Recently I was given the opportunity to review the GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition, the company’s newest model. It’s the one with the WiFi connection controllable from a remote, or better yet, an iPhone. For a few weekends, I brought it with me to my second job—a snowboard instructor at a resort in northern New Hampshire. No lessons for us means we ride, and that’s when I began grabbing some basic footage.

I’m a professional photographer and about a year or two ago, I bought a GoPro HERO2 thinking I’d use it to work on a personal project about surfing in New Hampshire. Splurging on a $1,500-plus underwater housing unit for my SLR camera seemed pretty daunting (read: impossible). What drove me to purchase my first GoPro were reasons similar to founder Nick Woodman’s reasons for inventing it in the first place: affordability and quality. In several interviews I’ve read, Woodman expressed frustration at how difficult it was to capture photos of his friends during a surf trip in Australia, which got the ball rolling.

About a month after I picked up the GoPro HERO2, thinking how badass it was, I saw this video that was shot with the HERO2 and utilized the GoPro WiFi BacPac. The BacPac delivers WiFi connectivity and remote control for your GoPro camera. The video blew my mind. It also inspired me to put my newly-purchased GoPro on a shelf (temporarily) and beat my head against a wall because I just spent my last buck two weeks earlier on an already outdated, seemingly inferior product—at least without dropping $80-100 on the BacPac addition. The HERO3+ has combined the previous model and the BacPac. I’m not a gear head or a tech-nut, but the capabilities of the HERO3+, even the WiFi controls alone, eclipsed the earlier models. When I was was sent the HERO3+ to review for ActionHub, I could tell it was a game changer.

Weighing in at 2.6 ounces and small enough to fit in a closed hand (without its housing,) you can mount the GoPro HERO3+ just about anywhere you can imagine. I tried my helmet, my snowboard, my car dashboard, and a few times I held it out in front of me. Fair warning: adhesive mounts will pop off a snowboard in the cold. The suction mount will also come off, but I rigged a leash, also known as twine and double knots, from my binding to the camera housing.

I’d say the biggest universal con is the battery life. It is 30 percent longer than the other models, however, it’s still not ideal for those full-day rides (six to eight hours), unless you have a few extra batteries.

The point is to be able to mount the camera somewhere or hold it at arm’s length and still be able to see a scene and yourself. But while the super wide-angle view is a plus, it can be a con if you’re not creative. You’d better have some compelling footage or a sweet edit if you want people to sit through more than 30 seconds of strictly wide-angle footage. No one wants to see four minutes of footage from the same angle unless you’re maybe wearing a flying squirrel suit. Change it up!

The GoPro promotional videos were so smooth—maybe too smooth. I just couldn’t figure out how to make my own shots so seamless in the time I had. Camera shake was a large issue with a lot of the footage. It could come down to video experience, but even the helmet-mounted promo videos were smooth. When it was mounted to my head, I had to consciously restrict movement thinking about how a sudden movement would affect the outcome. I fidget a lot, this is hard. Likewise, I tried my best to make my arm like a suspension unit when I was holding it during a ride. The shake went down.

I read somewhere that it’s a proactive camera rather than reactive, which is good because if you’re in a pinch and not using the iPhone app, changing settings is relatively time consuming. You’re dealing with a one-dimensional navigation setup controlled by two buttons, like the other models. Options are to go forward in the menu by pushing one button or confirming by pushing another. If you miss your selection, you advance through the menu until the selection pops up again. A few times while snowboarding, I found myself in a hurry to change things around. The result was missing the menu item I wanted to select several times, which kept people waiting. Not a huge deal I assume once you get really familiar with the camera.

The audio has improved since earlier models, but I wouldn’t rely on it for singling out any specific sound. If it’s windy, forget about it.

An upgrade to the free wireless and iPhone GoPro App is worth the money if you can afford it. With the paid apps, you can take a photo, adjust the shooting mode to burst, submit footage to social media—they’ve got it all. Tired of not knowing whether the camera is recording or not (like on a helmet)? Control it with a live preview from your iPhone.

The clarity of the image with a glass lens along with exposure that handles a range between the highlights and the shadows makes the raw footage amazing and provides flexibility in post-production, which by the way, can be done in GoPro’s free editing software. In a rush, I preferred it to the professional software out there for speed and intuitiveness.

When I first caught on to GoPro a few years ago, I immediately became nostalgic. I remembered skateboarding with friends back in the day (early 2000s) and filming ourselves with someone’s parent’s home VHS camcorder. We were progressing a lot and we wanted footage of ourselves. We’d then play it back in someone’s basement, usually while chomping on some tacos. Digital cams were hitting the market, but we weren’t trusted with any of the new cameras.

Now I think, “Kids these days, so spoiled to have such good quality at their fingertips.” There’s no excuse not to have a video, or 10, of yourself posted online. Add your favorite song that actually doesn’t fit any sequencing, transitions, or even the mood as you ollie a curb or putter down that mountain green trail on a snowboard, and ta-da, you’re happy.

Going out on a limb, I’d guess the beauty in its success is that GoPro is for everyone, from accomplished filmmakers to degenerates like me and my friends just wanting to be part of the skate videos we were watching. And for this reason alone, giving power to the people, the camera’s concept is unprecedented and the innovation is skyrocketing with the latest GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition. My only beef is I wish it were a little cheaper (MSRP is $400) and I wish I didn’t have to give it back.

Check out some footage I shot with the HERO3+ below.