GoPro Hero3+ issues

[ComeOnFish]

Since I purchased Gopro Hero3+ in May, I had three issues.

1. The red light on the lens side blinks occasionally. No buttons work. removing the battery reset the camera.
2. File being repaired message - Sometime I took out the battery or turn off the camera to reset the camera. Usually few files before and after the message will be corrupt. This made me very mad, when I thought I had great video shots (entire scene from casting to landing) and the video files were corrupt. I reformat the micro SD card every time before the fishing trip. This didn't help.
3. The system kept loading every 3-4 seconds when power is on. No buttons work when this happened except removing the battery. Removing the battery did not reset the camera since the last Sunday.

The above issues are well-known issues, and they have nothing to do with firmware upgrades.

The solution: Return the Gopro back to the merchant immediately. The issues weren't caused by user errors (I thought I didn't follow instructions correctly ). It seems that Gopro and Merchants understand the issues, and the most of merchants are taking back GoPro.
I went to REI in Fairfax yesterday, and I got a new Gopro. The staff knew exactly the issues were. FYI, REI has store return policy within 365. So I was out the store within 5 minutes.
According to the staff, 3-5 out of 100 are defects.

Joe

[buzz]

3-5 out of 100 isn't bad.
Sorry yours was one of the few. I've had mine for 3 months and it seems OK.
But thanks for the heads up.

[chex]

Sorry about your troubles Joe.

I have experienced issue #1 as well. I remove the battery, put it back and then it works.

In general, the GoPro 3 is a bit buggy from my experience. Every time I push a button, I wonder if it will work.

When it does work, it's a great little camera.

Glad you were able to get it replaced, cause we want those videos!

[Pat Smith]

not to thread jack.. but how do you guys manage your GOPros out on the Yaks? My GP only lasts 45 minutes or so, do you swap out to a new battery and risk getting the internals wet? I tried to leave the GP in stand by mode and use my remote to turn it on and off but didn't get much better life.

[buzz]

not to thread jack.. but how do you guys manage your GOPros out on the Yaks? My GP only lasts 45 minutes or so, do you swap out to a new battery and risk getting the internals wet? I tried to leave the GP in stand by mode and use my remote to turn it on and off but didn't get much better life.

I set mine to 720p, 120fps and put it in Looping Mode with Wi-Fi off. In that configuration I get almost 2 hours out of it.

Right now I'm experimenting with my GoPro Hero2. It has the Battery BacPac and I get 2 hours run time on that. I bought a 2nd BacPac and am working on hard-wiring it to a external 5v source. The tricky part is cutting the hole for the USB connector through the back door of the housing, but I'm taking it slowly. If it works out on the Hero2, I can easily adapt it to the Hero3+.

Of course, for $150 bucks Longshot has a USB waterproof solution. You still have to supply the 5v source which is as simple as connecting a $3-$5 5v regulator between your FF battery and the USB cable.

And if just want a turn-key solution Longshot has that for you too for $245.
Most people just shell out the money for the Longshot.

[chex]

I set mine to 720p, 120fps and put it in Looping Mode with Wi-Fi off. In that configuration I get almost 2 hours out of it.

Right now I'm experimenting with my GoPro Hero2. It has the Battery BacPac and I get 2 hours run time on that. I bought a 2nd BacPac and am working on hard-wiring it to a external 5v source. The tricky part is cutting the hole for the USB connector through the back door of the housing, but I'm taking it slowly. If it works out on the Hero2, I can easily adapt it to the Hero3+.

Of course, for $150 bucks Longshot has a USB waterproof solution. You still have to supply the 5v source which is as simple as connecting a $3-$5 5v regulator between your FF battery and the USB cable.

And if just want a turn-key solution Longshot has that for you too for $245.
Most people just shell out the money for the Longshot.

+1 on the longshot. I don't have one, but as far as I know, that is still the best (albeit expensive) solution. Probably not so great though, if, like ComeOnFish, you mount the camera on your head (you probably dont want wires attached to your head). I've been wanting to modify the waterproof housing like Buzz is talking about, but haven't gotten to it yet. Let us know how it goes Buzz.

[DOGFISH]

Sorry about the GoPro problem. I had to return one to GoPro myself, just prior to it going out of warranty. Nothing would work on that one. GoPro replaced it, without a problem. I agree, when working they are a great little camera. I am also going to give the Garmin Virbe a try, as a small hand held camera for the kayak. I like the automatic distortion correction of the Virbe.

Battery problem, I agree with the Longshot, http://www.portableuniversalpower.co...mk1-for-gopro/. I use two on the kayak and they work great. The GoPro runs continuously. Of course you can count on more power usage on your 12 volt battery. I use a larger GPS/Sounder, so it did matter to my battery usage on long trips. I just bumped my battery up to an 18ah.

[Pat Smith]

I did not know about the longshot.. I use my goPro mostly for off-roading. I stick the camera on the front bumper and get good rock and mud shots.. it would be nothing to simply run a wire through my open window (if I even have the doors on).

I was just about to dump $100 on two extended life batteries (Batt Pack). I would MUCH rather dump it on the Longshot, which will provide MUCH longer record times. Thanks guys.

[Jman]

I've had issues with my 3+ as well. I had the black piece on the buckle snap on me yesterday before fishing. I emailed GoPro and they've offered to replace the part for free, which is great! I've talked to one of the midshipmen that hangs out on my house on weekends (has 3-4 GoPros) and he said that the cameras can become overheated leaving them in the housing for too long. He had to purchase a new one on his own, because it wasn't covered by GoPro. I had less "buggy" issues, when I stopped leaving it in the case all the time, so maybe it would help?

[ComeOnFish]

I tested the new replacement GoPro 3+ last Sunday. about 2 out of 10, video stopped by it self in 4-5 seconds. I suspected bad battery or discharged battery initially, But that wasn't the case. The camera couldn't be overheated, and I gave a plenty of time for the battery to recovery after 2-4 minutes videos. REI will take back within 365 days. So I will test more with new batteries, new memory cards (and reformat the memory card every time after a trip).

Joe

[ComeOnFish]

not to thread jack.. but how do you guys manage your GOPros out on the Yaks? My GP only lasts 45 minutes or so, do you swap out to a new battery and risk getting the internals wet? I tried to leave the GP in stand by mode and use my remote to turn it on and off but didn't get much better life.

Pat,
I swap batteries all the time. I use LCD screen packs for both GP2 and GP3+. I always leave the power off. The batteries last about an hour (1080p) of video time.

I carry 3 regular batteries for each. When I suspected the battery is somewhat discharged, i swap the batteries.
I marked batteries (wrote 1, 2, 3...5 on the batteries). And I use the batteries in ascending order of numbers so I know how much each battery's been used. The batteries do go bad. So I order 2 Wasabi batteries every 4-5 months.
I found that Wasabi batteries are very good. I used Wasabi batteries/chargers for Nikon, Olympus, and GP. And I am very happy with the products.

I use 3-4 small Plano water proof tackle boxes ($3.99 at WalMart) to keep the batteries, phone and clean small towels. Batteries and phone are wrapped with small towels or rags. The Plano cases are water resistant at least 2' underwater - I tested. I also carry small pieces (3x5") of cotton rags (old T shirts) in the Plano water proof box. The small pieces of cotton rags are used to clean the lens constantly.

These are what I do to change the batteries:
Find a calm place. Even on the calm water, I ruined two cameras so far.
Rinse the camera housing and hands with bottled water.
Wipe out water on the housing using the towel, and wait few minutes.
replace the battery.
I try not to replace the memory cards on the water. My 32 GB card is empty before each trip. I operate cameras without remote controllers, no standby, always turn on and turn off for each video.

Joe

[ComeOnFish]

I tested the new replacement GoPro 3+ last Sunday. about 2 out of 10, video stopped by it self in 4-5 seconds. I suspected bad battery or discharged battery initially, But that wasn't the case. The camera couldn't be overheated, and I gave a plenty of time for the battery to recovery after 2-4 minutes videos. REI will take back within 365 days. So I will test more with new batteries, new memory cards (and reformat the memory card every time after a trip).

Joe

I am planning to go back to REI again for another replacement.

The same issue still exists and there have been two more. One is "Video won't stop recording, and I can't turn off the camera. I had this problem for three trips. I had to take off the batteries while sitting on the kayak multiple times. It wasn't the batteries. I carry 3 fully charged batteries. Now it turns off it self instead of stopping recording in 15-30 seconds randomly. So I lost many videos I took. Besides, I don't want to open GoPro more than twice while fishing. I want to open GoPro for normal battery replace.

I think GOPro Hero3+ comes with huge quality issues that manufacturer is not publicly admitting.

Joe

[YakCapn]

I've used my go pro hero 3 white model 3 or 4 times now and have had zero issues. It's worked great for me. I purchased the battery back pack and I can record over 3.5 hours before the batteries die. My bigger issue was editing video trying to use Apple's iMovie application. It was a total pain and hard to use. I just downloaded go pro studio this past weekend and it works great. Easy to use and edit clips. I want to change up camera mounting on the yak now. Thinking about a camera boom and mount from railblaza.

[ComeOnFish]

YakCapn,

Thank you for the info. I have the Silver model, and I am going to see if REI can give me a White and give me a store credit for the difference.
Yes, it is major pain to edit long videos.

joe