GoPro Hero3: Black Edition Camcorder Review

Performance

Adventure cams improved across the board this year, but GoPro's top-of-the-line Hero3 is the best one of all. The Hero3: Black Edition recorded sharp video with smooth motion and very good low light performance—all three being areas that the previous Hero2 struggled with. The camcorder also kept noise levels low and handled colors decently, although some may prefer the more accurate tones captured by the Contour+2.

Motion and sharpness were the Hero3: Black Edition's areas of excellence. Thanks to the camcorder's multiple frame rate options, the Hero3 is able to capture a variety of different aesthetics. There's a 60p mode that's great for fast-paced action shots (which is probably what most GoPros are used for), and there's even a 24p mode that gives you a more cinematic look. The camcorder's high-res 4K an d 2.7K record modes are impressive, but neither mode captured a sharper or more detailed image than the regular full HD 1080p settings. The videos in these high-res modes are physically larger, however, which does enable the user to crop out unwanted portions and still be left with a full HD image.