Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm posting this in hardware instead of general banter because I believe that digital cameras are tools many of us use for our aquaponics projects

I just received my new Ricoh WG-M1 digital "action camera" today. Previously, I've been taking pictures with my cellphone as I'm sure many of us do. But I wanted something more durable, with better quality, and that could be mounted to things. I did some research earlier this week and settled on the Ricoh device. "GoPro" is a brand synonymous with sports / action cameras, but they are expensive and in order to be waterproof they require a plastic case around them.

First impressions are great. It's a little on the heavy side, but not bad at all. It did not include much in the way of accessories, the only mounting piece it comes with is a small movable thing with a heavy duty permanent adhesive bottom so you could glue it to a vehicle or helmet and then mount the camera on that. I will probably buy or make some additional mounting devices for it. Ergonomically, it's quite nice. it fits in the palm of your hand and the buttons are large and easy to press even if wearing gloves. It uses a removable lithium-ion battery and supposedly has the best battery life of almost any action camera on the market. From what I've read, it can record up to 2.5 hours of 1080p/30fps video on one charge.

This camera has an IP68 rating and is guaranteed for underwater filming at depths of up to 10 meters (33 feet) for 1 hour. I have not yet filmed anything underwater with it yet but other reviews indicate that this camera does a much better job than most others of capturing sound while submerged. This likely has to do with the camera not needing a plastic case to be waterproof.

Anyway, I have to get back to work but I look forward to this weekend and will hopefully post a video or two with the new toy

Here's a link to the product page on Amazon (where I ordered it): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NLJ3PAE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

I also bought a 32GB MicroSD card at the same time, when inserted into the camera, it shows I have about 4 hours, 7 minutes of recording time at 1080p to fill a 32GB memory card:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010Q57T02?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

I'm not sure on the camera availability in AU, but it's likely sold globally.

Looks pretty nice> Shoot some under-waters and post!
I was thinking about a GoPro, but this unit is a lot less $$.

Thus sounds similar to the Contour camera, I got one not too long ago as "an insurance policy to my insurance policy" when I'm out on my Ninja 500. Its not as good as yours with underwater though.... I think.... Its been a while since I looked at the specs. Anyway, it sounds to me like you're gonna be having some fun with it here in the next few days. You should post some vids from it!

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There are many gopro type devices on AliExpress, and generally for under 100.
They seem to work fine..

I bought one for about 87 us, but it did not work and they gave me a "compensation " but not a refund.. I bought another an it worked fine and, I pulled the first apart and found the problem to be a lose connection..

Especially watch Super-Deals, where Kits are regularly seen. Www.aliexpress.com..... its the Chinese ebay in a way
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Have a look at some of the video comparison of the gopro vs the chinese clones. Side by side, you can see a real difference.

I was going to get one of the kogan action cams, but when I looked at the side by side video, it's a very different levels of quality.

But it's also a matter of what you're using it for. For the odd shot of fish swimming around, or the odd football game, you don't need a 4k action camera, and the kogan one will be fine. If you plan on taking high speed snowboarding videos, then get the gopro.

That said, action cams are crap if you want to try and use the onboard audio, anything inside the cases sounds terrible. And hooking up an external microphone is a horrible experience.

waiting on some videos...........

Yeah. Me too I will post something soon, promise!

I recommend GoPro cameras. They are really great and I have been a satisfied customer on this product. If you want more advanced features, though, you can check out these latest video cameras that you can use this 2016. These cameras were just released in an exhibit in the latest CES 2016. I particularly love Nikon 360's Waterproof camera