The GoPro Hero5 is now official, and it's coming in with a ton of great features and an impressive price point.
That said, how does the GoPro Hero4 fare against it, and is an upgrade going to be worth it?
The Fields Of View
To start things off, the Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver have a good range of fields of view (FOV), including Narrow, Medium, Wide and SuperView. The Hero4 Session also has the same set of modes except for the Narrow one.
On the other hand, the Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session have all the same FOV options, but also have the new Linear mode that lets them fix any sign of distortion on wide-angle photos and videos.
The Quality Of Photos
While the Hero4 Session is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera, the Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver each sports a 12-megapixel sensor for photos, allowing them to capture ultra-sharp images. On top of that, they both feature a professional-grade performance in terms of low-light photography.
Just like the Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver, the Hero5 Black is also capable of taking ultra-sharp images thanks to its 12-megapixel snapper, and it also features a professional-grade performance when it comes to shooting in low light. Meanwhile, the Hero5 Session is fitted with a 10-megapixel shooter.
Videos At 4K Practically A Standard
The Hero4 Black can take 4K videos at 30 fps and the Hero4 Silver at 15 fps, but the Hero4 Session can only capture 1440p videos at 30 fps.
In contrast, the Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session are both capable of recording 4K videos at 30 fps. That means the Session variant this time around is on the same level as the high-end versions in this respect.
Other Features To Consider
With the Hero5 Black, GoPro ditched the three-button layout, replacing it with a simple one-button control that lets users easily turn the camera on and start recording, and a 2-inch touch screen with a simple-to-use interface.
Probably the neatest feature is the voice-control support, allowing users to start capturing videos, turn the camera on or off, tag special moments during a recording session and even start or stop time lapses just by saying something like "GoPro, start video" or other commands.
What's more, the Hero5 Black is rugged and waterproof right off the bat, and it can survive up to 33 feet underwater without a housing.
Competitively Priced
Arguably the best part of the GoPro Hero5 is its competitive pricing, as the Hero5 Black will only hold customers back by $399.99 and the Hero5 Session by $299.99. Meanwhile, the Hero4 Black landed on storefronts everywhere costing $499.99 and both the Hero4 Silver and Session at $399.99. That's a $100 difference across the board.
A quick word on availability: the next iteration of the action camera lineup is expected to hit the shelves on Oct. 2.
The Bottom Line
No one can really go wrong by nabbing the GoPro Hero5, especially for those who haven't gotten hold of its predecessor, not to mention it's more or less the best model to materialize so far. On the other side of the fence, current owners of the GoPro Hero4 have a lot to gain by upgrading to the new model. In a word, the latest GoPro is worth the buy for anyone in the market looking for a feature-packed action camera.
With all said and done, what do you think of what GoPro brought to the table? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.
