GoPro or Virb for Autocross?
 

Hi,

I've not seen much reviews on Virb in the forums, even though it seems like it could be great since it can track your speed, inputs and such, the only post I managed to find was Rusty's post.

I was wondering if anyone had used Virb and GoPro and could tell me the differences and which one to go for.

Thanks!

I have both Virb xe and Gopro hero 4 black edition.

Recently, I am using the virb mostly as it is easier to start after you do the setting. There is just a knob that you move to start and back to stop. Also, the battery will held itself for a full 3 sessions if the camera was fully charged. But the data isn't that accurate, I am using Harry's laptime and vbox sport for the speed and laptime info.

Gopro is one of the leading action camera producer and I think they have added new features to their hero 5 line. One of the major issues with hero 4 is battery life, they will finish quickly if you hooked it up to a mobile and controlled through it. But it has a better video quality as well as 4k recording, which I don't use. It is compatible with Harry's laptimer if you wanted to go this way, and they will be triggered automatically, but prepare yourself with spare battery.



At the end, with two autox I attended, I didn't care about info displayed, it was more of inside car feel and the way I drive to be recorded.

Interesting, so you don't find it helpful with the "throttle/brake/rpm/gforce" stuff with VIRD?

I'm debating whether to get VIRD for the full features or just a gopro session because its so much cheaper

It doesn't work with my car. The ECU is locked over here and my tuner didn't unlock it either :shakes head:

I have a Virb xe and a Sony Action Cam and I went to the Harry Lap Timer Web site and they now support those two cameras to a degree. I haven't down load the app and you will have to purchase a OB 2 dongle that will connect with the app. I think I may give it a try as you can run use multiple devices with Harry. I do like the image stabilization of the Virb over the GoPro 4s.

This all really depends on what your end goal is. If your goal is great video with just some mediocre data then the Virb is probably the better bet. Last I knew the gps is only 5hz which isn't really enough for autox.

If it's to get data that just happens to include video then checkout the Solostorm software from Petrel Data Systems. Runs on an android tablet/phone and can also be paired with gopro cameras.

After having both. I use the VIRB more because of image stabilization and battery life. But I wish I could install a polarized lens filter on it like the GoPro.

thanks for the feedback guys, i went ahead and bought a virb ultra 30, will test out on the mountains first

I'll be using my Virb XE next week during ZdayZ. Haven't used it much for driving, but I did take more than 5 hours of video during our trip to Switzerland last September. The videos were amazing and the I can input the GPS/Altitude information on-screen if I want to.
Getting psyched about using it on the "Dragon"...

2 video's of the Dragon. 1st video is from last year with the VIRB. The 2nd video is from 2015 with the GoPro with a polarized lens filter. It helps if you use an external mike. I can control both cameras through my cell phone. But only one at a time.

My setup:
SJCAM4000wifi ~$70
ScanTool 426101 OBDLink MX Bluetooth ~$80
Torque Pro ~$6


https://youtu.be/bOWIxHGGJ3U

https://youtu.be/U6bp6MzC58w

GoPro's are great but there is a huge markup for the name. There are plenty of capable cameras for less then half the price of a gopro.