GoPro cameras

[Gregs672000]

I love watching the in car stuff and have always wanted to get a good video camera and play around.

After seeing a couple of GoPros at Shasta, I started looking into them. The GoPro 3 White is a very affordable $199, but it is entry level. Next step up is the Silver at $299, then the Black at $399. After reading reviews it seems like the white would easily meet my needs but I'm no techie. I could also consider a used version 2 but I like the idea of new and a warrantee. I've watched side by side comparisons on the Internet, but am wondering if anyone here has an opinion about the different versions of the V3. Still pics are not important, as we have much better cameras for that... I just want a rugged, attachable version with good sound, which the V3 has improved greatly over the V2, but i do know you can add an external mic to help that too. I would also like to edit in music, edit images etc and wonder if their software will do that, and if not what software you might suggest that is free or inexpensive, and good for an entry level dabbler.

Thanks!

[fixitman04]

i have a hero hd... the original hd go pro.. its a great little unit...look for my youtube videos... i go by the same nane there fixitman04

[RoadsterJon]

I have the "white" hero3 and it does everything i need. It links to my iphone for a remote and a screen to position the camera. And the 60 frames per second can be rendered to some cool slow motion.

I use Final Cut. But i dont know what free software is best.

[dbrick]

We needed one for snorkeling, sort of a one time thing. I got an Emerson version brand new for around $50.00 Came with some ok mounts and has a display. The GoPro would obviously be more sophisticated, but for occasional stuff, this is pretty good.
http://www.amazon.com/Emerson-Action-Di ... B00AGMWWMG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUKJ3lDlBLI
[youtube][/youtube]

[speed7bump]

I got the HD3 Black edition for Christmas, and I'll never go back! the quality is out of this world, and it leaves a big canvas for editing. Here's an example of what mine has done. Watch the video in the highest quality, I think it's worth every penny!

[youtube][/youtube]

or

[youtube][/youtube]

[Skyman]

Get the silver at least. Don't waste your money on the white. You have so many more options with the silver. Black is the best choice for editing capabilities. But, you will spend a lot more on the black.

[fixitman04]

look up video pad editor... thats what i use...easy to work with

[fixitman04]

http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RoadsterJon]

Get the silver at least. Don't waste your money on the white. You have so many more options with the silver. Black is the best choice for editing capabilities. But, you will spend a lot more on the black.

What are the differences of the silver and white editions?

[speed7bump]

The frame rate at 960p is faster in the silver, and the megapixels for stills are different. I recommend the black edition. As an amateur editor, it just gives you so much more to work with. Being able to go 60 fps at 1080p is powerful, especially for action shots (like being attached to a car), and to get the same frame rate, you would have to drop to 720p on the White edition.

I understand the cost is much more, but I think it's worth every penny just for the flexibility to film any way I want and have the ability to tone-down the quality if need be. I can make any of my movies look crappier if I want, but you can never make them clearer than how they are originally shot.

I will say that the controller it comes with is practically useless, and prepare to buy yourself the battery pack for $50 and the suction cup for $30. The camera is almost completely useless without them. In addition, you need a specific type of memory card for them, and I think ours came free with our purchase at Best Buy. They were somewhere between $30 and $50 alone, I think.

All in, I think I've dumped about $700 into my camera with all of its accessories, but again... all worth it.

Speaking of which, I'm willing to help any of you guys with editing if need be in the future. I'm no Spielberg, but I can definitely throw together a car video ^_^