GoPro Hero 10 overheating issue

[morty343]

Hello,

I purchased a Hero 10 and a GoPro U/W housing from Backscatter to mount on the top of my still camera housing, with the idea that I would simply start recording at the beginning of a dive and stop it at the end. (This would save me the trouble of having to start/stop recording, and potentially miss footage, at the tradeoff of storage space.)

Problem is, the unit ended up being unable to do a continuous recording without overheating. Even at more modest settings (4K/30, normal bitrate) it would stop each recording at around 5 minutes, and I would have to re-start it. Backscatter is exchanging the unit on the assumption that I got a lemon, but in the meanwhile I did some research and found that the Hero 10 overheating issue is fairly common for long videos, especially at more aggressive settings. Presumably this is made worse by being closed up in a housing.

Is anyone else having this problem? The higher resolutions of the Hero 10 is not a priority for me, so would a Hero 9 be a more stable option for longer videos? Anyone able to do a 45 minute recording with a Hero 9 in a housing at 4K or 2.7K, 60 fps or even 30 fps?

Thanks
Mike

 

[Pearlman]

The problem has been across generations. The internet is littered with overheating anecdotes going back years in time.

My brand new H7B was a lemon that got too hot to touch and hold in my palm in the first few mins I powered it on after unboxing - A spectacular failure for an industry “leader of the pack” firm that can hire the best engineering talent in the world with its money. I had to RMA it from my country to Singapore for a replacement. Thankfully no issue on the replacement piece - but then I deliberately shoot 2.7k on a 4k cam to prevent overheating.

The rubberised body coating does not help in heat dissipation either. Ask any GoPro fanboy and he will likely tell you in a sanctimonious tone that it’s an action cam that is only supposed to be used when moving with a surrounding airflow to cool it down. As if every Gopro user is expected to be a skier or snowboarder… But the truth is it is an engineering design defect that has existed across several generations of GoPro that “rich boy” GoPro refuses to look at and fix (despite having wads of cash) and instead maintains an ostrich head in the sand attitude.

Unfortunately in the actioncam scene few quality red filter choices exist for other actioncam brands in the $400 category of cameras overall. Or most other players do not shoot raw protune like format. The new insta RS model appears to be a hero10 beater as per the early reviews.

That said I love my two GoPros for what they have enabled me to do on a budget - without having to purchase a $1500 camera with a $3000 UW housing and then having to match that investment with $7000 worth of UW lights in order to get the best out of the gear. Instead I pair my $400 GoPro with a $55 UW housing and $100 red filter plus $300 lights and I am good to go for vacation videography!

 

[broncobowsher]

Plastic or aluminum housing? Would the aluminum transfer the heat to the water better?

 

[Pearlman]

Plastic or aluminum housing? Would the aluminum transfer the heat to the water better?

Yes, but the OP should exchange his camera for one that does not overheat in surface or land based shoots. Here is one T-Housing

 

[Vicko]

I love the quality of the video, especially the stabilisation but the amount of errors I get and lost footage is insane, I have so far had every generation of GoPros and since GoPro 6 their software is getting worse and worse.
I can't even charge my 10 because it overheats so much it damages the battery, so I had to buy the external charger. I had it exchanged and the second unit has the exact same problem.

 

[Wibble]

Useful to hear the reality of GoPros in (in)action.

What's the closest alternative "slightly larger" camera + housing that's at least 150m waterproof?

 

[Barmaglot]

What's the closest alternative "slightly larger" camera + housing that's at least 150m waterproof?

Easydive Leo3 Smart?

Edit: Sony RX0 II is pretty small, and Recsea housing for it is rated for 150m, but you will need a wet lens if you want GoPro-like field of view.

 

[loosenit2]

looks like updating to firmware 1.16 adds a new mode that improves time before overheating.

 

[morty343]

My understanding is the new firmware simply provides a couple modes that "switch off" elements of the image processing to reduce load on the unit and reduce heat. For example, it now has something like "tripod mode" which switches off motion stabilization, because it isn't necessary when the unit is place on a tripod. They didn't actually "fix" any of the inherent problems.

Regarding using a metallic housing, I'm skeptical how much this would help. Unless diving in cold water, the interior of the housing would still be around 80 degrees, and the GoPro still has a 1/8" layer of air between it and the housing. Air is a good insulator against heat dissipation.

My hunch is that a replacement Hero 10 may be just as prone to overheating as the first one I received, I'm just wondering if a Hero 9 may function better because not as much is being demanded of the processor?

 

[morty343]

Useful to hear the reality of GoPros in (in)action.

What's the closest alternative "slightly larger" camera + housing that's at least 150m waterproof?

I was researching the Paralenz unit. Dedicated diving action cam. Main upside is it doesn't require corrective filters, it changes its white balance based on measured depth. Downside is it's much more expensive than a GoPro and it does not (yet) do any image stabilization.