The HERO3 White Edition is the “budget” option of the HERO3 models. It’s not as feature rich as it’s counterparts, the HERO3 Silver and Black Editions, but remains a strong entry-level action cam for frugal action sports enthusiasts.
HERO3 White Reviews on Amazon!!
Contents
The Good
- The most affordable of the affordable of the HERO3 line
- Reduced size from its predecessor, the HERO2
- Part of the line that began GoPro’s market dominance
The Bad
- 5mp lense compared to 12mp with the HERO3 Black
- Complaints about buggy software common
- In 2014, slightly outdated
The Consensus
A solid action cam for the price, but a little extra will get you the more up-to-date HERO3+ Silver Edition.
The Essential Details
| Specs | Details |
|---|---|
| Frame Rate | 30fps @ 1080p, 30fps @ 960p, 60fps @ 720p, 60fps @ WVGA |
| Recording Media | microSD SDHC memory card |
| Total Pixels | 5 megapixels |
| Still Image Quality | 5 megapixels |
| Features | Shockproof Waterproof |
| What's In The Box? | 197’/ 60m Waterproof Housing* Rechargeable Li-ion Battery QR Buckle 1 Curved Adhesive Mount 1 Flat Adhesive Mount Assorted Mounts and Hardware USB Charging Cable |
Body Structure
The HERO3 White Edition features an f/2.8 lens located on its front panel, and videos created with this camera have the trademark fish-eye effect for which the brand is known. The HERO3 White Edition features the same LCD panel as seen on the HERO2, and has a monochromatic dot-matrix display. The only drawback of the screen is its poor sunlight visibility. In order to select or change menu options, you need to use the power button.
The front of the camera also features two indicator lights on its front side: one blinks while Wi-Fi is turned on and another indicates when the device is recording. The camera also features tiny red indicators on its bottom, back and the top, meaning that one can read the status of the camera from any angle. Beneath the removable battery cover located on the back of the camera lies a 1,050 mAh lithium ion rechargeable battery, which powers the device. If you plan on shooting for longer than 2 hours with the White Edition, you’ll want to bring an extra battery to swap in. GoPros proprietary BacPac connection port can be found once you open the battery flap, and allows you to connect extra battery pacs or LCD panels to the camera.
On the right of the camera is a Wi-Fi button, which you can use to activate or de-activate wireless connectivity to GoPro smartphone apps. The connection bank of the White Edition sits on the left side of the camera, and is covered by a plastic panel. On the lefthand side you will also find a micro SD card slot, a micro HDMI output port and a mini USB port. Though the White Edition does not come with any micro SD card, it supports up to 64GB of storage. You can turn the mini USB port into a 3.5mm mic input by using optional adapter cables, although you don’t need to do this to capture sound with the camera, as it has small pinhole mics on both of its sides that capture sound when recording video. The White Edition comes with a swappable skeleton back cover which can be used to improve audio quality when shooting underwater. The skeleton features buttons for shutter release, power/mode selector and Wi-Fi buttons.
The extremely tough polycarbonate body of the HERO3 can withstand extreme amounts of pressure, and even if something does break, replacement parts, housing and lens kits are readily available and easy to add to the camera.
HERO3 White Reviews on Amazon!!
Video Modes
The HERO3 White Edition is capable of recording HD videos at 60 fps for WVGA and 720p and at 30 fps for 960p and 1080p. The 5MP sensor captures bright and colorful still images and features a burst mode of 3 fps. A time-lapse photo mode lets you capture photos automatically at time-intervals of 0.5, 2, 5, 10, 30 and 60 seconds. The HERO3’s combination of redesigned flat-lens housing and reduced-distortion lens provides excellent quality images, while its improved audio system provides crisp sound without buying additional mics. This camera also features an advanced wind-noise reduction system that improves audio-quality immensely.
The smaller chassis, excellent controls, variety of frame rates, on-device display and improved resolution are also great. What about the downsides? Some users complain about the seemingly complicated user interface of the HERO3, with most saying that there is a learning curve of a few hours that one must get over.
Controlling Options
The HERO3 White Edition is compatible with a wide variety of mounts available that you can use to attach the camera to poles, helmets, vehicles, boards, and even your body. Using mounts can ensure that you are getting the perfect field of view and best angles when shooting, though of course they are not essential. This camera’s onboard Wi-Fi is compatible with both the GoPro app and the Wi-Fi remote, which is wearable, waterproof, and capable of controlling 50 GoPro devices at the same time. You can also control the device through an app installed on your iOS tablet or smartphone.
HERO3 White Reviews on Amazon!!