GoPro Hero 3 HD Black review

Reviewed by: John Milbank RRP: £359

The GoPro Black edition stands out in the range with its ability to shoot at 120fps at a resolution of 720p. This puts super-slow-mo footage in the hands of us all, which looks great with bike footage. Even at full HD (1080p), the GoPro will shoot at up to 60fps. Many of the features of the Black are targeted at professional users – the Protune mode outputs raw video footage that’s perfect for broadcasters.

An included remote control uses WiFi to activate and set the camera though you need to be aware that using this, and the free iPhone/Android app to connect to the camera will impact on the battery life. Recording footage with a fresh battery gives an hour and 40 minutes of use – fine for most purposes, but you’ll probably want to invest in one or two spare packs.

I’ve been using this camera for about four months now. The simple interface can take a little getting used to, and not having a screen on the camera (an optional one is available) means it can be a little hit and miss to set up. Fortunately, most of us have smartphones now, so it’s relatively simple to connect to the camera to adjust settings, or get a live view of what it’s seeing. I’ve shot various videos with the camera, including the Royal Enfield launch (see it at bit.ly/mcmenfield), and have been blown away by the image quality.

You’ll get the best from it if you spend a little time in your video editing software – I use Final Cut Pro X – but this is a superb piece of kit.

Or course, it’s far from cheap, so do think carefully about whether you need the ultimate performance of the Black edition… It’s worth checking out the Silver and White versions at £279 and £199 respectively.

More info: madison.co.uk/gopro

Check out this video, shot with the GoPro Hero 3 Black…