Instead of a preface
The history of GoPro began during a trip to Australia by Nick Woodman. It was then that he decided to bring to life an idea that he had been thinking about for several years. He dreamed of conveying in photography the sensations that you experience when riding a perfect wave: what is it like to be inside a water tunnel and run your hand through the water that closes above your head? Cameras that could handle such a task in those days were very expensive, and only professionals could shoot such videos. Nick and his comrades wanted to become professionals (“go pro”) and look like heroes (“hero”) in the eyes of others. Thus, he set out to develop the world's first affordable wrist-mounted camera.
Contents of delivery
GoPro Hero 3 comes in a quality plastic box. On a special stand-mount, the camera itself flaunts in a waterproof case, and a rather rich set of accessories is compactly placed under the camera.
Despite such a serious set of accessories, you still have to buy additional ones, depending on the needs of the videographer.
And now the kit itself:
- the camera itself
- case with waterproof (up to 60 m) and conventional (non-sealed) lid for improved sound recording
- flat mount
- 3-way swivel
- stickers for attaching the mount itself to flat (1 pc.) and curved (1 pc.) surfaces
- USB cable
- 2 branded stickers (a la Apple)
- instruction
- guarantee
Appearance
The camera is very light (74 g) and very tiny, even in a bulky waterproof case. Made from impact resistant plastic.
This is what the camera looks like with the iPhone 4S, with not the biggest and longest phone.
On the front there are two indicators (on and shooting), a monochrome display, a power button, which is also one of the control keys, and a slightly protruding lens.
On the left side there are HDMI, microUSB connectors, a slot for micro-SD memory cards (up to 64 Gb).
At the back is a 1050 mAh lithium-ion battery. Enough for 3-4 hours of active shooting.
Photo and video shooting
GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition has an 11-megapixel matrix, shoots Full HD (up to 30 fps), HD (up to 60 fps) and WVGA (848 × 480) 120 (!) fps. You can shoot excellent slow-motion, even at 60 fps. The image quality is quite good for this sensor size. Detailing starts to suffer in the dark. But in general, for an action camera, GoPro shoots just fine, copes with all its tasks 100%. There will be no videos of their own yet, since the camera has not been used in the conditions for which it is intended. But in the winter they will...
I think many people remember the video when the camera was thrown from the stratosphere, and it did not suffer at all ...
And here is how the camera was used on RedBull Mount biking.
Additional functions
There is a special accessory for GoPro cameras - a remote remote control via Wi-Fi (with Black Edition included). It duplicates the monochrome screen of the camera itself and receives a signal up to 200 m line of sight.
The same function is performed by a special GoPro application, which is available in the App Store, Play Market and even in the Windows Store.
White, Silver, Black… What to take?
As you know, there are three models of cameras that differ in the characteristics of shooting photos and videos, equipment and price. About each in order:
- White Edition: 5-megapixel sensor, full hd (up to 30 fps) and hd (up to 60 fps) shooting.
- Silver Edition: 11-megapixel sensor, full hd (up to 30 fps) and hd (up to 60 fps) shooting + WVGA (848×480) 120 fps shooting, shooting in Protune mode (special shooting mode with extended dynamic color range).
- Black Edition: 12-megapixel sensor, full hd (up to 60 fps) and hd (up to 120 fps) shooting + 2.7K (30 fps) and 4K (15 fps) shooting, Protune mode + remote control remote control via Wi-Fi.
Their post-GoPro Hero 3+ prices are $280, $340 and $440. I consider the Silver Edition to be an ideal option for purchase, since it is unlikely that you will use a Wi-Fi remote control and shoot in 4K. The only plus is 120 fps in hd, you can shoot really cool slo-mo.
Conclusion
The GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition does a great job not only as an action camera, but also as a regular camera that you can use to capture memorable events, carry it around with you all the time and shoot fun slo-mo videos.
And imagine how cool you would look on skis or snowboard with a camera on your helmet among a crowd of “non-professionals”. It can also be used for a trip to the sea for shooting underwater and not only.
It may seem that if you are not involved in extreme sports, then you do not need such a camera. In fact, the camera hides a lot hidden opportunities and ways of application.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
I'll start with the main one.
What is an action camera and what is it for?
About terms. The phrase action-camera is understood as a small camera with a minimum of settings and controls, designed for shooting in various uncomfortable conditions, which dictates the basic requirements that such a camera must meet:
- minimum weight
- ease of mounting (ideally, an action camera can be mounted on anything, including a dog)
- a minimum of controls and, in general, a minimum of operator participation
- dust-, shock-, heat-, waterproof case
- the longest possible battery life (but not at the expense of weight)
Indispensable for skydivers and other flyers, skiers, surfers, divers and other extreme sportsmen. I especially want to draw attention to divers: in their case, an action camera can be a very cheap and convenient alternative to a bulky camera in.
Many companies are engaged in the production of action cameras, but here I will tell you about the camera of the company gopro, because it was she who was at my disposal.
GoPro Hero 3 action cameras
GoPro cameras have made their way into our market quite widely, and you can now find them in any more or less serious computer or photo store. They gained a large number of fans and received a diminutive name "goproshka".
The Hero 3 series cameras come in three variants (ordered in descending order of coolness):
- Black Edition
- Silver Edition
- white edition
They differ in capabilities and equipment, but structurally they are exactly the same. My camera, the one that is white (White edition) is the worst, but it also has quite pleasant, pleasing to the eye, properties.
Briefly about technical specifications GoPro Hero 3 White edition cameras:
| bare weight, g | 74 |
| weight in a hermetic box, g | 136 |
| immersion depth in the hermetic box, m | 40 |
| video resolutions | 1920x1080 (25, 30 fps) 1280x960 (25, 30 fps) 1280x720 (25, 30, 50, 60 fps) 848x480 (50, 60 fps) |
| photo resolution | 5 megapixels (2592x1944) |
| timelapse (intervals), s | 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 |
| continuous shooting, frame / s | 3 |
| battery capacity, mAh | 1050 |
| battery life without WiFi | from 2 h 15 min to 3 h, depending on the mode |
| WiFi battery life | 15 minutes less than without it |
| governing bodies | 3 buttons |
| display | b/w LCD with mode indication and a couple of digits |
| memory card | microSD up to 64 GB |
| connectors | mini USB micro HDMI |
The camera comes in an incredibly pretentious box, most of which is empty space. The box is crowned with a transparent cap made of thick plastic, under which we see, in fact, a camera in a hermetic box, mounted on a special platform.
Inside the box is:
- sealed box door
- two sites for double sided tape(for mounting on flat and convex surfaces)
- paper about the guarantee
- a piece of paper saying that there are no instructions here, and everything that is interesting - see the website
- a piece of paper telling us to make sure we have the latest firmware
- some "GoPro(r) Be a Hero" stickers
A huge, too cool box is, of course, too much, but the lack of a multi-page instruction for downs, and replacing it with a piece of paper that sends us to the site is right, at least they saved a little wood and saved users from excess waste paper, which most of them even won't open.
On the side of the camera are connectors and a slot for a microSD card.
There are 3 buttons on the camera:
- on/off/mode switching
- shooting/photo
- on/off WiFi
WiFi is used to connect to a WiFi remote control or smartphone, on which you can install an application that allows you to remotely control the camera and see on the screen the same thing that it sees. Since I don’t have one or the other, this button annoys me, but if you have the appropriate devices, its benefits are obvious: after all, WiFi drains the battery 10-15% faster, so when it’s not needed, it makes sense to turn it off.
Video and photo quality, examples
Video quality I was satisfied almost completely (if we are talking about shooting in good light). At least, it is much higher than that of a budget camera. The main mode I use is 720p at 30fps. One minute of video in this resolution weighs about 70 MB.
It's all about, basically, clarity and built-in deshaker which, by the way, works well. But with color rendering things get a little worse.
The camera very noticeably "softens" the image, giving it a yellowish-pastel tone. Moreover, the color ratio is preserved, and when using auto levels in the editor, the picture acquires the lost blue and becomes much more similar to the original. But this is provided that there are no blockages in the frame, for example, a bright sun. If they are, all adjustments will have to be done manually. Here, for example, is the same frame shot on GoProshka and on a regular camera, see the difference:
GoPro Hero 3 camera features that won me over
Underwater photography
As you know, everyone who has ever snorkeled in more or less transparent waters must have thought that it would be great to capture underwater beauty in a photo or video. Some citizens solve this problem with underwater shooting boxes, to which this site is dedicated.
GoPro owners get an amazing bonus of underwater shooting without any additional devices: because the camera is already supplied with a hermetic box! And what is especially nice here is the price. For example, a GoPro Hero 3 White camera (with box) costs $200, and an aqua box for Canon camera Powershot G15 - over $300.
Let's add here the ability to fix the goproshka on any part of the body, freeing your hands and focusing on diving and contemplating the beauties, and not on whether we are even or not in this moment We also shoot on how uncomfortable it is to row with one hand.
This is what a person who knows the problem firsthand tells you: I have ever dived with Canon camera SX100 in . Unfortunately, I can’t give an illustration of using the GoPro Hero 3 camera underwater yet, but I will correct it.
timelapse
For some strange reasons, the ability to shoot time lapses, with all the simplicity of its implementation, is not available in all cameras. And those in which it is implemented usually cost much more than $200.
Typical timelapse (3.2 Mb) - not shot on GoPro, but the essence is the same GoPro cameras capture time lapses with adjustable frame intervals, which can be selected from the following set of values: 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds.
Actually, that says it all. After all, capturing how quickly the sun sets and how wildly the clouds rush across the sky is, perhaps, the second obsessive desire of all amateur photographers after underwater photography and dew on the leaves.
GoPro Hero 3 White edition camera disadvantages
Yes, this camera, of course, also has disadvantages. I can draw your attention to the following:
1. The camera is designed exclusively for shooting in bright light, ideally on a clear day outdoors. When trying to shoot video indoors, an incredible amount of noise appears in the frame, and the overall video quality becomes indigestible.
2. Incorrect color reproduction, incl. in bright light (“softening” the picture, as mentioned above).
3. Very strange behavior of the camera when shooting a long time lapse, especially when the light starts to change (for example, the same sunset). From frame to frame, exposure and color balance can jump as they please. In low-light scenes, the camera can increase the exposure as it should be, or it can suddenly decide that enough is enough and set the parameters at which we can see only a black screen for the next thousand frames. Here good example illustrating all these jambs:
4. Camera GoPro Hero 3 shamelessly buggy. Maybe it's just my copy. But the glitches will be below in detail.
5. Of the less obvious and more controversial shortcomings: well, why not make more mounting lugs on the case? This would have made the structure heavier by a couple of grams, but how much more versatile the camera would have become in terms of mounting!
Well, since we're talking about fixing...
GoPro camera mounts - make or buy?
A little pleased with the acquisition, I thought. The two adhesive tape mounts included in the kit - one on a flat surface, the other on a convex one - did not impress me very much, because where to glue them, you still have to figure out, and then constantly live with the thought “what if it falls off?”
As a bonus third mount, a flat platform on which the camera stood during the sale can be used, but in my case this was also not an option, because. the length of the mounting lugs does not allow the camera to be positioned parallel to the site.
Well, there is an easy way here - to buy. After all, a crazy amount of different accessories are sold for GoPro cameras. If you look at the Internet on this topic, then, literally, your eyes start to run wide. And, it seems, each gizmo separately is not so expensive. It turns out expensive when the leading eyes also want this mount on the steering wheel for $ 20 and this for the head for 22 and this for the chest for 30 ... As a result, the amount quickly exceeds 100 bucks. In general, buying is not our way. And I decided to do it myself.
Homemade GoPro forehead mount
The first thing that came to mind was to adapt the mount from a headlamp. No sooner said than done, since there were plenty of substandard flashlights in my household.
Not as beautiful and functional as industrial. The main two drawbacks are the impossibility of quickly removing the camera from the platform and the periodic spontaneous loosening of the nuts, accompanied by “pecking”. The disadvantage, in principle, is removable, but for now it will do.
An important point. Pay attention to the metal plates hammered between the fixing ears of the hermetic box. It is necessary to select them so that the total thickness of the plates exactly matches the gap, otherwise, when tightening the nuts, you have every chance to spoil the product!
The disadvantage of this GoPro mount on the forehead is its non-rigidity. When driving on a bumpy road, the camera jumps quite a lot relative to the head, adding jitter in order. In this regard, the fastening must be reinforced with additional straps, although, in my opinion, it is impossible to ensure a sufficiently rigid position on the head with the help of a brace. That is why cameras are very fond of mounting on helmets: a properly selected helmet is practically a single whole with the head.
Homemade GoPro camera mount on the chest and other parts of the body
The forehead mount easily transforms into a chest strap. It is enough to slip it under the belt tightened in the right place.
The mounting platform from the flashlight turned out to be quite versatile. With shorter straps, it can also be attached to places such as the ankle and knee. In general, there is room for creativity.
In the following video, I give examples of mounting the camera on different parts of the body during a ski trip.
For some unknown reason, my camera always turns out to be tilted to the right. Moreover, if at first I thought that I always ride with my head tilted, then I suddenly discovered that the same tilt is obtained when attached to the knee, ankle, chest. What is the catch - it is not clear. Either the camera warps a little towards the battery due to imbalance, or I fixed it on the site with an offset to the right.
Sometimes you really want to attach a bubble level to the goproshka.
Summary
Although the manufacturer will not pay me a cent for these lines, I will say that gopro- an extremely convenient thing, completely worth the money (of course, I was doubly pleased to receive it as a gift, but we're not talking about that). The scope for capturing reality from a variety of angles and in a variety of conditions, this camera provides huge.
For example, there is a video on Youtube where one American DIYer attached it to a radio-controlled glider, on which he descended from a height of about 30 kilometers, so we have someone to take an example from. Although, this do-it-yourselfer is not the only one, Youtube tells us that only the most notorious lazy person has not yet tried to attach a gopro to an airplane / glider / balloon. For example, I’m going to make a report with, but I’ll wait for the wind ...
UPD: Problems with the GoPro Hero 3 White camera: the camera does not turn on
Despite the general enthusiasm for the product, I regret to add the following unpleasant remark here. If in the future there will be problems with the camera, I will add their description here.
Description of the problem
For no apparent reason, the camera suddenly refused to turn on.
The harbinger of strange behavior was the flashing of the WiFi light, which could not be turned off by pressing the corresponding button. It helped only to remove the battery, after which the camera no longer turned on.
How did they do it?
Since the camera is under warranty, I did not try to climb inside, and without this, all options for action boil down to the following:
- remove/insert memory card
- remove/insert USB
- remove/insert battery
- Turn on, turn off
- shake, knock, blow
And also to all possible combinations of the above actions.
Having resorted to all these measures at the moment the problem was discovered, I did not get any effect, caught fire and went to bed, with the idea that now I need to look for warranty documents and ... in short, I lost my camera for a long time.
After about an hour I touched the camera - it turned out to be warm! In horror, I pulled out the battery, already suspecting that there was a short circuit inside, everything burned out, and the battery also died.
The camera worked after I blew into the battery compartment and then inserted the battery. After that, she began to turn on, turn off and shoot without any problems.
Causes of malfunction and disappointing conclusions
What was the reason is completely incomprehensible, but the incident leads to extremely unpleasant thoughts about reliability of GoPro cameras. And if this happened at the moment when it was supposed to be filmed the most valuable video in life?
For example, it was precisely because of these problems that the moment of flight from rescuers was not captured on video at the time, which is rather insulting.
I will definitely unsubscribe about further oddities in the behavior of the camera, although, of course, I really hope that the glitch was a one-time, caused by bad location satellites around Jupiter, and it will not happen again.
Continuation of a story
Alas, the disease progressed. About a month after writing the previous paragraph, the camera finally died: it refused to turn on and charge the battery when connected to USB. The “let it rest and try again” method, which worked well earlier, has now failed to produce results.
Recharging the battery outside the camera did not help either, and the methods of reviving the camera, which are in abundance at the request of “GoPro dead”, “GoPro won’t power on”, etc., did not work either.
Tellingly, no extraordinary actions with the camera, or use it in extreme conditions did not have. The problem arose upon arrival home after a completely normal past video shooting.
In May 2014, the camera was handed over for warranty repair in Moscow and returned to me only in August. The fault is the motherboard that was replaced. As it turned out during a thorough examination, it was not the board that was replaced, but the entire camera as a whole (some characteristic abrasions on the case disappeared).
One way or another, let's hope that the problems are over. At the moment (December 20, 2014) — the flight is normal.
Benefits of the GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition Camera:
- This is the best GoPro camera ever.
- Wide range of shooting modes
- Burst mode 30 photos per second
- On-camera control and remote control
- High quality video and photo
- Good selection of accessories
GoPro Hero3 Black Edition Camera Disadvantages:
- Limited features of the bundled software
- Too narrowly oriented built-in microphone
Key features of the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera:
- Wide range of shooting quality settings, including 1080/60p and 4K HD modes
- 12-megapixel matrix
- Burst mode 30 photos per second
- Continuous shooting mode with long pauses (for shooting slow processes)
- Built-in Wi-Fi and included Wi-Fi remote control
- Compatible with GoPro Android and iOS Apps
- Wide range of specialized accessories
Features and design of the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera.
What is the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition?
The GoPro Hero3 Black Edition is a small yet rugged camera designed for taking photos and videos in the most extreme conditions. If you've ever watched the reality show Deadly Catch, then you've probably guessed the harsh conditions it was filmed in. What equipment do you think was used for filming? Of course GoPro cameras. Why gopro? Because only they are able to work in such conditions.
With over a decade of experience in producing high quality action sports and adventure cameras, GoPro is undeniably the industry leader. Although she has worthy competitors.
The GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera is the flagship product of the Hero3 series, which also includes the Silver Edition mid-range camera and the entry-level White Edition camera. In addition to the regular GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, there is a Surf Edition that comes with special sticky mounts that allow you to mount the camera on a surfboard.
But in all other respects, both cameras have completely identical characteristics and design.
Characteristic features of GoPro Hero3 Black Edition action camera, differences from Silver and White Edition.
As the flagship product of the Hero3 series, the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition has certain advantages over the cheaper versions. The first and most important advantage of the Black Edition models is the built-in Wi-Fi remote control, which allows you to comfortably control the camera when it is fixed on or in another hard-to-reach place and it is very difficult to press the buttons. Read more about management and settings in the article. Adventurers who install their cameras in hard-to-reach places will definitely appreciate the benefits of Wi-Fi remote control.
In addition to built-in Wi-Fi remote control, the Black Edition benefits from a 12-megapixel high-definition camera. For comparison, the Silver Edition has an 11 megapixel sensor, while the entry-level White Edition camera has only 5 megapixels. If necessary, the Black Edition can shoot not only in full resolution of 12 megapixels, but also in 7 and 5 megapixel modes.
A more useful feature of the Black Edition's camera is its 30fps burst mode, which is significantly higher than the Silver Edition's 10fps and the White Edition's 3fps. IN fast world extreme sports this is a very useful advantage, as the ability to take 30 consecutive frames per second will allow you to get exactly the picture you want.
But if you don't need that much speed, the Black Edition also lets you shoot at 3, 5, and 10 fps. While not intended for the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, it also has a long time-lapse mode of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. All this speaks of its wide possibilities and flexibility.
Still, most buyers of the Hero3 are more interested in its ability to shoot video than photos. And again, the Black Edition has certain advantages over the two younger models in the series. The Silver and White Editions support a maximum resolution of 1080p at 25 fps, while the Black Edition is capable of shooting Full HD 1080p video at 50/48/25 fps in PAL mode and 60/48/30 fps in NTSC mode . In addition, in 720p mode, the shooting speed is 100/50 fps (120/60 fps for NTSC), which allows you to achieve smooth slow-motion playback of HD video, which neither Silver nor White Edition can do.
In addition, the Black Edition can shoot in 4K at 15fps and 4K Cinema at 12fps.
Additional shooting modes GoPro 3:
- 1440p mode, 48/25/24 fps (48/30/24 fps for NTSC)
- 2.7K mode, 25 fps (30 fps for NTSC)
- 2.7K Cinema mode, 24fps
- 960p mode, 100/48fps
- WVGA mode, 240 fps
The choice of video recording modes is really huge.
Construction of the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera.
Considering that the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition is specifically designed for use in conditions that conventional cameras are not designed for, it is not surprising that this camera is extremely durable in every respect. Although Hero3 is quite compact - 60mm wide, 40mm high and 20mm deep - it is 30% smaller than its predecessor. Weighing just 74 grams, the camera is also 20% lighter than the Hero2.
The camera is housed in a rugged polycarbonate body and is equipped with three buttons: a mode button, a shutter release button, and a dual Wi-Fi button. At the back of the camera is at 1050 mAh. To get it, you just need to snap off the cover. In addition, there is a Hero Port on the back of the camera, designed to connect an optional $112 Touch BacPac LCD monitor, which transmits the image from the camera.
All important information information about shooting, a navigation menu with camera settings and options is displayed on a small LCD screen located on the front of the camera. Below the screen is a mode select button that also doubles as an on/off button. To the right of it are two indicators - a blue paired Wi-Fi indicator and a red status indicator. On the top panel of the camera there is another button that acts as a shutter button and start recording video.
Connectors and a place for a memory card are located on the side of the camera behind a protective plastic: a hole for installing a micro SD card, a micro HDMI port for video playback, a microUSB port for recharging and transferring files. The Hero3 Black Edition camera is compatible with cards up to 64 GB. Given the volume of files being processed, it is highly recommended to use cards of at least tenth grade.
Of course, the camera itself cannot be submerged in water, but it comes with a waterproof polycarbonate housing that can shoot underwater up to 60 meters and also protects the camera from bumps, scratches and drops. The camera is inserted into the back of the protective housing and is securely fixed using the latches located on top of the camera.
Putting the camera in and out of the protective case is quite simple - place the camera so that the lens looks in the opposite direction, find the latch on the top of the case, slide it in the direction of the index arrow and then return it to its place.
You can control the camera when it is inside the protective case using three spring-loaded buttons on the case - the shutter button, the mode selection button and the on/off button and the Wi-Fi control button. The buttons are pressed with considerable effort, which is done specifically to prevent accidental pressing of the buttons.
Action camera GoPro Hero3 Black Edition comes with a set of mounts and Velcro. Ours came with an "Adventure Kit" designed for use in dry terrain. If you are going to use the camera on the water, then order the Surf Edition.
Management, software, photo and video quality GoPro Hero3 Black Edition.
Control GoPro Hero3 Black Edition.
You can control your GoPro Hero3 Black Edition in a variety of ways: with the buttons on the camera itself, with the remote control, or with the free GoPro app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
Hero3 Black Edition in combination with a Wi-Fi remote control can be installed anywhere you need. GoPro claims a Wi-Fi range of 100 meters.
Menu navigation is easy to master the first time - it is carried out using the mode button and the shutter button. The instruction manual is not included in the package - it is not in printed or digital format - it can be downloaded from the GoPro website.
This version of Hero3 differs from others only in the presence of a remote control. The two buttons on the remote control work exactly like the mode button and shutter button on the camera itself. Thus, from the remote you have access to all the settings and parameters of the camera. Another advantage is the presence of a keychain mount, which is located on the charging port of the remote control and allows you to clip the remote to yourself so that it does not accidentally get lost.
The GoPro app for Android and iOS allows you to control the camera from your tablet or smartphone, and has a preview window of the camera image (with a slight delay).
If you want to get a real-time camera image, you'll have to spend $120 on an optional GoPro Touch BacPac display. Less cost method decide this problem is a GoPro app available for free on Google Play or Apple iOS.
Connect by wifi phone or a tablet to a GoPro camera is not very difficult, but time consuming, since first in mobile phone you need to enter the GoPro Hero 3 Wi-Fi password (default "goprohero"), enable Wi-Fi on the camera, and use the setup menu to wireless access switch the camera to sync mode with the GoPro app.
Then run the application on your phone or tablet and click "Connect and control", after which you will be taken to the main screen of the application, through which you have full control over the camera. By clicking on the menu icon in the form of a gear wheel, you can access the settings for the quality of photo and video shooting, continuous shooting, and other more complex settings.
You can take photos and record videos directly from the GoPro app - a small preview window shows what the camera sees in (almost) real time.
We said "almost" because there is actually a two second delay. If you control the camera through the GoPro app, then you will have to press the "record" button a little before the moment when you plan to take a picture or start recording video.
Even with this delay, this is very convenient, as it allows the owner to control the camera from a distance without being distracted from their work. According to GoPro, the Wi-Fi range is up to 100 meters.
GoPro provides its own CineForm Studio software, which can be downloaded for free from the company's website. Although it does not allow you to edit individual clips together, you can post-process individual fragments.
GoPro video editing software.
Software is not included with the GoPro Black Edition, but CineForm Studio's video editing software is available for download from the GoPro website. Of course, this is not the most modern video editing software, but nevertheless it allows you to apply a number of video effects, including the ProTune filter, which allows you to improve the color and details in the captured video.
Although CineForm Studio allows you to convert the original video from the camera, apply effects or slow down the video, but it cannot merge individual clips. To do this, you need something like Final Cut Pro or Apple iMovie.
GoPro Hero3 Black Edition photo and video quality.
The quality of the photos is quite good, but the wide-angle lens of the Hero3 has a significant impact on the quality of the shots. It introduces barrel distortion that makes photos look like they were taken with a fisheye lens. The color and white balance are quite accurate, although they can always be changed later on the computer. Photo detail is also quite good.
In general, the video quality is good. As mentioned at the beginning of this review, the Black Edition has significant advantages over its cheaper counterparts in the form of a wider selection of shooting modes. Of course, the choice of settings is yours and different settings are optimal in different conditions.
We used 1080p Full HD at 50fps for testing. The main reason we chose these settings is because the vast majority of computers cannot play videos at higher settings. We also chose them because with a source video of 50 frames per second, the video slowed down by half will be displayed at an acceptable speed of 25 frames and in good Full HD resolution.
Processing with CineForm Studio filters includes Protune technology (adjustment of contrast, saturation, sharpness) and other standard options.
One of Black functions The Edition that power users will definitely appreciate is GoPro's patented Protune technology, which is activated on the camera through the settings menu. It allows you to set a more neutral color palette and record video in Camera Raw mode, which reduces compression and increases the possibility of further editing. In addition, with the help of the CineForm Studio software, you can of course adjust the saturation and sharpness.
During testing, we used the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition in a variety of conditions. On the first day we filmed kite surfing with the camera on the kite so we could film the scene from top to bottom. The sky was gray and the sea pale green. The raw video looked a little gloomy, but we improved it significantly with ProTune technology, making it a little lighter.
On the second very bright and sunny day, we attached the camera to front glass vehicle to see how well it performs in fast-moving, high-contrast lighting conditions. The camera did two things well, but the built-in microphone didn't perform well and couldn't capture music from our car's stereo even though the volume was set to high.
However, in other conditions, for example, while surfing, there were no complaints about the sound - GoPro did an excellent job of recording a conversation between surfers.
Conclusion.
If you are into extreme sports and want to buy an action camera that can both shoot video and take pictures and that you can tether to yourself wherever you are - on land in water or in the air, then at the moment the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition has no competitors in the market.
The remote control along with the GoPro add-on for smartphones and tablets running Android or iOS only enhance the versatility of the Black Edition, making it the best choice at a very reasonable price.
GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition is an action camera (or, as it is also called, “sports DVR”) of the third generation. Compact, somewhere three times smaller than the fourth iPhone, the camera is designed to shoot in the most unpredictable conditions where a conventional video camera simply cannot cope: water, dust, sand.
Thanks to its size and convenient mounts, GoPro can shoot while moving, in free fall or up to 60 meters under water, even when your hands are busy with something else (wheels, for example). However, driving a selfie is not the best use of the GoPro Hero 3. Read on to find out where this miracle of technology can be used, what it can do and how it differs from a regular DVR.
Who cares?
GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition is the base model of third generation action cameras. It has a wider range of options than the White Edition (for example, a built-in Wi-Fi module), and is limited in comparison with the top Black. It also performs well as a video recording device (30 frames per second at Full HD and 60 at HD quality). Of course, the frame rate in 1080p is not enough to mount slow motion video from the footage, but in 720p you will be able to do it. And a rather suitable “soap box” can come out of a silver GoPro - with an 11 megapixel matrix, it is capable of taking pictures in series or in time lapse mode. In the latter, you set the frame capture rate yourself - from 0.5 to 30 seconds.
Characteristics:
- 11 megapixel matrix
- HD and Full HD video (60 and 30 fps respectively)
- photography in 11, 8 and 5 MP quality
- Protune mode (advanced color management capability)
- monochrome display on the front
- MicroUSB and Mini HDMI connectors
- 1050 mAh battery (enough for a little more than 3 hours of continuous shooting)
- microSD slot (supports cards up to 64 GB)
- built-in Wi-Fi module for remote control of the camera from a remote control (not included in the package) or from a smartphone (also not included :))
What's new?
So, we have already said that new version GoPro introduces Protune shooting mode. Let's talk about it in more detail. In this mode, you can manually select the white balance and increase the amount of video stream capture from the standard 15 Mb/s to 35 Mb/s. Thus, GoPro Hero 3 can be brought closer in terms of shooting quality to professional cameras.
Hero 3 also introduced a video capture mode called Video Looping. It allows you to record a video fragment of a given length an unlimited number of times. In principle, it is useful if you know exactly how long the moment you want to capture will last.
Contents of delivery:
- the camera itself
- plastic protective box
- covers for the box - ordinary and waterproof (up to 60 meters deep). The waterproof cover also keeps your action camera well protected from dust and dirt.
- three-angle hinge
- flat mount
- stickers to fix the mount on flat and convex/concave surfaces
- USB cable
- brand name stickers
- instructions and warranty card
Camera remote control
As we already mentioned, Hero 3 Silver received a built-in Wi-Fi module. In an action camera, it is not needed at all in order to connect to the free Internet in cafes (and it doesn’t have such opportunities in principle). The camera can be remotely controlled via Wi-Fi. To do this, in addition to the camera itself, you can buy a remote control (remote control). It has the same two buttons as the camera and the exact same monochrome display. With the top version, the remote control is supplied, and for the silver version, you will have to pay another 80 euros for it. But this is not the most important thing. The camera can be controlled via Wi-Fi from a smartphone or tablet running Windows Mobile, Android or iOS. The remote control app is available for download on AppStore, Google Play and Windows Store.
IMPORTANT! Before installing the application, update the camera software from the official website! If you ignore the update, only android smartphones will work as a remote control.
And finally
Do not rush to order a camera "over the hill". Remember that the risk of such a purchase is $ 340 + shipping costs thrown to the wind. Firstly, you lose the 12-month warranty, and secondly, you can get an already broken camera.
To shoot video, it is advisable to install a class 10 memory card. It costs more, but it will affect the quality of the video.
One last thing: GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition performs poorly in the dark, but better than second-generation cameras.
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