Highly Recommended GoPro mounts and accessories - eNidhi India Travel Blog

Highly Recommended GoPro mounts and accessories

So you've just bought a GoPro and wondering what kind of accessories you will need? This post is just for you. I've given a brief detailing of various popular mounts available and their purpose. Depending on your need and usage you can pickup a few of these.

I bought my GoPro via GoPro.com 2 years ago. [My Original Experience here] as it wasn't available in India except for few amazon sellers reselling illegally. Recently Reliance Digital is reportedly appointed as re-seller and Sterio Vision was also appointed as distributor an year ago [Details]

Photos from Flipkart Indiblogger Outdoors meet Feb 2016 where lots of action cameras were put to test.

If you've not bought your GoPro/Action camera yet, do read this post before buying. GoPro FAQs are covered here.

Below table lists 15 different GoPro accessories, their purpose and approx cost.
#
Item
Used for
Approx Price
Things to remember
1
Head Mount
Positioned on the forehead for hands free shooting
Rs 350
May not be convenient if you've to wear a helmet too.
2
Helmet Mount
For use on a helmet, ideal for bikers, para-gliders etc
Rs 700

3
Selfie Stick

Rs 300-600
No brainier. Opt for a strong one. Cheapest ones will fail soon n risk your camera too
4
3 Way Mount
Similar to selfie stick but instead of extending in length, this one can be tilted in different angles
Rs 1400
Comes with a tripod, can be used instead of selfie stick. Bit delicate and relatively expensive
5
Suction Mount
Holds on to a flat surface like windshield
Rs 300-Rs 3000
Price varies by diameter (larger the diameter or radius, higher the holding power)

Sometimes can fail unexpectedly. If mounted outside a car, one should keep an eye
6
Handlebar Mount
Can be fixed on bike handlebars, boat rails or other pipe like objects
Rs 600
Ideal for bikers
7
Extra Battery and Charger

Rs 3000

If used continuously, GoPro battery will die in couple of hours. With two batteries and heavily rationed usage (switching off when not needed etc) I am able to manage from morning to evening
8
Chest Mount
(Body Strap)
Takes video at chest level
Rs 500
to 3000
Ideal when head/hand or other mounts are not viable
9
Wrist Mount
Mount on your wrist, operate/rotate with other hand
Rs 400
Good if your hands are free to position and click
10
Adhesive mount

Comes with box
Very minimal usage-a few come standard with the box. Moderate reliability and very little re-usability
11
Gorilla tripod
Useful for hanging from random stuff.
Rs 400 to 4000
Won’t be stable on a moving car/bike
12
Dog collar Mount
A customized version of chest & head mount for use on pet animals
Rs 4000
To get a dog's perspective
13
Surf Board mount
Can be clipped to the edge of surf boards
Rs 1750

14
Floating Mount
Helps GoPro float in water-useful for water adventures Useful during snorkeling, swimming and other water activities
Rs 400
Take care to ensure that it stays connected,while using in running waters

Check online and buy here
15
Gimbal
Stabilizes shakes and ensures smooth video by stabilizing movement on 3 axis
Rs 2000-20000
Can be very expensive but useful if you're into lots of video shooting
16
Misc- Drone
Mic etc
Drone for Areial view
Mic for extra sound capture
1 lakh approx
Drones are illegal in India as of now
Note: Price is indicative, taken from Amazon.in at the time of drafting this post- may vary depending on brand, selling site, offers, time and so on.

Combo deals are often offered clubbing 3 or more of above items- go for it if you need all items included in the combo.

Few mounts explained in little detail
1. Head Mount: I've used this extensively. 
Check some sample videos- JetSki ride in Goa * Auto Driving in Chennai

2. Selfie Stick & 3 Way mount
Most common mount for regular tourists. Below shot during hot air balloon ride is clicked using 3 Way mount (though not visible in the pic). Longer sticks will give more wider perspective.
3. Joby Action Clamp GoPro stand that I had picked up in Singapore earlier this year- Can be fitted to bikes, edges etc. Check a sample video here.
4. Suction Mount
I have a cheap one bought online- which works but not 100% reliable. I use it very occasionally during car drivers, to mount the camera on the windshield. If the surface is not clean and flat, within minute the grip may fail and camera may fall off. There are many expensive models, which might be more capable. Strength is often decided by surface area of the suction cup. Holders with 3 different legs with suction cups are also available.

Check my Youtube channel for more videos

What kind of accessories do I need?
This largely depends on what you intend to do with your GoPro. To make it simple, I have drawn 3 typical profiles- see where you best fit in
Profile
Description
Typical Needs
Accessories to buy
Regular tourist with occasional mild adventures
Visits places of tourist interests, occasionally indulges in mild activities like boat rides, para sailing etc
1 Selfie
2 Wide Angle pic of attraction
3 Hands free capture during activities
4 Short videos
Selfie Stick/3 Way mount
Head Mount
Extra Batteries and charger
Road Tripper
Often goes on long rides or drives with other bikers or friends
1 Capture the journey and nature
2 Extra battery life for multi day trips
3 Camera should not fall off
High Quality Suction Mount
Handlebar Mount
Extra batteries, Charger and power bank
Extreme Adventure Sports
Skydiving, Surfing, Racing and such extreme sports/adventure activities
1 Need to shoot the adventure action from different perspectives

2 Need to get it right first time, second try may not be viable
Buy additional cameras for shooting the action from multiple perspectives

Head/Helmet Mount
Chest Mount
And more mounts specific to adventure sport you indulge.
Do you find this post useful? Do comment and share. 

8 comments:

  1. Wow, good comparison and details.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an elaborate post!
    I have to learn this style of reviewing a gadget!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Indrani- this post is not exactly a gadget review...

    Thanks Rupam, Sims and OurJaipur.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Shrinidhi! I am certainly going to keep coming back to this post!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure Mridula- have good time with your GoPro

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for your ideas and for making this enormous contribution and
    I recommend checking out our guide on the best

    ReplyDelete

Appreciate your efforts and interests to comment. Comments may be moderated due to increased spam. Will ideally respond to comments within few days.Use Anonymous option if you don't wish to leave your name/ID behind- Shrinidhi

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