GoPro intros Hero3 line, including the Black which captures 4K
By Daniel Restuccio
October 17, 2012

GoPro intros Hero3 line, including the Black which captures 4K

SAN FRANCISCO — Post's Dan Restuccio was on a hot air balloon high above San Francisco with a GoPro Hero3 Black strapped to his head when we uploaded his short report from the GoPro event taking place here this week.

High testosterone and bleeding-edge technology converged on the Bentley Reserve here last night as GoPro founder/CEO Nicholas Woodman took the stage to announce the debut of the GoPro Hero3. Smaller, lighter and with higher resolution than the GoPro Hero 2 the sizzle reel (http://gopro.com) displayed a quality that rivals many pro cameras.

The Hero3 high-end Black Edition can shoot 2.7K resolution at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and even 4K at 12fps. The 12MP sensor with improved low-light performance appears to have a dynamic range of 8-10 stops. The camera has a wide, medium and narrow mode allowing for a multiple focal lengths. The Black edition comes with built in WI-FI control and remote accessory included. Also, Protune is built into Hero3 with ability to change white balance.

There is a new Continuous Photo mode that captures 12MP stills at a steady 3, 5, or 10 photo-per-second rate, up to 30 photos at a time.

The Black Edition lists at $399.99, but there are lower cost options for those not needing what the Black is offering.

When they let Dan down from the balloon, his next stop is a jet (see picture below), which they crazily say he might be able to pilot. So while there will be more info to come out of the event, below are some more details and the official release from GoPro.

GoPro the release of its new HD Hero3 camera line-up in White, Silver and Black editions. Each new edition retains the look of the previous HD Hero cameras, but comes in at about half the size of its predecessors and has built-in Wi-Fi technology.
 
At the top end of the new product line-up, the HD Hero3 Black Edition delivers 4K and 2.7K video resolutions all in the size of a small box of matches. The White, Silver and Black editions are available for pre-order at www.GoPro.com and are shipping to specialty retailers around the world for MSRP $199.99, $299.99 and $399.99, respectively.