Hardly new opposite Hero2

Packaging looks impressive from, but is awkward to open, or is not clear how the packaging should be opened. Why has the plastic plate on which the Hero3 was fixed, so so glued to the pack, is incomprehensible. When detaching go all four foam rubber feet apart.
It lacks a printed manual; this must be downloaded from the Internet. A firmware upgrade is required, according to leaflet, to which in turn a registration (and Internet access) is mandatory.
Compared to a Hero2 MikroSDHC memory card is required for the Hero3. It comes from the German manual is not clear, in what orientation it is to be used. The HDMI output is designed as a micro-HDMI output. A suitable cable is not available in the delivery enthalten.Der extremely thin battery cover with the battery inserted significantly under mechanical tension and looks after a predetermined breaking point.
The rectangular battery that has roughly the size of half a matchbox, is loaded in the device via the USB port. A USB cable is included, but not a battery charger. In order to remove the battery properly, the battery has a paper banner is glued, on hand to pull out the battery.
USB and HDMI ports are concealed by a small thin rubber cover that holds by parts of it stuck in these bushes. There is great danger of losing this if it is not attached to the unit.
The rear accessory port seems unchanged from the Hero2.
The housing with the flat glass acts as compared to the similar case of Hero2 somewhat shabby and did not receive a protective cover. Another new feature is a locking of the latch, which makes opening for untrained fingers a bit complicated. Possibly, the nose on the housing which is to hold the latch in position, a predetermined breaking point is, and it is unclear whether the breach of that nose, the housing then suddenly rises of its own accord.
The Hero3 still shows high image noise in low light. In this context, it is surprising how hot the camera when it is connected with fully charged battery with the computer. That devices in standby mode are quite warm, is certainly bad for the sensor noise, and it fogged then easily the inside of the housing. The 28 ° C outside temperature as a feature (heating battery) to sell at least enterprising. The viewing angle wide, medium and close match at the 35mm focal lengths 16mm, 19mm and 23mm, respectively. The extent to which different viewpoints were realized by omitting the edge pixel, I can not say. If you switch the camera from NTSC to PAL to, so the frame rate is reduced in some cases significantly.
Videos are apparently stored in two resolutions: as MP4 in the specified resolution and as LRV (low resolution video?) In significantly reduced resolution. The currently available software GoProCineFormStudioPC-1.3.2.169.exe crashed under Windows / XP from every time it was started without administrator rights.
For the WLAN module has the SSID and password are specified when generating the firmware; not just facilitates subsequent amendments, especially since the manual ausschweigt about. With WLAN module is active, the SSID is visible, which hackers could invite. The GoPro App for Android uses the Internet to display photos of the day on the home, what is dispensable in my opinion. On the main page a tiny viewfinder image is displayed that is updated with a significant delay. The largest part of the screen remains inexplicably empty. About the app Camera settings can be changed quite comfortable; even turning on and off of the camera is possible. It is unclear why one can not view the photos on the memory card with the app itself, or it can even be transferred to the smartphone.
Overall, the image quality is too poor and too lean the included accessories for the price, especially the noise and compression artifacts in still images have not improved over the Hero2. Presumably these are the boundaries of the tiny sensor chips. When accessories are also reached out quite well. The strengths of the system I see in the compact design and the convenient operation, where you have to take in the quality significant concessions in purchasing.

Supplement (10.10.2013)

Since the review GoPro has issued an update of the firmware and the GoPro App, which overcomes some of the deficiencies described in combination.

So you can now (after a waiting period and for newly formatted memory card), the thumbnails of shots (except Protune) as an overview, and you can view individual videos on the mobile (except Protune). Also, you can transfer recordings to your phone, the data rate can only be described as pathetic: When a wireless transmission of about 128MB which lasted 7 minutes (both devices were about 30 cm apart), which corresponds to a data rate of less than 200kB / s. To make matters worse, that any progress in the app is available. Trying to transfer multiple videos to your phone, ended when the battery was empty before the transfer was completed.

In Protune recordings no LRV file is created. With the latest firmware turning off the wireless module on the side button is a puzzle: If you press them too short or too long, so the module does not switch off. I had most success when I then let go of the button when the blue LED lit up for the third time. The original battery still has a contact problem, so that it can be sometimes not load, or sometimes the camera simply runs out.

Probably lack of mechanical shutter, the camera continues apparently through no sensor calibration (calibration pixels), so that when panning in low-light situations a clear pattern sensor (color and luminance noise) is superimposed on the image.

It is incomprehensible why GoPro has now released the Hero3 +. It reinforces the impression that in the Hero3 too many compromises at the expense of quality have been received. A kind of sports viewfinder I miss continue as accessories, specifically for underwater shots with a narrower viewing angle.