Go Pros

johannalf88

Hi All,

I have noticed (ok I got an email...) that a new GoPro will be released soon. Just called GoPro Hero (no number). It is £99 and supposed to be the beginners range. However they still have the GoPro 3 available for £50 more, and I am just trying to see what the big extra thing is that makes it worth more. The biggest thing I can see is the wifi. It has other things that seem better on the cheaper version, and bits that don't!

I am not looking for me, but for my husband. Will be used for climbing, scuba diving, sailing etc.

Anyone got any opinions on why one is worth £50 more?

Thanks!:beer:

Ant555

Looks like the differences are as follows

Hero has Ultra Wide Field of view where the Hero3 has UltraWide, Medium and Narrow fields of view.
I have no idea if this makes a difference with the sports you mention

Hero ports Mini USB, Micro SD
Hero 3 ports Micro HDMI, mini USB, microSD, HERO Port, Composite A/V (via adapter, sold separately), 3.5mm Stereo Mic (via adapter, sold separately)
So, the Hero is pretty much connect to a lap top and work on files there, Hero 3 looks like it will connect direct to TV etc.

Hero takes up to 32Gb MicroSD
Hero 3 up to 64Gb Micro SD

Hope this helps

paddyrg

To be honest the extra cost gets you some pretty funky features, but they're features most people will never use. For instance, being able to preview and start/stop recording via a smartphone is great if you're shooting specific footage via a quad copter, pretty useless if you're documenting a bike ride (and it canes the battery something chronic). Similarly with narrower angle views, may have specific uses, but none of those activities really are ones that will want it.

I'd spend the extra on a good memory card or a bit of software to rescue corrupted gopro footage if the card gets knocked loose (happened to me filming for a gig, there's only one bit of software that works), or a floating back so it doesn't get lost diving

PS - bookmark this http://grauonline.de/cms2/?page_id=5 in case you do ever need to recover go pro footage, I tried everything else, only this would rebuild the headers if a file didn't get them written properly - and I tried a LOT of alternatives!

neilwoods

Yes funky features for an extra £50, but worth it. Plus on the hero 3, you can change the battery, so for a full day climb or dive, spare battery packs would a must. The new hero battery is built in, so would need to be recharged before using again.

Then there is the housing, again built in for the new hero, but the hero 3 is separate, so should anything happen to the housing, could simply buy a new one for the hero 3, as for the new hero, no idea as yet.

Also seeing as scuba diving, you can buy something called floaty backdoor for the hero3, a floatation device so if it was to detach from the wearer, it floats up instead of sinking.

So for the extra £50 lots more versatility.

slimfandango

neilwoods wrote: »

Yes funky features for an extra £50, but worth it. Plus on the hero 3, you can change the battery, so for a full day climb or dive, spare battery packs would a must. The new hero battery is built in, so would need to be recharged before using again.

Then there is the housing, again built in for the new hero, but the hero 3 is separate, so should anything happen to the housing, could simply buy a new one for the hero 3, as for the new hero, no idea as yet.

Also seeing as scuba diving, you can buy something called floaty backdoor for the hero3, a floatation device so if it was to detach from the wearer, it floats up instead of sinking.

So for the extra £50 lots more versatility.

The new ones certainly have a battery with a longer lifespan but the battery is not user serviceable I don't think so when it overdischarges repeatedly and starts to weaken you may have to bin the unit. Happened on a certain phone I had. Ended up getting this one (SJ4000) from Bangood http://www.banggood.com/SJcam-SJ4000-WiFi-Car-DVR-Camera-Sport-DV-Novatek-Waterproof-p-939976.html?p=FB0917407849201401SD which has image quality as good as/better than the Gopro many say and is about 50 quid. I got it from their UK warehouse but they have overseas stock for about a tenner cheaper. I'll post footage, mainly use it for my quadcopter and I love it. :j

wr1ght

better than a gopro ???? cheap copy more like

neilwoods

Very cheap copy. May work great. But does it come with the same after care. I know someone whos gopro when into a lake without the waterproof case, was out of warranty. But they replaced no questions asked.

Will the makers of that camera do the same. Plus a lot of bad reviews for that cam

Chorlie

Ive just bought a SJ400, it comes with everything; I bought an extra 2 batteries, mains charger and car kit all for under £80 including postage.

http://www.foxoffer.com/sjcam-sj4000-wifi-1080p-full-hd-action-camera-sport-dvr-p-763.html

It's a copy of a Go Pro, but it's a bloody good copy, the problem is that they are so good, there are copies of this copy and they are crap. So you have to buy it for either Bang Good or for where I bought it which was Foxoffer.com


http://www.foxoffer.com/blog/2014/08/06/about-the-sj4000-action-camera-original-and-copy-version/

slimfandango

neilwoods wrote: »

Very cheap copy. May work great. But does it come with the same after care. I know someone whos gopro when into a lake without the waterproof case, was out of warranty. But they replaced no questions asked.

Will the makers of that camera do the same. Plus a lot of bad reviews for that cam

What??
So the Gopro makers, for some guy you know, replaced it after he was a duffus and put it in a lake with no case, and maybe, you don't know but maybe, the makers of the competition might not do that, so Gopro are better?
Bad reviews...where? I've read 100 reviews. They were all positive. I've seen the footage. It's better than the equivalent Gopro. It's up there with the Gopro model that's 3 times the price. It has solidly penetrated the market and hundreds of people who have reported on the SJCAM I quoted are delighted with it. People are saying you are paying for the name with Gopro. In some of the higher end units (#250 TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS) you get 60 FPS at full HD. On the SJ you get 60FPS at 720P. And bloody good it looks too.
I'm sorry, but your comments just don't stand up to any kind of scrutiny at all. If people want ripped off by the Gopro name, go ahead.
Many have been prone to locking up. Alishanmao, THE youtube expert on all things quadcopter, he like flies 2 flights a day on the very very latest multithousand pound quad kits, sells them for a living, spends half his time with a set of goggles on his bonce that are linked to a cam (originally Gopro) that is recording and feeding a live feed to his video goggles (SJ4000 does this too)....you know what this guy said? I AM LOOKING TO RATE OTHER CAMS BECAUSE THE GOPRO IS TOO DANGEROUS FOR ME, IT LOCKS UP MID FLIGHT TOO FREQUENTLY. There are tons of reports on this. Look it up on Amazon. Top end model. 350 pounds. Locks up mid flight. That means you can lose your quad (5 grand), Gopro, and all your camera gear (a grand). Never heard of a locking up SJ4000.
'Very cheap copy'. I don't think so.

slimfandango

slimfandango wrote: »

The new ones certainly have a battery with a longer lifespan but the battery is not user serviceable I don't think so when it overdischarges repeatedly and starts to weaken you may have to bin the unit. Happened on a certain phone I had. Ended up getting this one (SJ4000) from Bangood http://www.banggood.com/SJcam-SJ4000-WiFi-Car-DVR-Camera-Sport-DV-Novatek-Waterproof-p-939976.html?p=FB0917407849201401SD which has image quality as good as/better than the Gopro many say and is about 50 quid. I got it from their UK warehouse but they have overseas stock for about a tenner cheaper. I'll post footage, mainly use it for my quadcopter and I love it. :j

Pretty handy having the WIFI, means you can frame your shot better from a quad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwxkuTe6_jc

dipsomaniac

wifi also good for framing wide angle lens photos around the house