Despite Contour offering some stiff competition of recent time, think of an action cam, and the name GoPro probably comes to mind. The company is trying to cement that reputation with the Hero3, which claims to be smaller, lighter and record better quality footage than its predecessor.


Announced in San Francisco last night, GoPro claims the the Hero 3 is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the old model. To top that off, the top-of-the-line Black Edition is capable of capturing video at up to 4K resolution—as long as you don't mind slowing recording down to 15 fps. Can't have it all.


That said, a faster processor in the camera allows it to capture lower-resolution footage at higher frame rates than in the past, and it offers 1080p60, 1440p48 and 720p120 modes for slow-mo situations. Lower-spec models are also none too shabby: the Silver packs an 11MP camera and can capture 1080p30 video, while the rather more humble White packs a simple 5MP camera. All three, though, do feature Wi-Fi.

Pre-orders have just kicked off, with prices standing at $400 for the Black Edition, $300 for the Silver and $200 for the White. That's keen pricing—and will probably help GoPro maintain its place at the top. [GoPro via Engadget]