GoPro Hero3

[dr.chop]

Hey, I figured I would get the opinions of you guys out here that have and use one of these cameras. I have the hero2 and was looking into buying a 3, but some of the reviews (quite a bit actually) have not been so pleasant towards the 3 black edition. Most say it is very glitchy and freezes up, and also has horrible battery life (45 min on regular, and 1:15 with the backpack). Has anyone experienced this at all? And anyone out here with one use it for diving/snorkeling? I would like to see actual vids from actual people not professionally edited so I can gauge if I really want to dump the $400 or not. I would consider trading for one though, and will post a thread for that, but only if the opinions are favorable. Otherwise a 2nd hero 2 may be in line.

 

[Wicked]

Hero2 owner here. Love the Black edition Hero3 but have heard/read same as you. Do you have the LCD backpac on your Hero2? I have one but am away for work and have not had a chance to try it yet.

 

[dr.chop]

Cool. I don't have the backapck for mine yet. I have the dive housing, which I found out in Hawaii on my honeymoon last year was an absolute must...I was NOT happy about not getting useable footage on my first day snorkeling. I have the chest harness, moisture pads (anti fog) which while in Hawaii, it fogged horribly in the dive housing, but when I went to Laguna last week, not a bit of fogging...Maybe the humidity and temps in Hawaii just screwed with it, but I did notice the battery got fairly warm. I plan on getting a few of the optional mount kits for it and possibly one of the red filters since I don't care so much for the way the color tones look when you use their software to "correct" the white balance issues for underwater. I should actually try using Adobe instead of their software since I have it...

 

[Wicked]

Never had mine in the water. The battery def. gets pretty warm which causes the fogging. Mine fogged up alittle bit last year while driving up Mt. Palomor but I did not have any moisture pads in it. I now need to learn how to edit what I film, lol.

 

[dr.chop]

I certainly plan to get a few more batteries for mine, but also a stand alone charger as well.

 

[Cargo]

I certainly plan to get a few more batteries for mine, but also a stand alone charger as well.

I picked up a charger and 3 batterys on ebay for like $30 or so, for the Hero2.
I also have the LCD BacPac which I dont care for, kills the battery quick.
I use mine for driving videos and I now use the WiFi BacPac and love it.

 

[Playmaker]

Any comments fron the scuba divers? I would really like to buy this but not if it isn't worth while.

 

[Patient_Cero]

I had a former coworker who was a dive instructor. He and many of his students had greaat results with the Hero 2 & 3 while diving. The fishbowl effect of the factory housing was the biggest gripe on the two, that was remedied with the 3 in large but not 100% for some. It is no substitute for the dedicated underwater cameras and light attachments, but it served a purpose for the recreational diver. You can find more users here:
http://www.goproforums.com/15-gopro-hd-hero3/
and this is a sub-section on another gopro dedicated forum soley for those using it in water applications.
http://www.goprofanatics.com/watersports/