Review | GoPro Hero3: Black Edition | Dead After 30 Days

*UPDATE* My Hero 3 Black Edition is now a $400 brick (well, more than $400 with all of the accessories that I can’t use). The camera stopped turning on completely after sitting on the charger overnight, no explanation whatsoever. As of now I would be VERY hesitant to buy a Hero 3 to risk it completely breaking 30 days after buying one. I’ll update this post if/when GoPro Support decides to fix my Hero 3 Black Edition Case Number XXX950 *UPDATE*

All I can say is that it’s about time! To say that Betty and I love to shop on Amazon is an understatement, it’s more like a necessity. If we can get it delivered to us (coffee, diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, $3000 cameras…) we generally choose Amazon to send it our way. With the recently released GoPro Hero3, I’ve been patiently awaiting it to show up for sale by Amazon but to no avail. Even our second choice for electronics and camera equipment, B & H Photo, lists the GoPro as “coming soon” even now in mid-December. The frustrating thing? Occasionally they’re in stock at local stores like Best Buy but not Amazon or B & H! So, I finally bit the bullet and headed off to Buckhead to pick up a Hero3 in person with Miles. At least he had a lot of fun riding MARTA to get there, he is currently obsessed with trains and large machines of any kind like trucks, planes, and of course the subway train. Update: finally right before Christmas, Amazon is finally carrying the GoPro HD HERO3: Black Edition.

So, why the update? We literally just got our GoPro Hero2 about 8 months ago and there’s already an update out! Using the Hero2 at weddings is an attempt at futility most times. In good light (bright sunny days outside)? The Hero2 rocks! Enter a dimly lit wedding reception and the video quality quickly falls apart. I mean it’s definitely not horrible, but it doesn’t mesh well with 5D footage of course. This video of our trip back in November was shot only on the Hero2:

The Hero3 has arrived in a multitude of “flavors” from a repackaged Hero2 (Silver Edition) to the all-new Black Edition. All models come in the new smaller size which is simply mind-blowing, as the Hero2 is tiny to begin with! I waited for the Black Edition to get the new and improved 12-megapixel camera with enhanced low-light sensitivity, and more importantly the new recording modes. While 4k resolution is interesting, I don’t think 15 frames per second will see many people using it at all. The other resolutions, however, have me drooling – most notably the slow motion ones! The next largest resolution, 2.7k mode, records in a full 30 fps allowing for you to crop down to 1080p HD without losing quality. The best compromise might be 1.44k which still goes to 48 frames per second, which may sound familiar as the same high frame rate as the new Hobbit movie. Also, 1080p now goes to 60 fps for slow motion and 720p goes to an astonishing 120 fps! Even our $3k+ Canon EOS 5D Mark III’s only shoot 1080p 30 fps and 720p 60 fps! For web video, 720 might be my new favorite as 120 frames per second is silky smooth motion and it really looks gorgeous slowed down, yes I’m a bit addicted to slow motion – it might be the influence of all of the time-lapse I film =)

Along with the new camera come a few new accessories of course! Luckily, all of your old GoPro mounts still work. One big difference is the new battery design, so my old spare Hero2 batteries are incompatible. I was still able to grab a set of two Wasabi Power Batteries, just like I did for my Hero2, and charger from Amazon for less than the cost of one official OEM battery and they are working fine so far. One of my favorite new accessories is the GoPro The Frame, allowing you to mount the Hero3 with any of the accessory mounts, but have an unobstructed view of the camera lens so that you’re not shooting through the plastic waterproof housing to maximize image quality. I always tried to keep the Hero2 outside it’s housing for that reason, but of course if you’re shooting in any “questionable” conditions then by all means keep it in the waterproof housing to protect the camera. Lastly, the only other new accessory that I’ve purchased is the new GoPro LCD Touch BacPac which allows you to actually see what you’re recording and now has a touch screen interface to change settings. With the new smaller size in general for the Hero3, adding on the Touch BacPac makes the camera about the same size as a normal Hero2 =).

So overall, is the GoPro Hero3 a must buy? For most people, probably not. You are still limited to basically one setting for photos, and one setting for video, meaning it’s a pretty “dumb” camera compared to something as sophisticated as a DSLR or Compact System Mirrorless camera. For the adrenaline-junkie and YouTube crowd? It’s a necessity. GoPro pretty much defined the action Point-of-View camera market, and even with a host of competitors coming out this year – the new Black Edition sets the bar way WAY higher and proves they are the kings of action cameras. The camera is not without it’s flaws, I definitely am getting the occasional crash and the 3 second recording error with my Black Edition. I’ll start a video, and literally 3 or 4 seconds into recording, it’s stopped. Now this would be maddening if I were about to do some crazy action sport and didn’t record ANY of it other than the first 3 seconds. GoPro recently issued a new firmware update on December 14th which seems to address some of these issues, so I’ll need more testing, and probably one more firmware update down the line, to resolve everything. I’m overall happy with the purchase though, quirks and all, as the camera encourages me to take more video which is one of my mantras for 2013. With such a small form factor, even smaller now with the Hero3, I have no excuse not to carry my GoPro everywhere with me! Recommended purchase.

This is my first review post in a while, something I hope to change in the future as wedding season slows down and I have a bit more spare time. So, goals are to make more video and post more reviews? I think those can definitely go hand-in-hand =)