First Look: GoPro Hero3 - Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful

Last night GoPro CEO Nick Woodman announced the brand new supercharged GoPro HERO3 check out some of the details on the new camera here.

The new GoPro will be available in 3 new options. The White edition which has a similar spec-list to the original HD Hero, The silver edition that has a similar spec-list to the current market leader the HD Hero 2 and the real announcement which is the new Black edition. The Black edition is considerably more powerful than any other previous model from GoPro yet still packed into that tiny mountable body.

All the new Hero3 cameras are considerably smaller than previous models 30% smaller and 25% lighter to be precise. To compensate for this GoPro have had to change from the standard SD cards to Micro SD as there just isn't enough space inside the camera for that bigger card! Gopro also reckon they have increased the audio performance so that could mean the end of that infamous GoPro bean tin sound on so many online videos!

The Hero3 now features Wifi built in as standard making it effortless to link to your computer and there's even no need to buy the extra Wifi Backpack accessory. The Black edition is even shipped with the remote for free. Built in wifi means all Hero3 cameras are even compatible with the great new GoPro app!

 

Right then, down to the nitty gritty of the new Black edition camera! First up the new Hero3 has the capability to shoot 4K resolution which in a camera as small and cheap as this is mind blowing. 4k resolution  is 4096 × 3112 pixels  compared to the current standard of 1920x1080 pixels that we call 1080pHD thats just over twice the level of resolution! Admittedly this is only at 15fps so its not going to be particularly smooth or useable in a mountain bike sense but the technology is there to be built upon! It also offers 2.7k resolution at a completely usable 30fps making cinema quality images a standard thing to the consumer! The Hero3 offers 60fps at 1080p and 120fps at 720p which means the GoPro now offers smooth slo-mo at HD resolutions.

There are some cool new mounting options as well...  Replacing the Naked body from previous models is the "Cage". That still brings all the cable access and better sound quality benefits.

So it seems the new GoPro changes the action camera game again.

Recommended retail prices of these cameras are a little bit more expensive than previous models but you are getting a bit more bang for your buck! The black edition is £359.99 , Silver Edition £279.99 and lowest model White Edition £199.99.