Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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Swann FreeStyle 1080p Action Cam
$139.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: New

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

Here is a youtube!

Is this like a knockoff of a gopro?

Product Website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F1Fnjxu-JqM

MUST. WATCH. NOW.

(I did, and bought two in the Woot off!)

Ok, so here's my notes. Granted, I had a GoPro Hero2 and it side-by-side...

1) You aren't going to touch the number of accessories that come with it for the price.

2) The quality is nearly identical to the Hero2, and better than the original HD Hero. The 2 had better low-light performance, but not by much.

3) GoPro accessories work with it. First thing I did was go buy a Chesty for it.

4) Only negatives - laser sight doesn't work so hot with it in the cage, and I haven't seen a back to keep it with the LCD on.

If my bank account is right, I'm in for another one.

I have never used one of these, but I have used the go pro hd hero 2. If this camera has half of the abilities of it, it may be worth it. I love my little "do anything" camera. I'm taking it scuba diving next week! Then on a ropes course. Then hiking for two weeks. Expect short battery life though as cameras like these last onl about 2 hours. It probably doesn't have as many mounts and support geaR as the go pro either. I bought an extra battery for mine, maybe you can do the same here. If you are looking for a camera that can record your day out at the bike park doing jumps, get it. But if you are looking for better stills quality and a more diverse camera, get the go pro hd hero 2.

Amazon had this on a Lightning Deal for $139 (free shipping) in December. It didn't get much love.

I did some research a few months later and noted complaints about a “high-pitched squeaking noise” when used as dash cam, FWIW.

i picked up 2 of these last time. put on of them on my jeep, and accidentally sunk my jeep in a river trying to pull out a hummer. I had to come back 2 days later with help to pull it out, and this camera not only still worked after being underwater for 2 days in the casing, but still acted like new. tempted to go in for more

My dad picked on one of these to strap to his motorcycle helmet when riding through mountains. The video quality is great, even when traveling at high speeds. I once made the mistake of using disposable underwater cameras while scuba diving, and lost a lot of good pictures because of it. Lesson learned.

RDAC wrote:
3) GoPro accessories work with it. First thing I did was go buy a Chesty for it.

NOTE: Within reason. You're not exactly going to be mating this up to a GoPro LCD, battery, or housing. However, all my motorsports mounts, the Chesty, etc. worked great.

The remote's range is a little limited, but not bad. We had it mounted above some bull pens, and whereas I couldn't activate it from the box seats, I could switch it easily from behind the gates.

With a flat lens cover on the waterproof case, it's likely to take better pictures under water than the GoPro HD.

(The curved lens on the GoPro means that everything is blurry underwater. You can get aftermarket replacements for it that are flat, but they're like $50 or so.)

Also, the GoPro's curved lens cover tends to get scratched every single time you drop it (and is $10 to replace, plus shipping, so it adds up fast). This one, being flat, might be less likely to get scratched.

If I did anything interesting this could be fun... but I don't think people want video of a dude sitting at his computer playing Diablo 3 or Battlefield.

gantt wrote:I did some research a few months later and noted complaints about a “high-pitched squeaking noise” when used as dash cam, FWIW.

I wonder if that was power line hum?

Saw below. I have yet to get my 720p test footage off the cam, but manual says it only supports 30fps @ 720/1080 resolutions.

djenkins1982 wrote:If I did anything interesting this could be fun... but I don't think people want video of a dude sitting at his computer playing Diablo 3 or Battlefield.

whoa i must be your clone because all i do is sit at my computer playing diablo 3. do you also by any chance have been wearing out your mouse button since you've been playing D3?

They must have a LOT of these ... they were in the Woot-Off just yesterday: http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=5007550

djenkins1982 wrote:If I did anything interesting this could be fun... but I don't think people want video of a dude sitting at his computer playing Diablo 3 or Battlefield.

http://apnewton.blogspot.com/2012/04/gopro-panning-time-lapse-kitchen-timer.html

Add a panning rig, and folks will go nuts.

Just in case you weren't aware GoPro is coming out with a flat lens case for underwater shots (will sell for around $50).

sdbcmr wrote:They must have a LOT of these ... they were in the Woot-Off just yesterday: http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=5007550

I want to know if they SOLD OUT of them how can they be selling them now?
http://www.mywoot.net/past/details.php?id=4866
Or are WOOT OFFS just a way to get us to think we need to buy NOW or never?

dougmc2 wrote:With a flat lens cover on the waterproof case, it's likely to take better pictures under water than the GoPro HD.

(The curved lens on the GoPro means that everything is blurry underwater. You can get aftermarket replacements for it that are flat, but they're like $50 or so.)

update to the comments on the flat lens advantage while diving, GoPro just came out with a flat lens Dive houseing
http://gopro.com/hd-hero-accessories/dive-housing/

been wanting a gopro for some time now. grabbed one of these to see how it is. 2.5 hours of battery life doesn't seem to be enough for what i plan on using it for but we shall see

I bought 3 last time they were for sale. For the price they're amazing cameras. I really love the video they take at 720. It's 60fps @ 173* fov. I'm going to buy 3 more.

Is it just me, or does the buyer distribution closely match this map? Inversely to US obesity and in line with adults meeting their daily exercise requirements...



http://maps.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/

Just to clarify, these are no where near the same quality as a GoPro 2, with that said, they are fantastic considering they are half the price. If you want to get some extreme video on the cheap, these are a great option.

Also, GoPro's are waterproof down to 180ft, these are only to 65 ft. (which isnt a big deal to 99% of everyone)

But as a paid "professional" photographer/videographer, you can definitely tell the lower quality in the video. Its like comparing video from an SLR @1080 to a cheap point and shoot at 1080, sure the resolution is there, but it isn't nearly as good of quality.

And quality, is all i care about. But if you care about price, these are just fine for something to throw around and not worry if you break them.

Does anyone know where I could get a motorcycle handlebar mount that would fit this thing?

I got one of these a few weeks ago when w00t had them. All I can say is I am extremely pleased and would be in for another if I had the spare cash right now. Here's a video I took myself with mine. Remember to crank up to resolution if you wanna see what it can do.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-ZcOk7I2w

WootBot wrote:perfect for flat surfaces such as [...] bikes

flat bikes? not a lot of flat surfaces on bikes...

hudsm9589 wrote:Just to clarify, these are no where near the same quality as a GoPro 2

Paid, full-time television professional here, and I fooled the best with this cam.

In low light is where it struggles. But, if the light's right, (majority of stuff I'm doing is either outdoors in great weather, or indoor events) then it looks right.

Ultimately, it's about getting the shot, and these do a nice job of that.

Plus, you start adding the mounts and the cam, and it turns into nearly 1/4 of the price of a comparable GoPro Hero2 setup ($300 cam kit, $80 lcd back, $8 tripod mount, close enough).

I noticed in all the videos I've seen from this camera that if there is alot of up/down motion (like if the camera is on a handle bar of a mountain bike or motorcycle), the image will roll. Even the video of the guy playing paint ball (post a few msg above this one) shows it.

The GoPro HD (original one) does not do this.

But for the money, the Swann is heck of a deal.
Gary

Can someone confirm 720 @ 60 fps? Some people are saying its only 30 fps...

jordanrom wrote:Can someone confirm 720 @ 60 fps? Some people are saying its only 30 fps...

"Record professional high definition action videos at 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels), 30fps with 3x digital zoom & stereo audio"

There is a handy specs section if you scroll down on the main page

I'm thinking of using this for timelapse recording a 12-hour road trip, but the 2.5 hrs of battery life is a deal-killer unless it can be externally powered.

The manual says it can be charged via USB. Do any of you owners know if it can also record while charging? And would the charging keep ahead of the discharge over 12 hours? According to the manual it takes 3.5-4 hours to charge the battery but only 2.5 to drain it.

Kizzbot wrote:Does anyone know where I could get a motorcycle handlebar mount that would fit this thing?

Just use the one for the GoPro. It works great, picked one up at Best Buy last week for it.

sco3tt wrote:I'm thinking of using this for timelapse recording a 12-hour road trip, but the 2.5 hrs of battery life is a deal-killer unless it can be externally powered.

The manual says it can be charged via USB. Do any of you owners know if it can also record while charging? And would the charging keep ahead of the discharge over 12 hours? According to the manual it takes 3.5-4 hours to charge the battery but only 2.5 to drain it.

This review from Amazon should help.

arevan wrote:This review from Amazon should help.

Thanks, and that is disappointing. I found confirmation in the manual too -- at the end of the section about charging it says:

"Note: When charging, all controls are disabled."

I got two of these the last time they were up. I love it. I love the detactable LCD screen and remote. They work with all the GoPro attachments. I just wish the batteries were cloned.

Anyone know if it will work with the Suction cup mount for the GoPro?

http://tinyurl.com/7tf66e9

And also can you use it with a tripod? (Screw In)