Side by side: GoPro Hero 2 vs. GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition
I've been delaying the decision to buy a second GoPro for months and when the company announced the launch of the brand new and updated Hero 3+ model towards the end of 2013, I was glad I waited. Smaller, better and badder than any of it predecessors the Hero 3+ absolutely rocks! My GoPro is probably the most versatile piece of equipment in my camera bag. I've used it for everything from filming wide shots for interviews to aerial footage from the wing of a gilder plane and helmet cam footage on a motorcycle trip through Botswana's Makgadigadi salt flats. Basically, if you know its limitations and how to properly place it to get the shot you want, I can do almost anything with it.
However this post is not going to be detailed write-up of it. There's so many detailed reviews available online that you really don't need another one from me. Here's a few of my own observations:
Hero 3+ is smaller and lighter than it's porkier brother the Hero 2. The upside is less weight when you use it on top of a motorcycle helmet. The downside is new everything if you've already invested quite heavily in Hero 2 accessories. So new case, new backdoors, etc. Put away you old gear and prepare to pay pretty cash for the new stuff.
Image quality
To be fair I haven't done a decent side-by-side comparison in the handlebar images at the top of this post, but the difference is still noticeable. Hero 3+ is more crisp, clearer and warmer saturated than my older Hero 2.
Not so happy here. Hero3+ and Hero 3 have a lot of new stuff you can bolt on and I will definitely be getting some of those, such as the Jaws clamp and the Frame, but in terms of batteries they've got us by the short hairs. Hero 3 takes a different battery than Hero 2. So what if you stocked up on Hero 2 batteries? Sucks to be you, dude. What I also don't like about the new battery is the little paper tab you need to pull to get the battery out. Really?! A paper tab on a R5K camera?!
Tags: "gopro"
