No GoPro New Gear
I have the latest and greatest in GoPro cameras, I think I have all the models from the 4 up to the 11 including the Max, except the 7 I do not remember why. I had 2 8’s and have 2 10s, and almost had 2 11’s. In having that many GoPros, I have a large assortment of GoPro “accessories” waterproof cases to filters lenses to about every GoPro mounting system there is.
I have tried to order the “Fetch Dog Harness”, but every time I order it, it is back ordered, or the order won’t process. I would love to put one on my Boykin Spaniel when she is out in the yard running after her ball or chasing bunnies. Not only that, but I had the “Fetch Dog Harness” in my cart, when I was in the process of trying to purchase another GoPro 11, but their system would not complete the purchase.
As I stated in “New Gear 1” I recently purchased the Insta360 x3 because I was not satisfied with the GoPro Max. As a 360 camera it is alright, but the GoPro app doesn’t deal 360 images well IMO. The Insta360 X3 is a much nicer camera, it has its quirks, I think I have used the Insta360 more in 2 months, than I have used the GoPro Max in 2 years.
Another annoyance is GoPros lack of standard RAW support. They have Raw, but it is the GoPro RAW, which requires that you shoot in wide, that causes vignetting and there is the lens distortion issue, that has to be manually adjusted when doing closeups because of fisheye. When shooting RAW on the GoPro 11, there is about a 3+ second delay before you can take the next picture, no idea of what is causing it the SD card is faster than the minimum specification.
The slider controls on the GoPro are a pain, trying to adjust, 1 through 10 then infinity, when you want 17 and there is no manual override to type in 17.
All this sounds like I hate GoPro cameras, I don’t hate them, if I did, I wouldn’t have 8 of them. These complaints are not just mine, but others out there have the same or similar complaints. I have not even touched on overheating. GoPros need to be in the wind, or they are going to shut off due to overheating after about 20 minutes on an 80-degree day.
The New Gear = DJI Action 3
The GoPro ordering system issues, along with the issues listed above, caused my eye to wander. Doing research on other small format cameras The DJI Action 3 popped up, I looked at the originals DJI Action, and almost pulled the trigger on the Action 2 when they came out, glad I didn’t.
I did my research on the Action 3, and started liking it a lot compared to the original, and the Action 2. I had a budget in my head from the GoPro 11, and I was in that range, not counting extra batteries and filters. Next stop B&H my new #1 choice for photography equipment since I benched Amazon (more about that later).
The Reason
This got started because I decided to do a project using small sensor cameras parking my full frame, using iPhone 14 Pro, DJI Action 3, Insta360 X3 and GoPro 10 & 11. I think I am going to at a minimum drop the GoPro 10 from this project, it is redundant.
https://www.dji.com/osmo-action-3?site=brandsite&from=landing_page
In Conclusion
In the future, I am certain you will see GoPro in New Gear articles in the future, maybe not near future, unless the GoPro Hero 13 is some innovation filled super camera.