Go Pro Hero 3 Black Upgrade - Heat Issue
- Thread starter CameraGuy
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I have had heat issues with my Black edition since day one personally. Short bursts are no problem but an hour of shooting at 1080p with ProTune on (in the waterproof housing) tends to lead to shutdowns which is VERY annoying.
I did a timelapse at 0.5 in an aircon'd airplane and it overheated at 1.2 hrs.
I called GoPro about this (this was two firmware updates ago) and they told me that the Hero3 will always create lots of heat in ProTune. I argued that it clearly wasn't fit for purpose as I'm not even using 2.7 or 4k but they wouldn't investigate without further evidence of clear fault. I did a load of heat tests after this to see how long it takes to shut off but it did fine during them so it clearly wasn't a consistent problem.
The last 2 weeks I have been in 34-36 degrees heat in France (100f). If I left it in direct sunlight it overheated and shut off after maybe 30 mins (1080p). On my return I updated to the latest firmware but I don't hold much hope for this to make it right. I thought it might have been the SD card but the heat seems to come from around the lens not the card.
I did a timelapse at 0.5 in an aircon'd airplane and it overheated at 1.2 hrs.
I called GoPro about this (this was two firmware updates ago) and they told me that the Hero3 will always create lots of heat in ProTune. I argued that it clearly wasn't fit for purpose as I'm not even using 2.7 or 4k but they wouldn't investigate without further evidence of clear fault. I did a load of heat tests after this to see how long it takes to shut off but it did fine during them so it clearly wasn't a consistent problem.
The last 2 weeks I have been in 34-36 degrees heat in France (100f). If I left it in direct sunlight it overheated and shut off after maybe 30 mins (1080p). On my return I updated to the latest firmware but I don't hold much hope for this to make it right. I thought it might have been the SD card but the heat seems to come from around the lens not the card.
Both my gopro be get hot in use and seems worse if protune is on. Also my batteries deplete fast when in 1080p 50fps protune. I have not updated my firmwareto latest version. Hope this helps.
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Thanks Guys, all of this makes sense.
Disappointing, but it makes sense.
Someone, will eventually release something that is a little more of what we all want. Right now, the GoPro3 BE is as close as it gets, but my wish list includes 2.7K60p RAW with vibration stabilisation.
D
Disappointing, but it makes sense.
Someone, will eventually release something that is a little more of what we all want. Right now, the GoPro3 BE is as close as it gets, but my wish list includes 2.7K60p RAW with vibration stabilisation.
D
CameraGuy said:
I just recently got my GP3, and today was the first time I was using it in my hand (in the waterproof housing) and it got really warm which was surprising. This was shooting short 1080p60 segments (less than a minute each). I have upgraded to 3.0, but never tried this pre-3.0 so don't know if this is a new issue or not. Regardless, there's absolutely no reason for the video encoder chip in the camera to get that hot that quickly -- seems like something wonky is going on.
I wonder how many people bought the Black when they could have saved some money and had nearly the same results with the Silver or White?
Seems like most of the GoPro problems are associated with the Black model.
Seems like most of the GoPro problems are associated with the Black model.
I haven't really had any over heating problems with my Hero 3 (Black), however it never leaves my Zenmuse Gimbal. It may in fact be acting like a heat sink!
-Todd
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
-Todd
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sac D said:
I would have gome the Silver route had I not seen the comparison footage of the two. For me it was the Black purely on image quality and features. That said with the dire internet speeds in my village I can't really share much of this on youtube at full wack (0.3mbs upload!).
I have started doing a few tests with the new firmware to see if it has any difference with overheats and early shutoffs. I suspect that GoPro factored in airflow and/or water to help cool it and mine always used to overheat when left static for over an hour. This might explain why you have never experienced problems Todd.
Well it wasn't long to answer my question there...
37 mins and then it overheated (this time it actually beeped and displayed the overheating icon on the LCD).This was at 1080p Protune 60fps inside the open skeleton housing with touchscreen attached but not turned on.
Using my laser thermometer I measured 60 degrees (celcius) inside the battery bay after the overheat and the batt was 58 degrees. Not good!
I logged a case with GoPro a few months back so I am going to re-open this now before the warranty expires to see what they will do.
37 mins and then it overheated (this time it actually beeped and displayed the overheating icon on the LCD).This was at 1080p Protune 60fps inside the open skeleton housing with touchscreen attached but not turned on.
Using my laser thermometer I measured 60 degrees (celcius) inside the battery bay after the overheat and the batt was 58 degrees. Not good!
I logged a case with GoPro a few months back so I am going to re-open this now before the warranty expires to see what they will do.
I would love someone else to test this too to see if it really is just mine. All you need is a cheapo laser therometer. Then stick the Hero3 in the waterproof case at room temp with these settings:
1080p Wide,60fps, NTSC, Protune on - then just set it recording and see if/when it overheats.
Interestingly I ran the same test overnight in a darkened room and it kept going until the battery died so it does suggest it is the effort of writing colour image to the card that causes the overheat maybe. I am using a Sandisk Ultra 64gb (as per their original recomendation). It might be that but in theory the new FW should have stopped the camera overworking it if it was of poor quality.
So yes... testers step forward!
(White + Silver edition test would be cool too).
1080p Wide,60fps, NTSC, Protune on - then just set it recording and see if/when it overheats.
Interestingly I ran the same test overnight in a darkened room and it kept going until the battery died so it does suggest it is the effort of writing colour image to the card that causes the overheat maybe. I am using a Sandisk Ultra 64gb (as per their original recomendation). It might be that but in theory the new FW should have stopped the camera overworking it if it was of poor quality.
So yes... testers step forward!
(White + Silver edition test would be cool too).
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I'd like to know what you guys are using to edit 37Min (and longer) 1080 videos LOL
I suppose it's natural to always want 'more' in life but I'm still in awe of the Gopro-Black. How they get that little box to produce the stunning video it does is incredible. And power wise? When did you see such a small battery? if it lasted 15 minutes that would be great but an hour is pure Gravy.
I suppose it's natural to always want 'more' in life but I'm still in awe of the Gopro-Black. How they get that little box to produce the stunning video it does is incredible. And power wise? When did you see such a small battery? if it lasted 15 minutes that would be great but an hour is pure Gravy.
My Gopro 3 black lcd screen has stopped working and I have to set everything with the remote. Then when I set it to record, take off, sometimes it stops recording mid flight. Extremely annoying. I am wondering if the gimbal/gopro 3 cable/overheating may be the problem or I just got a dud one. Still takes footage and beeps, although inconsistent.
Then when I set it to record, take off, sometimes it stops recording mid flight. Extremely annoying. I am wondering if the gimbal/gopro 3 cable/overheating may be the problem or I just got a dud one. Still takes footage and beeps, although inconsistent.
marcus_canada said:
Don't get me wrong I agree with everything you say in regards to what a fantastic product the Hero3 black is however I need mine to be fit for purpose. The batt life I can deal with... like you say it is pretty amazing it can last as long as it does given its size. That is a manageble issue. My problem is that GoPro, when I reported the problem actually told me to expect the camera to overheat in 2.7k or Protune as it 'is working really hard'. The operative that told me this was clearly totally uneducated on the engineering of the camera and was just looking to get rid of the problem. Personally I don't think GP would ever release a product knowing it would fail under normal conditions.
I have re-opened the case with them and we will see what they will do. I am hoping they will send a replacement which will really tell me if mine was a trouble case or if all get this hot (kinda why i'd love one of you guys to test yours).
As for editing.... I use Serif MoviePlus x6 most of the time but I have access to Adobe Premiere Pro for the really pro jobs (i don't do many). Software isn't the issue... fast hardware is the key!
boat chaser said:My Gopro 3 black lcd screen has stopped working and I have to set everything with the remote.
When mine gets to overheat stage the LCD goes REALLY dark... like barely readable so maybe yours popped? If you use FPV or powering the camera from the Phantom be wary... The Hero3 is very sensitive to correct voltage via the USB port and it will bum out if it spikes or fluctuates (Try plugging it into a computer with a cheapo USB cable and it will fail for example). Mine has done this a few times and that was the problem. My advice is to power up the camera AFTER you plug in/power on the Phantom. That seems to work for me and I assume it is because there is no voltage spike when the FPV setup powers up.
I can understand the concerns but if you are pushing the HERO3 to it's limits, its going to heat up. I think someone posted they ran their HERO3 for an hour and ProTune was running. The expectation is that you'll get a great video but you are going to cook your HERO3 if it's running that long. Luckily for me, I only run my HERO3 for as longs as a battery will last in my Phantom. (9-10 minutes) I'm shooting at 1080p 60fps Medium, No ProTune. My videos are coming out pretty decent for what I'm doing which is just fun. See below my latest video, which is my Flight #102.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8EhNmXso7g[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8EhNmXso7g[/youtube]
Nice vid. Protune mode doesn't always make videos better either so I don't always use it. One of the primary functions of PT is to neutralise the colours slightly which makes manipulation post production easier (as per the GP manual).
That said I find it interesting about the whole "pushing the camera to the limits" comment. The whole concept of the Hero3 is for professional quality video in extreme conditions. Many many many prodcution companies use them (ever watched a Top Gear, Mythbusters, Fast'n'loud show without seeing a Hero?). They use them via clapper board and editing meaning they start the cameras rolling and edit from the footage taken (not small snippets). If all Hero3 blacks died after 37 mins due to heat we wouldn't see so many in use and no production company would adopt their use if it said 'Only use in low settings if you want the full 2hrs quoted".
No reply from them as yet (no surprise there). Time will tell and until then it is perfect for the Phantom work (nice and cool up there in the sky!).
Still no takers on another tester?
That said I find it interesting about the whole "pushing the camera to the limits" comment. The whole concept of the Hero3 is for professional quality video in extreme conditions. Many many many prodcution companies use them (ever watched a Top Gear, Mythbusters, Fast'n'loud show without seeing a Hero?). They use them via clapper board and editing meaning they start the cameras rolling and edit from the footage taken (not small snippets). If all Hero3 blacks died after 37 mins due to heat we wouldn't see so many in use and no production company would adopt their use if it said 'Only use in low settings if you want the full 2hrs quoted".
No reply from them as yet (no surprise there). Time will tell and until then it is perfect for the Phantom work (nice and cool up there in the sky!).
Still no takers on another tester?
DeweyAXD said:
Thanks!! Wow!! I wasn't aware of that. I'm purely in for the fun so I don't get into the technical aspects of it. I'm really impressed with the quality of the video. I need to get a real temperature guage but I just came in from shooting a short 10 minute flight and the HERO3 felt warm. I don't recall my GoPro 1 ever getting warm. I guess the HERO3 BE is working it's @#$ off to get good video so that's why it gets warm. I'm also using the waterproof case which is pretty air tight. So that could contribute to my slight warming of the HERO3.
FangsCPO said:
Yeah they really are great fun (especially underwater!) but they are also a very professionally respected bit of kit too due to their incredibly good image quality. I don't think you will have any problems given the way you are using it. I only have the problem very rarely as I don't tend to shoot more than 2-10mins. Laser temp gauge is a great tool to have in the kit. Especially for measuring things you feel are a little too hot!
I suspect mine has a minor fault somewhere inside... maybe poor solder, too much insulating glue etc.
This video shows someone having a heat problem with the battery bacpac. His gets to 168f(!!).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8crpB4YRMHY[/youtube]
Seems GoPro replaced his under warranty (the bacpac) and after that it never went over 116f with wifi ON! That in itself suggests to me that mine has issues. If only i had a $9k FLIR camera! ;-)
Update on my overheating case logged with GoPro for anyone interested.
They have asked me to re-format the 64gb card inside the camera as "formatting, especially with exFAT for that the 64gb cards use can cause this issue".
I have of course already tried this before anyway in the camera, out of the camera and with 3 different computers but to humour them and to keep the case going I did this again last night just incase (hadn't done it post 3.00 update). This morning I tested. The cam overheated at 49 mins (slightly longer than before but the ambient temp was lower today). On removing the camera from the skeleton housing I recorded 61.4c (143.2f) on the exterior.
The case continues!...
They have asked me to re-format the 64gb card inside the camera as "formatting, especially with exFAT for that the 64gb cards use can cause this issue".
I have of course already tried this before anyway in the camera, out of the camera and with 3 different computers but to humour them and to keep the case going I did this again last night just incase (hadn't done it post 3.00 update). This morning I tested. The cam overheated at 49 mins (slightly longer than before but the ambient temp was lower today). On removing the camera from the skeleton housing I recorded 61.4c (143.2f) on the exterior.
The case continues!...
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