Technology is a funny thing. It’s literally to the point where you find something new on a daily basis that you didn’t even know existed, but once you have it you cannot imagine living with out it. Cameras are something that are constantly evolving whether it be better quality images being produced, more functionality or a more compact design. In the past 15 years or so, I’ve been toying around with video cameras, filming my friends and I screwing around on our bikes. I’ve gone from Hi-8 tapes and Mini DV’s to tiny memory cards that can hold more footage in high-definintion than 3 tapes combined. It’s pretty amazing constantly seeing and be able to give the new technology a go with BMX being my excuse to use it. The other day my mind was blown thanks to GoPro and their new Hero 3+ camera and iPhone app. Let’s take a look at this…
I could sit here and go on and on about all the features and different options that the Hero 3 + has from the different video recording quality settings, photo capabilities and time-lapse options…. But, I’m sure most of you are well aware that they are capable of producing full 1080p HD video and, with a little touch up in Photoshop, photos that look pretty damn good too.
What I don’t think a lot of you know about is how the camera can connect to your phone through a wifi signal.
GoPro introduced the WIFI capability to connect to their remote controls a while back that made it a lot easier to hit record when the camera was strapped to your helmet or even just a few feet away from you. Above is a photo of my Hero 2 that has the WIFI adaptor attached to it. Just in the past few years technology has advanced quite a bit and GoPro have invested in ways to create a smaller camera that not only captures at a much higher quality, but eliminated the WIFI adaptor and built it into the camera itself. I can’t recall if it was shortly after the release of the WIFI adaptor for the 2 or the first version of the Hero 3 that GoPro released the app for your phone that would ultimately allow you to record by simply connecting your phone. What I do remember is trying out the first version and it was kind of a hassle to make it work right. I gave up on it pretty quickly.
The other day I decided maybe after a few new versions of the camera and a handful of updates to the app that maybe it would be worthwhile to give it another go. I downloaded it and spent a little time playing with it. I quickly realized all the issues I was having with the original versions had been resolved and they even added a lot of new features that kind of blew my mind. You can control every setting on the camera from resolution to frame rate, change to photos or time lapses, turn the camera on and off and even watch the footage live as it records or go through previously filmed clips and play it back.
If there were any real issues I had with the app and the camera it would be that I noticed the battery will drain pretty quick. It takes quite a bit of power to send out the signal to keep the phone and camera connected and with keeping your iPhone constantly on to record, go through clips, etc. you’ll want to have a charger on hand for the camera and your phone because one will probably drain before the session is over. I think in general that GoPro could work on their battery life with their cameras. I’ve also used the screen attachment on this camera and found that you can burn through the battery in about 30 minutes if you’re playing back and deleting clips as you go as well. That’s really my only complaint I have about the newest version of the camera and the iPhone app though.
Overall, I’m really impressed with what GoPro has been able to accomplish with its latest version of their camera and the app that they created to work directly with it. Had you told me when I was a kid that someday I would have a phone that could control every aspect of a full HD camera, I would have laughed at you, asked what the hell HD was and told you to stop bugging me while I played Snake on my Nokia. But it’s 2014 and we have things we never could have imagined at our finger tips and it’s making things interesting to say the least!
You can download the GoPro app for free in the iTunes App Store. It is also available for Android phones as well! The new GoPro Hero 3+ is available in 3 versions that range from $199.99 – $399.99.
If you’re looking for a quality camera but don’t have the money to spend on a fancy DSLR or high-end video camera, this is definitely a solid investment. It’s easy to use and can produce some quality footage. I still need to play with the settings, but here’s a quick video I filmed today when I was giving the app and battery life a test today… Man, I hope the camera still adds 15 pounds like it did back in the day or I need to get off this computer more, haha. I don’t do bars or whips and love my brakes too, haha.
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