Go Pro Hero 3- Black

vjmehra · 19 May 2013, 15:37

I am very tempted to buy one of these...for sailing and ribbing, but before I go ahead are there any accessories anyone would recommend, there seem to be a ton and I'm not sure whether I'll be ready to go out of the box, or whether I should get any other bits?

teamplonker · 19 May 2013, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by vjmehra

I am very tempted to buy one of these...for sailing and ribbing, but before I go ahead are there any accessories anyone would recommend, there seem to be a ton and I'm not sure whether I'll be ready to go out of the box, or whether I should get any other bits?

Get the swann freestyle HD sports, can be up to half the cost of a go pro and just as good quality.

Dhf · 19 May 2013, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by vjmehra

I am very tempted to buy one of these...for sailing and ribbing, but before I go ahead are there any accessories anyone would recommend, there seem to be a ton and I'm not sure whether I'll be ready to go out of the box, or whether I should get any other bits?

I would suggest extra battries for sure, as the one they provide only lasts 50min at best on filming mode, they say the batt bacpac at £45ish has double the power so should last 100min. however I think buying 3 standard ones at £15ish each should give a total of 180min.
The lcd bacpac is a handy little thing, especially for getting use to the different mode settings, and as view finder of course, but this also eats the batt's.
A plug in and dc charger are on my list of needs, as they only provide a usb cable for charging which takes hours.

craig_c · 19 May 2013, 18:13

I have the suction mount, which is ideal for fibreglass.

I also have 4 of the cheapo eBay batteries and a 12v charger.

The floaty back door is a nice bit of security for boating.

I've tried all sorts of cameras but the hero 3 black is definatly miles ahead for quality.

thomas · 19 May 2013, 19:10

Don't be tempted with lesser known models, you'll just wish you got a GoPro, some may look as good on paper but they're not as good on screen!

I bought the original surf edition and stuck the mount to the front of my HobieCat, took a real pounding and never budged, the 3M pads do stick very well.

My GoPro 2 was the Motorsport one, I've never used all the arms and stuff, though I keep thinking I should stick it on the car and use it as a hitch cam with the iPhone.

The helmet mount is very useful too, probably used it more than any others on the RIB and diving.

vjmehra · 20 May 2013, 00:02

Thanks for the pointers so far, keep them coming!

lukewhiting · 20 May 2013, 00:17

Floaty back doors a must!! But watch out because it wont float with the suction mount on it. Make or buy a tether so if the suction mount comes lose your not gunna loose the camera. I just used an old kill cord & put the wrist strap on the mount & a clip on the other end...Never let me down!

Anti-fog lenses are pretty useful too, to stop it from steaming up.

I've used other cameras too like contours & drift & they are good quality but never compare to the brand & quality of Gopro. You'd always be wishing you'd got a Gopro!

vjmehra · 20 May 2013, 00:21

The floaty back door makes a lot of sense!!!

Leapy · 20 May 2013, 07:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Make or buy a tether ...

Make sure the tether is tight or any slack is taken out, otherwise if the tether flaps on the camera case at speed the camera microphone picks it up.

craig_c · 20 May 2013, 23:46

Make sure your quality setting on youtube is on HD

Crusader in HD - YouTube

Love watching this on a big TV.

Ive also stuck on a video of some underwater use as well

The gopro app on the iphone is perfect for inspecting under the boat. Wish i had it last year when we snagged a fishing line!

vjmehra · 21 May 2013, 08:14

Ordered...with almost every accessory I could find ;-)

craig_c · 21 May 2013, 11:54

Well done, you won't be disappointed. Buy your micro sd cards on eBay

I just got one on auction for 13 quid. Not bad for a brand new 32gb class 10 card!!!

Leapy · 21 May 2013, 12:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig_c

Well done, you won't be disappointed. Buy your micro sd cards on eBay

I just got one on auction for 13 quid. Not bad for a brand new 32gb class 10 card!!!

By all means buy off eBay if you've satisfied yourself you know what you're buying and why. If you go on the GoPro website user forum there are guidelines for buying and using sd cards that help avoid problems. Not all sd cards are the same, supposed class 10 or not.

vjmehra · 23 May 2013, 14:22

I went with caution on the SD card front, but got the full kit now, ready to test out tomorrow...the first trip will be on a sailing boat though, rather than the RIB!

Dhf · 23 May 2013, 14:41

To avoid disappointment on the day, make sure you visit the Gopro update site, and download updates, then test, mine would only record 1min before the update, also if the camera doesn't respond to pressing buttons, remove the battery and try again, as sometimes the software freezes.

vjmehra · 23 May 2013, 14:42

Ah yes, I read something about that...will download those as soon as I get in tonight :-)

Leapy · 23 May 2013, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragonhawk ficht

To avoid disappointment on the day, make sure you visit the Gopro update site, and download updates, then test, mine would only record 1min before the update, also if the camera doesn't respond to pressing buttons, remove the battery and try again, as sometimes the software freezes.

Yes to all of that. Whilst the GoPro forum is littered with folks having problems there's suggestions from the forum 'experts' that if processes are followed in the correct way then everything goes well. This is certainly my experience. I've had an H3 a couple of months now - done all the updates as they come through and in the correct manner and got a big name sd card from a reliable source (actually bought from the place I got the camera from so if anything went wrong there's only one finger to point) - and have had no issues at all.

If you're having problems read HERE first.

vjmehra · 23 May 2013, 20:51

So far downloaded the firmware updated and all seems to be well...I think!

Out of curiosity, my LCD Backpack screen flickers quite noticeably on the settings page (basically any dark background). Is that normal, its slightly annoying, if not exactly the end of the world. I know its not a great screen, more for practicality than great quality, so was wondering if this is standard behaviour, or is mine faulty?

Leapy · 23 May 2013, 20:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by vjmehra

So far downloaded the firmware updated and all seems to be well...I think!

Out of curiosity, my LCD Backpack screen flickers quite noticeably on the settings page (basically any dark background). Is that normal, its slightly annoying, if not exactly the end of the world. I know its not a great screen, more for practicality than great quality, so was wondering if this is standard behaviour, or is mine faulty?

I'm sure I've read of that on the forum. Have you looked?

I run an H2 lcd on an H3 and it works fine. Battery life is significantly reduced if you leave the screen on.

mister p · 23 May 2013, 20:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukewhiting

Floaty back doors a must!! But watch out because it wont float with the suction mount on it. Make or buy a tether so if the suction mount comes lose your not gunna loose the camera. I just used an old kill cord & put the wrist strap on the mount & a clip on the other end...Never let me down!

Anti-fog lenses are pretty useful too, to stop it from steaming up.

I've used other cameras too like contours & drift & they are good quality but never compare to the brand & quality of Gopro. You'd always be wishing you'd got a Gopro!

Have you ever used those inflatable key ring things that came about as a result of Dragon's Den.......they'd be useful security if it all went tits up.