Gopro Hero 3 black edition review - DSLR FILM NOOB

This review ran a little longer thin I was expecting so I'll be posting the low light tests as well as, audio tests with the usb adapter, and a guide on using the hero 3 black edition as a steady cam in a future video.

Equipment used in this video:
Canon 6d
Tamron 24-70mm f2.8
Gopro Hero 3 black edition

[Schaaf]

I'm a big GoPro fan but I'd still rather use my cheap-o fisheye + DSLR when it comes to producing quality footage. The lack of manual exposure control doesn't matter with most action-sports shooting but it can be quite difficult to handle whenever you want a certain outcome/look from your footage.

[onelonedork]

I use mine on a daily bases, the original firmware had a few problems. You'd have to remove the battery every once in awhile to rest it. Since the update it's been running pretty smoothly. If you turn the wifi off and don't use the touch monitor, you'll get about 50 min out of it with wasabi batteries.

[onelonedork]

The exposure controls are a pain. There is nothing you can do but light and hope that the sensor reads things correctly. Not bad in direct sunlight but a bit of a hassle when you transition to different areas.

[onelonedork]

Actually, playback during recording was working at 720p before the android software update and it seems to be working for iphone users. I'm guess it's a programming issue.

[SymonSaysTV]

Is it possible to have non fisheye (rectilinear) footage out of that camera? Maybe with some adaptor? And is it realistic thinking to match images from that GoPro 3 Black, to DSLR (like a 60D) in a short film, without a noticeable difference? I'm thinking about buying it with Phantom 2 drone, for aerial shots, but I'm very skeptical about the mixing of those two camera images. Thanks!

[barodactyl]

can't wait for the steadicam warp stabilizer test

[ZacharyGreenquist]

Hit the mode/power button until you get to settings. Hit the shutter button to select something, and mode/power button again to switch options. Hope it helped!

[sampoop]

The preview does work while recording just not above 1080. It is probably limited by processing capabilities. On my GoPro it creates three files. One is your video and then there is an additional postage-stamp sized video file that the camera updates on storage in real time. I think this is what the gopro app uses for its preview. Technically you should be able to stream that file in a media player like videolan. Aim your browser at the IP address of the GoPro and hunt around a bit.

[GoProFREAK]

I used to have problems while I used a cheap class 4 micro sd card, but since I switched to the class 10 I have NEVER had my GoPro Black freeze up, stop recording after I press record, turn off or on on me against my will. Not to mention, GoPro has released a software update that should also fix these issues just recently. Don't hesitate on buying a GoPro, you won't regret it at all, I was hesitant after reading the negative Black reviews, now I'm glad I didn't listen to them.

[Qk]

I wished they still used the regular SD card.My GOpro Hero2 last about 4.2hrs with with the bacpac.. and 2hrs on just one bat.. Looks like it last the same amount of time with the new one.. oh and 1hr of protune settings is 32GB. How are the file sizes of the different resolution from 1080p 60fps and up to 4k ?

[sepeterson]

Can you do a demo of how to use it as a steady cam, import the footage and applying the warp stabilizer effect? I think a lot of shooters will appreciate it in the long run. Thanks Deejay!

[onelonedork]

If you are filming car videos, you might be better off with a Canon HF G10. It has as good or better low light performance than a t4i. Also you don't need to buy any lenses and it's very simple to use. Video quality on the G10 is also excellent and you can find it used for less than a t4i.

[onelonedork]

To me it looks wider then 16mm of a full frame, I couldn't find any specs on it but it seems like it's close to 11mm.

[PontiRamanta]

gopro max FOV is 170 degree, so it would like a 15mm fisheye on fullframe or 12mm fisheye on 1.6X crop sensor.
it is an fisheye lens, not rectilinear ultra wide angle lens.

[wal]

Does it provide clean HDMI out at full resolution? Great video, I look forward to your next one! I recently got the Sennheiser G3 wireless system and look forward to using it in my videos as well.

BigDWiz - OldSchoolStereo-com

[ZacharyGreenquist]

No. Set zoom length. You can somewhat decide what all is in the frame by adjusting the POV, but I just leave it on wide.

[HerbsmanRevs]

You can't just use any old class 10, though. If you want to film in 2.7k Pro mode you need a card that can write at a least 45mbps and these ultra fast cards are rare and expensive. I'm mainly using the Sandisk Ultra 32 and when filming in 2.7k the GoPro reduces the data rate to 35mbps so the card can cope. If you want the full 45mbps quality you must use one of the cards recommended by GoPro. I went for the Delkin as it was the cheapest at £39.99 for the 32Gb, on eBay.

[petesmxz]

Great videos. Maybe you have answered this question in a previous video but how do you get such clear video uploads on YouTube. The quality is superb. Could you direct me to a video that you may have done on this subject. Or make one!! It's prob a sequence of events of filming settings, editing and exporting. I know a bit about this but I am no wizard. Any help would be great! Nice job!

[monstertunes]

good review. Glad you changed to a live outro. Not exactly a fan of the choir or the zombie eye roll, but whatever floats your boat.

[onelonedork]

Video quality is really good for such a small camera. I actually had to turn off a few lights because the gopro was over exposing my cheeks. The video ran long so I'll be posting some low light tests as well as some audio tests in the next video.

Shooting at 2.7k and scaling down (many of these shot were done that way) really gives you a lot of resolution to work with.