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"Action cameras- Not sure why this is a category" Plenty of us have need for cameras mounted to ourselves so our hands can remain free for work, such as sittin

"Action cameras- Not sure why this is a category" Plenty of us have need for cameras mounted to ourselves so our hands can remain free for work, such as sitting inside of a highly dangerous mine while trying to extract 20+ pound chunks of fluorite and capture the awesomeness of pulling the mineral right out of the ground after millions of years of formation.

manarth 10y ago
sitting inside of a highly dangerous mine while trying to extract 20+ pound chunks of fluorite Tangential aside - is this a thing? A hobby? Research? Paid employment? I'm aware of things like caving, exploring mines, and amateur gold-prospecting as a pass-time, but I've not heard about digging up minerals for fun.
- lightedman 10y ago
  "Tangential aside - is this a thing? A hobby? Research? Paid employment?" All of the above and more. I'm invested in it enough that I'm going to become Vice President for California's oldest mineralogical society next year, most likely. "I've not heard about digging up minerals for fun." You've never gone rockhounding or had some sort of rock collection when you were a child?
  - manarth 10y ago
    I vaguely remember having a rock with some sort of purple crystal formation, probably bought from the gift shop of a show cave, but I've never come across that as a hobby before. I guess I never really thought it through - they have to come from somewhere, after all! I've already got a lot of outdoor hobbies - underwater archaeology, caving, and recently took up cave-diving - so it's interesting to hear about something related. Thanks!
monkmartinez 10y ago
Right, but there are literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost. All of the manufacturers are in big trouble.
- manarth 10y ago
  there is literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost. Brand and trust still have a big factor in consumer sales. Price is also often used as a cue to quality, so in some cases, being more expensive can induce sales.
- digikata 10y ago
  I think of someplace like REI with inventory for a wide range of outdoor-ruggedized premium products - many of which are just slightly better fabric/plastic/metal devices, I think there's a good argument that you do want to own various niche needs and have your brand name and reputation prominent. But relying on a mass market outlook when the product is becoming a niche (or maybe a set of niches), that is going to lead to trouble.
- euyyn 10y ago
  > but there are literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost That doesn't make it less of a reason for it to be a popular category.
- lightedman 10y ago
  The Chinese version NEVER does the same things. The Chinese don't even have an actual clue about what constitutes HD. To them, it's any wide-screen format (as evidenced by my "HD Camera Glasses" which only records at 720x480.)

manarth 10y ago

sitting inside of a highly dangerous mine while trying to extract 20+ pound chunks of fluorite Tangential aside - is this a thing? A hobby? Research? Paid employment? I'm aware of things like caving, exploring mines, and amateur gold-prospecting as a pass-time, but I've not heard about digging up minerals for fun.

lightedman 10y ago
"Tangential aside - is this a thing? A hobby? Research? Paid employment?" All of the above and more. I'm invested in it enough that I'm going to become Vice President for California's oldest mineralogical society next year, most likely. "I've not heard about digging up minerals for fun." You've never gone rockhounding or had some sort of rock collection when you were a child?
- manarth 10y ago
  I vaguely remember having a rock with some sort of purple crystal formation, probably bought from the gift shop of a show cave, but I've never come across that as a hobby before. I guess I never really thought it through - they have to come from somewhere, after all! I've already got a lot of outdoor hobbies - underwater archaeology, caving, and recently took up cave-diving - so it's interesting to hear about something related. Thanks!

monkmartinez 10y ago

Right, but there are literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost. All of the manufacturers are in big trouble.

manarth 10y ago
there is literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost. Brand and trust still have a big factor in consumer sales. Price is also often used as a cue to quality, so in some cases, being more expensive can induce sales.
digikata 10y ago
I think of someplace like REI with inventory for a wide range of outdoor-ruggedized premium products - many of which are just slightly better fabric/plastic/metal devices, I think there's a good argument that you do want to own various niche needs and have your brand name and reputation prominent. But relying on a mass market outlook when the product is becoming a niche (or maybe a set of niches), that is going to lead to trouble.
euyyn 10y ago
> but there are literally ZERO reasons that camera needs to say GoPro, Nikon, Garmin, or Sony when the Chinese version will do the same for a fraction of the cost That doesn't make it less of a reason for it to be a popular category.
lightedman 10y ago
The Chinese version NEVER does the same things. The Chinese don't even have an actual clue about what constitutes HD. To them, it's any wide-screen format (as evidenced by my "HD Camera Glasses" which only records at 720x480.)