After discovering the fun of taking aviation photos and video on my Nikon DSLR, I knew it was only a matter of time before I considered an additional camera to take care of the video so I can focus on detailed shots.
The camera I decided on is the GoPro Hero 3 Silver Edition. In some ways, my delay in purchasing a GoPro benefitted me. The latest Hero 3 models have built-in Wi-Fi for control on phones/tablets and they are smaller and lighter. Another new feature of the Hero 3 editions is that they use Micro SD cards for storage.
The primary concern I have is getting a wide view. The Silver and Black Editions have Ultra Wide, Medium and Narrow field of view options whereas the least expensive model (White) only offers Medium FOV. That quickly eliminated the White Edition for aviation purposes.
The Black edition’s primary benefit is ultra high definition recording for resolutions higher than 1080p. White and Silver stop at 1080p (16:9) recording, but Black goes to 1440p, 2.7K Cinema and 4K Cinema. I’m not the kind of videographer that needs that intense resolution (nor do I have the screens that would support it), so I am satisfied by the Silver Edition’s 1080p.
My favorite feature so far is using the GoPro App on my phone to control the camera and change the settings. This is much quicker than using the two buttons and small screen on the camera to slowly click through the settings. The preview on my phone also makes an LCD add-on for the camera less of a priority for me. I’d take one if I happen to win one of GoPro’s daily “Everything We Make” giveaways though.
This is a video of thirty minutes of flight footage compressed into under two minutes. I hope you enjoy the audio – it’s loud (and funny)!