GoPro Hero
 

Anyone heard of this:
Cheaper version of the gopro, but still shoots 1080p/30fps. Not a bad deal imo.

I'm sure others will chime in with their favorite off-brand action camera. So any reviews or suggestions are appreciated.

This is for my dad who will use it 3 times a year kayaking and rafting. So battery life and ease of use are the 2 main priorities.

Countour.

1080, 30 or 60 fps, water resistant, $90 shipped

/\ guy knows his shit

Actually the contour(the roam 2) is only "waterproof" down to 3ft? the gopro beats that by quite a bit, so if that's what you need, its probably the way to go. you can get waterproof cases for either, but obviously adds to the cost.

I recommend the Xiaomi Yi Original XiaoMi Yi 1080P Ambarella A7LS WIFI Sports Action Camera CN Version-70.50 and Free Shipping | GearBest.com Mobile
They also just announced a 4K version which is half of the price of GoPro Xiaomi To Take On GoPro With Yi 4K Action Camera 2: Lower Price Point With Similar Features : TECH : Tech Times

I just got the Xiaomi Yi a few weeks ago. I am happy with it so far, but I have not used it to much.

I have the Xaiomi Yi in my 'saved for later' cart. US version routinely goes to $80 Prime, international ~$10 cheaper, not sure the differences though.

That looks to have the same specs as my Hero2. Which is "meh".

Gitup Git2 is what I bought. It has it's issues, but it works with all of the gopro accessories (cases are the same and I had an old hero silver that died). It does 1080/60fps and has image stabilization. I do wish the battery lasted longer but at 60fps it is expected. I think I paid under $120. I'm impressed for $120.

I spent the extra for that and got a boat load of accessories. The watch is worth it alone.

MHD Sport 2.0 Wi-Fi® Action Camera + Live View RF Wrist Remote - Monoprice.com

I don't know about the other cameras, but I'll stand behind the GoPro - Mine has spent several hours at Depths of 100' in Salt Water using nothing more than what came in the box, including regular button pressing, and it's been excellent.