If you spend your money on anything besides a GoPro you are making a mistake. Unless your number one priority is manual functionality, no other camera/camcorder comes close. I have extensively used a hero1 and its video and photo quality is absolutely stunning. However, using the hero3 is nuts. It puts anything else on the market to shame. 12 mp. 1440p default recording. does slow mo, motion capture, speed capture, can be mounted or placed anywhere. I cannot stress enough how ridiculous GoPro's are. Although I must admit, I have yet to try filming anything for magic.