GoPro Captures Life on the Move

I recently returned from a week of bicycle riding.  This was my eleventh RAGBRAI ride, one of the most popular group rides in the world.  Over the years it has been interesting to see how digital technology has found its way into an event that is based on the bicycle, a device that requires neither bits nor bytes.  When I first participated in this ride, our team used hand-held walkie-talkies to stay in touch with one another. Over the years, mobile phones have made keeping tabs on fellow team members, dispersed among the 15,000 other riders, much easier. And of course the smartphone, Facebook and Twitter have made sharing the experience with family and friends easy.

This year a new device found its way into this event and into other similar events. It allows participants to share their experiences in a way never before possible.  The new device is the GoPro.  The GoPro is a wearable compact digital video camera which has become one of the most successful new electronic gadgets ever.  Developed by a small startup only a few years ago, the company is now valued at more than $3.5 billion.  Sales revenue doubled for 2013 from the previous year.  You may have seen one attached to a head band, helmet, handlebars or a surf board. 

The basic GoPro retails for about 200 bucks and can record, store and playback exceptional quality high definition video and stereo sound.  Since the camera is smaller than a pack of cigarettes it can go anywhere.  With several different mounting brackets available, the GoPro can be attached to the user’s body or bike and capture, up close and personal, all the action.  

YouTube  is replete with extraordinary videos shot using the GoPro.  You can vicariously participate in climbing a mountain, skydive over the Grand Canyon and of course ride a bike through the heartland of America.   There is available a waterproof case that allows the user to take GoPro underwater.  

GoPro has changed forever the “wish you were here” vacation mantra on postcards of years gone by.  It allows you to “be there.” The images are clear and crisp and rival a quality once only possible with cameras costing thousands of dollars. 

As the GoPro and other small cameras become commonplace, they, along with the smartphone cameras, chronicle most every aspect of our lives no matter how mundane.  While sharing extraordinary experiences with those unable to be with you is laudable, the proliferation of these cameras will make it more difficult to maintain privacy. Also, there are some times when using our mind’s eye may be a better way to remember some of life’s journeys.  Too often I have seen people miss the moment by trying to capture it for posterity. 

Models of the GoPro start at $199 for the entry version.  Top of the line models with fancy waterproof cases, special mounting brackets and lenses can cost upwards to $500.  For the money there is no better way to capture the excitement and action of sports and other outdoor activities.