gopro hero 3 lcd screen free sample

Make sure the GoPro is charged. Charge the GoPro by using provided USB connector and plugging it into a computer. You can also use the GoPro wall or automobile charger.

If the GoPro still does not charge, please use the microSD/Micro USB Port Assembly Replacement guide to replace your assembly. A poor connection inside the Micro USB port may prevent your GoPro from charging.

Older computers do not have the hardware to support HD playback. Ensure your computer can play the video by checking if it meets the GoPro Studio Software minimum requirements here.

You can have choppy video playback if you play the video streamed from the camera over USB. What this means is if you have the camera connected to a computer by the USB cable and you play the video from the files on the camera, without transferring the file to your computer, it can come out choppy. This is due to the USB connection not being fast enough to play the HD video back in real time. Before playing back a HD video, copy or transfer the file from your GoPro to your computer, then playback the video.

Every year this action camera company tries to change the game, but did they pull it off leading into 2023? We’ve been busy putting the new camera to the test to bring you our comprehensive GoPro HERO 11 review! We dive into the new features, what they’ve improved (and what they missed) and give our honest opinion on whether the GoPro HERO11 is worth the upgrade over previous models.

No other camera company has managed to turn a product into a lifestyle brand quite the way GoPro has, which is one of the reasons we’ve personally been using their products since 2010 (holy moly, more than 12 years now).

We put our GoPros through hell. Snowboarding, scuba diving, mountain biking and just generally pushing them to their limits through our jobs as travel content creators.

So in our expert GoPro HERO11 Black review we dive deep into what sets this camera apart from its predecessor, how it performs in the real world and whether or not GoPro have missed the mark.

Last year’s slogan for the GoPro HERO 10 was ‘A New Era’, and this year GoPro have opted to go with ‘Finally to 11’. Quite fitting for the 11th series in what has become a bit of a legacy.

You see in 2023 the new camera has a range of moderate improvements, which we’ll get to shortly, but the real highlight is that everything just works, well, nicer.

There’s the new larger sensor, 10-bit colour and buttery HyperSmooth 5.0 with 360 degree horizon lock (how the hell they make it so smooth is beyond us, but we’ll take it).

These things alone mean the GoPro HERO11 Black is superior over the 10, but that’s not what makes the GoPro Experience a step above anything else they’ve done.

They’ve also introduced a new lighter version dubbed the HERO 11 Black Mini, which is almost as good as the main camera but without a few features such as LCD screens.

GoPro have really tapped into the creator market now, without forgetting their core origins for adventure athletes and general travel photographers/videographers, by endeavouring to make the entire shooting, editing and uploading workflow as seamless as possible.

SPECIAL DEAL: GoPro has an incredible special happening right now where you can save $305 off the Creator Bundle Edition, and $250 off the new camera and accessories! This special is for a limited time only for NOMADasaurus readers, so check it out while it’s available.

GoPro have managed to introduce a whole bunch of new features that make the latest camera a joy to use in any scenario, while also ticking a few boxes for professionals out there.

Here are some of the new and major features of the HERO 11 Black. It’s not a full revamp of the previous model, but the changes that are there are quite significant.

GoPro know that almost everything getting shared these days is shifting to vertical aspects, like what we find on Instagram and TikTok, but native width content like on TV and YouTube isn’t going anywhere.

This also introduces the bigger 27MP screen grabs, and a new immersive digital lens called HyperView, which is perfect for those POV (point-of-view) action thots.

This, matched with the revolutionary GP2 processor introduced on the HERO10, makes the new GoPro HERO11 Black a versatile, diverse and high quality powerhouse.

Using the entire 8:7 ratio on the new sensor, we can now use HyperView, which GoPro claims adds an ‘ultra-immersive’ video that best suits action POV, big selfies and large spaces in tight areas. Think architecture.

There’s also an update in the pipeline that will allow users to jump into the GoPro Quik app and change between all the digital lens options after the fact. So you can leave it on one setting and not be kicking yourself later.

This uses the processor to determine what level the horizon is on, and then keeps your shot in that position, even if you rotate your camera a full 360°.

When GoPro first introduced video presets it was a Godsend. We literally use them multiple times every single shoot and they save us so much time and headaches.

However for the average user, it can be a bit overkill. Most people don’t need to regularly bounce between 4k 30fps wide to 4k 120fps linear then to 4k 60fps Superview between shots.

Pick what you want – photo, video or TimeWarp – and GoPro will select the best settings for the situation. Kind of like using Auto on a modern digital camera.

Almost every trip we go on around the world we have people come up to us with a brand new GoPro and ask if we can help them with their settings. We get it – if you’re not a pro, camera settings are extremely confusing,

Set your GoPro up on a bridge over a highway or in the median strip of a busy street, click the button and watch the headlights of cars burn themselves into your shot.

While not a new feature and not directly related to the HERO11, we can’t really do our GoPro 11 review without talking about the app that goes along with it.

And if you sign up for the GoPro Quik Subscription, the app will auto-upload your footage to the cloud so you can clear the SD card and keep shooting without losing your footage.

There’s also rumours or a new feature coming soon where GoPro will use AI technology to make highlight reels of your footage in the cloud. Who needs a video editor, huh?

It’s basically a slightly watered-down version of the GoPro HERO 11 Black camera, without the LCD screens and instead having dual mounting fingers at the bottom and back of the body.

Why? Well not having an LCD screen sucks. You can’t frame your shots properly (unless you’re using your phone as a live view) and you can’t review your footage on the fly.

Well that’s all changed now. We recently bought the Media Mod for the HERO10, and now using it on the HERO11, and are so much happier with the audio improvements.

Never fear, friends. We have your back and have been super busy throwing the camera into all kinds of situations as part of our review of the GoPro HERO11 Black.

The initial setup of the camera was very quick and easy. Turn it on, pick your language, connect it to the GoPro Quik app on your phone, do an update and away you go.

The LCD touch screen is very fast and responsive, and when we did a side-by-sude comparison with the HERO10 we didn’t notice a big difference compared to the old camera.

It’s hard to tell on the little screen, but we could see a lot more of the scene. It was only when we imported the footage into Adobe Premiere Pro though that we could really see just how much more vertical room we had to play with.

At our core, we are photographers, and we’re pleased to say that in our GoPro HERO 11 review we’re very satisfied with the quality of images the little camera produces, and how far we can push the edits in post production without losing quality.

We’re always honest in our gear write-ups, and being an honest GoPro HERO11 Black review we actually tried our best to find something wrong with the camera.

We love the iconic GoPro perspective, but it’d be nice if we could grab a 2x or 3x optical zoom as well to get closer to our subjects and create some lens compression.

We’ve explored all the updates and what’s new in our GoPro HERO 11 Black review, and unless you’re very familiar with the old models you may be left wondering what the difference is between the most recent versions.

The HERO11 has a number of major updates compared to the HERO10, most specifically around the larger sensor and 10-bit colour, but the engine behind it being the GP2 processor is more or less the same.

You’ve almost made it to the end of our GoPro HERO 11 review, and you’re just about ready to either take the plunge and invest, or stash your cash for another day.

If you’re in the market for your first ever GoPro and are wondering if this is the model worth buying, then here’s the advice we give to our closest friends and family:

If you have the HERO9 or an earlier model such as the HERO 8 or HERO 7, and wondering whether now is the time to upgrade, then our answer is yes, you should.

The HERO11 takes the legendary cameras to a whole new level, and the larger sensor matched with the GP2 processor means it’s like night and day compared to the older versions.

If that doesn’t sound like you though and you already own the 10, don’t feel like you need to rush out and sell your old camera just yet (unless of course GoPro are doing a crazy sale on the 11).

You’ve made it to the end of our GoPro HERO11 review, and after intense use and a serious deep dive into all the new features, build quality and ease of use, we’ve given it a solid 9/10.

Thanks very much for reading our GoPro HERO10 Black review. If you have any questions please leave a comment below and we’ll answer them as soon as possible.

The GoPro HERO11 offers a substantial upgrade over the HERO10 thanks to the larger 1/1.9″ sensor, 10-bit colour, new 8:7 aspect ratio and HyperSmooth 5.0 over the previous model.

If you have the HERO9 model or earlier, use your GoPro more than twice a week or make social media content, then it is definitely worth upgrading to the GoPro HERO11 to make full use of the new larger sensor and 8:7 aspect ratio.

With the new 27 megapixel, 1/1.9″ sensor being powered by the GP2 processor and full RAW capabilities, the GoPro HERO 11 is a fantastic camera for taking still photos.

The square shape of the Hero3, despite being marginally smaller than its predecessor, is still difficult to successfully mount on a motorcycle helmet.

We’ve had mixed feelings about GoPro video cameras in the past, but the video quality coming out of these strangely square boxes has pretty much been a notch or two above the competition.

The square design isn’t as difficult to work with in some sports as it is with motorcycling. Indeed, GoPro “Hero” cameras have become the de facto standard in many sports.

For example, a couple of GoPro Hero2 cameras are frequently seen being used for the in-car video in “Chasing Classic Cars” and “Mythbusters”, which tells you that the video quality of the GoPro units are pretty good.

In fact, if you didn’t know it (and most viewers don’t), you’d never notice a difference between the Hero2’s and those multi-thousand-dollar hand-held video cameras also employed in those shows.

And that’s where the GoPro Hero3 loses some points, in our opinion. As we’ve mentioned in several of our motorcycle video camera reviews (index), the “perfect” motorcycle video camera has yet to be invented.

And the proprietary mounting clamp system with its loose parts is fussy and while we’re at it, how about that DOS 2.1 menu system? Time to ditch it, GoPro.

At least they kept the Hero3 the same height and width as the other GoPro cameras, so GoPro BacPac (review) owners can still fit the BacPac and the deeper cover on the Hero3 (a secret that GoPro isn’t telling you).

But actually, the Silver may actually be the best deal for motorcyclists (although besides the new lens, it may not have much on the existing Hero HD).

I won’t go through all the feature differences here of these three, because you can read all about it for yourself in theGoPro Hero3 camera comparison chart on the GoPro website.

In addition, it includes the standard 1080p (1920×1080) at multiple frame rates, 720p and more. (Note: the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition owner’s manual, only available as a .pdf download, refers to both “2.7k” and “2k” video formats but it’s 2.7k).

And finally, the Black Edition has built-in WiFi and a remote control that, when paired with the camera, repeats the tiny front menu screen on an LCD screen on the remote.

Finding and using all of these formats can be a bit tricky, due to the clumsy menu system, but you can’t go too wrong by simply sticking with good ol’ 1080p at 30 fps.

And while the 2.7k format may sound good — hey, bigger numbers are better, right? — truth be told, we can’t tell the difference between that format and the 1080p/30fps from this camera, at least at the 8MP bitrate in the Black Edition (still photo resolution up to 12MP).

It’s immediately noticeable when the raw files are played on the computer, even at full screen resolution (how they’ll fare after YouTube compression is another issue).

In addition to all the new video formats and the higher-quality lens, the Hero3 now takes a microSD card rather than the SD format used in previous GoPro cameras.

You’ll need a fast card too — GoPro recommends a Class 10 card as a minimum…and they’re not kidding. We tried slower cards and the camera stops recording after about 5 seconds when the internal buffer becomes full.

The remote has a small LCD window that repeats the menu on the front of the camera, but it has just the same two button interface, so there’s no “Back” button.

The Hero3 menu system has legacy written all over it, so to speak, and that’s unfortunate. At least with the BacPac the menu choices make a bit more sense than that way-too-small, 1980’s style black & white text on the unbelievably tiny front display.

The menu system is where the legacy design of the GoPro really hurts: there’s no third “Back” button, so if you miss a menu choice, you have to scroll all the way through the menu system until you return to your initial choice — and hope you don’t pass it again.

One more thing: the beeper isn’t loud enough to hear when you’re on the bike with the helmet and ear plugs. Again, thank goodness for that LCD BacPac so you can at least see what you’re doing!

The housing comes with a solid (waterproof) and an open back cover. The open cover is for sound recording, which has much better quality in the Hero3 than on previous GoPro cameras.

You can hear the difference in the sound when watching the on-road video below, which compares the Hero2 with the Hero3 on our standard example motorcycle video camera road (the sound levels were reduced, however, during post-processing).

You can buy a special GoPro version of the Fat Gecko suction cup mount (review) with the fork adapter, but our advice is to buy a cheap fork-style GoPro camera mount adapter, which works on any standard tripod mount.

BatteryThe Hero3 battery life isn’t great, with only about 1/2 hour of recording time after you consider the extra time needed to mess with the menu system to set up the camera.

GoPro sells an accessory battery BacPac, but apparently you can’t use the battery BacPac and the live view BacPac simultaneously — another artifact of the last-century design.

C’mon GoPro — how about putting the camera kit in a decent box that we can at least use to store the camera? Or how about a fabric carrying case for the 400 bucks??

Hard to believe that GoPro gets away with this, considering that the target market for this camera are the young outdoor types that are — hopefully — environmentally conscious.

Also included is a video compilation of on-road video samples taken in various GoPro Hero3 Black Edition formats. Note that as always, the YouTube compression algorithms reduce the actual quality of the video.

You can download some sample files from our YouSendIt Dropbox below, but each download may take a significant amount of time (approx. 20 to 30 minutes).

In the end, the form factor is frustrating but can be overlooked, due to the outstanding video quality. No doubt, this is the motorcycle video camera to have for 2012 and probably well into 2013.

From “T.Z.” (December 2012):“Just read your GoPro 3 review and you stated “but we couldn’t get some of the formats, like 960p and 720p at the higher frame rates, to play correctly, even on an ultra-fast, state-of-the art computer system with 10,000 RPM hard disks, 12GB of RAM, a fast video card and the latest Intel processor.”

Most LCD monitors max out at 60hz which is 60FPS. If you try to play 120FPS, the Monitor isn’t fast enough to show all the frames, so it looks jittery. Slow it down to 25% and it will be perfect…that’s really what the high FPS is used for…

See (the GoPro app for “smart” phones and tablets). With a firmware update, one can use an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet to access the full functionality of the Hero3 Black Edition, which I believe is the latter’s main raison d’etre.

Perhaps the reviewer could look into this and update the review accordingly. It seems completely pointless for GoPro to release a camera that goes backwards in functionality as we move forward with technology. The other parts of the review are spot-on, as always for wBW.”

“The GoPro Hero3 is a small camera that’s designed to shoot high-resolution videos and be easy to use, however, for users new to GoPro, it’s not exactly as simple as Felix Baumgartner jumping back to Earth.”

(Editors’ Note: This review covers the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition, a previous model that’s no longer for sale from GoPro’s website but can be found in major retailers; the entry-level white edition is still available from GoPro. The Hero3 Black Edition has been replaced by the Hero3+ Black Edition, which you can read more about here.)

The professional quality images are what have made it a hit with pro photographers and cinematographers.Since its launch in 2004 the GoPro has quickly become one of the most aspirational camcorders ever produced. Never has a camera encouraged more people to try more things than the Hero series action, point-of-view camcorders – even though the sector had existed prior to GoPro’s arrival. Some would argue that GoPro has done more to change the way we view action sports than any other camera manufacturer ever.

When GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman came up with the portable action camera concept, he tapped into two cultural zeitgeists at once. First, the relatively recent narcissistic need to document and share everything, and second, the “smaller is better” shrink-it-all movement. With its tiny size and amazingly high-resolution images (plus a flagship model capable of shooting 4K resolution), the GoPro Hero3 is perfect for capturing personal action and then sharing it. Its ultra-wide-angle lens brings the world into frame and allows people create what Woodman calls “engaging life content.”

The downside is that by viewing some of the now famous footage, some believe that the only thing standing between them and launching off a 40-foot-tall jump on a mountain bike, free-falling 24 miles from space, or leaping from a 2,000-foot high cliff in Norway is the GoPro Hero3 (White Edition, $200) camera. As we found out, that’s not exactly how it works.

Until recently, when GoPro released the GoPro Hero3+, the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition was top dog in the GoPro Hero kennel. It features everything that has made the GoPro a favorite image capture device for the action sports crowd. At 1.2 x 2.3 x 1.6 inches the Hero3 is tiny. It weighs only 2.6 ounces (without the waterproof case), and with the right accessories it can be attached to nearly anything without much worry of it sustaining any damage. The old Hero3 Black Edition is no longer for sale directly from GoPro (although the entry-level White Edition is available), but you can still find it at a variety of places, including Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H.

While its small size is key, the professional quality images that the camera produces are what have made it a hit with professional photographers and cinematographers. The tiny size also means that some features one would expect to find on a digital video or still camera strangely absent. There is no viewfinder on the Hero3, and no onboard LCD screen for playing back video or reviewing the photos (an attachable rear color LCD is an option). It is just a box with a lens, and three small buttons. But not to worry: The lack of any visual image feedback on the camera is a thing of the past with the addition of GoPro’s new smartphone app. By pairing the Hero3 to the app (Android or iPhone) with the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi radio it is possible to view what the camera is shooting in near real-time, and simple to playback video and review photos, or save them to a smartphone photo album for immediate upload to a favorite social site.

We expected that getting the Hero3 ready to go would be easy. What we experienced was somewhat different.The Hero3 has five basic camera modes (selectable by scrolling through a menu on the tiny LCD screen on the front of the camera): video, photo, photo burst, time lapse, and playback. Each of those modes has even more options deeper down. For instance, in video mode there are seven different resolutions including: WVGA, 720p, 960p, 1080p, 1440p, 2.7k Cinema, and 4k Cinema. Across those resolutions there are nine different frame rates to choose from. WVGA will go to a frame rate of 240, while the fastest 4k can turn is 15. For professionals, the Hero3 has one more mode called “Protune.” On this setting the camera captures less compressed images with neutral color profiles, and reduced sharpening and noise reduction allowing video editors to create “cinema quality” images during post-production.

The Hero3 shoots stills at 12 megapixels, however, there are more choices there as well. In photo burst mode the Hero3 will shoot up to 30 images a second. In time-lapse mode the Hero3 can be set for shooting one photo every .5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, or 60 seconds for the epic shots of clouds rolling across the sky, or snow falling on cedars.

The Hero3 Black Edition comes with the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera, a LI-Ion battery, a Wi-Fi remote, a waterproof housing good to 197 feet (or 60 meters), two quick-release mounts, two adhesive mounts (one curved, one flat), and a 3-way pivot arm. The White Edition lacks some of the accessories, such as the remote.

From the hundreds of cyclists, snowboarders, and motocrossers we’ve seen cruising around with GoPro cameras on their helmets, chests, or bikes lately we expected that getting the Hero3 ready to go would be easy. What we experienced was somewhat different. First off, no instructions are included with the camera. Not even a quick-start guide. After removing the camera from the box we found a black card that read “Visit gopro.com to dowload the Hero3 User Manual.”

After finding a step-by-step how-to video on the GoPro site (and spending even more time trying to get our MacBook Pro to recognized the camera), we updated the firmware (not exactly a trivial task) and were dying to go outside and get some footage on our mountain bike. Unfortunately, the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition only ships with two adhesive mounts that stick (rather permanently) to a helmet or other flat surface. We wanted to mount the camera on the handlebars of a bike, so we had to make a run to Best Buy to purchase an additional $20 bike attachment accessory. Additional accessories are needed to attach the camera to anything other than a helmet or a flat surface. In fact, the Hero3 does not even include a standard tripod mount. That’s extra.

When the Hero3 is recording three tiny red lights slowly blink. One is on the front of the camera next to the power button, another is in the upper-left hand corner of the back of the camera, and the third is positioned on the left-end of the bottom of the camera. The idea is that no matter what side of the camera is visible there will be a red light blinking if it’s recording.

With the camera on the bars this worked fine. Had the camera been mounted on our helmet, however, it would have been more difficult. That’s one reason why the included Wi-Fi remote is a good idea. Rather than removing your helmet to check for the blinking light, the remote allows a quick status update and makes it much easier to start and stop recordings or switch modes on the camera. In fact, the Wi-Fi remote can reportedly control up to 50 different cameras from a distance of to 600 feet in “optimal conditions.” The downside is that using Wi-Fi puts more strain on the battery and the Hero3 battery seems taxed enough on its own.

After returning home and plugging the camera into our computer we learned a few more things that may be obvious to regular users of the GoPro cameras: the video files are huge. A two-minute clip shot in 960p was nearly half-a-gigabyte. We downloaded GoPro’s free editing software (GoPro Studio) and, browsing the clips, found that they played back with jumps, jitters, and skips. After some research we found that the video files need to first be converted into another file format before they will play smoothly and that the footage we shot was not recorded incorrectly. It was glitchy because our computer couldn’t keep up with the files.

We selected six or seven files for conversion and immediately got an error message telling us that there was not enough free space on our hard drive. GoPro Studio said we needed 100GB free and we only had 57. Once we cleared up the proper amount of hard drive space the GoPro Studio software worked like a dream. We were able to convert the clips, trim them, and slam them into a video, and after about 40 minutes of processing it was ready and suitable for posting on YouTube.

After editing the mountain bike footage we plugged the camera into a USB port to charge the battery (GoPro does not offer an off-camera battery charger) so it would be ready to go if we needed it. After it charged we placed the Hero3 on the corner of our desk and left it. A week later, while heading out the door on a mission to a local skate park, we grabbed the Hero3. When we tried to turn it on we got no blinking light and no beeps. After trying several times we realized the battery was dead. The battery had drained just sitting in the off position on our desk.

Before it begins sounding like we had no fun at all with the GoPro Hero3, let us get back to the smartphone app. The GoPro app is a marvel. By connecting the camera to a smartphone the Hero3 becomes a wide angle, high-resolution image capturing extension of the phone. To test it we mounted the Hero3 on a kid’s bike and had him ride around. The iPhone became our viewfinder and remote control. With a tap here or a swipe there we started and stopped recording, changed settings and modes, and viewed the photos and clips that we’d just created. More than that, we could upload any image or video directly into our phone’s photo album. With the images on the phone a whole world of possibility opens up. From the trail we could throw on some filters and blast a video out to Instagram, post it to Facebook, or just tweet it. There is no camera we’ve seen that works so seamlessly with a smartphone.

Nearly all of the issues we had with the GoPro Hero3 were the result of us being complete rookies with the camera. Guilty. Yes, we should have known that we would need additional accessories if we wanted to attach the camera to a bike. We should have been aware that a little camera this powerful would chew through the batteries in minutes and that the high-resolution video files it creates would be huge and unwieldy. But we didn’t put much time into thinking about all this before hand. And we don’t think we’re alone in that. Camera technology has progressed to the point where we’ve all gotten so used to just flipping our phones out and recording HD video that we expect all cameras to function as easily, especially since GoPro’s marketing makes it seem that’s the case. But in the GoPro Hero3’s case, it doesn’t work that way.

The Hero3 is a highly specialized camera that is optimized to capture amazingly crisp, vivid, high-resolution images from an almost unbelievably small camera. What it does, it does very well. For people who need to document and share mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing, bungee jumping, auto racing, or motocross, the GoPro Hero3 could be the perfect camera. But don’t confuse this cute little camera with one that can be thrown into a gear bag and forgotten until the next extreme adventure comes around. The Hero3 requires focus. It requires forethought and planning for both shooting and sharing. It demands having the right accessories, paying attention to firmware updates, and having a handful of fully charged batteries. Do all that, and the camera will perform epically.

One word of warning: Unless you’re a photo/editing genius, the footage you get won’t look anywhere near as rad as the stuff you’ve seen on the Red Bull YouTube channel. And the Hero3 won’t help you land any cliff drops or make you faster on your mountain bike. But it will help you record what you’re doing and let you share it to the world.

That"s Prolost Flat for GoPro. And note that, in the HERO4, these settings can also be applied to stills. This requires a separate trip into the settings menu, as each shooting mode now remembers its own settings.

If you"re only an occasional GoPro user, it"s easy to get bit by getting a setting just slightly wrong. On that tiny screen, you may well miss a small detail that can render your footage significantly less awesome. For example, I took some advice and set my minimum ISO to 400 for one of our activities. But there wasn"t enough light for ISO 400 and 60 fps, so my HERO4 Black had no option but to slow its shutter to 1/30, meaning I didn"t get 60 fps at all, I got 30 smeary frames per second in a 60 fps stream. I won"t make that mistake again, I hope, but there is a learning curve here.

The choices of aspect ratio, resolution, and frame rate, and how they all interact, can be confusing. And the default setting is a new mode that I don"t like at all, yet still managed to accidentally use a few times. It"s called "Superview," and it uses a full-sensor capture which is then stretched to fill a 16:9 frame. The stretch is biased more toward the edges, like a terrible setting on a terrible HD TV (or a crappy HD upconverted movie on cable). GoPro sees this mode as a way to get maximum coverage and fill modern TVs with no fuss in post, but if there was a button to wipe this setting from my GoPros, I"d press it. Instead, it"s the default, which means we"ll see a lot of it. The Aspect Ratio Police are going to be busy.

The image quality is about what you"d expect. There"s compression artifacting, and noise, and everything you"re accustomed to from GoPros past. These are the kinds of problems that drive me crazy in my own GoPro footage, yet never seem to bother me in other people"s. That’s because, to get back to my initial observation, the GoPro is the ultimate content-is-king camera. If what you’re shooting isn’t interesting enough to power through some macroblocking, you’re using the wrong camera.

That’s it. That’s the worst I can say about the GoPro HERO4. In the past, one might have been able to find an angle from which to balk at the price of a GoPro, but the entry-level Hero, at $129.99 USD, eliminates that complaint.

A GoPro has its own look. It’s a difficult camera to evaluate in the context of “cameras,” because it speaks it’s own language so strongly. If you try to intercut it with other footage, you can expect many non-camera people in your audience to recognize “a GoPro shot” when they see it. In a historical epic, this would be a risky move. In a Jeep commercial, it could be as natural as lens flares and sky gradients.

The GoPro look is not mandatory though. At some resolutions, you can opt for a cropped field of view, for a less crazy-wide image. And the fisheye distortion is actually quite easy to dial back in post, using either the Lens Distortion effect in Premiere Pro, the Optics Compensation effect in After Effects, or the Lens Distortion tool in Magic Bullet Looks.

The last time I used a GoPro for filmmaking, I embraced the signature look. When an audience sees that telltale barrel distortion and poppy palette, they know they’re about to see something really cool, that really happened. I used this to my advantage as I gradually escalated the mayhem in

The GoPro Studio software comes with template projects, pre-populated with professional footage, over which you can drop your own shots for a shortcut to a ready-made video. One of the samples stands out, because instead of Olympic snowboarders or bikini-clad surfers, it’s nothing more than GoPro CEO Nick Woodman playing in a pool with his kids. There’s one shot in that template—just a simple moment of his boy jumping into the water—that is so infectiously ebullient that I literally gasped when I saw it. I realized in that moment that maybe I shouldn’t evaluate the GoPro as a filmmaker, or a camera nut—but as a dad, with a kid who seems to grow at light speed. I’m so grateful that Nick captured this simple, joyful moment, and that he shared it with us all. If you never see another GoPro shot in one of my films again, don’t think for second that I’m not using these delightful little cameras. If I’m doing things right, I might just be using them more for life than for work.