GoPro Hero4: I either have good timing or bad

So, just yesterday morning I decide I am going to drop some cash on a GoPro. I've considered one on and off for awhile now. My wife and I are taking her niece and nephew to Niagra Falls next weekend. We are traveling more and more and I love making sure we get good pics when we go places and especially when we take them.

I have a Nikon D700 with several lenses but I've been wanting a smaller camera to pocket and also wanted a water/weather proof one and video. Go Pro is perfect.

So as I start looking yesterday I see the Hero4 being announced and available this Sunday.

Now depending on how you look at it that is either great timing or poor timing. haha. So now I have to decide if I want to wait(albeit a few days), spend more money for newer technology or just buy one now.

Here is what I'm thinking right now. I'm open for opinions.

My two choices are:

1. Wait until Sunday and buy Hero4 Silver.
Pros- Possibly better resolution, faster, more options, LCD
Cons - New tech could be buggy, won't have it to use for Orioles playoff game on Thursday or trip to mountains Friday. Only $50 less than the Hero3+ Black at Best Buy right now

2. Buy Hero3+ Black at Best Buy for $349.
Pros- Bugs worked out, get it now, get wireless remote with it, similar options(maybe more??) as the Hero4 Silver.
Cons - Price may drop after I buy it. Not as new technology or resolution as 4 Silver.

I'm trying to determine if I am just being impulsive and wanting one before Sunday. Like I mentioned I am going to Orioles playoff game Thursday and to the mountains(brother and nephew bow hunting, me just f-ing off haha) so could be fun to have one to start to get use to for Niagra next week>

What say you?

 

I would get the 4 silver for the built in touch screen.
Especially if you are using it for a still cam as well.
You can actually see what you are shooting....
I started with an original way back when, moved up to their other models.
Would love a new silver 4 for that built in touch screen
GP offers good customer support on their website
& their stuff is heavily tested due to every extreme athlete/motorsports etc. using the darn things.

 

The 4 backdoor is a touch door
It comes with 2 different doors

I hear you though for I still have the first HD model released in 2008 which is archaic plus an HD2 w/ a remote.
Both cameras work for my application trail riding.

 

Mine is from ** never mind *** too interesting.....

 

I barely ever used my Hero 3 Black edition. I went to go try and turn it on a couple months ago, and it just died in my hands. I had an SD in there and it was saying I didn't have one. I left it on the charger and left, only to return later, with the same message on the screen and it hot as shit and not even registering a charge whatsoever.

What a worthless piece of junk.

EDIT: I just attempted to pull it out of its shell and charge it up again. Same issues, So pulled out the SD, only this time the camera was showing it was charging. Attempted to format the card and check it again. Same error. So I tried a different card and sure enough, it worked. I navigated into the settings while the good card was in there, got to the format option, pulled out the good card, put in the bad, hit format and sure enough it worked!

All is well now and the camera works again. I think the corrupted card was making the camera flip shit. Glad to know I can use it again

 

I have the Hero 3 Black and dude. As a consumer you're going to be hard pressed to beat the 3+ Black at home. Save the change on the new one and grab the one on sale now.

 

Save your money, buy a Polaroid cube. $99 and it'll do what the go pro does.

 

It is from my experience that GoPro's are notoriously unreliable. Don't go with them purely because they're the best know brand name on the market. There are several other cameras available that may not necessarily have the same picture quality (don't ever really need more than 720p for videos anyways) as the GoPro, but are built significatly tougher and from experience are far more reliable.

I have several friends who gave up on GoPro after the Hero2, myself included. And others who turned away from GoPro's for a more reliable camera thanks to the quantity or quality mentality with the Hero3.

I would highly recommend looking into other POV camera's before dropping money into something that won't work in a years time.

Personally I now run Contour Roam2's, 2 when biking, 2 when racing cars/karts, and as many as 4 or 5 for dicking around with buddies/my truck. They have been amazing for me, tough as nails, waterproof without a case, and reasonably priced by comparison to the little grey boxes.

 

I've shaken 3 camera's apart from my kart, and 1 died in a rollover. Friends have had similar issues with GoPro's shaking themselves apart. We think it's due to the vibrations we experience in 2-stroke go karts. I also know guys who ride street bikes who refuse to us GoPro's for the same shaking themselves apart reasons.

 

Yeah I get it if it rides on the side of carts & bikes. That stinks!
Mine (original & HD2) has been used extensively on the side of helmet on my snowmobile or my mtn bike for over 5 yrs.
Miles and miles & hours & hours of riding in extreme weather.
It even survived a couple of my crashes up in Canada.
I have only replaced one clasp on a door of the original & a couple of batteries.
I'm not really into the latest & greatest.
My first one was a gift to document our trips.
More features will probably break anyway.

 

Reading everyone's comments about unreliable GoPros makes me laugh a little. Ive had every camera and love each one. No problems at all. I even broke the case holding my camera twice on my rocket, called GoPro up and they sent me a replacement housing in the mail with no questions asked. I have found them really reliable+ the specs they push out, I don't have a problem with them. To each their own I guess.