GoPro or traditional camera?

[Huntington Guy]

Any advice on which would be the better choice? The GoPro would be great for range trips and active stuff but doesn't seem practical for much else. A regular digital camera would be pretty much the opposite. I'm out of my element with this kind of gear. Only looking to spend $500'ish but want to spend it wisely.

[Havfun]

A go pro shows what you see. A regular camera requires someone to video you. What perspective would you rather have?

[Volkosupply]

what are you planning on doing with it?

I use the go pro a lot in the race car and it's great for that. For snowboarding I usually wind up with a lot of wasted footage......like a ton. For surfing it's a bit better.

It is great for snorkling and underwater stuff.

As a normal camera it would be rubbish.

My two cents? consider both. an economical point and shoot, and a used go pro HD 3 or 4. Let's be honest...the file sizes for 4K hd video are crazy.

[imrich]

Depends. They are both very good at what they do. What are you looking to use it for?

[class3]

The camera on your iPhone is as good as most actual cameras. The GoPro - especially the Hero 4 Silver and Black - take stunning video that could be used as high def TV footage.

GoPro all the way.

[Russian]

I'm using my Gopro daily as a dash-cam in my car. was using it also for: reenacting, shooting, hunting, airsoft, underwater activities, home for parties (videos and timeline photos) and more. Anything with action/motion, you are good to go. No-go: long shots. Anything past 50 yards not going to look good. One thing to remember- camera is only 50% of a good movie. Most of the time you have to play on your computer with what you have shot in post production. GoPro comes with basic free software, which is a good starting point.

[MSA77]

This will be a crowd pleaser! Everyone that posted is right! It is extremely dependent on what you are going to do. The camera and video market has evolved, and I, even after being an instructor in photography (and color darkroom technique in the dinosaur days) find my iPhone good enough for most things that might occur out of the blue. If you want to learn the fundamentals of good photography, you do need to step up from a smart phone. Like everything else in life, these are tools, and the better you learn the fundamentals, the better that iPhone or Samsung, etc., becomes in your hand, if that is all you had in a pinch. You can take the above suggestion from Volko, and get a point and shoot digital, and spend way less than $500. Many now take video too, but you want one that takes a memory card, because as mentioned, the files get huge quickly. The real way to learn composition and things like depth of field (sorry if I am getting too technical) were traditionally with a SLR camera, a/k/a single lens reflex. All it really means is you see through the lens, not through a tiny optic, or tiny electronic viewer. Now they haves lcd and amoled screens on the back, just like a phone. But you still want to see through that lens.

Not too long ago, I would have said not to waste your money until you bought a used SLR (now DSLR - digital single lens reflex) and at least made sure you enjoyed the hobby. The learning curve is much easier. Things like ASA, white balance, focus, aperture, and shutter speed are all idiot proof and fully auto, and require nothing from you. I am a purist, and believe to master these things, auto is great, but you need to understand what the camera is doing. For example white balance adjusts the color of the photo based on the temperature of the ambient light. Sunlight and fluorescent and incandescent light all will mess with your pics, but you can fix it all later now with Photoshop, and programs like it that cost $3 on an App Store!

Two big changes that are sort of, but not really, recent. You can get a micro ¾ camera, which acts like a DSLR, but in a slightly larger than point and shoot body. Full view through the lenses, which are interchangeable, which was also the main benefit of SLR, or DSLR. The trade off was size, but no longer is. You can get a Canon, or Nikon small DSLR, for $300, that will take HD video too. That is the way I would go. Unless you are doing beach, and water, like mentioned above, that would be all you need. PM me if you want any more info, or advice.