+POINT The GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition produces some of the best -- if not the best -- video we've seen from an action cam. Its abundant resolution and frame rate options will satisfy beginners and experienced shooters.
- POINT Navigating the on-camera settings menus still isn't the best experience. Battery life can be brief depending on the features you're using. Plan to buy accessories including a microSD card.
The Bottom Line Like the Hero3, the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition's strongest attributes are its excellent video quality and impressive list of shooting options. If that's what matters most to you, this is the action cam to get.
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Depending on whom you ask, GoPro's action cameras are the best available or they're all marketing.
Regardless of where you fall -- or if you're still undecided -- it's impossible to ignore GoPro's position in the category. The release of 2012's Hero3 models seemed to propel them far in front of competitors and the 2013 Hero3+ models aim to keep them there.
The GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition
is the top of the GoPro lineup, followed by theHero3+ Silver Edition, and the Hero3 White Edition, with the White being the only one unchanged from 2012. (Oh, and despite the colorful names, the cameras are all silver and black with just the "3" on front in the corresponding color.)
is the top of the GoPro lineup, followed by theHero3+ Silver Edition, and the Hero3 White Edition, with the White being the only one unchanged from 2012. (Oh, and despite the colorful names, the cameras are all silver and black with just the "3" on front in the corresponding color.)
As the highest-end model, the Black Edition has the most shooting options including a Protune mode for high-bit-rate video with neutral color and 24 frames per second recording for professional video production, the highest resolution capabilities up to 4K at 15fps, and includes a Wi-Fi remote.
In the box
GoPro doesn't exactly shortchange you on accessories for your $400, but at the very least you'll need to get a microSD card up to 64GB. That's really the only thing that you'll need in addition to what's in the box to get you shooting.
GoPro doesn't exactly shortchange you on accessories for your $400, but at the very least you'll need to get a microSD card up to 64GB. That's really the only thing that you'll need in addition to what's in the box to get you shooting.
The camera's waterproof housing is good to depths of 131 feet (40 meters); the Hero3's dive housing was good to 197 feet (60 meters). If you don't need the camera to be dust- or waterproof and would like a bit more audio to reach the built-in mono mic, you can swap out the standard backdoor for the skeleton backdoor.
Design and features
There are some differences between the bodies of the Hero3 and Hero3+, but you'd pretty much have to have it side by side to see them. The Hero3+ remains a little box that is not rugged without its housing, unlike competitors from iON , Garmin , and Drift. Don't get me wrong, the camera feels very well constructed and might survive a minor tumble, but its GoPro's housing that keeps the camera dry and safe.
There are some differences between the bodies of the Hero3 and Hero3+, but you'd pretty much have to have it side by side to see them. The Hero3+ remains a little box that is not rugged without its housing, unlike competitors from iON , Garmin , and Drift. Don't get me wrong, the camera feels very well constructed and might survive a minor tumble, but its GoPro's housing that keeps the camera dry and safe.
The camera can sit up on its own, but without an integrated tripod mount there's no way to easily attach the camera to anything without using a housing. Being a leader, if not the leader, in action cams, there's no shortage of mounting options available from GoPro and third-party accessory makers. It's certainly an advantage to getting a GoPro, but not a big one since other action cams either have tripod mounts or available adapters to use with GoPro mounts.
Video quality
The Hero3+ Black Edition produces some of the best quality video I've seen from an action cam. With few exceptions, bit rates on action cameras tend to be around 15Mbps or lower. The Black Edition passes double that amount of data, giving you nice detail -- even when you're moving fast.
The Hero3+ Black Edition produces some of the best quality video I've seen from an action cam. With few exceptions, bit rates on action cameras tend to be around 15Mbps or lower. The Black Edition passes double that amount of data, giving you nice detail -- even when you're moving fast.
Performance
Battery life is a concern for all action cams; they're small cameras with small batteries that capture high-res video at fast frame rates. GoPro claims better battery life with the Hero3+ and going by its engineering estimates, you can get up to 2 hours of battery life shooting at 1080p 30fps with Wi-Fi off. Using higher resolutions or faster frame rates, as well as using the Wi-Fi with the included remote or GoPro mobile app, will bite into that time. Also, Wi-Fi doesn't shut off when you turn the camera's power off. If you don't turn Wi-FI off separately it will continue to drain your battery.
Basically, if you're going out for extended shooting, you'll want to get extra batteries. At least it has a replaceable battery, unlike other action cams that have built-in batteries. (By the way, the longest battery life I've seen is from the Drift Ghost-S with up to 3.5 hours recording at 1080p30, and its battery is replaceable, too.)
Though I never experienced it during testing, it is possible for the camera to get hot enough during use that it will pop up a warning to let you know that it needs to cool down. According to the manual, the camera will not allow itself to overheat and damage the camera.
Conclusion
Like the Hero3, the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition's strongest attributes are its excellent video quality and impressive list of shooting options. If that's what matters most to you, this is the action cam to get. However, if you're just looking for something to play with and post videos online or watch on mobile devices, it's overkill and there are plenty of other options out there.
Like the Hero3, the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition's strongest attributes are its excellent video quality and impressive list of shooting options. If that's what matters most to you, this is the action cam to get. However, if you're just looking for something to play with and post videos online or watch on mobile devices, it's overkill and there are plenty of other options out there.
