I tried to make a pm reply to Idaho Mike but not sure what happened, the reply said "user not found", so I'll post it here in my thread.
Hey there, & Hi to all.
I think I am going to go with the go pro, & yes, ...I know it is somewhat cost prohibitive, but the quality, I think, overall, is better, but even with that being said there are some differences in the durability end of the camera's that appeal to me more so than the others. I already know that I'm a Miracle Whip, kind of guy, so other salad dressing's, or mayo's, just don't have the zing that I'm looking for, ....you know what they say, "It's just not a sandwich without Miracle Whip."
So yeah, I've been leaning towards the go pro camera all along, but like you, I wanted/needed someone else's input on the subject.
And just so that you know, I'm not squeamish on buying/purchasing a quality product, as I, (against the cost prohibitive judgment factor), bought a new depthfinder, the Humminbird ci Si Di HD Combo, the one with the smaller screen, for the full price of $1044.99 plus tax, & the extended warranty, through Cabela's, even though there was one advertised online for $938.00 with free shipping, & all just because of the fact that the company that was selling it did not respond to an email asking if this model also had the down imaging feature, which is/was new for 2011. (The earlier manufacturer's models did not have this feature.) So I spent a little more, but got what I wanted, knowing that it would be more expensive. It was a choice call, & I chose the upgrade factor that suited me.
Needless to say though, this will have to do what I need it to, for the rest of my life. I also found out that I must buy the unit-to-pc cable separately in order to download any updates into the unit. LOL they get you coming, going, or both, & all @ the same time. I'm also going to have to invest in a couple of SD cards, & possibly the Navionics, or other brand name of lake info detail maps that are specifically for this unit. And in order to do that, I will make them show me the differences in quality for the features that will best suit my application. ie, show me how it works in the unit you have in this store. Or will I have to buy a special kind of SD card?
I have a few other problem bugs to get worked out over the winter, but hope to be able to get on the water next spring, & really get into catching some great fish. And if I'm really lucky, I hope to reproduce my "3 hr cruise, Gilligan", 17 mile, float tube trip down the Iroquois River by next June, in 2012. And who knows, I might even have some pics, or video.