I found a good deal on hero 3 black for $250. Is it worth it over the newer hero 3+ black. I know the specs of a each and I like the auto low light setting on the plus better battery life etc.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
GoPro Hero 3 vs. Hero 3+
- Thread starter puckhead193
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
When comparing the two the plus looks better but if your not looking at both...ummm decisions decisions.
Is budget important? Then you might just go for the normal Hero 3.
If you film primarily by daylight the Hero 3 will probably do fine. Although the + has a better lens, I don't think it's really that much better. (It won't compare to an L lens or Zeiss). According to some users the + also applies some filter to make the images slightly more crisp. According to them, it does not always improve the footage (it works most effectively with treas and such). Also, some say focus on infinity isn't as great on the + as on the regular. (See comments on this article). Might be outdated now though.
When money isn't an issue and you film in low light scenes you could go for the Hero 3+.
If you film primarily by daylight the Hero 3 will probably do fine. Although the + has a better lens, I don't think it's really that much better. (It won't compare to an L lens or Zeiss). According to some users the + also applies some filter to make the images slightly more crisp. According to them, it does not always improve the footage (it works most effectively with treas and such). Also, some say focus on infinity isn't as great on the + as on the regular. (See comments on this article). Might be outdated now though.
When money isn't an issue and you film in low light scenes you could go for the Hero 3+.
argh. I know both are good. Budget is somewhat an issue. (saving money is always nice) I could put it toward a lot of the mounts/accessories that I want so I don't have to save up. I just hate buying the old model. I know more then likely come the fall they are going to announce the 4. I rather future prof it as much as possible.
I plan on using it a b/c camera and mix the footage with a Sony EX1R and NX5U and then in the summer use it for more adventure things as in years past done video work at a camp.
Watching the comparison videos youtube don't help as who knows what kind of compression they use...
What's making me go back and forth is A) image quality and B) battery life - i don't always want to use the batterybac C) cost. (I got an email from gopro that on monday if you buy and camera you get a free 32 gig card.)
Last edited:
There is currently a known issue with the 3+ focusing on objects at a distance. It looks like this was originally by design (optimised to focus on close objects), but after so many have complained, they now seem to be saying there is a fault and anyone with a problem should return for repair.
There are reports that the latest models to come off the production line have the issue fixed, but you could be taking a gamble if you buy one. Although it is relatively easy for a user to fix the issue themselves, if you break the camera in the process you will have wasted a few hundred dollars.
There are reports that the latest models to come off the production line have the issue fixed, but you could be taking a gamble if you buy one. Although it is relatively easy for a user to fix the issue themselves, if you break the camera in the process you will have wasted a few hundred dollars.
I got my GoPro Hero 3 Black for $320. When the + came out I didn't bat an eye. Very minor update aside from the lens update but even the lens update isn't THAT big of a deal....I think if you can get the GoPro3 Black for $250 is beats any added features of the GoPro3+ given that the features they added aren't what I would consider "crucial" for making good videos, aka I dont think having a 3 vs a 3+ would go noticed in a well put together film, of course features are nice but the jump isn't massive. The one reason I got the Black is 1080p60 and 2.7K/30p, they scale down to standard resolutions much better, I have both a GoPro3 Black and Silver and I compared the quality and the Black was worth it, comparing the old black to the new one the quality isn't worth the money to me...
go pro is having a sale on monday you get a free 32 gig card, the same card is on sale so my total will be 304 for the 3 ... Is worth the extra 130 dollars for the plus
edit - i did some thinking when taking a shower...I figured I would order it and see if a better deal comes on Monday or if I change my mind for the plus i can return it to best buy. So hopefully I'll be able to pick up tomorrow morning as I'm going out in the afternoon. So we'll see.
Last edited:
ARGH I still can't decide what to do!! Keep the 3 Black or spend the extra on the 3+ Black. The lens issues puzzles me. Some say it's fixed some say not..
What would you guys do? (Real world problems haha)
What would you guys do? (Real world problems haha)
Id wait, they are starting to release products like Apple where its small increments.
They know people are buying them.
Im still rocking my HERO2 and honestly dont care for the 4K@15fps.
I have a real camera for that
Im still rocking my HERO2 and honestly dont care for the 4K@15fps.
I have a real camera for that
Well yeah its a gimmick for sure but its sort of cool
The noise on the 4K is pretty horid though, I find 2.7K has the least noise even over 1080p, I've also scaled 2.7K to 4K and gotten VERY good results.