I want to buy a GoPro but I am so confused about which one

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luckydays

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I want to buy my fiancee a GoPro for when we dive. I cant tell the difference or understand what is needed to make each camera be optimal. Can someone lead me in the right direction. I am confused about the GoPro 2 and 3. The new one came out quickly from the old model so I am wondering if its worth it to spend more to get the newest one or just stick to the GoPro2 and with the extra savings buy the accessories.

Our main diving is of the coast of SoCal. We will travel to Caribbean and beyond in the coming years. There is no fresh water diving for us that I can foresee.

He wants a camera that he can take on a dive and use while he is driving the boat/car/motorcycle. He does not care if its the latest model, new or a refurb, or has all the do dads. He would just want it to work for him.

I want to get him something that is awesome. For him money is no object but in reality, I dont want to spend the max budget for the camera since I know that additional accessories are needed. I want to make sure that when I hand him the box, it will work for every need that we currently think he will have so having a list of must have accessory items would be helpful.

Can I get some tips and info about what to do here?
 
I say only get the GoPro 3 if you buy the black edition. Otherwise get the GoPro 2.

If you get the GoPro 2, you need a dive housing. SRP gets my vote.
 
I have the GoPro 2 with the Dive housing and the Backscatter filter, it is truly an amazing camera for just under $500.
But I will be buying the newer GoPro 3 Black as soon as it comes out because it has more of the bells and whistles that I want.

That said, I would say it all depends on whether you prefer to have the latest in technology.
The newer camera already comes with the dive housing (used for clearer images underwater) and it has higher speeds and resolutions.
The older camera has many more aftermarket options at the moment but I'm sure the newer camera will have many more in the future.
I would say that for the cost of the newer model vs the older model you are better off with the newest one.

If you can hold off till December that will give the new model enough time to have many reviews on Youtube pitting one against the other.
 
+1

Hero3 comes with a dive housing in the box, then you can ignore all the discussion about aftermarket flat port housings that only applied to the earlier GoPros. The Hero3 silver is exactly the same as the Hero2 more or less (but thinner) but if you "want to get him something awesome" get the black for $100 more. Shortly there will be red filter options available for the Hero3 housing, you will need one of those. There are already many filter options for the Hero2 housings.

LCD screen and extra battery/charger are nice (some would say essential) additions to get no matter which version you end up with but you can use the camera without them initially.

Having said that, if you got a complete Hero2 package with all that stuff included (dive housing, filter, LCD, battery) at a good price then you can't go wrong either. I suspect stores will be selling the Hero2 packages cheap but you'll still then need an aftermarket dive housing and filter which will put the total cost close to a Hero3 anyway.
 
"I want to get him something that is awesome. For him money is no object but in reality, I dont want to spend the max budget for the camera since I know that additional accessories are needed. I want to make sure that when I hand him the box, it will work for every need that we currently think he will have so having a list of must have accessory items would be helpful. "

Get the gp3 black... it works out of the box.
The accessories that is a must have is a tripod mount. These 2 will be good enough.
For his bike.he can mount the camera in his helmet. These comes with the gp3 black.
 
Thanks for the info. I did not know that the GP3 Black was coming out in 3 weeks. I was hoping to have something for him this weekend but I can wait if that is the one that he should get.

I will keep looking until the end of Nov though and see what pops up.
 
I too am in the same boat - I love the latest tech things, and the Hero3 Black certainly looks the goods. Have seen plenty of YouTube footage with the H3 with red filters on Auto White balance compared to change the white balanced, and am more than convinced that the Red Filter is a requirement. If ONE of the uses of me getting the GoPro is diving, and I am of full awareness that I will need a red filter, would the H3 Black STILL be the one to go with? Thanks
 
I have seen the GoPro 3 in Best Buy here in Bama. So they are out there. BB had all the add ons too. Some of the prices better than GP them selves. I will post video from ours the second week of Dec. Hope to have the SRP dome filter before we go.

I think you cannot go wrong with the versatility of the H3. I cannot wait to dive with mine. Hope my helmet gets here soon too.
 
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Something I learned, the hard way, early in my marriage: find out exactly what your spouse wants and get them exactly that.

You probably want to surprise him...but asking what he wants may be prudent in this situation.
 
I have seen the GoPro 3 in Best Buy here in Bama. So they are out there. BB had all the add ons too. Some of the prices better than GP them selves. I will post video from ours the second week of Dec. Hope to have the SRP dome filter before we go.

I think you cannot go wrong with the versatility of the H3. I cannot wait to dive with mine. Hope my helmet gets here soon too.

The GP3 White and Silver is out but the Black version comes out in a few weeks.

Something I learned, the hard way, early in my marriage: find out exactly what your spouse wants and get them exactly that.

You probably want to surprise him...but asking what he wants may be prudent in this situation.

Its funny you should say this. I am usually spot on for stuff that I want to buy him. Mainly because I dont mind spending a little extra to have the latest/fancier thing. He on the other hand does not mind refurbs, used or last years model of stuff.

I have decided to get him the GP3 Black version when it comes out. He is worth the extra bucks.

But I when we were at the store the other day and playing around with it, I asked him which one he wanted and he said the GP3. So I would have bought what he wanted anyway!!!
 
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