With The release of the GoPro Hero5 Black, Nick Woodman… the CEO of GoPro has finally been able to release the Action Camera he wanted to create from the get go. And if youre in the market for an action camera, you might be considering either the GoPro Hero5 Black or the GoPro Hero5 Session. At the time of this recording you can pick up a GoPro Hero5 Black with a 32 GB Micro SD Card, Head Strap, and carrying case for $399 from Amazon. Link is in the description.
First lets talk about the form factor… the Hero5 Black is two and one thirds inches, by one and one third inches, by one and one half inches. Its pretty small in volume but it is pretty dense, so it'll sink to the bottom if dropped in a pool or lake. This is also a great Segway to let you know this camera is water proof down to 33 feet under water. Any deeper and you'll need to get a dive case.
The Hero5 Black features a 2 inch touch screen on the back. This is obviously a standout feature if you're deciding between the Hero5 black or Hero5 Session. Although the screen doesn't have the highest pixel density it gets the job done. You can also quickly change betweenvideo, picture, or time lapse mode. You can even adjust resolution, frames per second, and field of view just to name a few. Since battery life is a big concern, the screen will automatically shut off after a minute of inactivity or after a minute of continuous recording. But don't worry, the GoPro is still recording and the screen turns back on quickly from just a single tap.
The Hero5 Black also still has the classic LCD screen on the front. And just like before, it'll show you how many videos or pictures you have, approximately how much space you've got left on the SD card, and battery life. It is worth noting the touch screen can be a little tough to use at times. And using the screen when its wet is near impossible. But don't worry, you can also connect the camera to your smart phone through GoPro’s app. In the app you can use your phone as view finder, watch your videos, and even adjust the camera settings.
On the left side of the device there is a door that when lifted give you access to the camera’s 2 connection ports. One micro HDMI port and One USB Type-C port. The Type-C USB port allows for faster transfer speeds and charging rates. The faster transfer speeds is a big deal if youre going to be recording a lot of 4K video. As mentioned before, this camera is water proof down to 33 feet under water, and its all thanks to these gaskets. Just make sure to close this compartment properly before going for a swim, or else youre gonna have a bad time.
On the bottom of the GoPro theres another compartment that holds the battery and SD card. Unlike the Hero5 Session, the battery here is removable and its another feature that might make you consider this camera over the Session. This is a 1220mAh battery and its good for 40 minutes to 2 hours of battery life. Battery life on the Hero5 is all dependent on resolution, fps, if you have gps, voice control, image stabilization turned on (more on those in a second) and how long the touch screen has been on.
The Hero5 Black is not just a Hero5 Session with a Touch Screen and removable battery… it also has a better camera that gives you more capture options. The Hero5 Black can do everything the Hero5 and Hero Session can do… but here are a few standout settings that makes this camera special. First off it can capture 4k video in 30 or 25 fps Wide Field Of View or 24 fps in Superview or Wide Field Of View. It can also capture 1080P video at 120 FPS in wide or narrow field of view where as the Hero5 session is capped at 90 fps in wide field of view. The Hero5 Black can also capture ultra slow motion 720P video at 240 FPS with a Narrow field of view. The Hero5 Black can also capture stills in 12 MP where as the Hero5 Session can only do 10 MP and the Hero Session 8 MP.
As mentioned before, this camera also has image stabilization… its the software kind not that mechanical kind. would I have preferred mechanical image stabilization? yes, but the software does a great job of correcting the video. The Hero5 Black also has a built in gps that will geo tag your pictures and videos. the gps feature is not found on the Hero5 Session. And finally the Hero5 Black also has voice controls. it allows you to tell it to start recording, take a picture, or stop recording. Its very accurate and can be very helpful if you have gloves on or if the screen is wet. But if you choose to use any or all of these features at once it'll take a toll on the battery.
So which GoPro should you get? Well GoPro now has an action camera for almost every consumer. If you want to capture 4K video, or if you want to capture slow motion video in 1080P, or even ultra slow-motion video in 720P at 240 Frames Per Second then you should get Hero5 Black. If you need an action camera with a removable battery that you can swap out so you can keep recording then you should also get the Hero5 Black. But if you don't need to capture Raw or WDR photos or if you don't even know what that means, then you should pick up either the Hero5 or Hero Session.
GoPro Hero5 Session Review