Ultimately, while the 4k mode is undoubtably very impressive (particularly given the price of the camera), it is arguably not something that most people are going to find particularly useful at this stage. However (as discussed further below) the Black edition is able to shoot up to 30 12MP jpeg frames a second for a burst of up to 3 seconds, or 10 12MP jpeg frames a second continuously for 30 seconds, and so these settings may be of more use for those who want continuous still photos rather than video. Given that each frame of the video is around 8 megapixels, it is tempting to think of the 4k mode as being like a continuous burst still photo setting. As such, it’s not really useable for capturing normal video, and less still if you want any ability to slow the footage down. Notably, the framerate at 4k resolution is only 15 fps – half the 30 fps which are needed to get smooth motion playback. But – ground breaking specs will always sell cameras, and we can well understand GoPro’s approach here.
There is also the issue of whether the human eye can even detect a significant increase in resolution above full 1080p HD when viewed on a screen a ‘normal’ size and distance away. There is a pretty good reason for this – currently 4k displays and television sets, while available ( and now from under $400!), remain pretty rare. Indeed, the GoPro currently remains the only consumer level camera which offers this resolution. This refers to the frame size of the video being 3840 by 2160 pixels – in comparison to full HD’s 1920 x 1080 – so a full 4 times the resolution of full HD. The big headline feature of the GoPro Hero 3+ Black remains its maximum video resolution of 4k. The wifi remote can be bought separately for around $70 and so can be used with the Silver as well, but the cost of doing this clearly narrows the gap between the Silver and the Black to around $30, so might well be a factor in favour of buying the Black for those who need the remote.Īs with between the White and Silver editions, the key differences between the Silver and Black lies in their video and photo specifications:
This can be very useful if the camera is mounted in an awkward or inaccessible location (on the rig of a kite surfing setup, for example) or if pushing the buttons on the camera risks upsetting a carefully positioned mount. This remote can be strapped to your wrist or other convenient location (a bike handlebar, for example), and allows control of the basic functions of the camera without having to press the buttons on the camera itself.
This article, however, compares only the most recent GoPro 3+ models.įirstly, it is useful to look at what elements of the GoPro Hero 3+ Silver and Black cameras are identical between the cameras. While a detailed consideration of the previous Hero 3 models is beyond the scope of this article, it is as well to be aware that these earlier models can still be found for sale. However, there were also several important changes to the innards of the cameras – the 3+ models being around 20% smaller and lighter, with a better ability to close focus (down to around 3 feet), improved audio quality and longer battery life.
The visual clues to this upgrade are the revised case design – the 3+ has no screws around the lens housing, and slightly larger buttons.
NOVEMBER 2016 UPDATE – this article deals with the GoPro Hero 3 and 3+ range of cameras released in 2013 (but still available for sale) – to check our our advice on the very latest GoPro models please see this updated article!Īs with our previous article on the GoPro Hero 3+ White vs Silver cameras, this article is intended to take a detailed look at the similarities and differences between the GoPro Hero 3+ Silverand the GoPro Hero 3+ Black models, in order to help you work out which model is best suited to your needs.īefore getting stuck into the detailed comparison, it should be noted that both the Silver and Black models were updated from ‘Hero 3’ to ‘Hero 3+’ in October 2013.