Looking at getting a GoPro. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[mike the canuck]

I'm looking at getting a GoPro in the next year. I have been told to get the GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition. I was originally looking at the Silver edition. Is the Black worth the extra $100? I did read it was better in low light. I plan on using it for video purposes. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Jen5064]

I just purchased the Hero 3 Black for my husband as a gift for his birthday. I decided upon the black edition because it includes the remote and, like you said, it is reviewed to perform better in low light. If you compare the price of the Silver and later add the remote you'll be spending near the price of the black edition anyway.

 

[BBQMonster]

My wife bought me a GoPro 3 Silver for my Birthday. I took it back and upgraded to the Black. The Black comes with the WiFi remote which is really handy when doing any on-ride videos. That would have been fine, but then I still ended up spending another $150 plus on accessories before our trip. Extra Battery-$20 Frame Mount-$40 Chest Mount-$40 Tripod Mount-$8 AntiFog Inserts-$15 Extra Micro SD Cards-$50. Not all of the items above are a necessity, but I would recommend the extra Battery and the micro SD card as the battery life is not so good and the file sizes can be huge. I got some decent video on the trip, so for me it was worth it. Only used it in Dragon Challenge at Universal, but used it a lot at Blizzard Beach. Below are three of the better videos I got.
Summit Plummet
http://youtu.be/7ylLIsL1XJs

Dragon Challenge
http://youtu.be/g296cq8wX0w

Teamboat Springs
http://youtu.be/67U-0kYD_cc

It is a fun toy, but if you take it on a trip be sure to have something you can dump the files into as those 32Gb cards can fill up quick. Think the original file from the Dragon Challenge was over 1.5GB.
BBQMonster

 

[mike the canuck]

I just purchased the Hero 3 Black for my husband as a gift for his birthday. I decided upon the black edition because it includes the remote and, like you said, it is reviewed to perform better in low light. If you compare the price of the Silver and later add the remote you'll be spending near the price of the black edition anyway.

Cool. Thanks for the info!

My wife bought me a GoPro 3 Silver for my Birthday. I took it back and upgraded to the Black. The Black comes with the WiFi remote which is really handy when doing any on-ride videos. That would have been fine, but then I still ended up spending another $150 plus on accessories before our trip. Extra Battery-$20 Frame Mount-$40 Chest Mount-$40 Tripod Mount-$8 AntiFog Inserts-$15 Extra Micro SD Cards-$50. Not all of the items above are a necessity, but I would recommend the extra Battery and the micro SD card as the battery life is not so good and the file sizes can be huge. I got some decent video on the trip, so for me it was worth it. Only used it in Dragon Challenge at Universal, but used it a lot at Blizzard Beach. Below are three of the better videos I got.
Summit Plummet
http://youtu.be/7ylLIsL1XJs

Dragon Challenge
http://youtu.be/g296cq8wX0w

Teamboat Springs
http://youtu.be/67U-0kYD_cc

It is a fun toy, but if you take it on a trip be sure to have something you can dump the files into as those 32Gb cards can fill up quick. Think the original file from the Dragon Challenge was over 1.5GB.
BBQMonster

Sweet videos! And thanks for all the great info. It's very helpful how long does the battery life last?

 

[BBQMonster]

Sweet videos! And thanks for all the great info. It's very helpful how long does the battery life last?

Seems like it only lasts about an hour. And even less if you are using the WiFi Remote or the App for your phone. You have to charge the battery in the camera, which takes awhile, so that is why I reccommend having a 2nd battery. You can buy one for $50 with double the life, but it will also take twice as long to charge.
BBQMonster

 

[mike the canuck]

Seems like it only lasts about an hour. And even less if you are using the WiFi Remote or the App for your phone. You have to charge the battery in the camera, which takes awhile, so that is why I reccommend having a 2nd battery. You can buy one for $50 with double the life, but it will also take twice as long to charge.
BBQMonster

Ok cool. Thanks. Good to know. I really like your videos. Did you use the chest strap at all in those videos or just hold the camera?

 

[BBQMonster]

Ok cool. Thanks. Good to know. I really like your videos. Did you use the chest strap at all in those videos or just hold the camera?

With my body the chest mount is not very flattering when worn without a shirt or even over a shirt so the only thing filmed with the chest mount was the Dragon Challenge Roller Coaster video. I wore it underneath a buttoned Hawaiian shirt and poked it out though the space between the buttons when I was ready to film. For the chest mount two work it needs to be worn tight so wearing it without a shirt is not a good look for a lot of people.

For the other Blizzard Beach videos I used a Bessey Steel Spring Clamp that picked up from Lowes for $3. I attached a Tripod mount to it by running a nut and bolt through the hole in the handle underneath the vinyl grips. I ran into a problem with the nut and bolt coming loose so I would recommend using lock tight or JB Weld to hold the nut and bolt in place. Then all you need to do is screw the tripod mount onto the bolt next to the nut attach the camera to the tripod mount and you are set. You can then either use this to hold the camera with your hand, or clamp the camera onto something like I did with the Lazy River Videos. Those were done with the camera clamped onto the handle of one of the Lazy River inner tubes .

Another fun thing you can do with the GoPro is 360 timelapse videos. I did this one for my business with the GoPro attached to an Ikea kitchen timer which was mounted on a tripod. It's not the best video, but you can see the possibilities
http://youtu.be/i9OavwJu4hE

Hope this helps.

BBQMonster

 

[mike the canuck]

With my body the chest mount is not very flattering when worn without a shirt or even over a shirt so the only thing filmed with the chest mount was the Dragon Challenge Roller Coaster video. I wore it underneath a buttoned Hawaiian shirt and poked it out though the space between the buttons when I was ready to film. For the chest mount two work it needs to be worn tight so wearing it without a shirt is not a good look for a lot of people.

For the other Blizzard Beach videos I used a Bessey Steel Spring Clamp that picked up from Lowes for $3. I attached a Tripod mount to it by running a nut and bolt through the hole in the handle underneath the vinyl grips. I ran into a problem with the nut and bolt coming loose so I would recommend using lock tight or JB Weld to hold the nut and bolt in place. Then all you need to do is screw the tripod mount onto the bolt next to the nut attach the camera to the tripod mount and you are set. You can then either use this to hold the camera with your hand, or clamp the camera onto something like I did with the Lazy River Videos. Those were done with the camera clamped onto the handle of one of the Lazy River inner tubes .

Another fun thing you can do with the GoPro is 360 timelapse videos. I did this one for my business with the GoPro attached to an Ikea kitchen timer which was mounted on a tripod. It's not the best video, but you can see the possibilities
http://youtu.be/i9OavwJu4hE

Hope this helps.

BBQMonster

Thanks once again for a lot of great info. It does help... a lot
That 360 time lapse is super cool. What a great idea.

 

[Dogslyf]

Get the Black Edition! It's on sale at GoPro's website, Best Buy, and Amazon for $329! Remember it has the remote and lots of additional shooting modes compared to the Silver Edition. I took mine to DL this summer and had a blast with it. It takes great action video in good light, but can be limited in low light. A great camera for action vids. Also, consider getting a GoPole or a Granny Grip for your GoPro.
Sorry I can'tpost links yet.

 

[mike the canuck]

Get the Black Edition! It's on sale at GoPro's website, Best Buy, and Amazon for $329! Remember it has the remote and lots of additional shooting modes compared to the Silver Edition. I took mine to DL this summer and had a blast with it. It takes great action video in good light, but can be limited in low light. A great camera for action vids. Also, consider getting a GoPole or a Granny Grip for your GoPro.
Sorry I can'tpost links yet.

Ya! I just saw that it was on sale for $329 at the apple store the other day. That's an awesome price. I will look into the Gopole and Granny Grip. Those sound like useful accessories. Thanks for the heads up and tips

 

[boBQuincy]

I recently bought a Hero 3 White version because the battery life is significantly better than the Silver or Black models. I don't need more than 1080 resolution and while ProTune would be nice it uses even more battery power and I can probably do something similar in Premiere Elements.

My main use is for long bicycle trips, I wanted at least 6 hours of run time per day. One battery lasted 2:40 (I have 3) so getting video of the full day should be ok. Now, what to do with 24 hours of video when I get back...

For mounting I designed a headtube mount (3D printed) that is much more steady than the handlebar mount. The White model is not good in low light either, maybe the Hero 4 will be better!

 

[ronfin]

Just bought and used a GoPro HERO 3 Silver for my recent trip a few weeks ago. Very buggy cam. Apparently they have problems with the micro SD cards, and there have been a ton of people experiencing issues with their GoPro's online. I had issue too, but was able to get plenty of good videos in Disney. Splash Mountain, all the roller-coasters, etc. Also bought an extendable pole to go above the crowd whenever there was a parade, or something else I couldn't get up front for. After all the issues I experienced, and after playing with it for a few weeks, I just sold it on eBay. Probably won't get another one until they fix all the issues, or when the GoPro 4 comes out in a few months. I found myself filming with my iPhone instead most of the time, including Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder. Before you buy one PLEASE do a search online and read for yourself how many people are having problems with their GoPro's, and how they burn cards. I'm talking about top of the line recommended micro SD cards too. Not crap ones. There are alternatives out there like the Contour2+. Anyway, if you get one that works flawlessly, you'll love it.

 

[mike the canuck]

Just bought and used a GoPro HERO 3 Silver for my recent trip a few weeks ago. Very buggy cam. Apparently they have problems with the micro SD cards, and there have been a ton of people experiencing issues with their GoPro's online. I had issue too, but was able to get plenty of good videos in Disney. Splash Mountain, all the roller-coasters, etc. Also bought an extendable pole to go above the crowd whenever there was a parade, or something else I couldn't get up front for. After all the issues I experienced, and after playing with it for a few weeks, I just sold it on eBay. Probably won't get another one until they fix all the issues, or when the GoPro 4 comes out in a few months. I found myself filming with my iPhone instead most of the time, including Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder. Before you buy one PLEASE do a search online and read for yourself how many people are having problems with their GoPro's, and how they burn cards. I'm talking about top of the line recommended micro SD cards too. Not crap ones. There are alternatives out there like the Contour2+. Anyway, if you get one that works flawlessly, you'll love it.

Thanks for that information. Do know what exactly is the problem with the micro SD cards?

 

[ronfin]

Thanks for that information. Do know what exactly is the problem with the micro SD cards?

No one seems to know, and that was the problem. GoPro's support is absolutely worthless, and from the sites I read people had suggested the problem was with particular micro SD cards, but after reading post after post, all from people that bought the recommended cards, it has to be something else. Even updating to the newest firmware didn't correct the issues, and the firmware files that would get stored on the card, would sometimes magically disappear. A complete nightmare for me. I loved the GoPro, and the mounting system, but it was more of a PITA than anything. I'm looking at the Contour2+ currently as a replacement, until I read evidence that GoPro finally solved these issues.

 

[boBQuincy]

Thanks for that information. Do know what exactly is the problem with the micro SD cards?

According to GoPro many of the Sandisk class 10 cards do not meet class 10 specifications. It is only supposed to be a problem at high data rates under certain conditions on the silver and black models.

GoPros quality is sketchy, there are about as many bad reviews as good ones. Mine had a problem with vertical purple lines on the video so I sent it back (to Amazon). The replacement is much better but still has some issues. I don't think the product is ready. Buy it from someplace with a good return policy, sending it back to GoPro is not a good solution from the reviews I have read.

 

[mike the canuck]

According to GoPro many of the Sandisk class 10 cards do not meet class 10 specifications. It is only supposed to be a problem at high data rates under certain conditions on the silver and black models.

GoPros quality is sketchy, there are about as many bad reviews as good ones. Mine had a problem with vertical purple lines on the video so I sent it back (to Amazon). The replacement is much better but still has some issues. I don't think the product is ready. Buy it from someplace with a good return policy, sending it back to GoPro is not a good solution from the reviews I have read.

Ok I will make sure they have a good return policy. Thanks for the heads up and info.

 

[Dogslyf]

ronfin is right about micro SD card issues. What I found was an article, can't remember where I saw this, that mentioned formatting your SD cards for GoPro use. What is suggested, and this has worked for me, was to ONLY format your SD card using the GoPro camera. Something about the file system format. It also stated that reformatting your GoPro's SD card on a computer can make the card unrecognizable to your GoPro. I have only formatted my GoPro's SD cards using the camera. I also seldom remove the SD card from the camera, downloading the video and pics via the included usb cable. So far I have had no problems and I use my camera for tons of stuff.
Good rule of thumb like many have mentioned: do your research first. GoPro is an excellent camera for it's intended use. It will not do well in low light or over extremely large distances. It is not going to be your only video camera.
Hope this helps.