GoPro Cameras Review: HERO3+ Improves On HERO3 Black Edition… Or Does It?

GoPro cameras reviews have been mostly positive, saying the GoPro HERO3+ improves on the HERO3 Black Edition.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, GoPro cameras are being used in drones hovering over Florida, which makes some people a little antsy when it comes to privacy concerns.

For the amateur athlete, GoPro cameras offer the ultimate way to show off their skills to friends, family, and the world. The idea is to attach a battle-hardened HD camera to your helmet, which allows viewers to see a first person POV of the action and makes us feel like we’re actually there. They’ve also created GoPro cameras intended for muddy environments like Tough Mudder and even for going underwater as a scuba diver.

The GoPro Hero3 Silver Edition, which starts at around $200, has been getting only okay user reviews, but the higher priced GoPro HERO3 Black Edition has not fared much better on Amazon.com. It’s average 3.5 stars out of five, with 359 people giving it five stars while 220 give it only one.

Why? Unfortunately, these GoPro Cameras have been suffering from major glitches that apparently stem from earlier versions of the firmware. Some users claimed that the firmware update process could fail and cause crashing, drained batteries, and WiFi recording problems. The good news is that if you purchase a more recently manufactured GoPro HERO3 Black Edition, it’s likely to have the latest firmware which fixes these bugs.

But, GoPro cameras recently got an upgrade with the new GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition, which currently has four out of five stars on Amazon. The biggest selling point is that it’s 20 percent smaller than the previous generation, but it still works with all the old accessories. The WiFi connectivity is up to four times faster, and it also does a better job of mitigating wind noise and doesn’t produce as many of the “clicking sounds” many have noticed.

The HERO3+ is also claimed to have the sharpest image quality of any of the GoPro cameras, with the company claiming up to 30 percent sharper video. But while some GoPro cameras reviews confirm the increase in quality at close distances, the changes to the lens may also be its biggest downfall.

Some claim “it has been fairly well documented (and confirmed by GoPro) that while the new lens produces much sharper images under four feet, they are blurrier at distances greater than four feet.” They also note the newer HERO3+ is still limited to 15 frames per second at 4k resolution, which produces noticeably laggy video.

Regardless of technical issues, Shaun White seems like using his GoPro cameras:

GoPro cameras still are the first to go in space:

What would you like to see in the next version of the GoPro cameras?