There is so many choices out there now when it comes to a small camera that also does good video. If you want to do video that you and others will enjoy watching the camera will need to be on a tripod. With care it can sometimes be braced in other ways but a tripod is best. If conditions warrant I like to have my camera mounted on the tripod and set up in front of me. Even with a tripod most footage taken on windy days will end up on the cutting room floor.

Good thoughts and does cause one a reflective pause.

Eyes wide open should be the watchword. Obviously the unit has limitations. It stands to reason the battery would have to be of small to else the unit would be unable to be placed in unobtrusive places.

I watched some climbing video at mt rainier done with the go pro and one comment was the battery died in the cold. Small battery and video footage seems a bad combination and yet the potential for some memorable usage is obvious.

Quite a bit of informative material on utube I have yet to view including battery life tips. I will probably pull the trigger eventually if for nothing else to get hassle free fish pics. I go canoeing to avoid hassle if possible and this just might fill a useful purpose.

Our group used one during the Tough Mudder this weekend. The complaints where battery life. 1 guy carried three batteries for a three hour race, and he only had it had it on intermittently. Second the remote of the wrist took like 30 seconds for everything to sync up and use. ie He would hit record and it would take 30 seconds for recording to actually begin.

I experimented with a Go Pro at one time, but it ultimately went back to REI. I think the biggest issue that you'll run into is battery life, especially using the wifi remote.

The other issue is the amount of "processing" one needs to do to produce usable/watchable video. You might notice that in the Go Pro commercials, most of the footage is in slow motion - there's a reason for that. At actual speed there is so much camera movement that the video is generally not watchable.

I was using it while walking and hunting; it might be somewhat better if strapped to a canoe, and better yet if you're only trying to capture stills and not video. But I'd expect every frame to be tilted one way or the other with the canoe's movement. That was my experience, YMMV.

Ranger

The other thing I thought might be kind of neat is to turn the camera around and when you run up some of those "magical" little creeks you could remotely turn the video on/off.

How cool would that be.

I like to paddle my own boat for the most part. The biggest problem I encounter is taking fish pictures. My wife always complains......."the only pics we have of you is of you holding a fish" and then she mocks all the different ways you can hold a fish. But I like taking fish pics......if its a big boy. The memories come flooding back and the experience is relived. Very satisfying.

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Does anyone have any experience with the GoPro style cameras? I see the most advanced model has a wi-fi remote. That seems like it might be the ticket. A waterproof camera mounted on the bow handle and a remote......quick and easy.

How about alternatives? Something a little less pricey would be nice.