Hello,

Does anyone have any input on purchasing the GoPro Hero 3 Silver vs Black?
Going from 10mp up to 12mp, is that enough to make a noticeable difference in picture quality?
I am a novice when it comes to using this camera so I think the Black edition has way to much going on with it for me to ever understand. So maybe the Silver edition is better for my needs.

I have the Silver 3. I'm not a tech geek so I can't help you on the features. But I do know that I love that thing.

I just got the black as a Birthday gift and love it! I'm not really too Techie or Camera Savvy either i mean i know the basics but i thought it was cool that it came with the remote so if you don't want to always have to pull out your phone to turn it off and on,, remote is like almost $100 i think which i also kinda crazy but it does have the new 4K video quality which i've only used it a few times so far and the quality is ridiculously good!

I am in between the too also. Was wondering the same thing. The black comes with a remote, records up to 4k, and bursts 30 fps vs 10 fps on the silver. Black is supposed be better on low light and has "superview". Not sure what that is.

The real question is are you going to buy a remote. If you are... Buy the black and the difference in price is barely more than a remote. My wife just bought one 3+ and I think it's awesome!

They all can be controlled with an app too I believe.

I have the Black 3 and the Black 3+. The 3 is currently mounted in a larger waterproof enclosure with an external battery and solar panel shooting a 4 month time lapse of a construction site. I'm going to use the 3+ on a DJI Phantom and for other misc projects. I would definitely go with the Black for the low light as the others will be significantly grainier in low light. Consider most indoor use lowlight as well as severely overcast days and obviously nighttime. You can improve clarity by shooting at a lower frame rate under these conditions. Also the 3+ can record at higher resolutions. One benefit is that you can crop out some of the frame and still have HD resolution. Either way make sure you are getting class 10 micro SD cards.

If you want the remote get the black. The resolution & remote make the black worth the extra $. We use the remote a ton. As mentioned by @mace. get the best class 10 cards you can. GoPro provides a list of compatible and stick to those.

The resolution is not what you're buying when you buy the black. Image quality during video is hugely different between the two. Go look on youtube for video comparisons of the silver and black to make your decision.

I will beg patience from the forum body for my lack of tech skills before I ask my question.

I was thinking of getting one of these for my son (age 26) as a gift. But after reading a number of Amazon reviews complaining about the firmware(???), and the necessity of having to update the device via downloads, and the camera not being ready to hit the road right out of the box, and too much to pay for the above stated hassles.......I passed.

So which is it? Is this camera user friendly, ready to go upon opening, battery eater, or do you have to be Albert Einstien to use it?

Please explain. Can you shoot @ 1440p, 2.7k or 4k on a silver 3+? No. Can you on a Black 3+? Yes. Those are video resolutions. You are probably looking at videos comparing Protune which I don't believe the silver has.

It is a battery eater. Battery technology has not kept up with our urge for small devices. Off brand batteries and charger are available very cheap. User friendly is really based on the user. I never had a problem updating the firmware or any issues after an update on a hero 2, 3 black or 3+ black. I would guess any 20 something won't have a problem using it. If the intent is to use it as a general camcorder for family videos and such I would look else where. If it's going to be used for action videos, outdoors, wet locations and slo motion it's a great choice.

I shoot at 1080p, that's all I and most non-professionals care about. With both cams shooting 1080p/24 mp4, there's a seriously huge noticeable difference in image and color quality which I'm assuming the OP cares about since he isn't a professional.

I own a hero 3 black because the silver's image quality to me blows.

That's what I was trying to get at.

Also of note, if someone is really interested in the Silver because of price reasons, I'd suggest getting something other than a GoPro. I also own 2 of these which I picked up for $40 each. I can use the 8 mounts interchangeably with my gopro, and the camera actually isn't too bad for the price:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vivitar-DV...s-Kit/31342300

Out of the box, the 3+ Silver will have all you need. You just won't have the editing capabilities of the 3+ Black for low light situations.

If you aren't savvy and don't plan to learn how to use the features, then why pay for it? If you do plan to learn how to manipulate color and do plan to use Protunes, then pay the premium and get the 3+ Black.

The remote could come in handy if you don't plan to use the app, controlled by a smart phone.

I don't agree. You get so much more for the extra hundred that it's totally worth getting the black. The free software that comes with the gopro is quite powerful and the number of tutorials out there can take an average user to a pretty impressive prosumer. On average people that purchase a gopro are looking to do more than just record a clip of video. Look at the number of slow mo videos, quick transitions, great edits. People that purchase a sony handycam aren't doing this. For the mere lowlight performance alone it is worth the $100 bucks. Also the YouTube, gopro, Vimeo etc generation is going to be the biggest driving factor toward 4K content. If you want to purchase something that's going to be relevant longer get the Black.