware upgrade loaded on it
8. Press the power button and release
9. Then quickly press the power button again while simultaneously pressing the shutter button. DO NOT RELEASE THE BUTTONS
10. Continue holding both the power and shutter button until the red light begins to flash quickly
11. Once the red light begins to flash quickly, you can release both buttons. The camera’s red light will continue to flash, which indicates that the firmware is loading into the camera’s memory (this will take 5-10 seconds)
12. Once the camera has finished loading the new firmware, it will turn itself off

The camera will now be using the new firmware version, which will have the following benefits:

* improved auto exposure processing to help in extreme bright lighting conditions (like snow covered slopes),
* and you can now record up to 4GB in one file

Firmware Tips

For best performance, please use only high write speed SDHC cards

Using slower write speed cards will cause the following:

* longer camera power up time
* longer file saving time after recording is stopped
* longer file deletion times
* delay in switching modes from auto photo to delete all files

The camera will automatically stop a single video recording at 4GB (1 hr 52 min). If using a card over 4GB, you can, however, initiate further recording to fill up the card.

In auto photo mode, the camera will not stop recording when 4GB is reached. If using a larger card, the camera will keep shooting photos until the batteries are depleted.

Firmware Troubleshooting

I can’t open the firmware file
* you do NOT need to open the firmware file, but simply transfer it to the top level of the SD card

The firmware update will not start (red LED does not start blinking)
* is the firmware file in the top level of the SD card? If the firmware file is not in this level, the firmware will not be able to upload

I lost power during the upload, and can no longer power on the camera
* if the firmware upload was interrupted, the camera will not have a complete firmware and will no longer be able to power on. If this has happened, you will need to contact GoPro Support for further assistance.

The guys from RainChasers recently went out after all the storms in their kayaks chasing after the biggest swells that they could find… They took the GoPro Helmet Hero Wide with them to capture all the action…

The good: Handy waterproof enclosure; low distortion; good white balance; mounts easily onto the helmet and handlebar; and takes stills plus videos.

The bad: Sluggish; takes very soft images; quality only for internet/ computer viewing.

The Action Cameras bottom line: For a small, reasonably priced, user-friendly camera for biking… this is it.

Read More

wow, what a month! Our cyling story set the country on fire and, as a result, we’ve had huge amount of helmet cam enquiries and orders. This month top seller is the Helmet Hero, seen here. It’s clear that a good deal of people are looking at helmet cams for their immediate use and also their potential use. So, they arrive at action cameras looking for a commuter’s helmet and realise, once speaking to our staff, that there are plenty of other options available. That’s where the Helmet Hero comes in … it also happens to be waterproof and is the same camera we loaned to BBC Radio One for thier celebrity lap videos!

The Helmet HERO 3 is the ultimate waterproof action camera, waterproof down to 30 meters. It’s is based on the popular Digital Hero 3 but comes with a range of mounts to easily attach it to a helmet so you can easily take point of view video without having the hassle of cables.

The Helmet Hero also comes with the added feature that it can be used as a 3 mega-pixel waterproof camera, taking still photos and with a built-in 16Mb internal memory, which is expandable to 2Gb using a 2Gb SD Card. It also has the capacity to shoot 56 minutes of colour TV resolution video (512 x 384 pixels) and sound with an optional 2GB SD card.

The Helmet Hero is a perfect way to capture some awesome action shots that were never possible before, at a great price.

See here for more details and order details