Only one other time have I done a product review, and that was for the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L, the best rain jacket I have worn in a long, long time. I was so impressed with that jacket that I did the unthinkable and hawked it without any payment for my opinion.
I feel the same way about the two products I am going to mention today, but before I begin, I should make it very clear that I am in no way being sponsored by these companies. I just believe their products to be outstanding, and I thought you could benefit from my review.
I should also make it clear that I am not a tech wizard. These reviews will not be filled with technical information. They will be more on the order of one guy sitting down with you, having a casual chat, kind of “hey, guess what I bought, it was pretty cool” sort of conversation. If you are looking for technical specs, move on to another review.
The GoPro Hero 10 Black Action Camera
I say “action camera” but, in truth, the action I have put mine through so far has consisted of me walking the dogs, and Bev going on a couple training hikes. For sure that is action, but this camera was originally designed to take videos while skiing down mountains and while dirt-biking through the woods, and I have no doubt it would handle those extreme situations easily.
The GoPro Hero 10 Black is no longer the newest in the GoPro family, the Hero 11 having come out a couple months ago. Still, it is almost identical to its successor, so you could purchase the Hero 10, save yourself a couple hundred dollars, and basically have the Hero 11 at a lower price.
This is a small camera. It only weighs 153 grams, and it fits in the palm of one hand with room to spare. Still, despite the size, it packs a lot of punch. The color resolution is outstanding, but there are two features which I find to be amazing. First, it has a stabilization feature which eliminates all wiggle in any video. You can literally be skiing down a mountain, taking videos, and there will be no bouncy-bouncy in the video. I don’t know how the heck they do that, but it is remarkable feature.
Secondly, this camera is waterproof to 33-feet. You can drop this in a pond, drop it in a deep puddle, pick it up, wipe it off, and it will just keep on filming like nothing happened at all. Again, I don’t know how they do that, but I’m sure glad they did.
If I had to apply one negative to this camera, it would be in the battery life, which is only about forty-minutes in advanced video mode, but to me that’s nitpicking considering the incredible quality of the videos it creates.
It also comes with a free year of cloud access, and all videos and still pics are sent immediately to the cloud every time you recharge the battery, which I think is a cool feature as well. In addition, the SIM card can be wiped clean with a simple re-format, meaning you get many uses out of the same card.
Cost, without all of the accessories, is right around $350, or you can buy the accessory bundle for around $500. I will leave a link below if you are interested in checking it out.
The Asus ROG Strix G17 Laptop
If you are into gaming, or if you are into video editing, this monster deserves consideration.
Gaming? Video Editing? In the same laptop?
Yes! It turns out that many of the components necessary to create an excellent gaming laptop are also the components needed to create an outstanding video editing laptop, which is what I wanted.
And boy, did I ever receive what I wanted.
The base model of the ASUS ROG Strix G17 comes with 8 GB of memory, which is a lot, and is priced around $1200. I upgraded mine to include 32 GB of memory, which is ridiculously powerful, and it cost me around $1700.
The speed at which this laptop performs tasks is other-worldly, and I say that without meaning any exaggeration at all. This thing is FAST! It has the highest-rated processor in it, Windows 11 is standard, the keyboard is illuminated, which I think is beyond cool, and the keyboard is comfortable and easily managed by my old fingers.
Did I mention that this thing is FAST? Did I mention that this thing is POWERFUL!
It has a 17-inch screen, making it easy for my old eyes, and it is a bit heavier than many of the streamlined laptops on the market today, but it also has a feeling of solidness about it, which I like. And, if you like extra ports, this laptop is loaded with them, some conveniently located in the back so the cords don’t get tangled and in the way while typing.
Listen, I know, $1700 is a lot to pay for a laptop, but if you are into video editing, I believe it is worth the money. It is easily the best laptop I have owned in the last twenty years, and I will leave a link to it down below. Can it match the MAC with regards to battery life? No, but in practically every other facet, it can meet the MAC on even ground.
Again, I will leave you a product link down below.
You can always shoot me an email, at holland1145@yaho.com if you have questions, or leave them in the comment section below.
Bill
YouTube/aswewonder
Patreon/aswewonder
GoPro Hero 10 Black https://amzn.to/3G2etFU
ASUS ROG https://amzn.to/3FXfVJh
Ann, the camera is a dream. It is user-friendly, very lightweight, and provides some incredible video. If you are ever in need of a video camera, I highly recommend this one.
Thank you Liz! I really do struggle with technical things, but I know what I like, and I know why I like it, so I keep reviews very simple. 🙂
These are excellent reviews. I find that tech jargon overloads me. These are the kind of user reviews that register with me. You have answered the questions that I would ask. I look forward to seeing the results from a combination of these two.
The video camera sounds good. I think I’m even way less techy than you!
Sounds like your progress reports will be amazing!