Hi SP,

The decision of which GoPro to buy comes down to cost and need. If your recipient is going to use it for still shots mainly with a little video, then you can save a heap of dosh by buying a GoPro HD Naked camera with a surf mount. We are running them out at about $285.

The new HD2 GoPro is a much better camera for stills as it is 11 mega pixels as opposed to 5 mega pixels in the old one. The new HD2 has a more user friendly menu system and more options in terms of shooting intervals. The new one also has a super slow-mo feature but only in very low resolution, not HD.

The video on both cameras in terms of quality of image is the same. Hence, if you need video more than stills, the HD original will be perfectly fine and will save you some coin. If you want all the new extra's, then it's around $399 spend. The new HD2's also come with accessories. The Surf pack has a Floaty back door, two smaller surf board mounts and an FCS plug mount (requires an FCS plug to be installed on the board).

The Cameras are cheaper to buy from the USA, but with freight, they are about the same as shopping here, then you have home grown back up and warranty service.

Hope this helps.

DM