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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - GoPro Digital HERO 3 Sports Wrist Camera
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List Price: $139.99
Our Price: $139.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: GoPro
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Batteries Included: 1
Battery Description: 2 AAA
Binding: Electronics
Brand: GoPro
EAN: 0185323000033
Feature: 3 megapixel all-season digital sports camera
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Label: GoPro
Manufacturer: GoPro
Model: GDH30
Publisher: GoPro
Studio: GoPro
Warranty: 1 year warranty
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Features
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3 megapixel all-season digital sports camera
Shoots TV quality 640x480, 30fps video (use internal or optional SD memory)
16MB of internal memory and accepts up to a 2GB SD card
Pivots upright for on the fly photos or video
Waterproof up to 100 feet
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Editorial Reviews:
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The price is right, and for many applications the GoPro Digital Hero 3 Sports Wrist Camera will meet the needs of many cost conscious consumers. The base Hero 3 package includes everything you need to wear this camera on your wrist. The bomber case provides ample protection from the elements and will ensure the longevity of the unit. Helmet Camera Central recommends this unit to the cost conscious consumer who is looking for a helmet cam to capture their events and post to YouTube. 56 minutes of TV quality video with sound
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: un buen recuerdo de la aventura
Comment: es un buen producto, aguanta golpes y vibraciones, la he utlizado en mis montadas en bici todo terreno, aguanta golpes, pantano y lo mejor de todo, dejaremos el recuerdo de aquellos momentos inborrables de nuestras mentes y impresas en papel. aunque es a veces dificil poner en el recuadro de la foto el objetivo, gracias a la tecnologia digital y a la capacidad de memoria de 2 gigas, se pueden tomar todas las fotos que uno quiera para evitar que aquel "super momento" quede en pantalla.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Scuba Diving with the Hero
Comment: I tried the camera in a pool and I was disappointed with pictures. Then I tried putting it in video mode. On a scuba trip to Belize I only used video which lasts about 50 minutes just about the time for one dive. After a little practice I had no trouble just pointing my wrist at the subject and usually was right on. The breathing sound definitely adds realism. The color is OK but changes with the light. Even at 90 ft. the light is good and you still see color. No leaks. The video is jerky when viewed raw but I run it though Adobe Premiere and converted it to 30 frames per second and the result was amazing. I now have smooth realistic motion. Use it only in video mode; you can always take out single shots if you want to print one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Your expectations of this camera will determine whether or not you'll like it.
Comment: I saw this camera on sale during a 4th of July sale at a sporting store that was way out of town. It was 50% off. I looked at it and thought the camera will obviously not take good pictures or videos and will need alot of light to make things look decent. I could probably find it cheaper elsewhere if I looked online. So I went home, did some reseach on the internet and decided that I want it (for mountain biking, skiing, drag racing, etc). I went out of town again just to pick it up (savings negated by gas cost and my time).
That night I decided that since I'm going to walk around the block, I'm going to try out the digital hero. Put the batteries in and walked around. I was out for about 15 minutes, but I could not shut the thing off once I got home. I pulled the battery out and back in to reset it. Went to my computer to view the video and found a zero length file (it's corrupt). I tried taking short videos and that would cause the camera to lock up. The prospect of making that long journey back to the store for an exchange and/or a refund didn't sit well with me so I tried a few things. I took a few pictures, which seems to work. Some pics came out quite dark. I figured perhaps I had an SD card that it didn't like so I put another one in. Same issue - camera would lock up when taking videos. Pictures came out ok. If a took a few, the latter ones would be darker, even with the exact same scene. I had a hunch.. I then replaced the made in China batteries with Duracell brand battery.. Ah, that was it! I was able to take videos. If the prev batteries were good, then I'm expecting about 15 minutes or so with these Duracell batteries (maybe more) and it seems other have gotten about the same amount of time. Recording seems to drain the battery fast.
The pictures and videos are just ok, but I think daytime pictures would be decent (haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet).
I tried a 4GB sd card (knowing it probably won't work). The unit would not turn on with that card. In fact, the LCD look like it was on, but the display was blank (the lcd shimmered). So a 4GB card defintately will not work.
I am going to hardwire 3v dc to the unit so I can take it on long trips and use it as a car cam.
The product fills a niche market. It has an excellent waterproof case and does the job. I have to give this unit a 3 star because of the high battery consumption and the poor low light performance in both picture and video mode. It does have a few things I didn't expect: time lapse and burst mode photo mode which I was looking for in a higher end camera. I just could not bring myself to give it a 4 star. A more appropriate score would probably be 3.5. If you just a device that takes you tube quality type pictures, this is a good product considering the price I got it for.
It's a keeper for me. I have an HD camera so if I wanted something high quality, I will use that, but never in the water or reluctantly during skiing or mountain biking.
UPDATE 7/7: this thing sucks battery like no tomorrow. I was able to get less than 5 minutes of video recording, then it shut down (I'm not exactly sure how long, but it didn't last long). Of course the video was corrupt. I then proceeded to take a snapshot every 5 sec.. that work for 93 pics until the camera shut down. In video mode, the unit uses alot of power... i'm going to try some Energizer Lithium Battery, which a few people have success with. I'll be back..
UPDATE 7/9: got some generic nimh aaa. I can now take about 10-13 minutes of video before it stops (these are actual video times before the camera stops the recording. Files are no longer corrupt because there is enough juice for the camera to safely stop video recording). But I can continue taking pictures until the battery runs out... about 500-600 pics every 5 secs. I'm going to try some name brand nimh aaa. My goal is to be able to take an hour of video with a set of rechargeables.
UPDATE 7/15: do not get the energizer rechargeable nimh 900mah batteries. First charge, videos recording lasted less than 10 seconds. Second try I charged it up for over 12 hours and immediately put it into the Digital Hero 3 and got 3 minutes. I thought these brand name nimh batteries would last alot longer - apparently not. They're going back to the store. I'm going to try these again a few more time so they'll go through 3 full charge/discharge cycles before I consider these as poor!
UPDATE 8/2: I returned the Energizers and Ultralasts (900 and 1000mah, respectively). The Ultralast rechargeables lasted longer than the Energizers! I got the BC900 battery charger and the Engerizers show a capacity of about 600mah and a little higher for the Ultralast. I'm now using Duracell recharageables which show a capacity of about 950mah and seem to last the longest, although not spectacular at over 10 minutes and over 1000 pictures after it cannot take any more videos.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Time-Lapse, Baby !!!
Comment: I love my GoPro Hero; but I sympathize with those who are unhappy with it- I think they just don't "get it". It is not a great point & shoot still camera since it is primarily a tiny video camera and recorder, and an indestructable one at that. It is best at videos of activities that would smash your camcorder to bits! My favorite feature is the time-lapse function for long bike rides, with the handlebar mount. Fun! Usually color & brightness is very good. Anyone having trouble should call GoPro since the camera takes fine pictures.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent value for the money - you get what you pay for and more
Comment: This little camera is a great deal. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to capture underwater fun on their vacation. If you want a serious still or video underwater camera you should look elsewhere (and it will cost you).
I bought it with the plan for using while snorkeling, scuba diving and swimming and have been pleased with the quality of all three. I didn't have high expectations on the quality but was pretty impressed when I got the video and stills onto my computer. They were large and crisp. I was able to capture some elusive barracuda off in the distance. The still pictures of the ocean floor (down 10-15' while snorkeling) were clear and bright.
They put a lot of thought into features that you might need (auto picture taking, triple shot, hold settings from previous sessions, easy to delete if needed) so I appreciate their anticipation of user needs. They can't cover every want, but they did well enough.
I do notice how consistently darker the video quality is than the photos and if you're doing low-light or deep diving in scuba, or snorkel on a very overcast day your videos may be hard to view. Pictures are much more forgiving.
It is very challenging to get your videos or pictures in frame properly so have a lot of cut off heads but with some editing you can work around this, usually. The viewfinder is tiny and hard to look through while the camera is strapped on your wrist.
I still would say that the quality of the overall product is impressive and I don't think there is anything close to it in terms of value.
Pros:
1. Inexpensive but well designed & constructed.
2. Good quality pictures and video (if the light conditions are decent)
3. Wrist mount makes it convenient to use and keep track of doing task-loading sports.
4. Seems durable though I've not maxed out the depth.
Cons:
1. Must remove camera from housing to get video out of it. Recommend getting a memory stick reader rather than dragging around yet another USB cord.
2. Video: Low light drags down quality. Indoors needs a lot of light!
3. Eats batteries pretty quickly. Recommend NiMH rechargables or you'll go through lots of alkalines.
4. Hard to get consistent video in-frame when strapped to wrist. Viewfinder is not all that helpful. But I'm not sure how they could fix this issue.
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