GoPro 3

Yeah the live view interests me so that I can check I'm not filming the floor before setting off karting.

Anyone got a white for Christmas? Or are most people stumping for the all singing and dancing black?

Does having the wifi on hammer the battery? Can the 3 take the battery back pack from the 2?
 
Skeeter said:
Anyone got a white for Christmas? Or are most people stumping for the all singing and dancing black?
Click to expand...
The white is worse than the Hero2, so many are opting to go for Silver at the minimum. But then you may as well get the black for a few quid more as you get more FPS and the wifi remote (which is extremely handy)

Skeeter said:
Does having the wifi on hammer the battery? Can the 3 take the battery back pack from the 2?
Click to expand...
I haven't tested the battery life very much, but having the wifi on is probably going to drain the battery quicker than if it were off.

The the Hero3 can accept the battery pack. However the internal battery is completely new.
 
Whats the deal with warranty on these things? Im reading that everything is sent back to California, but this seems a bit ridiculous. Sorry, would do a more thorough search but on the phone and connection is sparse.
 
Adrianr said:
Whats the deal with warranty on these things? Im reading that everything is sent back to California, but this seems a bit ridiculous. Sorry, would do a more thorough search but on the phone and connection is sparse.
Click to expand...

I would presume that warranty claims for European GoPros would go back to The Netherlands, as that's where UK orders are sent and billed from. You also could send it back to the shop you bought it from, if not purchased direct.
 
rossk26 said:
The white is worse than the Hero2, so many are opting to go for Silver at the minimum. But then you may as well get the black for a few quid more as you get more FPS and the wifi remote (which is extremely handy)
Click to expand...

I have no interest in the 4k/2.7k/etc functions of the black, so was looking at the silver, but from what I can tell all the silver does over the white is 11MP stills rather than 5MPs. The video is actually the same? Or am I missing something? For casual use for filming video and uploading it to YouTube at 720p I can't see any reason to stump up £70 for the silver. I definitely cant see any reason to stump up £150 for the black. The WiFi remote might be nice, but unless it comes with some diamonds in it its not worth it for me :p.

The white looks like a Hero2 but with slightly lower MP stills, with the ~£70 WiFi back pack built in, and a flat lense case (another ~£40). I can't get a second hand Hero2 with that kit for less than £199, so the white looks like a steal. But am I missing something in the specs? It looks like the difference between the white and the silver (and therefore the Hero2) is negligible?
 
Last edited:
Skeeter said:
I have no interest in the 4k/2.7k/etc functions of the black, so was looking at the silver, but from what I can tell all the silver does over the white is 11MP stills rather than 5MPs. The video is actually the same? Or am I missing something? For casual use for filming video and uploading it to YouTube at 720p I can't see any reason to stump up £70 for the silver. I definitely cant see any reason to stump up £150 for the black. The WiFi remote might be nice, but unless it comes with some diamonds in it its not worth it for me :p.

The white looks like a Hero2 but with slightly lower MP stills, with the ~£70 WiFi back pack built in, and a flat lense case (another ~£40). I can't get a second hand Hero2 with that kit for less than £199, so the white looks like a steal. But am I missing something in the specs? It looks like the difference between the white and the silver is negligible?
Click to expand...

The White is basically the first HD Hero, the Silver is identical to the Hero2, but with better low light and sound.

Silver v White

Black v Silver

For me it was £70 to buy the Black over the Silver. And getting the wifi remote and the extra FPS was a no brainer. I never considered the White as I already had the Hero HD.
 
Last edited:
That white vs silver is a bit usless as they are different angles and one is wider than the other.

Ignoring the black, what are the advantaged of the Silver over the White? Looking at the specs the only difference is 11MP vs 5MP stills, a couple of additional time lapse timing options, and wide angle 1080p on the Silver. I've no intention of using the GoPro for stills or time lapse, so it looks like the only difference is 1080p wide? Or are there other more complex differences within the chips/sensors themselves that the specs sheet alone doesn't detail?

I seem to remember the 2 being a big improvement over the 1, so I assume I'm missing something? Or is the white not actualy a reshelled 1 and actually a slightly detuned 2?

(I have no GoPro gear at all, so buying anything means starting from scratch. I already have a side mount, a bunch of additional mounting plates, and either some extra batteries or a battery back pack on the shopping list, hence why I'm looking for the cheapest option to do what I need, before I end up blowing £500 on filming a bit of karting and some track days :p)
 
Last edited:
On paper it does seem as though the White is only lacking 6MP on the Silver.

But specs don't really give as much as real life example. So just browse on youtube and search for comparison videos or watch loads of videos taken on the White and see if it is satisfactory or not.

Like I said, the FPS was a selling point for me, especially when I go away skiing. And I read up a lot and in the end the Silver was a minimum since the White wasn't really an upgrade from what I already had (original Hero HD), except for built in Wi-Fi. But for a little bit extra I thought it would be stupid not to get the all signing and dancing black edition. The remote was a bonus, I didn't think I would even use it. But it's actually fantastic. When the GoPro is in the most awkward of places you can just use the remote to flick between settings, pause and record etc.

It's personal choice at the end of the day. Most of the people on here got the Black Edition for £270, which is a complete no brainer...
 
The Hero2 did have a better sensor than that Hero1, you are correct. While I don't know for certain, I believe the White and Silver editions share that Hero2 sensor, with only the Black edition getting the new Hero3 sensor, which is far more of a leap than the previous one was.

What I believe is the kicker is not resolution which is what I've noticed commented on in some previous posts, its the frames per second that differ.

The White version would appear to be very similar to the Silver, aside from the fact that they have crippled its frame rates.

If you look at the White specs, it has a lot less frame rates options.
In terms of using it as an action sport cam, you want a high frame rate so that its not only smooth, but if you intend to edit it and slow some of it down, then being able to shoot at a high frame rate is important.

You get considerably more options as you go up the versions.
For me, it was the Black offering 720@120fps and 1080@60fps that made me want the new camera over any other feature offered. The 120fps mode on the Hero2 was brilliant, aside from the fact that the resolution was so dire that it became useless.

Edit: I agree with Ross though, the WiFi remote I don't see myself using much. The WiFi compatible app though, I will use when setting up to check the angles are good when mounting on my bikes.
 
Last edited:
rossk26 said:
On paper it does seem as though the White is only lacking 6MP on the Silver.
Click to expand...

Yeah thats what I thought, which made me think there must be more too it than just that.

Nexus said:
The Hero2 did have a better sensor than that Hero1, you are correct. While I don't know for certain, I believe the White and Silver editions share that Hero2 sensor, with only the Black edition getting the new Hero3 sensor, which is far more of a leap than the previous one was.
Click to expand...

That would make sense. So the white is a detuned Silver/2, rather than a reshelled 1.

What I believe is the kicker is not resolution which is what I've noticed commented on in some previous posts, its the frames per second that differ.

The White version would appear to be very similar to the Silver, aside from the fact that they have crippled its frame rates.
Click to expand...

The white and silver have identical framerates, with the exception of 48 fps on 960i?
 
Skeeter said:
The white and silver have identical framerates, with the exception of 48 fps on 960i?
Click to expand...

The Silver also does 24fps@1080 which while not much use doing anything active, could be of use if you want to do cinematic landscape shots.

Other than the 960 mode you mentioned, the White doesn't get 120fps in WVGA mode.

Otherwise, only other differences I can spot are a slight reduction in the number of mounting accessories in the box. Which also seems to be less this generation anyways, in the past, the general edition got more sticky mounts, along with the vented helmet mount and a headstrap.


Skeeter said:
:eek: Where from?
Click to expand...

Evans Cycles had a really good discount code back at the start of December which could be applied, even though they didn't even have stock yet. The code wasn't active for very long, but they honoured it. It was what, like 20-25% off or something?
 
Yeah the mounting thing is taking the micky a bit. A mate has a 1, a 2 and now a 3 Black, and the mounts that come bundled have got gradually less. At least with the 2 you could buy different sets with the mounts you wanted. The 3 just seems to come with the minimum they feel they can get away with.

You see my conundrum though? I can't really see why the Silver commands a £70 price hike from the White? The same jump to the Black gets you a completely different league of camera. I've also searched about and can't find anywhere that has them in any sort of sale :(
 
True, but from a commercial point of view it likely makes it much easier to not have loads of different versions, as that probably doesn't help retailers much either. Especially now that they have three different models, having a Motorsport, Surf, Adventure version etc for each one would probably be a pain.

I've never really used the sticky mounts much. I stuck one on the frame of my mountain bike once to see what it was like, but I didn't like it being there when the camera was not on it. Took ages to get the thing off, so I suppose they work!

The vented helmet strap came with my Hero1 and Hero2, I tried that on a cycle helmet, but the view is a bit boring, as its just a floaty head which doesn't show what you are doing.

The Headstrap I tried wearing over a beanie for snowboarding, but it doesn't really work. I suppose it might be useful in a situation where you are just walking and want a pov; I haven't found much use for it yet and I wouldn't want to trust it too much, as it might come off doing something active.

So I don't think you end up missing out on too much by not having them.
The best mounts are all aftermarket ones:

- The Chest Harness Mount, as I said earlier in the thread, this is the best for being stable and really giving you a good view of what you are doing.

- The Tripod Mount, allows you to attach it to a monopod so you can use it to film you, which is what I do with snowboarding.

- The Handlebar Mount (they also do a bigger one for roll cages) - though I'd add the caveat that its not as stable as the handlebar mount made by K-Edge, which is more expensive, but it vibrates less, I think I might trade up for one.

I've also got the suction mount... never used it, but when I got my Hero2 I thought it made sense to get an edition which didn't have a mount I already had. I'm sure its great for car footage though. They still have a Surf Edition going, so no doubt they sell a large number of cameras to surfers, though its not something I've ever tried.


I wouldn't think you will have much luck finding them in any sales, the Hero3 is a new product and already difficult to get hold off. The Evans thing was a bit of an exception, as most retailers don't usually allow you to apply discounts to products which aren't in stock, or goods like cameras. The one thing I have seen retailers discounting though is the Hero2, as obviously they are trying to get rid of those now.
 
Last edited:
The Hero2 even in the sales is over £200 and is still lacking the WiFi. I will keep my eyes out though.

As for mounts, I will need at least 3 sticky pads for my helmet, plus the side mount arm, then a few more for mounting around my car. The tripod mount looks great too. Its a shame the suction mount is no longer allowed on track days.

If I could get a 2 with some bits and bobs for under £200 I would be all over it, but they aren't down to that yet :(
 
Been thinking about picking up some batteries for the Hero 2 + 3 I was going to order some east coast specials simply due to their cheap price. And reading that review on amazon makes them sound ok
 
I got my Hero 3 :) done a little test run.

This was filmed with the Waterproof back....but the sounds is still outstanding IMO.

Don't ask why I am not wearing gloves....just went for a quick run!

Watch in 1080p

 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom