GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition

Discussion in 'Mods, Upgrades, Accessories and Products' started by Andy, Sep 20, 2013.

  1. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    Just got a cracking deal on one from eBay £258

    Does anybody have experience with these ?

    I am trying to see which is the best settings to film in, taking speed & vibration into account, is it better to film @ 1080p @ 60fps or 4K @15fps or any of the other resolutions / fps ?
     
  2. Remal

    Remal It's ME
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    I would not get a 3 as I have the 1 and it's excellent. well worth having if you don't already own one. used mine on the kit car, bike, trackdays and took it to mexico on my hols.

    Stunning bit of kit. I used to have full HD but set mine on 720p = 1280x720 pixels (16:9) 60FPS which used less memory which is easier to edit and transfer. Setting r3 on my Go pro 1. the quality and stunning on my new 47" HD Tv also

    been that happy that once it brakes or whatever I would by the next new model they have out without a doubt
     
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  3. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    Thanks Remal, I have never had one before but have been toying with the idea of getting one for a while.

    I was looking around all over as you do and found a brand new one on eBay at what i thought was a extremely good price compared to the rrp

    Just trying to get a heads up on what fps & resolution people find works best on a ride out
     
  4. madmac

    madmac Well-Known Member

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    I just bought one of the MD80 cameras that were mentioned in the other thread recently. £8.49 new from ebay! Bargain!

    Not expecting much for that money, but at least it will give me an idea of how I would use a cam before shelling out £200+ on one :)
     
  5. sinewave

    sinewave God Like

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  6. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    Yes the lack of a viewing screen straight out of the box is a bit of a shame.

    Have you noticed any difference in quality @ 1080p 30/25fps compared to 720p @ 60fps at speed when playing back on either a monitor or tv ?
     
  7. sinewave

    sinewave God Like

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    TBH I've not even used it yet despite having had it 4 days!

    Bit busy with work to play about with it ATM but off on a mini Touring Hol next week to Yorkshire wiv da boy's so will try it out then ready for the Two Dayer Track Day at Oulton in October.

    It aint cheap but it seems those in the know reckon it's a better setup than the Go-Pro unit
     
  8. lambchops

    lambchops Elite Member

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    i have the silver version, realy love it and have done loads of bike vids this summer with it. Search for jbmugen on youtube so you can see the quality.

    with the gopro you can use your android phone or iphone to veiw what the camera is seeing and also playback via wifi so no need for a screen
     
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  9. MrB

    MrB God Like

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    I have a Drift HD Ghost and the mic is crap even on the lowest setting you can't hear anything other than wind noise. Not found a solution yet.
     
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  10. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    The gopro app for the iPhone is very handy for setting up the camera but seems to have quite a big time lag in relaying the image back to the phone screen, I have not had chance to record any footage yet so unsure how playback will be.

    The weekend weather looks pretty good so I'm going to give it a good test on Sunday
     
  11. Jimbo Vills

    Jimbo Vills God Like

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    They were on the Gopro1 too tbh from the vids pals have done, on the 3 (not heard 2) it's mint, really have cut the wind and improved the noise quality out.

    Must admit, was looking at the drift at the weekend, image looks good / similar to go pro, but I think the gp3 would be the one I'd got for tbh.... More because I'm familiar with them and not really a gadget man :(
     
    #11 Jimbo Vills, Sep 20, 2013
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2013
  12. MrB

    MrB God Like

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    If I can't stop the wind noise I'll prob sell and go for a GoPro. I do prefer the Drift from a design perspective with the screen etc. but I don't really want to have to get an external mic and bury it away somewhere just to get some decent sound.
     
  13. sinewave

    sinewave God Like

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    Plugging in an external Mic then just taping it at the back of the camera out of the main wind should improve matters considerably.

    At the end of the day Wind noise is what you hear yourself when riding as you are thrashing through stationary air at a fair velocity.

    The Camera is only doing it's job and reproducing what it hears.

    If you just want a 'doctored' sound of mostly the engine note then an external Mic mounted under the seat unit near the Zorst might be the way forward?
     
  14. robinh73

    robinh73 Well-Known Member

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    Interesting thread this, as I am too want a GP3 Black. I got rid of my GP2 as I thought the new features on the 3 (especially the black) were awesome and worth the extra. Loved the 2 though, great bit of kit, but the wi-fi setup, the remote control jobbie, the extra leds so you can see if it is recording without having to bend over double to look at the one on the front of the camera, fall off the bike and end up recording the whole sorry affair, just make the 3 more appealing. Plus the black has some incredible record modes too.
     
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  15. Jimbo Vills

    Jimbo Vills God Like

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    Surely you wouldn't want to listen to wind noise? Does my head in.... IMO you want to hear the bike singing, not herd the drift so can't comment but from what I've seen you get hardly any on the gopro3.

    You do have to spend money for screen etc and works out dearer.... But guess you get what you pay for?

    Not that I'm slagging the drift off, looks class bit of kit, and until I heard the sound quality of the gp3 I thought the original was mustard and wind noise was just something you couldn't avoid...
     
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  16. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    I think a lot of the sound quality also comes from the case the camera mounts into, it comes with one case but you get 2 back doors for it.

    One has two open slots which is recommended for speeds up to 100mph, the other a complete waterproof up to 60m sealed door which im going to be trying tomorrow

    Sealed Door Front.jpg
    Sealed Door Rear.jpg

    The suction cup mounting feels very solid but doesn't stop me being a little nervous about it bouncing down the road
     
  17. MrB

    MrB God Like

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    Yep I'd agree with that has to be better than an open mic on the Drift that can only pick up very loud wind noise even on it's lowest setting with not a hint of engine or exhaust.
     
  18. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    Well i can honestly say what a amazing bit of kit, i decided i would put the settings to 1080p @ 60fps which on a 32gb card would give me roughly 2h 30 mins of footage according to the gopro app on the iphone.
    The built in wifi is a huge help when positioning the camera before setting off since it has no lcd display as standard.

    It's been quite a windy day and when getting up to speed it was exceptionally noisy, however i decided i was going to use the fully enclosed back door to help reduce wind noise, im not saying it's perfect but you certainly hear much more of the engine than the wind at speed.

    But it's the image quality and the smoothness of playback is what impressed me the most, playing back on a 1080p television or monitor where it really performs, i have taken some screen shoots to try and show you guys the image quality at very slow speed and high speed.

    I don't know how well the picture it will transfer across on the forum but here goes

    Slow Speed Image
    Manor Cafe.jpg

    Speed
    Still at Speed 1.jpg

    Still at Speed.jpg

    The only negative i would have to say is battery life is shocking, the battery was long dead before the day was out, i only got 50 mins of video before it died.
     
  19. sinewave

    sinewave God Like

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    That's where you need a USB Charging port suitable located on ya Bike so as to have ya Camera plugged in permanently!

    USB 2.jpg
     
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  20. Andy

    Andy Active Member

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    Cracking idea, but the gopro sits in a sealed case making it impossible to have constant power feed on the move, however if it was a constant live to the USB and maybe be fit it into the boot you could pop it on charge while you go for a brew
     

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