GoPro Hero 2 v. Hero 3 - anyone upgraded?

[stromonoff]

Has anyone upgraded from Hero 2 to Hero 3 yet?

Argos are selling off the Hero 2 Motorsport edition for £179 which seems a bargain, but then again you can get a Hero 3 Silver on ebay from about £225 and I was wondering if it was worth the extra £46.  Smaller and lighter are the obvious advantages but anyone have any direct experience of the two?

[p1lts]

I have HD2. I have contemplated an upgrade but so far I've resisted. From all the information that I can find, the HD2 is identical to the HD3 silver. Obviously you get built in wi-fi and the smaller body, but the video results should be identical.

The HD3 black is a different animal altogether and produces far superior results, but then it it should do as it is significantly more expensive.

The Argos deal seems pretty good to me. If you can get over the fact that its not the latest model and you don't need wifi, then I'd go for the HD2, howver if you do want the wifi functionality, then go for the HD3 silver.

[Jeff999]

What advantage does the wi-fi give?

[Oop North John]

What advantage does the wi-fi give?

A remote control facility seems to be the biggest plus.

[Jeff999]

Well if you can live without the wifi I think it's a good deal..

[p1lts]

The wifi facility allows you to control the camera remotely via:-

1. A dedicated remote control.

2. An app for your phone (iOs or Android). The app also allows you to "see" what the camera is seeing as well as being able to control all of the cameras functions.

I've checked the Argos website and stock appears very limited. The camera is not available to order but can be reserved at a store if you can find a branch with stock locally to you.

[Jeff999]

That sounds very good, but if you're recording on the bike I wouldn't want to be viewing or trying to play around with the controls. I do see the advantages for playback though.  Metro centre argos have two in stock.. Mmmmmm should I?

[p1lts]

That sound very good, but if you're recording on the bike I wouldn't want to be viewing or trying to play around with the controls. I do see the advantages for playback though.  Metro centre argos have two in stock.. Mmmmmm should I?

I agree, that the extra functionality of the wifi is not really that appropriate for bike use.

Also you cannot "playback" video using the App, but merely see what is being recorded "live" (well with approx 2secs delay actually).

[loggamatt]

I think the Drift Ghost HD looks like a better package... particularly for a helmet mounting. I like the idea of velcroing the remote control to the handlebars so that I can start and stop filming easily when I'm on the bike.

Plan to get one before my travels in the summer.

[stromonoff]

Thanks all for the input, have been checking out some web reviews.  It seems the Hero 3 has an advantage for underwater shooting, although that is a secondary function and for most of us it is a 'nice to have'.

Seems better colour on hero 3 as well, but resolution in the shadows better on the hero 2 so swings and roundabouts.

I am still considering as the LCD for the hero 2 is £50 on top, so if the WiFi negates the need for this it may be better to go for the hero 3.  Snag is I use a blackberry 9900.  It is a wifi phone but does anyone know if there is a go pro app for blackberry?

Hmmm ... £179 still tempting though.

[p1lts]

Gopro App is available for iOs or Android only.

[stromonoff]

Thanks, wifi maybe limited value to me for now then.

For those interested this is one of the better comparisons I think.  



The maker has vested interest of course - to sell them - but seems consistent with what users say.  I think the sound quality is one of the big advantages of the hero 3 over hero 2.  Particularly the (apparent) wind noise from the case.

[Oop North John]

Re GoPro vs the rest, watch any programme eg Charley messing about in South African and see what cameras they use when they can't use a "proper one". How many times do you see anything other than a GoPro?

[Sven]

Re GoPro vs the rest, watch any programme eg Charley messing about in South African and see what cameras they use when they can't use a "proper one". How many times do you see anything other than a GoPro?

What does that prove? They also use BMW's............nuff said.    

[stromonoff]

Decision made, just got the Hero2 motorsport edition for £179 - plus Argos kindly emailed a £5 discount voucher this morning which was nice of them.  Man maths mean that allowing for voucher and credit card cash back it cost me £173 so can't argue with that.

In case it is of benefit to others,  the reasons for going for the older Hero 2 are:
a) came with an in car mount which the Hero 3 Silver didn't (that is about £23 on its own) and I want to use that.
b) full size SD cards in the Hero 2 - same as my current camera and camcorder.  Micro SD's in the Hero 3.
c) as they can both be programmed with one button start/stop I can live without the wifi
d) the Hero 3 silver like for like with the mount would be about £250, so difficult to justify the extra

The Hero 3 Silver is better in a few ways though:
-better sound for some things (although loses some base so maybe not if it is just recording exhaust notes)
-lower wind noise
-slightly smaller
-wifi if you can use it
-marginally better image quality - debatable in the dry, but noticeable if you want to use it under water (I don't).

Hopefully that summary may help someone, and thanks all for the earlier comments.