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The answer of course, is "it depends". The cheapest you can get for a GoPro that does 4k video is the GoPro Hero 3+ Black. You can find them lightly used or refurbed on eBay for about $80.
The GoPro Hero 5 changed the camera body and made it waterproof without a special housing. The waterproofing also killed the audio quality.
If you don't care about image stabilization, the GoPro Hero 3+ Black is by far the best bang for the buck. If you want to vlog with the GoPro (i.e. talk to it while filming yourself), then go with the Hero 4 Black. For stabilization look at the 6 or 7 black, though these are more expensive.
There was a separate GoPro line (now discontinued) called the Session that is a small cube instead of a rectangular camera body. The GoPro Session 5 is a decent camera and probably the best compromise between stability, image quality, and price.
Also, go on Amazon and look at cameras from a company called Yi, specifically the Yi Lite and Yi 4k. I have a Yi Lite. It's video looks better than my GoPro Hero 7 White, and it was only $75 or so. I use it for shots where I might risk losing or damaging the camera, like mounting it on my sliders, putting it on the trail and driving over top of it, hanging it off the side with a suction cup while on shelf roads, and so on. It does a great job and if I break it I'm not out much money.
As far as mounting, the possibilities are endless. In the next day or two I'll put up some photos and a video of different mounting options.
Finally, look into dash cams. I have a cheap dashcam that does surprisingly good 1080p video and often outperforms my GoPros for video quality.
Just FYI, I have a Hero 3+ Silver, 3+ Black, Hero 7 White, and 2 Hero 7 Blacks. I also have the Yi Lite and front and rear dashcams. The Hero 3's can take an external microphone so I often put the 3 Silver on the rear of my FJ with a small lavalier microphone attached that hangs down by the tailpipe. This records the engine noise and the sound of the tires rolling on dirt and gravel that really adds to the videos.
The GoPro Hero 5 changed the camera body and made it waterproof without a special housing. The waterproofing also killed the audio quality.
If you don't care about image stabilization, the GoPro Hero 3+ Black is by far the best bang for the buck. If you want to vlog with the GoPro (i.e. talk to it while filming yourself), then go with the Hero 4 Black. For stabilization look at the 6 or 7 black, though these are more expensive.
There was a separate GoPro line (now discontinued) called the Session that is a small cube instead of a rectangular camera body. The GoPro Session 5 is a decent camera and probably the best compromise between stability, image quality, and price.
Also, go on Amazon and look at cameras from a company called Yi, specifically the Yi Lite and Yi 4k. I have a Yi Lite. It's video looks better than my GoPro Hero 7 White, and it was only $75 or so. I use it for shots where I might risk losing or damaging the camera, like mounting it on my sliders, putting it on the trail and driving over top of it, hanging it off the side with a suction cup while on shelf roads, and so on. It does a great job and if I break it I'm not out much money.
As far as mounting, the possibilities are endless. In the next day or two I'll put up some photos and a video of different mounting options.
Finally, look into dash cams. I have a cheap dashcam that does surprisingly good 1080p video and often outperforms my GoPros for video quality.
Just FYI, I have a Hero 3+ Silver, 3+ Black, Hero 7 White, and 2 Hero 7 Blacks. I also have the Yi Lite and front and rear dashcams. The Hero 3's can take an external microphone so I often put the 3 Silver on the rear of my FJ with a small lavalier microphone attached that hangs down by the tailpipe. This records the engine noise and the sound of the tires rolling on dirt and gravel that really adds to the videos.