GoPro 3:4K Video In A Small Package

At a special event in San Francisco, GoPro launched its latest action cam, the Hero3. Compared to the Hero2 that we all know and love, the new camera is both more portable and more capable. It’s 30% smaller and 25% lighter.  I never thought the old one was all that heavy myself, but I guess someone’s destined to want to attach it to a rabbit and see what’s actually down the Rabbit Hole ;=)  The image processor built inside is now double the speed – twice as fast – giving faster frame rates for both video and still photographs.
The camera comes in three colors or flavors: Black, Silver, and White, each differing in features.  The Black edition is the big dog, the flagship of the line. It’s capable of recording 4K video!  However, you’ll need to be content with doing so at a snail’s pace of 15 frames per second.  At 2.7k resolution your back to the normal 30fps.

Buy the Silver, and you’re capped at 1080p-30 for video and 11MP for stills. The entry-level White version has a still photo resolution of 5MP.

All three cameras can take advantage of the improved processor’s speed: 1080p video can be captured at 60fps. Drop down to a sane-to-edit  720p, and the frame rate is increased to 120fps. Great for those slo-mo inserts!  The continuous shooting speed for 12MP stills has been increased to a whopping 30fps!  Pretty impressive stats for a $400 camera the size of a package of cigarettes, no?

The cameras also feature improved low-light performance, a sharper lens, a better microphone, and built-in Wi-Fi.

The Black, Silver, and White editions are priced at $400, $300, and $200, respectively. You can place a preorder now by heading over to the GoPro website; Cameras begin shipping on Monday.