Using a Dash-Cam to film fishing?

[Darth-Baiter]

I’ll never start a YT channel.  Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind.

 

but I’ve been shopping both dash cams, and I’m thinking of taking advantage of the GoPro trade in program to jump from my dinosaur GP3 to the new 9. 

it got me thinking.  Wouldnt a dash cam work for fishing?  It just loops until something cool happens.    We all know fishing can be 95% boredom and 5% “hey, look at this”. I know a dash cam is not waterproof. There is that. 

[MN Fisher]

I went the 'cheap' route. A pair of Dragon Touch Vision 3s. Deck cam is plugged into a USB port I wired in, shoulder/head cam is plugged into a 10,000mAh battery pack in a pocket of my PFD. Standard memory card is 32gb, which would cover maybe 3hrs of fishing...but a little testing, and now both have 128gb cards in them, which will more than cover a trip.

 

They're not waterproof, but at the price ($50 each) it's not much of a loss if they get dunked. Audio is a little low, but my conversion software (Handbrake - which is free) allows me to increase the gain when I shrink the files from 3gb/18 minutes to 1gb/18 minutes. Then it's into NCH Videopad for merging/trimming/etc.

[A-Jay]

I've been taking video of my fishing trips (and other things) for a while.

Used the GoPro TradeUp Program several times to up grade my Go Pros to the newer models.

I'm a fan of the whole deal.

Most recent transactions got me a pair of the newest 9 Blacks.

IMO - it's The Best Version of a "GOPRO" they've put out.

Seems they took out everything that was a PIA and left in or add what was not.

The stabilization is crazy good.

I say go for it.

A-Jay

[mcipinkie]

This leads into a really interesting, I hope, discussion.

 

Does "messing" around with GoPro and similar cameras interfere with fishing?  I personally, think it does.  Now, I'm 74, and not hunting sponsors, or making YouTube videos, so that part is not important to me,  but I prefer to put all my mental efforts into fishing when I'm on the water. 

 

Not being critical of people that think differently, mind you, just my opinion.

 

That being said, my wife is an invalid, and sometimes when I'm fun fishing, I'll set up a camera just to entertain her, but not when money is on the line.

[MN Fisher]

8 minutes ago, mcipinkie said:

This leads into a really interesting, I hope, discussion.

 

Does "messing" around with GoPro and similar cameras interfere with fishing? 

I know the 'pros' like Glenn, TB, FTM and others worry about such things when making instructional videos.

 

For me...I just start them up and forget them. I don't 'play up' to the cameras, I don't fiddle with them...just start them up and let them go.

 

So in my case...no - they don't interfere with my fishing time.

 

This probably means less usable video when it comes to editing...but it's mainly for my enjoyment of 'reliving' times out...if other people enjoy watching my stuff...even better.

[schplurg]

A dash cam probably does not have image stabilization or as good an image sensor as a gopro. The resolution and framerate is most likely lower as well. Overall image quality will be a lot less.

 

So I'd say no to the dashcam. You can buy cheaper GoPro knockoffs but I'd just get a GoPro. You can buy refurbished ones cheaper than new. I have.