# GoPro Hero3 battery life sucks or user error?



## jojotherider

Hey folks,

picked up a GoPro Hero3 Black edition the other day and took it out for a day of riding. The only thing I have to say about the camera right now is that the battery sucks for both the remote and the camera.

Weather was in the 30* range yesterday. So not super cold.

The remote:
I had it attached to the zipper on my jacket pocket. I tucked it inside so it wouldn't be flapping around and also not directly exposed. At the second chair, I went to go fire it up and the lcd only got to "low battery" and never fully came on. I figured it was because of the cold. However, I gave it a charge last night to see how it would work at room temps. One thing I noticed is that when I unplugged it, it automatically turned on and started searching for the gopro. I came back about two hours later and it was done. does that sound about right to anyone? seems like a not very long time to me for a day of riding. I don't want to have to turn on/off the remote everytime I record something. Seems to reduce the convenience of having a remote.

The camera:
First off, there was a little user error here. I had switched modes to burst mode and was kicking off the 30/1 sec photo burst. Very much to my friend's dismay as he hit a couple big drops to start the day. All I had were stills looking at him before dropping in. I did a bout 10 of those before realizing something was up. So I got it into video mode at 1080. I only got about 10 minutes of video after that. This was over a 2 hour period. That hardly seems reasonable to me.

So, what are others experiencing? is this just how GoPro cameras are? I would get about 4 hours out of my contourhd. I truly wish the Contour Roam was a higher end camera. I reallly like the convenience of the on/off/record slider in terms of batter management. Featurewise the GoPro is amazing and I really hope there is something I can do to get around this battery issue.


----------



## 03SVTCobra

I barely make a day with 2 batteries on my hero2. Im not shocked the hero3 battery life isnt much better.


----------



## Tristan-NZ

I've just gotten a GoPro 3 Black... I've got the original battery + 3 extras. Haven't ridden a full day yet, going out tomorrow!!


----------



## crazyCoco

Not your fault, the Hero3 battery isn't holding well for most people, specially when you use the higher resolutions. Here are some test results from someone on another board testing the Hero3 Black:




> HD3b firmware HD3.03.01.09
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 2.7k30T PT ON cam raw video test 1h14m.25s 23.4GB
> 
> Batt Bacpac wifi off 2.7k30T PT ON cam raw video test 1h49m.43s 35.9GB
> 
> LCD bacpac wifi off 2.7k30T PT ON cam raw video test 0h56m.50s 17.9GB
> 
> 
> Batt Bacpac wifi off 1080p30n pt off video+photo @ 5 sec 3h18m.27s 27.8GB + 2,379 photos 867MB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p30n pt off video+photo @ 5 sec 1h56m.32s 23.4GB + 1,377 photos 368MB
> 
> LCD bacpac wifi off 1080p30n pt off video+photo @5 sec 1h18m.55s 11.0GB + 944 photos 297MB
> 
> no bacpac WiFi On 1080p30w pt off video test 1h28m.44s 12.4GB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p30w pt off video test 1h33m.35s 13.1GB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p30Tw PT ON video test 1h31m.18s 22.3GB
> 
> Batt Bacpac WiFi On 1080p30w pt off video test 2h37m.35s 22.1GB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p60w pt off video test 1h10m.47s 14.8GB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p60m pt off video test 1h10m.59s 14.9GB
> 
> no bacpac wifi off 1080p60n pt off video test 1h22m.59s 17.9GB


Hope it helps!


----------



## ComeBack_Kid

GoPro is notorious for having terrible battery life in general. You are much better off bringing extra batteries so you don't have to worry about having enough time to film what you want to film.


----------



## chomps1211

ComeBack_Kid said:


> GoPro is notorious for having terrible battery life in general. You are much better off bringing extra batteries so you don't have to worry about having enough time to film what you want to film.


YUP!!! Even with the battbac on my GP Hero I, & turning it off @ the bottom between recording, (...this is on SE MI. 90 sec.-3min. downhill bunny run blues & blacks BTW!) I needed 2-3 extra batteries to get thru the day! Need another 2-3 to get my Hero II thru a day!!!

I know, I KNOW!!! What a "Gapper" & Why bother with a GP, let alone 2 on this shit??? Gimme a break, I'm a NooB & didn't know any better!! (...besides, nobody I know would have believed I was doing as well as I was without _Proof_!!!)  

...Aww who am I kidding?? I just like looking' at myself!!!! :laugh: :dunno:


----------



## baconzoo

the WiFi has it's purpose at times, but it's gonna be a battery killer for your phone and camera. I don't want a device in order to control my device...

Here is my solution: Drift HD Ghost | Drift Action Cameras
and with the two-way remote, "am I on" is no longer the question.
+ Camera Power: 1700mAH rechargeable lithium-ion battery (included) (DC 3.7V) = 3 hours


----------



## Tristan-NZ

Tristan-NZ said:


> I've just gotten a GoPro 3 Black... I've got the original battery + 3 extras. Haven't ridden a full day yet, going out tomorrow!!


Went boarding today.
Only changed batteries twice, one didn't even die - I changed it over at lunch so I wouldn't have to do it again.

Pretty happy with the result.


----------



## jojotherider

how did you manage the battery though (if you did)? was it on the whole time? did you turn it on/off in between recording?

I was just checking out that Drift, but even they list the battery life as just 3 hours. that's 50% longer than what I got, but It also doesn't have 1080/60fps. That was the biggest draw for me to go with the GoPro. highest 60fps was at 720 and I was already getting that with my ContourHD. I realy wish the Contour Roam was a higher end camera. I think I'd rather have the Drift over the contour with the 2" screen. Heh, my dSLR only has a 1.8" screen (Canon 20d).

In the end, the 1080p/60fps is a really big draw. Apparently also a big draw on power.  :s Ok, so the power solution for the camera is to have multiple batteries. Any thoughts on how to prolong the charge on the remote since the battery isn't removeable? One thing I was thinking about doing was putting the remote on a lanyard and keeping it tucked in my jacket. That way it stays warm. I really think the cold did it in. I'm curious how long an iPod Touch will stay powered in the cold. Eventually I'll be able to use that for the remote.

thanks for all the responses. I'm not a frequent visitor here and need to figure out how to make sure I receive updates.


----------



## baconzoo

jojotherider said:


> In the end, the 1080p/60fps is a really big draw.


What do you use to edit?
How much slow-mo do you actually use in your videos?

For all the talk about fps, most video editing programs (like iMovie) don't even take advantage of the extra frames unless you know how to conform the files in advance. I personally stopped doing slow-mos in my edits, as I feel if it's not 1000fps Cineflex it looks cheesy. My 10 cents...


----------



## oldmate

baconzoo said:


> What do you use to edit?
> How much slow-mo do you actually use in your videos?
> 
> For all the talk about fps, most video editing programs (like iMovie) don't even take advantage of the extra frames unless you know how to conform the files in advance. I personally stopped doing slow-mos in my edits, as I feel if it's not 1000fps Cineflex it looks cheesy. My 10 cents...


Not sure about iMovie but windows movie maker lets you slow down or speed up a clip really easily. If you slow it down to half (30fps) it dosnt look cheesy. It should look just as fluid as 60fps on most tvs or screens


----------



## jojotherider

baconzoo said:


> What do you use to edit?
> How much slow-mo do you actually use in your videos?
> 
> For all the talk about fps, most video editing programs (like iMovie) don't even take advantage of the extra frames unless you know how to conform the files in advance. I personally stopped doing slow-mos in my edits, as I feel if it's not 1000fps Cineflex it looks cheesy. My 10 cents...


I've never had good video software so I've only used Windows Movie Maker. There's an option to change the speed of a clip. Cutting the speed in 1/2 gets you a nice and smooth 30fps. I think if you are going to use slomo, you need to vary the speeds at different points. if you slowed down 1000fps ~30fps all the time, your video would be boring and predictable. Also, if jump/trick/slash/etc is slomo, that's not going to be super interesting either.

I'm probably going to buy these for my Hero3:
Amazon.com: gopro hero3 battery

1300mAh vs 1050mAh for each battery and I get a wall charger.

If I'm happy with the GoPro, I'll probably buy some software, either Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas if they have a consumer level. I heard its pretty good. The only feature I really want from it is the Image Stabilization. the YouTube stabilization is awful. Oh, I think the GoPro Cineform is pretty neat also. I think you can change the video speed somehow. I haven't quite figured it out yet though.

edit: also, i'm not sure how I feel about twixtor. seems pretty neat, but if you have a lot of moving parts it looks bad. Also water looks terrible and I imagine pow would also look terrible.

-joel


----------



## schmitty34

jojotherider said:


> If I'm happy with the GoPro, I'll probably buy some software, either Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas if they have a consumer level.
> -joel


You have to actually capture some footage before you worry about editing :RantExplode:


----------



## jojotherider

schmitty34 said:


> You have to actually capture some footage before you worry about editing :RantExplode:


footage of what? I only heard you did a big drop last weekend, its not on video anywhere. Must not have happened.


----------



## poutanen

Man that would be a deal breaker for me. I just sold my Contour Roam but I was getting upwards of 2-3 hours of footage (that's a full day on the hill recording most runs) and never once had the battery die on me. Unfortunately with no battery meter I have no idea how close I ever was, but that's irrelevant.

Have you thought about checking out the Contour Roam 2?

I'm going to go helmet-cam-less for a bit but if I get the bug again that'll be the one I likely go to...


----------



## jojotherider

Yeah, I had the contour HD before the GoPro and it seems to have died a bit. It seems to be overexposing everything. I've even reset the settings, but nothing changed.

I like the form factor of the contours, but really like the 1080p/60fps of the GoPro. Also like the picture taking ability (10fps or even 30fps for 1 second). Still, if it doesn't work, what's the point of the features?

I'm going to pick up an extra battery and give this a couple more days on the hill. I bought it at REI so I can return it whenever if it doesn't work out.

edit: i'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but does anyone know how GoPro (or any helmet cam company) measures batter life? according to http://gopro.com/support/article/?21298591 I should get 2.5 hrs in mild to warm temps. I'm assuming that's in the 50-70 degree range with wifi turned off and shooting in 480p. I sent mail to GoPro just now to ask

-joel


----------



## jojotherider

So to follow up here, I got more footage out of it the other day. The key was for me to not use the remote and turn off the wifi. I was able to record in spurts for about 2ish hours. Not straight recording, but here and there. I also left it on the whole time. I didn't want to turn it off/on each time and potentially select the wrong mode.

I bought another batter the other day (hint: Fred Meyer sells them cheaper than REI at 19.99). I'll charge that up and see if I can get more recording time. 

Question though. Has anyone used an aftermarket non-GoPro batter for their hero? There's a set on amazon with two batteries and a charger for not too expensive. The batteries are also 1300mAh vs. the GoPro 1050mAh. 

-joel


----------



## hktrdr

jojotherider said:


> So to follow up here, I got more footage out of it the other day. The key was for me to not use the remote and turn off the wifi. I was able to record in spurts for about 2ish hours. Not straight recording, but here and there. I also left it on the whole time. I didn't want to turn it off/on each time and potentially select the wrong mode.
> 
> I bought another batter the other day (hint: Fred Meyer sells them cheaper than REI at 19.99). I'll charge that up and see if I can get more recording time.
> 
> Question though. Has anyone used an aftermarket non-GoPro batter for their hero? There's a set on amazon with two batteries and a charger for not too expensive. The batteries are also 1300mAh vs. the GoPro 1050mAh.
> 
> -joel


FWIW, I use a set of the Wasabi Power aftermarket batteries with the Hero 1/2. Work perfectly fine, but the extra capacity makes little/no effective difference to recording time - if there is any difference at all it is less than 10% in run time. I like the charger even though it feels cheap - the good thing about it is that it charges 2 batteries simultaneously (1 in the charger and 1 in the camera).


----------



## jojotherider

those are the batteries I found on amazon. $24 for 2 and a charger.

Amazon.com: Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack) and Charger for GoPro HD HERO3 and GoPro AHDBT-201, AHDBT-301: Camera & Photo


----------



## gatecrashermike

My experience is with using GoPro cameras while fishing. I have 6 Hero2 cameras and 2 Hero3 black edition cameras. I mount the cameras around the boat to capture action including two underwater to catch billfish bites and releases. I use the battery bacpac for both the hero2 and hero3 and have to say that when the hero3 double battery runs out, i still have an entire battery left on the hero2. In other words, the hero2 double battery is lasting twice as long as the hero3 double battery. I'm filming both cameras at 1080. Not sure why such a huge discrepancy.


----------



## jojotherider

I think the Hero3 battery is slightly smaller, but not that much smaller. Is your Hero3 set to 60fps? That would probably be a drain. Wifi is the other battery drain.

I basically only turn wifi on for aiming my camera and then turn it off. I'm also using mine in temps 35* and below which kills the batteries faster. It's surprising to me because its an action sports camera and that includes a lot of snowsports. You'd think they'd consider that when thinking about battery management. It'll be interesting if I can get more recording time mountain biking in the summer time.

I still really like mine so I'm willing to deal with it. Of course, last time out I put a huge fingerprint on the lens while changing batteries on a chairlift. didn't take any video after that. 

-joel


----------



## gatecrashermike

jojotherider said:


> I think the Hero3 battery is slightly smaller, but not that much smaller. Is your Hero3 set to 60fps? That would probably be a drain. Wifi is the other battery drain.
> 
> -joel


I believe I was using 48 fps and the wifi was turned off (I think). It's too bad they don't allow you to daisy chain as many batteries on top of each other as you want, or at least 3. This would be much better for fixed mount applications. Particularly in a hunting application where you might sit for hours waiting for an animal to come in and then using the wifi to turn a series of cameras on. With only the ability to have one bacpac battery, you can potentially run out of juice before you ever turn the camera on (with wifi enabled).


----------



## jojotherider

this guy got almost 13hrs on just wifi standby. Hopefully that would be enough. 

You miiight be able to extend the time if you turn the LEDs off. I doubt it would amount to much savings though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueLcy2eeruI

I wonder if there's a difference in battery life when using the remote vs the smartphone app. The smartphone app gets the preview which I imagine would take extra battery life. I wonder if that's still sent if you're connected via the remote.

-joel


----------



## KansasNoob

I can imagine the wifi especially with streaming drains a lot. Last time I went I used the wifi to aim, and as a remote shutter to take a couple group pictures. 

We took my buddy's hero 2 when we went to Zapata Falls, the temp inside the cave was close to -20 and the camera quit working. Just something to think about...


----------



## blunted_nose

baconzoo said:


> What do you use to edit?
> How much slow-mo do you actually use in your videos?
> 
> For all the talk about fps, most video editing programs (like iMovie) don't even take advantage of the extra frames unless you know how to conform the files in advance. I personally stopped doing slow-mos in my edits, as I feel if it's not 1000fps Cineflex it looks cheesy. My 10 cents...


Naw son. 60fps and then ramp the slow mo's. Thats the shit/


----------



## treyi2i

*Controlling GoPro with goggles*

If y'all could control your mounted gopro camera with eye gestures ie turning on and off, starting and stopping recording video, etc. would that be useful? 

Imagine a pair of oakley goggles that has 2 eye trackers imbedded (super small so they wouldnt be noticable) that would allow you to control your gopro camera hands free with simple eye gestures ie wink or blink...do you think you would use this instead of the remote or phone as a remote? This would be a way to not only spare battery but also prevent from capturing extraneous footage. What sort of objections would you have?


----------



## slyder

what is a gopro and it could be pretty cool to use snowboarding I guess. I think it'd block my view from my helmet though, no???


----------



## ryannorthcott

treyi2i said:


> If y'all could control your mounted gopro camera with eye gestures ie turning on and off, starting and stopping recording video, etc. would that be useful?
> 
> Imagine a pair of oakley goggles that has 2 eye trackers imbedded (super small so they wouldnt be noticable) that would allow you to control your gopro camera hands free with simple eye gestures ie wink or blink...do you think you would use this instead of the remote or phone as a remote? This would be a way to not only spare battery but also prevent from capturing extraneous footage. What sort of objections would you have?


The fuck...


----------



## Mystery2many

treyi2i said:


> If y'all could control your mounted gopro camera with eye gestures ie turning on and off, starting and stopping recording video, etc. would that be useful?
> 
> Imagine a pair of oakley goggles that has 2 eye trackers imbedded (super small so they wouldnt be noticable) that would allow you to control your gopro camera hands free with simple eye gestures ie wink or blink...do you think you would use this instead of the remote or phone as a remote? This would be a way to not only spare battery but also prevent from capturing extraneous footage. What sort of objections would you have?


LOL. What about when you naturally blink or look left, right, up and down.

I'm starting to think this is a snowboarding invention forum.... but you need a low IQ to submit ideas.


----------



## poutanen

treyi2i said:


> If y'all could control your mounted gopro camera with eye gestures ie turning on and off, starting and stopping recording video, etc. would that be useful?


No. I just use a Contour instead. It has a switch on it. You push it and it starts recording, and beeps to confirm. Amazing thing this switch invention.

Why anyone would need goggles, a smartphone, etc. to control a POV camera is beyond me.


----------



## treyi2i

Mystery2many said:


> LOL. What about when you naturally blink or look left, right, up and down.
> 
> I'm starting to think this is a snowboarding invention forum.... but you need a low IQ to submit ideas.


It would discern the difference between any natural eye gesture. The eye gestures would be distinguishable.


----------



## treyi2i

slyder said:


> what is a gopro and it could be pretty cool to use snowboarding I guess. I think it'd block my view from my helmet though, no???


No, the hardware needed for this eye tracking would be so minimal that it would not obstruct or impede your vision. Also the look of the goggles would not be compromised either. This could also be a device for tagging your videos while your on the slopes, so that you don't have to sift through hours of footage to find what you like. You could use an eye gesture to "tag" a certain portion of the footage if say you're about to go down a run that you know you'll want to watch later.


----------

