go pro's

[962porsche]

i got a go pro last year but i only have a 16GB card for it .
what size card will i be able to get the two days at a track from ?
i was looking at a 400X speed card with 128GB will that last me two days of track time ?
the card i'm looking at is this :
lexar professional
400X 128GB
SDXC UHS-1 flash memory card LSD
128CTBNA 400
will this card do ? or should i be getting some else i know nothing about this crap !

[Chrispy]

What model GoPro? The Hero2 only supports up to a 32GB SDHC card and that is what I use, plus the 32GB cards are dirt cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-C ... B004Q3C98S I bought a couple for $20 each retail on sale, class 6 or 10 works great.

16GB is just enough for a typical 2 days if you remember to stop it promptly, but if there is a lot of track time (e.g. open track) then go for the 32GB or even get 2 of them. The brandy new Hero3 supports up to a 64GB card (I presume SDXC for that one).

[962porsche]

my go pro is the HD hero 960 .
i pulled out the card and it is a 32 GB card but because of were i have it i turn it on before i leave the paddock and turn it off when i pull back into it .
at best i get a day out of the card i would also just like one card insted of having two or three of them .

[dradernh]

When in doubt, RTFM; count yourself lucky, it's only two pages long: http://cbcdn2.gopro.com/uploads/product ... 122210.pdf.

[962porsche]

i have the manual but it only tells me things like using a class 4 or better i have a class 10 now and a sdhc card but can the sdxc card work and give me a real long running time for lemons events .
so am i limited to only a 32GB card with this camera ?

[dradernh]

Apparently so. If you get a 32GB card, you might want to test it before LeMons to see just how long it lasts - and then plan for it not lasting as long during the race. Just in case.

[962porsche]

so then i guess i will have to get a crap load of cards and change them out after every 2 hour stint .

[dradernh]

so then i guess i will have to get a crap load of cards and change them out after every 2 hour stint .

Probably not. The following material is mostly from Eye of Mine's Hero 960 page: http://www.eyeofmine.com/gopro/hd/960/index.html. Although it was written awhile ago, there's other good stuff on it, too.

Storage
Average recording times with 32GB SDHC card:
•960p (1280x960 30fps 4:3 wide-angle hi-definition): 5 hrs. 26 minutes
•720p (1280x720 30fps 16:9 wide-angle hi-definition): 8 hrs. 9 minutes
•WVGA (848x480 60fps 16:9 wide-angle std-definition): 8 hrs. 9 minutes

Power & Battery
•Battery Type: Rechargeable 1100 mAh Lithium-Ion
•Battery Life: Approx. 2.5 hrs
•Charging: via USB to computer or optional power adapter
•Charge Time: 80% capacity after 1 hour with optional power adapter (wall charger or 12V car charger); or 2 hours with a computer’s USB port
•Charge Time: 100% capacity after 2 hours with optional power adapter (wall charger or 12V car charger); or 4 hours with a computer’s USB port

Regarding which cards to get and, by extension, which ones not to get: http://gopro.com/support/articles/sd-ca ... mendations. There are A LOT of bitter complaints on Amazon of folks getting counterfeit SD cards - from Amazon. I took the 'retail packaging' option on this page when I bought a pair of them: http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-C ... 770&sr=1-1. If you plow through the Gopro forums, you'll find that many users suggest, based upon their experience, that you get cards that are faster than the minimum recommended by Gopro. Since Class 4 is the minimum Gopro recommends for your Hero 960, you might consider a Class 6 or higher, especially if you'll use it in another device that can take advantage of the higher speed.

I had more adventures with battery life than I did with card capacity when using my Hero2. It was an open track day, a lot of sessions, I was using my computer to recharge between sessions (when I remembered), and it didn't work - the best laps went unrecorded because the single battery that came with the camera that I'd bought at the track to use that day had died. I learned, and got a fistful of batteries plus 12V car & wall chargers. This was the best deal I found: http://www.amazon.com/Wasabi-Power-Batt ... sabi+gopro - two batteries for $20, each with greater capacity (1400mAh vs. 1100mAh), and they come with a wall charger & a 12V car charger. The following text on battery life is from this Gopro page: http://gopro.com/support/articles/short ... ttery-life.

"The batteries used in the HD HERO cameras need to be power cycled a few times when they're new before you'll get the full battery-life out of them.

To power cycle your battery, please charge until full and deplete by recording a video with the camera. Repeat this three times. Your battery-life should then be about 2 hours of continuous recording."

Note that they say battery life is 2 hours, and not the 2.5 hours they tell you elsewhere. You can use the exercise they suggest to figure out how long your batteries are likely to last (heat & cold will affect that somewhat), and to confirm the capacity of your SDHC cards against the above estimates.

One last thing I came across on Gopro's forum, and that had to do with issues related to operating temperatures: http://gopro.com/support/articles/hot-c ... res-camera. On that page, they tell you that the camera will shut off at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. People that have run into this problem suggest using the skeleton back and/or the skeleton housing to minimize heat buildup, especially if the camera will be in the sun. I doubt this will be an issue in a car with a roof on it, although I suppose it could be if the camera were mounted to the windshield & got quite a bit of sunlight directed onto it.

Good luck with it - don't forget to post the videos!

[962porsche]

i'm not getting any thing like 5 hours out of my card at best i only get 2.5 hours most of the time it's only 2 hours and 15 minutes .
i have two batterys so that not a problem .
i ordered 4 32GB cards so now i have 5 total . if any of the other drives in the car want to tape there laps they can supply there own cards .