GoPro is not a normal camera. For one, it is particularly small. Small enough that it looks like the type of camera a spy might carry. However, it is still well-known and popular.. in the West at least.
But in many parts of the world, when people look at it they don`t immediately recognize it as a camera. It also doesn`t help that the first 4 versions didn`t even have a screen on the back and I was carrying one of those older versions.
My GoPro almost got me in trouble when I tried to fly out of Kyrgyzstan. With a perplexed face he looked at me and suddenly asked to my surprise "Is this a bomb?" I calmly explained that it is a camera. Unfortunately without a proper screen, I am not able to quickly show the pics on it.
The man then asked me to turn it on. It probably did not ease his suspicions that the GoPro flashes red several times when turning it on and off. He still had a hard time believing its really a camera so next I took a short video.
The pic above is an iconic screenshot from that video showcasing an uneasy moment. It probably didn`t help relax the atmosphere that the front of the camera continually flashes red while recording. The company probably designed it that way cause the red flashing is the only thing hindering the GoPro from being an effective spy camera.
I pointed to the tiny little screen in the front which was designed to be just big enough to show numbers. I let him see that the numbers were counting upward and not downwards while the video was being recorded.
Fortunately, I was finally able to pass and GoPro started making screens from version 5 and up.
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