GoPro Hero3 question

[fullthrottle]

Hi All

Can anyone tell me what view angle these things support?
Looking for at least a good 170 degree angle.

Cheers

[petefj40]

Hi All

Can anyone tell me what view angle these things support?
Looking for at least a good 170 degree angle.

Cheers

170° wide angle available in all modes.

"The HERO3's reduced-distortion, 6-element aspherical lens combines with user-selectable Ultra-wide, Medium and Narrow field-of-views to deliver more perspective-capture options than ever before. Add the totally updated flat-lens waterproof housing that delivers stunning image sharpness both above and below water and you've got one of the most powerful and durable image capture solutions on the planet."



It's all here:

http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-hero3-black-edition

Even here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoPro

[Jerry]

Hero2 does this as well

[petefj40]

Hero2 does this as well

If you aren't fussy about low light exposures and higher frame rates which the Black version is great for? There are plenty of second hand Hero2's out there on trademe at half the price of a new Hero3 Black version.

[fullthrottle]

OK, I did have a good read through the GoPro website, but couldn't find the angle specification. Maybe I'm blind.

The Wiki page has some better info.
I will assume the 170 mentioned for the Hero2 will apply for the Hero3.

Tell me, why does it state:
Angle of View: 170° wide angle available in all modes

Then also state:
Angle of View: 127° medium angle in 1080p, 720P, or WVGA mode
Angle of View: 90° narrow angle in 1080p or 720P mode

Doesn't 'all modes' cover 1080p also?

Also, I believe you can get two types of microSD card. There is a faster write version (can't remember the name) that would be required for the HD recording right?

[fullthrottle]

Hero2 does this as well

If you aren't fussy about low light exposures and higher frame rates which the Black version is great for? There are plenty of second hand Hero2's out there on trademe at half the price of a new Hero3 Black version.

Cheers guys.
Hero2 from TradeMe would be my second option. I can get a Hero3 for free, since I found the Qantas airpoints program is now selling them.

[BlakeJ]

look at some side by side comparisons on youtube, the hero2 actually has way nicer, clearer and sharper picture, only thing the hero3 looks to be better at is really low light ie night time. id get a second hand hero2 anyday

[Jerry]

use a class10 sd card from a good quality manafacturer

[fullthrottle]

use a class10 sd card from a good quality manafacturer

Thats the one

[petefj40]

OK, I did have a good read through the GoPro website, but couldn't find the angle specification. Maybe I'm blind.

The Wiki page has some better info.
I will assume the 170 mentioned for the Hero2 will apply for the Hero3.

Tell me, why does it state:
Angle of View: 170° wide angle available in all modes

Then also state:
Angle of View: 127° medium angle in 1080p, 720P, or WVGA mode
Angle of View: 90° narrow angle in 1080p or 720P mode

Doesn't 'all modes' cover 1080p also?

Also, I believe you can get two types of microSD card. There is a faster write version (can't remember the name) that would be required for the HD recording right?

Don't buy anything less than a "Class10".

[petefj40]

look at some side by side comparisons on youtube, the hero2 actually has way nicer, clearer and sharper picture, only thing the hero3 looks to be better at is really low light ie night time. id get a second hand hero2 anyday

For low light recording the Hero2 just doesn't cut it. And for slow motion playback you can't beat the higher frame rate of the 3 black edition.
I have both the 2 and 3 versions. The 3 in my limited opinion is far far better than the 2.

[BlakeJ]

The 3 in my limited opinion is far far better than the 2.

id argue that. im even more limited as i dont own either, but have used both, both in rally cars too. I like the two, like i said there are plenty of side by side comparisons, and in them the slow mo actually looks better on the 2, just night time shots the 3 picks up stuff heaps better. but 2s arent that cheap 2nd hand now because of this, still pay around 400 bucks

[petefj40]

The 3 in my limited opinion is far far better than the 2.

id argue that. im even more limited as i dont own either, but have used both, both in rally cars too. I like the two, like i said there are plenty of side by side comparisons, and in them the slow mo actually looks better on the 2, just night time shots the 3 picks up stuff heaps better. but 2s arent that cheap 2nd hand now because of this, still pay around 400 bucks

I can respect that.
I think for sports purposes or fast action the higher frame rate gives you better still quality playbacks.. But You've probably had more experience in that field than me.
I still believe the GoPro 2 or 3 is better than any others out there on the market today. I've only had experience with two others though. The Sony's cam is good but theirs is new out and are still pricey. I do like the Contour HD but I'd still go for the GoPro at the end of the day.

[fullthrottle]

I've only had experience with two others though. The Sony's cam is good but theirs is new out and are still pricey. I do like the Contour HD but I'd still go for the GoPro at the end of the day.

Hmmm, interesting. While in Japan, I saw the Sony version. Nice little unit. It was a little cheaper than GoPro. But that's expected from the local manufacturer I guess.

[MikeL200]

Talk to Nick at Racetech in Petone.
http://www.racetech.co.nz

[mudzuki]

Have a Hero 3 silver edition and a mate has the black. Main difference is the higher frame per second and faster photo burst, also comes with remote which is usefull. We used ours on a trip to the us snowboarding and cant fault either, quality of the silver is plenty for me. The silver is very similar to the hero 2 picture quality wise but has a few extra features like built in bluetooth. SD class 10 is a must in either

[tomsoffroad]

Looking at a black edition. Can anyone tell me what the smart phone app is like? Do you need cell reception for it too work? Or am I better to buy the screen at the same time?

[petefj40]

Looking at a black edition. Can anyone tell me what the smart phone app is like? Do you need cell reception for it too work? Or am I better to buy the screen at the same time?

Compared to other wifi apps Tom, the GoPro app lags meaning, what you see on your phone is sometimes up 5 seconds slower than real time. I use another wifi monitoring app on my phone for security cameras and there's no lag. So it's disappointing. The line of sight range is average too mate, only about 50m. But apart from that it works well.
Just my opinion.

[tomsoffroad]

Looking at a black edition. Can anyone tell me what the smart phone app is like? Do you need cell reception for it too work? Or am I better to buy the screen at the same time?

Compared to other wifi apps Tom, the GoPro app lags meaning, what you see on your phone is sometimes up 5 seconds slower than real time. I use another wifi monitoring app on my phone for security cameras and there's no lag. So it's disappointing. The line of sight range is average too mate, only about 50m. But apart from that it works well.
Just my opinion.

Cool thanks for that. So its a black edition with the lcd backpack. Anything else I need to know?
Just wanting something to bolt to the truck at times but also a something I can use around the workshop, test drives, first start ups etc. Go pro sounds like the one so far.

[petefj40]

Looking at a black edition. Can anyone tell me what the smart phone app is like? Do you need cell reception for it too work? Or am I better to buy the screen at the same time?

Compared to other wifi apps Tom, the GoPro app lags meaning, what you see on your phone is sometimes up 5 seconds slower than real time. I use another wifi monitoring app on my phone for security cameras and there's no lag. So it's disappointing. The line of sight range is average too mate, only about 50m. But apart from that it works well.
Just my opinion.

Cool thanks for that. So its a black edition with the lcd backpack. Anything else I need to know?
Just wanting something to bolt to the truck at times but also a something I can use around the workshop, test drives, first start ups etc. Go pro sounds like the one so far.

If you don't have a smartphone I'd say go for the LCD backpack. Otherwise try the wifi app first Tom.
If you're looking at cheaper models that do a simular thing I know Jaycar are selling a kit at half the GoPro price. Does half as much but still.

[teamorange]

I have the GoPro Black great camera, fantastic video quality, remote control is useful, the app is OK but does limit the life of the battery, personally I don't miss not having playback on the camera I just pull the Micro SD card out to view the content or just plug in the USB lead. Having a few different mounts and a spare battery would in my opinion be more useful than a backpack.

Cheers

[Twodiffs]

I've just bought the black one as well...pretty damn impressed with the quality and sound etc. We've been using it mostly with the app on my wife's S3 and the battery doesn't last long, maybe 40 minutes tops.

How long have you guys had the battery last without using the app??

I'm even thinking about cutting a small hole in the side of the plastic case so I hook up the usb charger continuously and then just tape it over if we use it on the quad or jetboat.