GoPro BE 3+ : Better than the original BE 3? Maybe. Maybe not.

[NiagaraMike]

Read this and you might be sold on the new Black GoPro3+.

"Combined with 30% longer-life lithium ion battery life, faster built-in Wi-Fi and a sharper lens, the HERO3+ Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro yet"

http://www.rei.com/product/867117/gopro-hero3-black-edition-helmet-cam-adventure-package

http://gopro.com/cameras/undefined/cameras/hd-hero3-black-edition#features




Then read these and you might find that the decision is not so clear cut.

MULTIPLE REPORTS OF SOFT (unfocussed ) images and video and worse. Many returns.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2011658&page=30

http://discussion.gopro.com/gopro/topics/gopro_3_black_image_quality_issues.rss

http://goprouser.freeforums.org/extremely-conflicted-between-buying-hero3-or-hero3-t14808.html

http://discussion.gopro.com/gopro/topics/gopro_3_black_image_quality_issues?page=1#reply_13160043

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2011658&page=30

When people have to make changes to a new camera that will void the warranty I step back.

I am using professional (read costly ) Nikon DSLR cameras and prime lenses- but thought one of these might be fun sometimes esp. for conditions that are not ideal for expensive cameras (e.g., sand blowing and in the water) and was ready to buy one on sale today... Cyber Monday sales - but am on hold now.




I even see some of the questions I was reading earlier have been deleted... hmmm.... one might wonder why and if that might happen to more posts as more people express issues with this popular inexpensive alternate camera.


http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20131126152921AAjSHa8



NOW if you are doing ONLY close-up selfies....you might be ok. But do you want to be limited to this...?

http://photography.forumsee.com/a/m...noticed-issues-with-focus-distance-gopro.html

Just thought I should share the results of my online research . ESPECIALLY NOW as people might be buying them now for XMas presents and be past warranty timelines before they use them and then be SOL.

 

[SuperJETT]

Interesting, I have a GP3 Black and love it. I've been using it for filming field hockey games from the goal to review after to make coaching decisions and at 1080p/60fps it has good enough clarity to see the far goal at the upper edge of frame while getting all the action close to the goal it's on.

 

[MattSmith]

ya, i've ready the 3 and 3+ are not as good as HD2 so i'm not jumping on the 3+ yet.

 

[nucleus_coolins]

I really like my black 3, but Ive had issues with it from the start. Its really finnicky compared to the previous versions. My original never had as many issues as my 3 does haha. Lots of minor issues that are pretty ridiculous to deal with like having the solid red led appear indicating your camera needs to be "rebooted" is one of my most frequent issues. Having to towel off on shore to take camera out of case to power cycle it by removing the battery is SUPER annoying for anyone who uses it for watersports. Some of the issues have been fixed by firmware updates but I still have trouble from time to time

I think its pretty ridic they came out with a 3+ model when im still having problems with the black 3...

 

[Droste14]

I have a 3 that I put on my mountain bike bars. It looks great start to finish

 

[myusername2013]

I really like my black 3, but Ive had issues with it from the start. Its really finnicky compared to the previous versions. My original never had as many issues as my 3 does haha. Lots of minor issues that are pretty ridiculous to deal with like having the solid red led appear indicating your camera needs to be "rebooted" is one of my most frequent issues. Having to towel off on shore to take camera out of case to power cycle it by removing the battery is SUPER annoying for anyone who uses it for watersports. Some of the issues have been fixed by firmware updates but I still have trouble from time to time

I think its pretty ridic they came out with a 3+ model when im still having problems with the black 3...

Not what I was wanting to hear or read! My wife just bought me a black 3 for Christmas. Now I'm regretting having her buy it. I might need to look at getting a hero 2

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[SuperJETT]

I've had no issues with my 3 Black since the last firmware update, don't sweat it. Just update it first thing and you'll be good.

 

[nucleus_coolins]

Ya the new update fixed almost all of the issues I was having. The Black 3 is a really great camera dont get me wrong, just a little buggy is all.

I feel bad for the people who got the new 3+ tho after reading the links in the OP. Lots of people complaining about the focus issues

 

[NiagaraMike]

Thanks everyone who has responded so far. I have heard lots of good things of FORMER GoPro cameras (keeping I mind the low price point) and the videos seen on this board and elsewhere speak for themselves. The industry has made the inventor a billionaire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Woodman


Many new items today are buggy when first introduced. The early GoPro BE 3 was buggy as some have told here (thanks!) and elsewhere. One might get the impression they are in such a terrible rush to get things out that they do not test them enough. It looks like the 3+ might need some reconsideration etc. My reason for the OP was simply to make prospective buyers of the GoPro BE 3+ aware that the camera might have early production issues and maybe they might choose to hold off on the purchase until such issues are addressed and fixed. Some have suggested it might even have a new focus ( bad pun intended) as a selfie but I wonder: wouldn't two settings , one as a selfie for close distance and the other setting for regular distance, just work a lot better. I am not in the selfie camp.

One advantage of online reviews is that they help the buyer beware. AND we can hope that with all of the returns and negative press that new improved models will soon be on their way in plenty of time for the next season. I was thankful for these reviews and thought it would be a good idea to share the message which made me delay my purchase.

 

[Jetfiend]

I have both and can tell you that battery life on the + is much better. Both cameras are great with updated firmware.

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[myusername2013]

Funny thing is I haven't gotten mine just yet but I know my wife bought because she used the best buy card which is linked to my email and when I received the electronic receipt of course I had to check it out, lol!!!
So I went on amazon yesterday and bought a pelican 1200 case, pov pole 36", 2 Wasabi batteries and charger, and some lens covers.
Looks like I will do the immediate update and fingers crossed all goes well!

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[makejetskiinggreatagain]

......almost positive that my wife got me one for Christmas too..... I was so excited until I read this post. this will be my first go pro. Actually it will be my first video camera ever. Are there any issues that the update doesn't fix that I need to know about? Also, how easy is it to edit footage? Can a beginner start making decent movies or will I need months/years of practice?

 

[naticen]

I didn't read your links, but I saw somewhere that in the serial number you'll find 0813 and 0913 to have the focus issues and the 1013 to be good to go. I've still got the 2 because they had release issues with the 3 and by the time it was resolved the 3+ was soon to be out. They come out every Christmas season. I think now I'll wait for the 4 and hopefully it will have a useable 4k option and be able to last me for several years. I'm not one to buy a camera with that pricetag until I am sure that it is worth it. There's other less expensive options if I want to deal with something not being perfect.

http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-XS10...csubtag=Jh9fGlyMEeO_GZrU65tFxw0_Qeiq3_eSQ_0_0

Also, how easy is it to edit footage? Can a beginner start making decent movies or will I need months/years of practice?

Mac has Final Cut but I don't have one and Windows has Live Movie Maker. That'll get the job done and get you a feel for it. Then get a previous version Cyberlink Powerdirector or Corel Videostudio for some cheap and easy video editing with plenty of options for any joe schmo.

 

[makejetskiinggreatagain]

when does the 4 come out?

 

[naticen]

So far they have been out every Christmas, so November 2014 maybe. I'm a patient guy, but I have no real information. That part was just me blabbing.

 

[NiagaraMike]

I didn't read your links, but I saw somewhere that in the serial number you'll find 0813 and 0913 to have the focus issues and the 1013 to be good to go. I've still got the 2 because they had release issues with the 3 and by the time it was resolved the 3+ was soon to be out. They come out every Christmas season. I think now I'll wait for the 4 and hopefully it will have a useable 4k option and be able to last me for several years. I'm not one to buy a camera with that pricetag until I am sure that it is worth it. There's other less expensive options if I want to deal with something not being perfect.

http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-XS10...csubtag=Jh9fGlyMEeO_GZrU65tFxw0_Qeiq3_eSQ_0_0

================================================

Ah.... thanks naticent. That makes a lot of sense. The numbers look like two digit month followed by two digit year. It looks like cameras with the manufacturing dates of August2013 and September2013 are defective. Maybe they found the HARDWARE issue once they released them in early October (1013) and had so many complaints. PERHAPS the ones made after that (namely 1013 an 1113 and so on) have the manufacturing focus issue fixed. I cannot see any way a software update could fix that faulty hardware focus issue.

 

[SuperJETT]

I agree, to fix a focus issue like that it was probably just a thousandth of an inch off on a tolerance somewhere that they had to correct but we'll never know truth. Maybe not though, maybe they'll issue a recall to replace those and can fix the recalled units to send out as warranty replacements.

 

[myusername2013]

My wife gave me camera as an early Christmas gift being that we are out of town and I wanted to use it for some video recording. I downloaded the software update and for some reason I keep getting the wifi update failed after 3 attempts.
My software version on the gopro when I turn it on is still the v3.0.0. Prior to doing the update, the gopro was getting pretty hot after only being on for 6-10 mins. Anybody else having these problems? Should I even bother dealing with gopro customer service? Should I return the camera and get a refund?

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[NiagaraMike]

Did you get the GoPro BE 3+? If yes, does the serial number contain 0813 or 0913? If so that sounds like a return might be a choice.

If you do not have this model/ serial number then I might contact the store I bought it from if that is possible. I would hate to brick the camera.

Here are some web pages on this type of issue... not knowing your camera model etc. does not help me narrow it down.

http://goprouser.freeforums.org/update-fail-t10191.html


http://www.billgillam.com/blog/2012/06/09/gopro-wifi-bacpac-and-remote-not-ready-for-primetime.html


I have little patience for devices that do no work the way they are supposed to work right out of the box and this need for updates on newly purchased devices always makes me wonder why they did not get it right before shipping.. are they in too much of a rush to get it to market? It is not like this update is for third party software applications....

And then when those updates do not work when I follow their instructions I use the strike three baseball rule and return the device. I do not need something that supposed to give me pleasure giving me a headache. If a company gets enough returns sometimes they get the message and start to make devices more consumer friendly.

 

[myusername2013]

I have the gopro 3 black. Didn't get the 3+ black due to the issues I read. After 2 more attempts this a.m. it finally said that the update was successful.
I was ready to take it back to best buy today if it didn't work.
I agree with u 110%, its ridiculous that a $300-$400 unit needs an update right out of the box to operate at its full and correct potential. Wtf kind of poop is that??!?!?!
Now that my update "was successful", will the issue with the camera getting hot after a few mins be solved?

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