Is it worth it to upgrade from the HD Hero 2 to the new Hero 3?

[stanw]

I have the last generation GoPro Hero2 with the GoPro dive housing.

Is underwater footage from the new GoPro much better? Is it worth it to upgrade to the new model?

Thanks.

 

[toddthecat]

No. The Hero 3 black edition shoots 12MP still photos which means nothing since it isn't worth using in that mode. It takes video in 4k (roughly 4x the quality of 1080p hi-def). If you have a monitor/TV that displays 4k then you've got so much money you wouldn't be asking if it is worth it to upgrade.

4K Ultra HD TV | XBR X900A 4K Resolution TRILUMINOS LED UHDTVs | Sony Store

---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 12:23 PM ----------

If you need to own an 84" TV that is 4k hi-def and costs $25,000....you got problems

 

[kelemvor]

The hero3 black has much better low light performance as I understand it. About two f-stops worth. I wouldn't bother upgrading from a hero2 to a hero3 silver.

Also, the hero3 black will record 60fps in 1080p where the hero2 would only do 30. If you have any desire to do slow motion effects, this will be useful.

Worth it? Eh, I'm still shooting my hero2. The hero3 black is $400, or four two tank trips. That's a lot of bones for only these improvements.

 

[stanw]

Hi Todd,

1. What did you mean by "The Hero 3 black edition shoots 12MP still photos which means nothing since it isn't worth using in that mode." Why is it not worth using in that mode?
2. I guess the only reason I'd want to shoot in 4K would be to future proof my footage, though I think I read somewhere that it only shoots very brief clips at 4k?

Thank you.

No. The Hero 3 black edition shoots 12MP still photos which means nothing since it isn't worth using in that mode. It takes video in 4k (roughly 4x the quality of 1080p hi-def). If you have a monitor/TV that displays 4k then you've got so much money you wouldn't be asking if it is worth it to upgrade.

4K Ultra HD TV | XBR X900A 4K Resolution TRILUMINOS LED UHDTVs | Sony Store

---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 12:23 PM ----------

If you need to own an 84" TV that is 4k hi-def and costs $25,000....you got problems

 

[toddthecat]

If you want a Hero 3 Black I'll sell you a brand new one. $379 shipped USPS priority mail. We're a dealer for GoPro so you'll still get GoPro's warranty. Anywhere else is $399 before tax...

 

[stanw]

Hi Kelemvor,

1. Doesn't shooting in 60fps result in footage displaying sped up? I would think that slow motion style footage would be shot with less than 30fps? But I am no expert with these things....

Thank you.

The hero3 black has much better low light performance as I understand it. About two f-stops worth. I wouldn't bother upgrading from a hero2 to a hero3 silver.

Also, the hero3 black will record 60fps in 1080p where the hero2 would only do silver. If you have any desire to do slow motion effects, this will be useful.

Worth it? Eh, I'm still shooting my hero2. The hero3 black is $400, or four two tank trips. That's a lot of bones for only these improvements.

 

[toddthecat]

Hi Todd,

1. What did you mean by "The Hero 3 black edition shoots 12MP still photos which means nothing since it isn't worth using in that mode." Why is it not worth using in that mode?
2. I guess the only reason I'd want to shoot in 4K would be to future proof my footage, though I think I read somewhere that it only shoots very brief clips at 4k?

Thank you.

If you want to take photographs I would use a camera made to take pictures. The GoPro doesn't have a viewfinder or a screen. You're pretty much pointing, shooting, and hoping the pic will be good. There is also no focus adjustment...

It will take all the 4K footage you want to throw at it.......provided you have a 64GB memory card and don't plan on taking an hour worth of video. The higher the resolution, the larger the memory the file takes up. I have no reason to shoot in 4k. When I take film with my Hero 3 I usually shoot in 960. It takes less space on the memory card and my television is actually only 720. No reason to shoot higher.

---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 12:48 PM ----------

Hi Kelemvor,

1. Doesn't shooting in 60fps result in footage displaying sped up? I would think that slow motion style footage would be shot with less than 30fps? But I am no expert with these things....

Thank you.

The more frames you can make, the slower the footage. If you display 60 frames in one second vs. 30 frames in one second, in essence you are getting twice as much film. When you do that you can make the slow motion much more smooth.

 

[kelemvor]

Nope, you can watch 60fps video just fine at normal speed, it just shows more images per second than you would otherwise get. It does make post processing take longer, since you have twice as much data to deal with.

"normal" video is 30fps so when you take a 60fps clip and play it back at 30fps it still looks as smooth as regular video but plays at half the speed. When you take regular 30fps video and slow it down to half speed you only display 15 frames a second and the video looks choppy.

The high speed feature is probably more useful for action sports where things happen fast and you want to slow them down and inspect what happened. When I dive, things just seem to be naturally fairly slow.

 

[flareside]

It will take all the 4K footage you want to throw at it.......provided you have a 64GB memory card and don't plan on taking an hour worth of video.

Well not exactly. It blows through 4GB every 11:38 and it will run out of battery at around 85 minutes, just short of filling a 32GB card.

1. What did you mean by "The Hero 3 black edition shoots 12MP still photos which means nothing since it isn't worth using in that mode." Why is it not worth using in that mode?
2. I guess the only reason I'd want to shoot in 4K would be to future proof my footage, though I think I read somewhere that it only shoots very brief clips at 4k?

While the 12MP stills are nice above the surface, the shutter speed of the camera is too slow underwater and tends to lead to substantial blurring. As far as 4K goes, it is only 15fps and is not much more than a novelty at this point. Really doesn't offer much in the way of future proofing. It can be used for some very nice time lapse work however.

 

[3D diver]

It all depends on how you value the 3's new features.

I can't upgrade because they don't have a 3D option for the 3's yet. The shorter battery life is also a serious concern---I find the 2's battery life too short, on occasion. But again, this is in the 3D configuration so I can't use the larger battery pack.