HD HERO 960

By STEPHEN REGENOLD

GoPro’s latest wearable HD camera, the HD HERO 960, is marketed as an entry-level version of the company’s flagship HD HERO model. The 960 model, which costs $179, has the same image and sound quality as the original HD HERO, though with resolution settings limited to a max of 960p (1280 × 960). It does not record in 1080p, the “full HD” setting that is now a standard for professional crews.

For the sacrifice, you can save more than $100. (The HD HERO retails at $299.) Another consideration: Also removed from the 960 model is an expansion port that allows for an LCD attachment or a secondary battery.

But aside from theses changes, the HD HERO 960 is a “full-blooded GoPro camera,” the company touts. It has features like a five-megapixel time-lapse photo mode and the same water- and shock-proof housing construction as the original.

It comes with a head strap to allow you to wear the camera like a headlamp and adhesive base plates to mount the camera onto flat or curved surfaces like surfboards and kayak hulls. Extra GoPro mounting accessories — from chest harnesses to ski-pole mounts — are compatible with the 960.

GoPro is based in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Its line of cameras, which I have used for years, have now been employed to film for productions on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, CNN, CBS, BBC, Versus, and FuelTV, the company touts. The HD HERO 960 looks to be a worthy and affordable addition to the company’s line. www.gopro.com

—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com.