GoPro HERO3+: Silver Edition

If you missed the boat on the last iteration of GoPro's HERO3, don't fret, you waited for just the right amount of time. With the HERO3+ Silver Edition, you'll find a reduced size and weight, faster Wi-Fi, enhanced low-light quality, a reduction in distortion, and a battery with 30% longer life. Good things happen for those who wait. Compared to the last HERO3, the HERO3+ Silver Edition has been reduced in size by 15%, and the camera weight was also reduced by 15%. In fact, the HERO3+ now tips the scales 2.21 ounces. The camera body retains the black backing treatment, and the front still boasts GoPro's accessible and progressive user interface. The new housing also enables the camera to be waterproof up to 131ft/40m. The lens makes features the same flat design with a waterproof housing. It's what GoPro calls a six-element aspherical lens. What does this mean? Simply put, the lens has been designed to operate evenly across more light conditions than ever before. For the camera nerds; it's an f/2.8 - 6.0 lens. So, you'll experience sharper image quality whether it's blisteringly bright or the sun has nearly disappeared. And with this iteration of the HERO, GoPro improved the camera's capturing quality in low-light conditions. Additionally, GoPro has taken steps to reduce distortion, while also improving image sharpness. The new lens also allows Ultra-wide, Medium, and Narrow field of view modes, and you can operate the White Balance in either auto or manual modes (3000k, 5500k, 6500k, Cam Raw). Now, you can expect crystal clear resolution from sunrise to sunset. And speaking of resolution, the HERO3+ Silver Edition boasts ultra-high resolution video modes with a processor that's twice as fast as the HERO3's. The frame rate is sharper than the HERO3, capturing at 1080p60, 960p60, and 720p120fps. Basically, if you love slow-motion shots, the HERO3+ is a godsend. And did we mention that all of these rates can be run from Ultra-Wide mode? Awesome. For ti...

• 15% smaller and lighter housing (waterproof to 131'/40m)


• 2x faster image processor enables 1080p60 and 720p120 fps video


• Enhanced low-light performance


• 30% longer battery life


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CUSTOMER REVIEW



Be aware when purchasing that there are some aspects to the new "improved" lens that may not be for everyone. This week it has been fairly well documented (and confirmed by GoPro) that while the new lens produces much sharper images under 4', they are blurrier at distances greater than 4'. It does NOT focus at infinity. For reasons not fully explained, they moved the focal point of the lens in close and sacrificed distance clarity.



Update at bottom.



You will get great shots under 4' and soft focus beyond that. Depending on what you want it for, this camera may not be for you and the regular H3 might be a better bet. Since this is an effect of the lens it applies to both stills and video. On the other hand, it's still a decent small action camera, and if you take a lot of video in motion you may not notice this at all. For YouTube uploads and streaming it may not matter, I haven't tested this myself. If you want better clarity in your images the 3B is a good choice. I personally will play with it this week before deciding if I should return it. (Update: it's going back.)



It boggles the mind that they have produced a camera that claims to have a better lens and ignored the fact that it is in fact worse for 90% of what you'll be filming. Great clarity on your handlebars but not so good on the scenery.



Edit: other pluses- the color is much better with the 3+ than the 3. Low light shooting is also better, although sometimes lens flare from lights is a little worse, sometimes better. No more chromatic aberration (yellow/purple fringing). Just do some reading before buying this, they made some trade-offs in the new lens.



Updated 10/17:



Well after comparing the two (3+B and 3B) this week, there are some more problems that have had me downgrade this to a 3 star. For one, the right and left sides of the images on the 3+ are smeared. I mean really distorted, and I'm not using SuperView. Additionally the contrast seems to be set too high, causing some loss of detail in the shadows and blowing out whites a bit. This at least is changeable with a firmware update if they choose to do so. The blurry edges put me over the edge and I'm returning it. It's too bad, it's almost a great camera, with some nice improvements, but the lens is a definite problem, and not necessarily an improvement... certainly not 33% sharper.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHN-302-HERO3-Silver-Edition/dp/B00F3F0EIU/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_3