| Reviews : GoPro Digital HERO 3 Sports Wrist Camera |
Technical Details
- 3 megapixel all-season digital sports camera
- Shoots TV quality 640x480, 30fps video (use internal or optional SD memory)
- 16MB of internal memory and accepts up to a 2GB SD card
- Pivots upright for on the fly photos or video
- Waterproof up to 100 feet
Product Description
The Go Pro 3MP Digital Hero Camera. Finally a camera that's easy to use during any activity. Surf, ski, hike, bike, kayak, or climb. Pivots upright for on the fly photos or video. Crack proof polycarbonate waterhousing and glass lens. Functional to 30 feet and waterproof up to 100 ft underwater. This camera has a 3MP (2048x1536) photo resolution and 640x480 video resolution, and 16mb of internal memory expandable to 2GB with an SD card (not included) . Also comes with the ultimate camera strap and ski glove adapter lash, connects to your PC via USB (cable included) with no driver required, and is powered by two AAA batteries which are included. Additional Features: Instant Power-Up, Simple Button Layout, Half Second or Less Click to Capture, Self-Timer, Optical Viewfinder to Preview the Scene, File Format Compatibility: JPEG File Format, AVI File Format, White Balance: Automatic for Adjusting Light.Similar Products
Customer Reviews
By Steven T. Blades (pittsburgh, pa)
This camera far surpassed my expectations. I paid $115 for it and wanted it for kayaking. I was willing to sacrifice picture quality for waterproof and most importantly the wrist strap. The wrist strap setup is top notch. It is so accessable and easy to use. I have not had any trouble with framing pictures in the view finder as some others have had. The only pictures that are hard to get is trying to get verticle pics because it is hard to position your arm and keep the camera straight with it strapped to your wrist. I was very impressed with the picture quality. I didn't expect such crisp pictures from this camera. The only pictures that don't turn out very well are indoor pictures, but who cares, you don't need a waterproof camera indoors. The battery life is very good, I use rechargable NMhd batteries. I have not even used the video feature but the reviews seem to say that it works great. I have had mine for a little over a year and have taken it on many kayaking trips. I always get great pictures and never get dead batteries in the middle of a trip. I will sometimes take 80 to 90 pictures in a span of 5 to 6 hours on the same set of batteries. The wrist strap is also very comfortable even after being on for 5 to 6 hours. I have also used this camera at the beach a little and had no problems with it. I have not had it more than 5 feet under water, but so far so good.
By Ricardo Velez Bravo
es un buen producto, aguanta golpes y vibraciones, la he utlizado en mis montadas en bici todo terreno, aguanta golpes, pantano y lo mejor de todo, dejaremos el recuerdo de aquellos momentos inborrables de nuestras mentes y impresas en papel. aunque es a veces dificil poner en el recuadro de la foto el objetivo, gracias a la tecnologia digital y a la capacidad de memoria de 2 gigas, se pueden tomar todas las fotos que uno quiera para evitar que aquel "super momento" quede en pantalla.
By Victor T. Holm
I tried the camera in a pool and I was disappointed with pictures. Then I tried putting it in video mode. On a scuba trip to Belize I only used video which lasts about 50 minutes just about the time for one dive. After a little practice I had no trouble just pointing my wrist at the subject and usually was right on. The breathing sound definitely adds realism. The color is OK but changes with the light. Even at 90 ft. the light is good and you still see color. No leaks. The video is jerky when viewed raw but I run it though Adobe Premiere and converted it to 30 frames per second and the result was amazing. I now have smooth realistic motion. Use it only in video mode; you can always take out single shots if you want to print one.
By Gary H (CA USA)
I saw this camera on sale during a 4th of July sale at a sporting store that was way out of town. It was 50% off. I looked at it and thought the camera will obviously not take good pictures or videos and will need alot of light to make things look decent. I could probably find it cheaper elsewhere if I looked online. So I went home, did some reseach on the internet and decided that I want it (for mountain biking, skiing, drag racing, etc). I went out of town again just to pick it up (savings negated by gas cost and my time).
That night I decided that since I'm going to walk around the block, I'm going to try out the digital hero. Put the batteries in and walked around. I was out for about 15 minutes, but I could not shut the thing off once I got home. I pulled the battery out and back in to reset it. Went to my computer to view the video and found a zero length file (it's corrupt). I tried taking short videos and that would cause the camera to lock up. The prospect of making that long journey back to the store for an exchange and/or a refund didn't sit well with me so I tried a few things. I took a few pictures, which seems to work. Some pics came out quite dark. I figured perhaps I had an SD card that it didn't like so I put another one in. Same issue - camera would lock up when taking videos. Pictures came out ok. If a took a few, the latter ones would be darker, even with the exact same scene. I had a hunch.. I then replaced the made in China batteries with Duracell brand battery.. Ah, that was it! I was able to take videos. If the prev batteries were good, then I'm expecting about 15 minutes or so with these Duracell batteries (maybe more) and it seems other have gotten about the same amount of time. Recording seems to drain the battery fast.
The pictures and videos are just ok, but I think daytime pictures would be decent (haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet).
I tried a 4GB sd card (knowing it probably won't work). The unit would not turn on with that card. In fact, the LCD look like it was on, but the display was blank (the lcd shimmered). So a 4GB card defintately will not work.
I am going to hardwire 3v dc to the unit so I can take it on long trips and use it as a car cam.
The product fills a niche market. It has an excellent waterproof case and does the job. I have to give this unit a 3 star because of the high battery consumption and the poor low light performance in both picture and video mode. It does have a few things I didn't expect: time lapse and burst mode photo mode which I was looking for in a higher end camera. I just could not bring myself to give it a 4 star. A more appropriate score would probably be 3.5. If you just a device that takes you tube quality type pictures, this is a good product considering the price I got it for.
It's a keeper for me. I have an HD camera so if I wanted something high quality, I will use that, but never in the water or reluctantly during skiing or mountain biking.
UPDATE 7/7: this thing sucks battery like no tomorrow. I was able to get less than 5 minutes of video recording, then it shut down (I'm not exactly sure how long, but it didn't last long). Of course the video was corrupt. I then proceeded to take a snapshot every 5 sec.. that work for 93 pics until the camera shut down. In video mode, the unit uses alot of power... i'm going to try some Energizer Lithium Battery, which a few people have success with. I'll be back..
UPDATE 7/9: got some generic nimh aaa. I can now take about 10-13 minutes of video before it stops (these are actual video times before the camera stops the recording. Files are no longer corrupt because there is enough juice for the camera to safely stop video recording). But I can continue taking pictures until the battery runs out... about 500-600 pics every 5 secs. I'm going to try some name brand nimh aaa. My goal is to be able to take an hour of video with a set of rechargeables.
UPDATE 7/15: do not get the energizer rechargeable nimh 900mah batteries. First charge, videos recording lasted less than 10 seconds. Second try I charged it up for over 12 hours and immediately put it into the Digital Hero 3 and got 3 minutes. I thought these brand name nimh batteries would last alot longer - apparently not. They're going back to the store. I'm going to try these again a few more time so they'll go through 3 full charge/discharge cycles before I consider these as poor!
UPDATE 8/2: I returned the Energizers and Ultralasts (900 and 1000mah, respectively). The Ultralast rechargeables lasted longer than the Energizers! I got the BC900 battery charger and the Engerizers show a capacity of about 600mah and a little higher for the Ultralast. I'm now using Duracell recharageables which show a capacity of about 950mah and seem to last the longest, although not spectacular at over 10 minutes and over 1000 pictures after it cannot take any more videos.
By Peter Norris (Lake Jackson, TX USA)
I love my GoPro Hero; but I sympathize with those who are unhappy with it- I think they just don't "get it". It is not a great point & shoot still camera since it is primarily a tiny video camera and recorder, and an indestructable one at that. It is best at videos of activities that would smash your camcorder to bits! My favorite feature is the time-lapse function for long bike rides, with the handlebar mount. Fun! Usually color & brightness is very good. Anyone having trouble should call GoPro since the camera takes fine pictures.
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