Whatever you want to do...Droid Does
Entered CNET Catalog: 01/17/2007
SKU: 0185323000033
Manufacturer: GoPro
Manufacturer description
The Digital Hero 3 is a 3 megapixel waterproof wrist camera that can also strap to other gear. Most impressive, the Digital Hero 3 shoots not only brilliant 3 megapixel photos, but also up to 54 minutes of TV resolution video on up to a maximum 2GB SD card (not included).Product summary
The good: Handy underwater enclosure; low distortion; good white balance.
The bad: Sluggish; takes very soft images.
The bottom line: The GoPro Digital Hero 3 is a cool idea that could be fun if you're swimming, but it's not useful for much else.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/26/2007
The tiny, 3-megapixel Digital Hero 3 fits inside a waterproof enclosure mounted on a wristband. It's purportedly a wrist-mounted camera for extreme sports such as snowboarding.
Barely larger than a pair of AA batteries, the camera body consists of a tiny, gray box. It has just two buttons and a monochrome status display, making it one of the simplest cameras we've seen in years. The only way to frame a shot is through the tiny viewfinder, which becomes completely obscured when you put the camera inside its waterproof enclosure. The clear plastic case is quite well made and hooks onto a foam-rubber-and-velcro wristband. Tight seals make sure the box stays waterproof so the camera inside doesn't drown, while two buttons connect to cameras' buttons.
Because of its simple design, there are very few settings to deal with on the camera. The power button toggles through Single-shot, Timed-shot, Burst-shot, and Movie modes. Other than those settings, you can't really tweak your images. Because the camera doesn't have a display, you can't view them either. Also, since the camera has a fixed-focus lens, your shooting options are limited.
This simplicity wouldn't be a problem if the Digital Hero 3 performed well and took decent images, but that's simply not the case. The camera takes several seconds to start up, then at least a second between each shot. Our test images tended to be soft and underexposed, especially indoors. Also, 3-megapixel images simply don't feel like enough anymore. We would've liked to see 5-megapixel resolution instead.
Images from the Digital Hero 3 aren't completely terrible and surprised us in two areas of image quality. The fixed-focus lens produced surprisingly little distortion, and the camera's automatic white balance worked quite well, reproducing accurate whites under both fluorescent and incandescent lighting. These two features are great boons if you decide to take the Digital Hero 3 underwater, where accurate color and low distortion become quite valuable. GoPro rates the camera for underwater operation down to 30 feet, but since we live in New York City and we're reluctant to dive 30 feet down in the Hudson River, we settled for dunking it in our fish tank. It survived.
The GoPro Digital Hero 3 is a cool idea for a camera, but in action, it simply isn't very good. It's a sluggish performer and shoots soft, small images. That said, the wrist-mounted, underwater housing is a great boon, and it might prove a fun, inexpensive alternative to swimmers and other water-dwellers who want a camera they can submerge.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19out of 19 user reviews
we don't have eyes on our wrist for a reason
Pros: takes good quality pictures, and used the anti glare lense as well- both were very nice.
Cons: difficult to use at best- even though you can get good shots, you can't see very clearly where you are shooting, especially when diving. I bought one of these to go diving and it is not a very good design or application.
The pro with a head strap is much
out of 19 user reviews
GoPro, but you better go slow.
Pros: Cheap, ease of size for video work compared to what's out there, especially for the market it's targeting....dudes and rev heads.
Now has a screen, once a major weakness as you could never know your how good you work was going to turn out
Cons: Sound quality is very shallow and offers no realistic tones of what's being recored.
Tried to use the camera by itself with no cover for general vid/pics but the position they placed the mic is right in the location you'd place your left hand when filming
They need to either have two models, one as is and one with the ability to record good sound reproduction and pay a premium..
I like the idea of an external mic jack as well, so you have the ability to place a mic out of the windy conditions like auto racing.
I've got no doubt that the promotion videos that we see of the blue car racing have had massive audio editing and not come directly from a GoPro camera.
There's no way a GoPro can reproduce sound that clear with the product they sell on the shelves now.
Lets hope they are serious and have a development team hell bent of building a future with some improvements.
out of 19 user reviews
Good watercamera for a decent price!
Pros: waterproof
cheap
pretty good footage
Cons: can have better quality filming (but good enough)
out of 19 user reviews
Horrid Sound Quality, OK Video
Pros: Cheap, lots of accessories
Cons: Cheaply made, two buttons with multiple combos to operate ALL functions, no LCD screen, annoying beeping, TERRIBLE Sound quality in high wind, un-intuitive operation through all menus
GoPro states on their website,
" Audio Excellence, We?ve invested more in the HD HERO camera's sound system than most companies spend on their entire camera development. You?ll only be hearing the sounds of your sport, not the howl of the wind. How? Obsessive audio engineering and an understanding that good sound is as important as good video." That sold me, and I picked up the HD Hero when it was on sale for 270 CDN dollars.
After a charge, and a confusing read through the 'glove box map' sized instruction sheet, I mounted it inside my car, and went for a drive. When I got back, I was excited to see and hear my car on the road. What I did see and hear where the following; grainy video, and **** poor sound consisting of road noise, static, and wind. I did not have the windows open, A/C and fan off, and did not have any music playing. The car, a Porsche, is a solid German car with unsurpassed build quality. I thought it was the computer, so I switched over to my brand new MacBook Pro to see if it was any better. Same result. How did I have the Hero set up inside my car? As per the company's instructions. I used the non-water proof back door, and had it set to r2 ('r2' for non-gopro users is the setting for optimal recording of footage inside a car at 720p), and mounted normally.
I tried the water proof back door, and yielded the same result, however with muffled noise, though still the same. I mounted it outside the car to see if the sound would improve. Keep in mind all I've heard so far with my GoPro is, static, wind, and road noise. Not the engine or exhaust note. Outside the car, the noise increased and was worse. I tried both water and non-waterproof doors. Both yielded terrible sound.
I contacted GoPro and complained about my issue calling them liars regarding the claim as it is quoted about in my review. I laid everything else out in plain easy to understand English advising of my recording environment, conditions, that the GoPro was set up as per instructions on the manual ect. They asked for a sample of my video. I sent it. They responded, "Hmmm, I do hear a little something, but nothing that would alarm. Do you have the window open, or fan on?". Excuse me? I had clearly stated in my first email that the windows were shut, the A/C and fan were off, and no music was playing. They had totally neglected to even pay attention to my first email laying IT ALL OUT IN PLAIN ENGLISH. I sent a follow up email requesting them to re-read my first email as this would answer EVERY SINGLE question they would have. I had in kind, asked for a refund and that I believed that the sound in their motor sport videos was falsely represented. Up until this point, I had responses from Go Pro in less than a day. When I asked for a refund and explained that I was calling their BS on sound quality, the emails stopped. I waited one week, and still no response. So I emailed the same person back exclaiming my dissatisfaction with their product and was calling them out on their standard Corporate run around which has the face of customer service, but what they really do is keep you feeling like you are being listened to, but never answer to your complaint, or take care of the problem. I advised that I would 'Shout it from the Mount Tops' that GoPro has a misrepresented product, and has poor customer service. The reply email came quick. One however that I didn't read. It went straight to the trash bin.
I've used the GoPro on my bike also, and have heard wind noise from it being mounted on the bike. And no, I don't live in a high wind area. As a matter of fact, the wind here rarely picks up over 5km per hour.
The GoPro is a Hyped Up digital camera for under $300 promising great sound reproduction. The truth is, it's one step above your off the shelf camcorder with a 'fish eye' lens to catch all the action. They lie about the sound quality, and hide behind their poor Cooperate customer service. I have a friend, he also with a Porsche, and GoPro Hero who has claimed the same as I have. I highly recommend saving your hard earned money, and NOT GETTING THE GoPro HERO. It's an absolute waste of money, and is worthless for use for any application where you are traveling more than 5km's per hour.
out of 19 user reviews
Does not work on race car
Pros: the video quality is good when it works.
Cons: it stops recording when mounted to the race car. Control buttons then do not function. The video file is 0 bytes. Useless for the purpose that I specified when purchasing from Go pro.
out of 19 user reviews
A non functioning rip off
Pros: Nothing camera was a complete waste of time and money
Cons: Doesnt function for more than about 10 seconds. They mention that a SD card allows 56 min. of video, but not that it's seconds at a time.
out of 19 user reviews
Tough toy, but poor sound and video quality sinks it
Pros: Its waterproof and withstood a couple of hard knocks. Managed to capture certain shots in situations that would otherwise have been impossible to get with a regular, fragile camera, like during snowboarding.
Cons: Video quality is so blurred and choppy that those great shots you got in extreme sports are hard to make out anyway. At night, all you see is black with pinpricks of light from street lamps or headlights.
Sound quality is terrible too.
The lightweight construction and small size make it great for motorsports where vibrations are a big problem for larger cameras. Its waterproof casing also means that you can run through puddles without worrying about the camera getting wet.
An interesting idea, but falls short in its final delivery. Not too exciting a product that even Action Cameras Blog didnt bother to write an original review and simply plagiarised from CNET - http://www.actioncamerasblog.com/gopro-digital-hero-3-review/
http://www.actioncamerasblog.com/gopro-digital-hero-3-review/
out of 19 user reviews
the Go Pro is fantastic for use on Vehicles to record the experience
Pros: Small. waterproof, easy to use
Cons: couldn't find any
Unlike the traditional video cameras mounting the camera outside the vehicle isn't an issue, and all those nasty vibrations are more or less eliminated. The viewer doesn't get motion sickness from watching. Recordings are perfect for video sharing web sites or for embedding in your own web site.
For professional quality shots I use a professional camera or Hi-Def video camera, for those FUN videos of playing I use a GoPro, in fact I got two and I have had fantastic results.
For less than $200.00 for a waterproof, mounts anywhere camera that shoots a decent video it is hard to beat, and if you loose it your wife isn't going to kill you.
Granted 3 meg is rather small by todays standards, but how much do you need for a quick video that is destine for YouTube?
out of 19 user reviews
GoPro...GoBlows
Pros: Looks Cool: The box that it comes in is cool.
Cons: Not Dependable, Often freezes, Will take video of your friend Jordan eating a hot dog, but won't take video of you when on the twisties.
out of 19 user reviews
I have the helmet version so based my review on this one.
Pros: Great price. Great Video. Small.
Cons: Only holds 2 AAA. Sound is not that great.
out of 19 user reviews
They dont even review the video! Its the best feature!
Pros: Great high resolution video!
Cons: i dont use as a snapshot camera so no opinion on that
out of 19 user reviews
Hit or miss quality, great value for price
Pros: Waterproof, Tough, Small
Cons: Low Res, Slow sensor
The camera requires a steady hand - pressing the shutter and moving the camera before the red indicator goes out can result in some very wacky things happening on your photos - customer service described it as distortion due to motion.
I've also had the camera "lock" on me twice - unable to turn it off or take any more photos until the batteries are removed or die. Unfortunately I'm out in the water and will not open the case to remove batteries, so I've missed some photo opportunities.
You can see a selection of the quality possible on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/goprohero/ just beware that these may be edited or culled as the best of the bunch.
out of 19 user reviews
Terrific value, great product
Pros: 3MP, simple point-and-shoot, very portable
Cons: more guesswork framing your shot, short battery life, requires additional memory to make it practical
One complication during our trip was the fact that one of the polycarbonate tabs that holds the clamp in place to maintain the seal snapped right off after only the 3rd use (i.e., 3rd time unclamping to take out the SD card to download onto my computer). Go Pro Hero Camera was actually extremely responsive in replacing the waterhousing without fuss. Upon receiving the replacement housing, it also became apparent that the original 2-tabbed clamping was a design flaw. The newer waterhousing version has a continuous plastic ridge to hold the clamp. I haven't tested this one out yet, but at least the design change makes sense.
One word on the quality of the photos - for underwater shots, the 2 most important factors for good pictures are water clarity and SUNLIGHT. Once you have those, the next most important resource is a software filter program. I didn't have access to my usual Photoshop, so I simply downloaded and used Picasa (version 2), which did a great job on 90% of the shots. Without the filtering program, you could barely see the fish in the underwater shots, but after running it through some simple filtering they were quite clear and with much better color.
Last but not least, I was lucky enough to have an extra 1GB SD card on our trip. The built-in 18 MB will keep you happy for about 10 minutes (without shooting videos); and if you can't readily dump your pictures/video into your computer, you're stuck. So do yourself a favor if and when you buy this camera: buy the extra SD card at the same time. It takes up to 2GB SD, which can be as cheap as $40+ on sale nowadays.
out of 19 user reviews
Awful for surfing
Pros: Small, Waterproof, Comfortable to wear
Cons: Atrocious battery life, horrendous video quality, poor photo quality
Video quality is awful - lines across the screen, very dark if there is no sun etc.
Photos are poor quality - not as good as a disposable underwater camera.
Very disappointing overall.
out of 19 user reviews
This is a great camera!
Pros: small, easy to use, stay's in place
Cons: delay while taking pictures, battery doesn't last long
out of 19 user reviews
Terrible cusomer service
Pros: Terrible cusomer service
Cons: Terrible cusomer service
I share my experience to the ones who might be interested in buying the camera through GoPro service. Plase think again, just in case you encounter the same problem and you have no way to cliam the lost.
Sicerely,
Edward
out of 19 user reviews
This is a great product if you like to show friends and family what you're up to on the weekend.
Pros: Great way to shoot your own active video
Cons: This is hard to knock at way under $200
out of 19 user reviews
CNET review is poor and lacking
Pros: very small, very light, good photos and video, super convenient for use in activities
Cons: not many, no view screen but makes sense for sports
By stating it is not good for much else than underwater photos means you, the reviewer, don't get out of your cubicle much.
I just saw this at a trade show for outdoor sports and placed my pre-order on their website cause the product is so freaking cool.
Strap it to your kayak paddle and use it without taking your hands off of your paddle, wear it over your ski jacket and gloves so you can shoot with your gloves on while riding, skate with it so you can shoot the bros. while you ride without a camera banging around in your pocket.
I didn't bother to read the editors name (should have) but dude...why even bother to review if your review is going to be so lame? CNET just lost MAJOR points in the "authority" category...and now I am questioning everything else I've ever take your advice on. If I hadn't seen it for myself I might have taken your word for it.
I am surprised to find myself SO annoyed with this review, but I think it's cause I SAW THIS THING for myself and TESTED it myself...and got so amped for it. And now to read this joke review...rrghghghg!!! Just so annoying to think that some dork in a flourescent lit office will influence people with his half-a$$ed revew.
Clearly...CNET don't surf.
out of 19 user reviews
Quick easy access to quality digital shots during outdoor activities
Pros: Crisp clear NON blurred shots, easy to use, connects direct to PC, gets the shots and vids of you/pals doing things you previously had to talk about... nowI have a photo or video!!
Cons: Packaging didn;t show ALL the capabilities.. almost didn't know until I used it. CNET's review is jaded.. fishtank? Huh?
I have taken it surfing, biking, snowboarding, skiing (yes I do both), backpacking, kayaking, and swimming. Sorry can;t vouch for the diving but I can gaurantee you that the punding surf of NorCal doesn;t pahse this little wonder.
I have taken some great photos and videos with this camera. ITs SO easy to use, point and shoot. Imagine a 12 foot wave comming at you, stopping and taking a photo of your friend dropping down the face of it. YES, this camera enables that type of photo in that extreme of a situation.. and it effortless. Same goes for my snowboarding/skiing experiences. I get great shot that everyone is really excited about becuase prior to this camera... these shot were enver taken unless you went out specifically to photograph. This camera enables you to stay in the game or activity and get great shots! LOVE IT.
