GoPro Hero 3-Black

[DrTaco]

Hey all,

Looking at picking up my first GoPro (Hero3-Black) to use in the Viper. I did some searching on here and everyone seems to love their GoPros. I'm not really big into editing and photography,though. Any major CONS I should be aware of before I plunk down the cash. Also, and prob my biggest question, what mode/setting have you all found to be the best to come out with a crisp and smooth video? Im NOT interested in slow-mo.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[ViperSmith]

I think it is hard to find any cons for them. Everyone they owns them seems to love them - the mounting options are endless

 

[ZZ SRT]

Good to hear there are no cons! I am planning on buying one this week in preparation for TX2K13 (spectating) and summer cruises.

Where does everyone mount them in their viper? Does something out of the box work well or do I have to buy something aftermarket?

 

[DrTaco]

Good to hear there are no cons! I am planning on buying one this week in preparation for TX2K13 (spectating) and summer cruises.

Where does everyone mount them in their viper? Does something out of the box work well or do I have to buy something aftermarket?

ZZ, here is where my older model cam has been mounted (see bracket behind pass seat). It's a common mounting bracket, nothing fancy....never had an issue. Lots of guys want a view closer to the front or outside the car, though. I like the cabin and passenger view myself.

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[ZZ SRT]

ZZ, here is where my older model cam has been mounted (see bracket behind pass seat). It's a common mounting bracket, nothing fancy....never had an issue. Lots of guys want a view closer to the front or outside the car, though. I like the cabin and passenger view myself.

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Thanks Dr! This is exactly the angle I am looking to use in mine. Did you fab up that bracket or buy it somewhere?

 

[Makara]

I think it is hard to find any cons for them. Everyone they owns them seems to love them - the mounting options are endless

Well, they have horrible shutter roll and limited latitude. They are a good for being a cheap, sturdy camera, but they certainly have limitations.

 

[msaba]

Check user reviews on Amazon or other sites before buying. The Black Edition of the GoPro Hero 3 has issues. I bought one a couple weeks ago and I've had it crash on me several times already. It's definitely a finicky piece of hardware. Unsure at this point whether it's going back to the store. The shots are nice when it works.

 

[DrTaco]

Thanks for the opinions, all. Still researching on youtube tonight before I buy. Keep the advice comin.

ZZ, it is a pre-made bracket. But, for the life of me, have no idea where to get it. I will try and do a little digging and see if it has a part number or name on it.

 

[steve911]

I have a Go Pro Hero 2. I took one of the self adhesive mounts and put it on top of the bulkhead in my coupe and it works well.

 

[Sabera]

If you're not intrested in slomo's maybe you could take a silver or white edition... The main difference between them & the black edition is the higher fps when recording in full hd. I've got a Hero 2 as well and satisfied! The only con I've discovered is a low battery life in cold temperatures...

 

[BlackSnake99]

I got a Black Edition for Christmas and LOVE it. The ability to see what you are filming, and control the camera via wifi with an iPhone app is killer. I like the wifi remote as well. I got a suction cup mount and a rollbar mount for vehicle use. I have a chest rig and helmet mounts for skiing and mountain biking. I have had no issues with it at all.

 

[Makara]

If you're not intrested in slomo's maybe you could take a silver or white edition... The main difference between them & the black edition is the higher fps when recording in full hd. I've got a Hero 2 as well and satisfied! The only con I've discovered is a low battery life in cold temperatures...

There are differences in bit rate and low light as well as a few other things. If I were to get another, it would definitely be the black.

 

[viper GTS-R]

I have a Hero 3 black, I'l give you my insight later!

--RS

 

[Sabera]

There are differences in bit rate and low light as well as a few other things. If I were to get another, it would definitely be the black.

Wasn't aware of that! Apologies.

 

[rw99]

The integrated WiFi of the Black edition is worth the cost bump. You don't burn recording space while idling in staging or on a grid.

You do, however, need to remember to hit that remote button on your wrist! Ask me how I know.

I'd wait a bit to ensure that the bugs are worked out; GoPro released the Hero 3 really quickly after the Hero 2 and may have skipped some beta testing. When you do buy one, IMO it makes sense (at this price point) to get the version capable of the highest resolutions and frame rate.


Rich

 

[DrTaco]

Thanks for the opinions and advice all.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Just got the Go Pro silver 3 and will see how it works this weekend at TWS. Anyone know how long the video will last with the micro 16 GB chip?

 

[Makara]

Just got the Go Pro silver 3 and will see how it works this weekend at TWS. Anyone know how long the video will last with the micro 16 GB chip?

I believe that it says in the instruction manual.

 

[viper GTS-R]

Ok I'm home now, Valentines Day shopping is done...

So you want to know about the Hero 3 Black Edition. I pre-ordered one the second I read about it. Well, as it's been posted before the Black edition comes with a remote and is EXTREMELY handy when it comes to recording on the fly. I can sit in my car, press the record button and be on my way. In fact, it's so good I actually had it mounted on a MINI Cooper to record pics and video of my car as we were moving. As a photographer, there has been a ton of doors opened to different angles and I love the thing to death.

It's been under water, in snow, on my door, on my front bumper, on hoods, on the roof. I mean that's all common stuff to gopro users already but until you really get one and try it yourself, just wow. I'm currently riding out Winter till Spring starts just testing it, until I go full nuts and shoot 3-5 minute movies. The casings are great, fun to swap the doors, highly recommend the suction mount and the extra battery pack.

Also to save some dough, gopro also has an app for the iPhone using the WIFI so you can see what your taking pictures of and can also be used like the remote. It's great to use when your shooting stills on a tripod. I believe the silver and white versions are capable of doing this also.

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Now of course with any pros, there are cons so let's me mention some of those...not bad ones, but more like suggestions.

Con number one, Battery life, even with the back pack seems to go dead...ehhh, in roughly a day in a half. I use mine quite a bit, maybe it's just me. I haven't really looked into how long a full charge lasts. I did shoot a rally recently and it didn't die but battery was low. I would suggest buying an extra battery or two, they can be had for $20 at Best Buy too. (Along with every other part you can buy on gopro's website except for a few pieces)

Con number two, MAKE SURE YOU COMPUTER CAN HANDLE IT. I'm currently typing this on a Macbook Pro I used through college starting in 2006, so yeah 7 year old computer...doesn't exactly appreciate 1080p, 16:9, 60 fps or higher. I do have another, newer Macbook Pro that does handle it and that's what I've been using just for my videos only. I plan on upgrading my older one later in the year.

and finally Con number three, relates to con number one. WIFI drains the batteries the longer you use it.

So again, I love it. I love using it. It's probably the single greatest toy I've used to shoot video. I really wished I had it for VOI12 but it wasn't out just yet. I would do anything to get my hands on a Canon 5D Mark II, but that's out of my range and the gopro fits my needs for now. If you do pick one up, one simple rule, I highly suggest getting multiple microSD cards only cause if you buy one big card and you forget you might have files on it, you could lose them or even erase them. Not all data lasts forever.

Here's video from a MINI rally...

http://youtu.be/Bsu-DnYASjU

and here's video of some snow...

http://youtu.be/8qsRzvjQ3Rg

--RS

 

[Policy Limits]

prolly just me but although i found it easy to use on runs i found it difficult to upload vids on you tube...took forever.

 

[DrTaco]

Viper,

Thanks for the info and link to vids! Just placed my order and can't wait to get it. What resolution have you found works best for in-car footage? I've heard everything from the 2.7k to WAY lower. Seems like everyone agrees that the frame rate should be 30-48fps, though. Thanks again for the post.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

I believe that it says in the instruction manual.

No it does not. In fact you have to download the complete manual online. And the chip is not included with the camera so the manual also does not know what GB you are using. Will find out this weekend.

 

[viper GTS-R]

Viper,

Thanks for the info and link to vids! Just placed my order and can't wait to get it. What resolution have you found works best for in-car footage? I've heard everything from the 2.7k to WAY lower. Seems like everyone agrees that the frame rate should be 30-48fps, though. Thanks again for the post.

That all depends how much the computer can handle. I'm using a 08-09'ish 17 inch Macbook Pro for my videos so for now it handles up to 1080 x 60 fps no problem. I'm not sure of the processor on that computer. Anything higher seems to cause the video to 'skip'. On my earlier Macbook Pro, the one I'm currently on, this has a 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 gigs of ram. It's pretty weak to be handling gopro videos. LOL Of course having a computer with free space for nothing but video work helps too. 30-48 is slightly above average. A regular store bought web cam usually feeds around 24-30 fps. 60 is the benchmark, 120 is amazing. BUT, they haven't figured out how to process 1080 videos at 120. It would probably be the closest thing to live video. I toyed with 4k once, but the computer couldn't handle it. Not that I would consider using it everyday since it's shoots at a meek 14 fps.

Policy,
There are several reasons why it takes so long to upload videos. The first would be the quality and frame rate. The higher you go, the better the video. The Second would be how long your video is. If it's longer than 5 minutes, expect it to take a while since the file is huge. Of course the final reason would be your internet connection. I'll tell you what though, lately Youtube has had me annoyed with the way they set up the site again. I prefer Vimeo over Youtube just cause the quality alone is better right off the bat. It's like comparing Flickr to Photobucket.

--RS

 

[rw99]

1080p is a good place to start with this new GoPro. Shooting at 60 fps allows 1:2 slow-mo to remain smooth at 30 fps, the resolution is pretty good and in 16:9 (typical widescreen) proportion, and you have the option to select Medium and Narrow fields of view. All of the higher resolution settings limit the user to only the Ultra Wide FOV, the most "fish-eye" perspective. That said, I think most of us mounting these for the track use the Ultra Wide setting.

 

[DrTaco]

Thanks again, gents. I'll fart around with the modes and see which one I can crash my PC with best

 

[Roysviper]

Strange........I just three days ago bought the new GoPro Hero 3 without ever knowing anything about it or seeing this Forum......I never opened the box yet when I read this and decided to take it back and get the Black edition........glad I saw this post......

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Battery life can be short. After using my new black Go Pro 3 at TWS I learned not to let the batteries get cold at night as this shortened the life of the batteries for the next day run. Charge them fully inc. the wi fi remote battery right before filming. My footage stopped too soon.

 

[KNG SNKE]

I really want one of these to toy around with but for 400 bucks I have the fear that a bump will knock it off the exterior of my car.

 

[rw99]

I really want one of these to toy around with but for 400 bucks I have the fear that a bump will knock it off the exterior of my car.

I'm not saying it can't happen, but mine's been clipped to the lower air dam of my ACR for quite a few laps, also suction-cupped to both paint and glass with no problems. If you're really worried, use a location that will permit a secondary "tether" like a zip-tie to keep the camera attached to the car. This leash (obviously) has to be kept as short as possible; a loose GoPro bangin' around would probably damage either the camera or surrounding paint...

But I'd be shocked if a properly-secured GoPro came off a car as a result of bumps/jars. Hit something, however, and all bets are off.

Rich

 

[msaba]

I'm surprised more people here haven't had problems with the Black Edition. I ended up returning mine this morning. Half the time it would either freeze up when I turned it on or when I started recording. I also couldn't get a full battery's worth of timelapse shots. It would always freeze up. And I followed all instructions and tips I found - always full battery charge, use a fast SD card, formatted the card with the camera itself, etc. I'd have to pull the battery out every time it froze. A total pain after you've spent 10 minutes configuring it, mounting it, and positioning it the way you want.

I was also worried about the suction mount holding on the outside of the car. So I mounted to the bulkhead inside the car to test it out and it went loose and dropped the camera a couple times. I did eventually get it to stick but had to be a really flat surface and I wet the suction cup a bit.