gopro hero 3

[DesertDuke]

OK, who is getting one of these?

http://www.wired.com/business/2012/1...-shoots-in-4k/

[jman]

Aha! That explains why I got a 3 emails on FB yesterday asking if I wanted to buy friends' GP2..

....finally makes sense.

Looks like a huge improvement. However, the low-light department needs a major revamp. But it will be fun to scour over videos and photos of this thing.

[DiscGo]

DESCRIPTION

Smaller, lighter and 2X more powerful, again.

The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter and 2x more powerful than previous models. Wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197' (60m), capable of capturing ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second, the HERO3: Black Edition is the world's most versatile camera. Built-in Wi-Fi, GoPro App compatibility and the included Wi-Fi Remote (normally a separate $79.99 accessory) make the HERO3: Black Edition all the more versatile, still.

Smaller, Lighter...Better

Weighing in at a scant 2.6 ounces, the HERO3: Black Edition is 25% lighter and 30% smaller than previous models.

2X Faster Video Performance

The HERO3: Black Edition captures professional, cinema-quality video at 2X the resolution and 2X the frame-rate of previous models while delivering 2X better low light performance. Slow-motion aficionados and industry professionals will love the HERO3: Black Edition's 1080p-60, 720p-120, WVGA-240, 960p-100 and 1440p-48 video modes while those desiring a cinematic look will appreciate the ultra-high resolution 2.7kp-24 and 4kp-12 (Protune only) video modes.

3X Faster Photo Performance

The HERO3: Black Edition's photo performance is 3X improved, now boasting 12MP burst capture at a staggering 30 frames per second with 2X better low light performance compared to previous models. Still Photo and Time-lapse Photo modes remain the same but are now joined by a new Continuous Photo mode that captures continuous 12MP stills at a steady 3, 5, or 10 photo-per-second rate, up to 30 photos at a time.

Improved Sharpness, Less Distortion

The HERO3's reduced-distortion, 6-element aspherical lens combines with user-selectable Ultra-wide, Medium and Narrow field-of-views to deliver more perspective-capture options than ever before. Add the totally updated flat-lens waterproof housing that delivers stunning image sharpness both above and below water and you've got one of the most powerful and durable image capture solutions on the planet.

Redesigned Audio System

Understanding that sound quality is as important as image quality, GoPro engineers completely redesigned the HERO3 to be as adept at capturing the subtle, natural sounds of voice and music as it is at capturing the immersive sounds of sport. Also improved is GoPro's already famous wind-noise reduction, ensuring that you'll hear more of your passion, be it your engine or expletives, and less of the wind during high speed activities.

Built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Remote Included)

The HERO3 Black Edition features built-in Wi-Fi and includes GoPro's Wi-Fi Remote accessory. The Wi-Fi Remote is normally available as a $79.99 accessory but is included with the HERO3: Black Edition. The Wi-Fi Remote is waterproof, wearable and can control up to 50 Wi-Fi-enabled GoPros at a time from a range of 600'. The HERO3's built in Wi-Fi means it can also be controlled by iOS or Android smartphones and tablets running the GoPro App. The GoPro App enables full camera control and live scene preview on any compatible iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.


The HERO3: Black Edition is compatible with all GoPro mounting accessories and older generation BacPacs

[DiscGo]

I am totally getting one!

[Sombeech]

ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second,

All the other stuff is like... ok cool. But THIS ^^^ is why I would buy the new model. 720 at 120 fps? Excellent. This is why GoPro remains to be the top helmetcam in the industry, always innovative, always the pioneers in sports camera technology. So many other rinky dink brands finally come out with 1080 30fps and they tout that with big grins on their faces, but this technology is years old now.

[Iceaxe]

Happy I didn't buy a Hero 2. But $400 is a pretty steep price tag.

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[Sombeech]

Yeah it's kind of like GoPro 1 is Windows XP, it was out for years. GoPro 2 is Vista, and shortly after the GoPro 3 comes out which is Windows 7. Maybe they'll offer a cheap upgrade license like Windows Vista to 7

[Iceaxe]

[Kent K25]

Definitely better than my Hero2, but for my uses the 3 is unnecessary.

If I was doing anything other than just recording my rides/my son's rides maybe, but for just personal video...I can't justify $400

[Kuya]

I wonder how the low light features will work with the new version? Seems like it might be time for me to buy my own Gopro!

[Iceaxe]

I was just checking out GoPro's website and noticed they had three new Hero 3 camera's.

White - $199
Silver - $299
Black - $399

Honestly the biggest reason I would be interested in a Hero 3 is the reduced size, weight and low light abilities. I'm not sure if all three models have improved low light but they are all in the new smaller case.

It looks like with the black part of the premium price is the built in Wi-Fi and camera remote.... but heck... for $200 I'm willing to get out of bed to switch the camera on and off.

[Eric Holden]

It looks like with the black part of the premium price is the built in Wi-Fi and camera remote.... but heck... for $200 I'm willing to get out of bed to switch the camera on and off.

But then she will know you were recording it! Have to be incognito, and a remote, cleverly hidden in the sock drawer works great!

[DesertDuke]

So with the HD Hero2 going for $199 and the Hero3 white version going for $199; which would be the best $200 purchase??

[peakbaggers]

We'd be interested in peoples opinions about the GoPro still photography capabilities. We need to replace one of our compact cameras and we like & use a lot, manual capabilities.We're wondering if we could kill two birds with one stone and buy a GOPro. How much manual control do the GoPros have over aperture and/or shutter speed? Do they have any close-up capability? The distortion they are known for in the video setting, can that be eliminated when doing stills? If you do a lot of higher quality still photography, would you use a GoPro for that? Any other opinions/info appreciated.

[Iceaxe]

The GoPro is not a still camera. If you want a camera buy a real one.

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[Sombeech]

You can take still shots with the GoPro but I'd honestly use my cell phone before I relied on a great shot from the GoPro.

It is useful however to take stills from video and save them as images, but these will not be high quality. They'll only be max the 1080 if you had that as your video setting. The nice thing is though you can scan through a few seconds of action footage to get that exact moment.

As far as relying on the great photo, I wouldn't depend on it.

Some of my stills from GoPro video, and these are from the GoPro 1. The 3 will be much better.

[BruteForce]

So I now have 3x GoPro's, Gen1-Gen2 and I definitely love the WiFi and the remote control. I like knowing the camera is actually recording and not constantly asking if the "light" is on. So you could just do the Gen2 (HD GoPro), then add the WiFi Remote (Like I did ~3 months) ago, but the cost looks to be about the same.

I think the APP alone is worth the extra spend and am sad they aren't making it backward compatible to the Gen2 HD GoPro (on edit, I noticed it is now available to the GEN2 HD GoPro!)

[DiscGo]

@Sombeech - Your pictures are way cool. How complicated is it to get the stills from the video? Do they come with software or do you just use the Windows movie maker?

[Iceaxe]

It's really easy to get the stills from the video....depending on your edit software, you just stop the video and click a button. The problem is the pics beech posted are the best quailty you are going to get. Not bad for posting in a forum, but junk if you want to print, enlarge or just about anything else..

[Sombeech]

I use VLC Media Player to get still shots from the footage, as mentioned in my tutorial here http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...ve-Movie-Maker

Shane is right, that's the best quality you can expect, you shouldn't expect to "blow them up" as my Mom still says and frame them.

On second thought... they CAN get a little better than what I posted. I was filming in mode 3 which is 720 (1280 X 720) and on the GoPro 1 and 2 you can go up to 1080. On the GoPro 3 you can now film in 1440 mode.

So, it will come down to your choice of shooting awesome video, or getting great pictures.

Solution? Film in 1440, but for the sole purpose of getting still shots. So when you're normally striking a pose for a still shot camera, just roll the film for maybe 10 seconds and point at the target. You'll have potentially hundreds of frames to choose from for that best picture out of the ten seconds. Try doing a little tilting, panning, just to get different angles and then pic which one worked out best.

But again, still not the "framing" quality you're looking for, but twice the quality as what I've posted above.

And thanks @DiscGo