GoPro expanded its line of rugged cameras this evening with the Hero3 — a Wi-Fi enabled device that the company claims is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than its predecessors. GoPro made the announcement on its Facebook page Tuesday evening, while unveiling the Hero3 at an event in San Francisco.
As Engadget reports, the Hero3 line is in three models: the Black Edition, priced at $399, the $299 Silver Edition, and the White Edition, available for $199. All three can shoot video at 1080p — like GoPro's HD Hero2 — though the Black Edition takes things one step further, allowing you to record 4K and 2.7K video. Doing so, it's worth noting, will drop your frame rate to just 15fps for 4K and 30fps for 2.7K, though the Black Edition does support 1440p, 1080p, 720p, and WVGA at frame rates between 24fps and 120fps.
The high-end model can also capture 12-megapixel stills — compared to the 11-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors on the Silver and White, respectively — though only the high-end model can do photos and video simultaneously. That model can also has a 30fps burst mode, far above the 10fps and 3fps speeds on the lower models. The Black also comes packaged with a waterproof remote capable of controlling cameras within a radius of 600 feet, which will be available as a separate purchase for other models. If you're interested in purchasing a new Hero3, all three models will be available for pre-order in a few hours at 12:01AM PST Wednesday morning.
Update: GoPro has released its full specification sheets for the new Hero3 models, and we've updated the post with additional information.