GoPro Digital HERO 3 Sports Wrist Camera

This camera far surpassed my expectations. I paid $115 4 it & wanted it 4 kayaking. I was willing 2 sacrifice picture quality 4 waterproof & most importantly the wrist strap. The wrist strap setup is top notch. It is so accessable & easy 2 use. I have not had any trouble with framing pictures in the view finder as some others have had. The only pictures that are hard 2 get is trying 2 get verticle pics because it is hard 2 position your arm & keep the camera straight with it strapped 2 your wrist. I was very impressed with the picture quality. I didn't expect such crisp pictures from this camera. The only pictures that don't turn out very well are indoor pictures, but who cares, you don't need a waterproof camera indoors. The battery life is very good, I use rechargable NMhd batteries. I have not even used the video feature but the reviews seem 2 say that it works great. I have had mine 4 a little over a year & have taken it on many kayaking trips. I always get great pictures & never get dead batteries in the middle of a trip. I will sometimes take 80 2 90 pictures in a span of 5 2 6 hours on the same set of batteries. The wrist strap is also very comfortable even after being on 4 5 2 6 hours. I have also used this camera at the beach a little & had no problems with it. I have not had it more than 5 feet under water, but so far so good.

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.

I tried the camera in a pool & I was disappointed with pictures. Then I tried putting it in video mode. On a scuba trip 2 Belize I only used video which lasts about 50 minutes just about the time 4 one dive. After a little practice I had no trouble just pointing my wrist at the subject & 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 & you still see color. No leaks. The video is jerky when viewed raw but I run it though Adobe Premiere & converted it 2 30 frames per second & 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 2 print one.

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 & thought the camera will obviously not take good pictures or videos & will need alot of light 2 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 & decided that I want it (for mountain biking, skiing, drag racing, etc). I went out of town again just 2 pick it up (savings negated by gas cost & my time).

That night I decided that since I'm going 2 walk around the block, I'm going 2 try out the digital hero. Put the batteries in & walked around. I was out 4 about 15 minutes, but I could not shut the thing off once I got home. I pulled the battery out & back in 2 reset it. Went 2 my computer 2 view the video & found a zero length file (it's corrupt). I tried taking short videos & that would cause the camera 2 lock up. The prospect of making that long journey back 2 the store 4 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 2 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 2 take videos. If the prev batteries were good, then I'm expecting about 15 minutes or so with these Duracell batteries (maybe more) & it seems other have gotten about the same amount of time. Recording seems 2 drain the battery fast.

The pictures & videos are just ok, but I think daytime pictures would be decent (haven't gotten a chance 2 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 2 hardwire 3v dc 2 the unit so I can take it on long trips & use it as a car cam.

The product fills a niche market. It has an excellent waterproof case & does the job. I have 2 give this unit a 3 star because of the high battery consumption & the poor low light performance in both picture & video mode. It does have a few things I didn't expect: time lapse & burst mode photo mode which I was looking 4 in a higher end camera. I just could not bring myself 2 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 4 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 2 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 2 take a snapshot every 5 sec.. that work 4 93 pics until the camera shut down. In video mode, the unit uses alot of power... i'm going 2 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 4 the camera 2 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 2 try some name brand nimh aaa. My goal is 2 be able 2 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 4 over 12 hours & immediately put it into the Digital Hero 3 & got 3 minutes. I thought these brand name nimh batteries would last alot longer - apparently not. They're going back 2 the store. I'm going 2 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 & Ultralasts (900 & 1000mah, respectively). The Ultralast rechargeables lasted longer than the Energizers! I got the BC900 battery charger & the Engerizers show a capacity of about 600mah & a little higher 4 the Ultralast. I'm now using Duracell recharageables which show a capacity of about 950mah & seem 2 last the longest, although not spectacular at over 10 minutes & over 1000 pictures after it cannot take any more videos.

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 & recorder, & an indestructable one at that. It is best at videos of activities that would smash your camcorder 2 bits! My favorite feature is the time-lapse function 4 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.

Most impressive, the Digital HERO 3 shoots not only brilliant 3 megapixel photos, but also TV resolution video!