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GoPro reminds me a lot of Apple: great products, but oh the prices. There are cheaper alternatives, sure, but if you can get premium gear for less, it feels so good.
Get ready to feel great. For a limited time, and while supplies last, GoPro (via Ebay) has the refurbished Hero4 Silver Edition action camera for $269, plus $12 for shipping. This model retails for $399.99 and sells elsewhere for at least $329.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
Don’t worry about the refurbished-ness. These come straight from GoPro, meaning they’re factory-sealed (as opposed to, say, open-box) and backed by a full one-year warranty, same as new GoPros. There’s another similarity to Apple, which does likewise with its refurbs.
As for the Hero4 Silver itself, I consider it the best choice in GoPro’s lineup for one simple reason: the color touchscreen. It makes framing your shots and tweaking camera settings considerably easier than on the screen-less models.
Speaking of settings, the Hero4 can capture 4K video at 15 frames per second (fps), 2.7K video at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps. A newly repurposed button on the side adds a “highlight tag” to your video so it’s easy to find memorable scenes later while viewing or editing.
If you’re new to the whole action-cam thing, you’ll want to read CNET’s review. Spoiler alert: The Hero4 Silver earned a score of 8.4 out of 10, and Josh Goldman called it “the best GoPro for the money.” And that was based on a $400 price tag. More than 1,500 Amazon customers rate it 4.5 stars out of 5, too.
So, yeah, killer camera. And it comes with the standard waterproof housing, which is good to depths of 131 feet. (That’s overkill for me — I’m good to depths of about five feet.)
Even at $269, this is not an inexpensive camera, especially when there are similar products out there priced closer to $100. You might want to consider one of those if, for example, you’re looking for a camera to attach to a drone. But GoPro delivers pro-level video quality, and that usually demands a premium.
Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: A color laser printer for $70? Yep: Adoroma is once again offering the Ricoh SP C250DN for $69.99 shipped. The key specs include Wi-Fi, a 250-sheet paper tray and automatic duplexing. The four “starter” toner cartridges are good for 1,000 pages each (not bad, really), and you can find refill kits for as little as $40. (Be warned, though, that an entire set of replacement cartridges — if you prefer to go that route — will run you at least $200.) You know what I always say: Ink or toner’s gonna cost you no matter what, so you might as well get the best price you can on the printer.
Bonus deal 2: A multifunction printer for under $60, and with free extras to boot? Yep: Buydig (via Ebay) has the Canon MG5720 multifunction printer for $59 shipped, a price that includes a three-month subscription to Rhapsody Premier and a $30 Vudu voucher. Why are those things bundled with this printer? I have no idea. I also don’t care, because they’re both awesome. The MG5720 alone would cost you $69.99 if you buy it directly from Canon.
