GoPro HERO3: Black Edition

I must have read 1000 of reviews of GoPro Hero3 online. 90% of these included some kind of negative comments, namely: 1. Camera freezes 2. Battery getting hot 3. Recorded only few frames 4. WiFi not working 5. Protune problems, etc. Well, either I got lucky or I had made a good call considering that most of these reviews were written by illiterate, spoiled shoppers. Yes, it is true that Hero3 does not come with a "manual" and it is certainly true that it is kind of less intuitive to navigate menus of this camera than, say iPhone ... but iPhone was tested on non-intuitive people ... everyone knows that. And GoPro Hero3 does have only 2 buttons and no touch screen ... When camera arrived, I followed manual that I downloaded from GoPro site, inserted card, charged battery. Then I followed video posted on their site on how to update firmware. I opted for manual update (it is the same as automatic), but since I do not believe in Internet Explorer or Mozzila I have had to go with manual. It is easy ... you enter your info, name your camera and choose password, enter serial number (do not forget to put back the battery and fire up camera again - or write down serial beforehand). Their site creates custom update for you (basically it makes one extra file in which it inputs info about name of the camera and password you choose). I downloaded it as .zip ... unpacked it and copied files using Windows Explorer (or whatever Mac people use) to copy it to the root of the memory card (one in the camera ... if your PC does not recognize camera as USB storage device you may think camera is not working ... there should be additional external storage registered on your computer - that is the camera card - work pretty much the same as any flash drive). As soon as you disconnect your camera, it turns off. When you turn it on ... process of firmware update begins and it ends in approximately 6-7 minutes. It took a little while for me to figure how to navigate all menus with two buttons only, but as I said ... it is enough intuitive if you are not an average iPhone freak. Now, I am a video freak and I have few PCs, but 1440p at 48fps (native resolution) is not an easy thing to handle ... hens some people write frames skipping ... indeed. Use Quick Time Player for these high resolutions ... Windows Media player will not handle those at all, and all you can get is sound (it is NOT camera fault but PC is too weak). I had to use Adobe Premiere to make it playable on average PC. 4K only worked on my 32GB RAM workstation ... :( I downloaded GoPro App for Android, and it is smooth. Leg is about two seconds, maybe even less. It allowed me to change settings much quicker then using remote or camera itself. Quality is stunning (Protune) considering you do not have Iris, Focus, WB and Shutter speed controls like any normal camera should. I admit that Protune quality for someone who is not post processing is not optimal, but I expected that. I edit all my work anyway. Frame rates are a blast for freak such as I am ... I have whole world in slo-mo. Battery does heat up, but not to extreme. It does drain out maybe little bit too quick, therefore I bought two extra Wasabi batteries, Although, to that account I used Wifi all the time, Protune was on, and resolution was extreme while I was experimenting. Now, without Wifi, battery life is somewhat longer. GoPro App drained my phone battery pretty fast. I also purchased suction cap, head strap and few other accessories. The handlebar seat-post mount is nice accessory too. Bottom line ... it is a nice little gadget. It is unbelievable what GoPro managed to put into this little thing. Them mentioning word professional is overstatement, but I hope that you know there is nothing professional for this kind of money. One can make videos from impossible angles and in impossible situations, but for any professional work RAW files will have to be edited heavily. For someone who is serious about video as I am, I firmly recommend GoPro Hero3 Black edition. For someone who wants to make fun videos to put online or share with friend, I presume White edition, or Silver one is more then OK.

All of the adrenaline junkies will tell you how good a GoPro is, but to everyone else, it seems to get written off as a costly camera. Make no mistake about it, it is fairly pricey. There are plenty of cheap(er) cameras out that that may satisfy the bulk of the public and thus explains what I hear or read. But you get what you pay for! When you first hold one in your hand, you'll be surprised at how small the camera really is - I mean the pictures don't do it justice. It's about as big as two key fobs put together! Its amazing that so much performance can be crammed into such a little product. But it can and it works fantastically! I purchased this Black Edition specifically because I wanted the capability to have a higher frame rate in 1080p and 780 (up to 60fps in 1080 and a whopping 120 in 780!), capability to do 30fps in 12MP camera mode and because of the WiFi remote that comes with it. First, I'll mention the remote. The remote is great, especially to mount to your motorcycle, your wrist, or anything while the camera is mounted in an inaccessable or incovenient area (something as simple as mounting it on a helmet can make it a worthwhile accessory). However, since GoPro now has an app that can control the camera through your WiFi enabled device, it all but makes the remote obsolete (except in extreme cases where it is better to have the small remote). The remote works good though it takes some practice to get a hang of the using the buttons (but so does the camera). The Black Edition is a must have for anyone that will actually use higher frame rates and actually produce, whether amatuer or professional videos. I am very much an ametuer on video level but having the capability to record what some of the very best (and very expensive) cameras in the world do in such a small, practical device is simply amazing (and reassuring that it'll be relavent for at least a few years). It allows you to record cinema-quality video in a tiny little device. Depending on the setting, you can also take photos simultaneously with video (for an excellent time-lapse video, too). The only thing I and some people will be dissapointed with is the battery. I've only used it for up to an hour of video and stills, but it quickly approaches low battery in a matter of no time, especially when using WiFi (I suggest only using WiFi when focusing using the app or when absolutely necessary when using the remote to control the camera). The optional battery that plops on the back of the GoPro will likely extend the battery enough to make it useful where longer shooting times are necessary (for me, motorcycle trips are a prime instance). If GoPro figures out a way to have a waterproof case that can accept a charger for constant use, I'll be all over it. With that said, if it weren't for the amazing capabilities as far as imaging goes above the Silver, I would have, and recommend for most people, the Silver Edition GoPro. But you won't be disappointed by spending an extra $100 (at the time of this review) on this Black Edition!

Hallo, ich habe mich sehr sehr lange mit dem Thema Actioncams auseinandergesetzt und meine Anschaffung mit Hilfe von endlosen youtube-Videos, Testberichten und Foreneinträgen getroffen. Zum Schluss schwankte ich zwischen der Actionpro x7, der rollei s50, der gopro 3+ silver edition, der gopro 3+ black edition und der gopro 3 black edition. Ich möchte zu allen hier kurz etwas schreiben: ROLLEI S50 + sehr klein + sehr leicht + eingebauter Monitor + guter Lieferumfang + wechselbarer Akku - im Vrgl. geringere Bildraten bei den Videos GOPRO "+"-EDITIONEN: Unterschied zu den Versionen ohne "+" sind die geringeren Abmessungen, ein leicht anders designtes Unterwassergehäuse, eine längere Akkulaufzeit, bessere Schwachlichtausbeute und besserer Ton Allerdings war ich von den Videos auf youtube im Gegensatz zur normalen Black nicht überzeugt ACTIONPRO X7 Meiner Meinung nach der einzige Konkurrent zu der gopro-Serie + hohe Bildwiederholungsraten in den Videos + Bildschirm ohne Aufpreis + hohe Bild- und Fotoqualität + trotz größerer Abmessungen im Unterwassergehäuse kaum größer als die gopro habe mich nur gegen die actionpro entschieden, weil ich die gopro in einer guten Preisaktion ergattert hab :-) GOPRO 3 BLACK EDITION: ich habe mich also für die 3 Black Edition entschieden. Im Gegensatz zu den "+"-Varianten hat mir bei dieser das Bild wesentlich besser gefallen. Verpackung: sieht sehr edel aus. Die Kamera thront sichtbar unter einem Plastikgehäuse, zusammen mit der auch sehr schicken Fernbedienungen. Darunter befindet sich ein stabiler Karton, der den übrigen Lieferumfang enthält. Lieferumfang: ist für den Preis - wie ich finde - relativ klein, wenn nicht sogar ein bisschen enttäuschend - zwei obligatorische Aufkleber - die Kamera - Unterwassergehäuse - Akku - zwei Klebepads (einmal gebogen, einmal gerade) - Wifi-Fernbedienung - zwei Halterungen - eine 3-Wege-Halterung - USB-Kabel zum laden und Daten übertragen alles andere muss teuer (wenn original) oder auch relativ preiswert (durch Drittanbieter) hinzugekauft werden. Das aufpreispflichtige Zubehör ist sehr sehr umfangreich und lässt kaum Wünsche offen. Man kann die Kamera nahezu überall montieren. Film- und Fotoqualität: bin ich bisher restlos begeistert! Hatte die Kamera bisher beim Skifahren und im Auto dabei und ich muss sagen: Top-Bilder und Videos, wirklich sehr schön. Auch die Serienbildfunktion gefällt. Die Kamera stellt sich gut und schnell auf veränderte Lichtverhältnisse ein und nimmt gestochen scharfe Bilder und Filme auf. Kein Anlass zur Kritik bisher. Tonqualität: diese ist wiederum nicht besonders, vor allem, wenn die Kamera im Unterwassergehäuse sitzt. Dieses Problem besteht allerdings so gut wie bei allen Actioncams. Bedienung: in vielen Tests konnte ich lesen, dass die Bedinungen relativ mühsam ist. Dies kann ich gar nicht nachvollziehen. Die Kamera besitzt drei Knöpfe (einer davon ist der Auslöser), von denen mit zweien alle Einstellungen vorgenommen werden. Mit ein bisschen Intuition oder Probieren geflingt das auf Anhieb. Ich habe mir bis heute noch nicht die Bedienungsanleitung heruntergeladen. Die ist nämlich auch nicht im Lieferumfang dabei. So das wars erstmal mit meiner Rezension.

Si te gusta el deporte, actividades al aire libre y quieres sacarle el máximo provecho a tus salidas, sean cuales sean, esta es tu cámara. Es muy pequeña y ligera, sumergible y muy resistente. La calidad de imagen es soberbia incluso en situaciones con poca luz. Este modelo te permite grabar a distintas resoluciones y a distintas amplitudes con un número de fotogramas por segundo muy variado. Si te gusta hacer cámaras lentas con buena calidad y manejas ligeramente algún editor de vídeo puedes conseguir verdaderas joyas. Recomiendo: -1 o 2 tarjetas microsd de 32gb de las mejorcitas (no escatiméis en esto si queréis exprimir al máximo el potencial de la cámara) -1 cargador + 2 baterías (no es necesario que sean gopro, hay buenas ofertas. Leed opiniones antes). La batería se consume muy rápido así que viene de perlas un par de vidas extra para la cámara. -Leer blogs y páginas en internet donde se aprenden barbaridades y curiosidades que nunca te has planteado y te harán comprender y mejorar el manejo de la cámara con su consecuente mejora de resultados. Ver vídeos en youtube y sobre todo EXPERIMENTAR. Envío cojonudo (1 día desde Alemania a Alicante). Recomiendo su compra.

Caméra HD professionnelle pour filmer en 720p et 1080p. Des films à couper le souffle !!! Testé en vélo de course pendant des sorties de 1h30 à 2h. Vraiment géniale. Prévoir une carte Mirco SD de 32 Go minimum Class 10 (anti-chocs et étanche). Caméra utilisable en vélo de course, VTT, SURF, karting, moto, voiture, avion et autres sports extrême !!! Très bonne protection de la Caméra grâce à son boîtier étanche et solide. Autonomie de la batterie d'environ 2h (dépend du format de la vidéo 720p, 1080p...) Nombreuses attache fournies et quelques accessoires. Harnais à acheter en plus pour tous les sports, car meilleur rendu. Prochain essais en VTT, Karting et en voiture !!!!! Merci Go Pro !!!!!

The good : Excellent video quality Underwater camera Controllable via phone Constant firmware updates The bad : It gets very hot it almost burns when touched after 30-40 mins of filming inside the waterproof case . Insufficient battery , i bought a wasabi 2 - spare battery pack to resolve this . I would totally recommend it .

I am a keen amateur photographer and film maker. I have hankered after a GoPro for a while and finally treated myself to one before going on a long weekend trip to Paris. The results are very impressive, particularly capturing the wide open vistas in many parts of Paris with the wide angle lens on this camera. The HD quality is superb and the ease of carrying and using such a small camera is a real bonus. I used a Grenade short handle and an extending GoPole with the camera both of which, for me, are must have accessories. The GoPole in particular is worth it's weight in gold. For POV it's essential, for sticking out and filming back through the safety cage on the Eiffel Tower was fun and for peering over the heads of the manic impenetrable crowd in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre it was essential! The other plus of using a GoPole with this camera is that it makes a pretty effective Steady Cam if held upright loosely between the thumb and forefinger at the top of the pole. Downsides: 1) Battery. You need lots as the camera eats them! I took three and a charger to Paris and could have done with a couple more. 2) Monitor. LCD monitor is expensive and drains battery life quickly. Not always necessary, but, useful for reviewing in the field. Using the GoPro App for iPhone or Android is an alternative, although, as other reviewers have reported, there is a 4-5 second delay in preview mode which makes setting up a handheld shot a pain. However, the wide field of view means that the lack of viewfinder/monitor is not a real problem: point at it and you can be sure to have captured it! In conclusion, this is a great little camera for any film maker. Essential for capturing action sports, but, a great device for more conventional film makers too. Small, light, loads of accessories and mounts. Very usable editing software (Download from GoPro website). It's pure fun to use and gives amazing results. If you enjoy capturing moving images then a GoPro has become the 'must have' device.