Thanks to everyone for your helpful replies. I was ready to buy the GoPro BE 3 for a great price when I saw the 3+ came out with lots of nice upgrades. But the research I did made me come out feeling a bit underwhelmed.
The dialogue on the GoPro BE 3+ continues. Hopefully all of this will be worked out soon. I would like a fun inexpensive video capable camera for all weather use that I can have running while I am using the more sensitive higher quality setup for stills or on its own when the weather is just not ideal for more sensitive equipment (blowing sand and the rest).
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2011658&page=90
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Too funny ... this xH2O post has made it into Google Searches
http://www.bing.com/search?q=goPro+BE+3%2B+focus+issues&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=gopro+be+3%2B+focus+issues&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=2216864825fd43b8bb12014d3e8a8060
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I was reading one of my favourite astronomy sites
http://spaceweather.com/
when I came across this information on Hero 3+ ET use.
“These pictures were taken by a pair of Hero3+ cameras looking out of the payload capsule. The upper frame shows the Sierra Nevada mountain range, unusually brown for this time of year as California endures a historic drought. The lower frame captures the balloon popping at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. Click on each frame for a closer look. The landscape shot was made using the Hero3+'s new "superview mode"--a favorite of snowboarders and now, for the first time, balloonists!
In addition to cameras, the payload contained an x-ray/gamma-ray dosimeter, a GPS altimeter, and a cryogenic thermometer. Together these instruments can form a complete thermal and radiation profile of the atmosphere throughout the flight. The students plan to pay special attention to data collected at aviation altitudes to learn how much radiation air travelers absorb during periods of high solar activity.”
Check out these great shots esp. perhaps the second one if you have the time.
http://spaceweather.com/images2014/10jan14/drought.jpg?PHPSESSID=ml5ju16fi1lnhd0vdvm73nfcn2
http://spaceweather.com/images2014/10jan14/pop.jpg?PHPSESSID=ml5ju16fi1lnhd0vdvm73nfcn2
Good enough for these great shots... likely good enough for many of us for fun action shots back down here on earth. ( Remember I was ready to buy one late last year when I did the online review reading to be sure buying was a good move.) One might suspect they got ones with the bugs worked out. Likely not 0813 or 0913 serial numbers.
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SO to the folks at GoPro ... we are ready to buy when we get confirmation that the focus bugs are all worked out and the stock that had issues has all been recalled and replaced with working units. None of us wants to go through a purchase and return etc. etc. A press release might be very helpful now to put all of this to rest....
