GoPro - HERO3 Black Edition

I have been using a GoPro 3 Black, 4 Black and now a 12 Black. I am using Solo Storm and its controls the camera we are using. The biggest challenge of any camera is mounting to get the view or perspective you are after.

I think the Hero 13 is also a more future proof camera purely because it offers that 5.3K resolution. Back in the day I purchased a hero 3 black, which also offered 4K resolution already. (Framerate was not great I recon, but it was there) Back then we still thought 4K resolution was a nice to have and also mostly used to crop to our 1080p footage, which was the norm then. Now 10 years later I’m super happy to have 4K footage from 2014. Same will be the case for 5.3K. Right now it’s “gimmicky” for a lot of people, or used to crop to 4K. But sooner than later 5.3K becomes the norm in a few years just as 4K is today, and you’ll be happy to have 5.3K footage from 2024! If you plan on using it for many years, I think this is a great argument for going with the GoPro. And it’s a solid brand as well, been super happy with my camera’s over the years, never had any issues. Good luck on your decision!

I have a GoPro Hero 3 with like a 100 meter case and led light mount I’ll sell ya 😂 not really because I’m too cheap to upgrade. A GoPro with a screen (my main reason I should upgrade) would be the way to go for cheap. You can get cheaper housings all day long on Amazon. My waterproof light was $30 on Amazon and I think 50 meters or more. You can do it, have some decent film and pictures, and not break the bank. My recommendation is to get an attachment with buoyancy (handle) though unless you have it securely tethered to you.

I've had a GoPro Hero 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10, as well as the Max. I've go over 2,000 skydives with GoPros on my helmet, including world records and jumps into the Blue Hole in Belize. I've taken them to every continent (including Antarctica) for running and scuba diving and overall travel. So I use GoPros a lot, and I use them in environments that are pretty tough on them. One thing that's been annoying is the heavy push to GoPro subscription. Their cloud storage is just awful. The money is better spent on something like Dropbox or Box. Their software has been pretty terrible too. Hardware wise, they've been hit or miss. Sometimes it's software, sometimes it's hardware. They can corrupt video files, do a weird "gets hot after charging and locks up so that you have to pull the batteries", they can stop mid recording. All of that with the proper recommended cards. Some have just been lemons, probably a bad solder or heatsink contact. Sometimes it's fixed in a firmware upgrade. They're notorious in the skydiving community. "Did you get it?" "No, it stopped recording 5 seconds in." "It froze up". That kind of thing. Not all the time, not even frequent, but enough that it's annoying. And each model seems to have their own little quirks. My Hero 7 and 10 has been solid for the most part. My 9.. not as much. My Max is a piece of shit. My next 360 camera will absolutely not be a Max, and probably won't be whatever they come out with next. My next action camera probably won't be a GoPro.

I went out of the GoPro path, but came right back (first GoPro was Mark 3). Hero 9 is too old. You need 11 to level up, and it’s really cheap right now. 11 was a huge update. I skipped 12, and I don’t see so many advantages since I bought 13. I’m not disappointed, but the end result looks exactly the same. Maybe I’ll buy the overpriced Ultra Wide lens (I shoot downhill mountain biking).

Are you specifically referring to the entry-level Hero camera released this year or GoPro's flagship Hero Black series? If the former, I'd probably steer clear. If the latter, hell yea - GoPros are awesome.

If your budget is approx. $200, then I would recommend buying a used Hero 8/9/10/11 instead. This will give you WAY more value for your money. Yes, the small Hero camera might be designed for beginners, but I honestly see no sence in it. The Hero Black is not that complicated to handle either, the image quality is better, and it offers way more options.