GoPro has made a name for itself as the leading brand in action cameras, and with the announcement of the new, cube-shaped Hero4 Session, customers that are looking to add a GoPro camera to their collection are torn even more on which model to purchase.
The new Hero4 Session is easier to handle and is fully waterproof right out of the box, and features better battery life compared to other GoPro models. However, the qualities and features of the camera does not live up to other models such as the Hero4 Silver, which has the same price.
GoPro is betting that the simple design of the Hero4 Session will attract customers that are more concerned with ease of use and convenience over picture quality. That said, a comparison among all the available GoPro camera models could help customers decide on which one to buy.
Price
The Hero4 Black is sold for $499.99, the Hero4 Silver and the Hero4 Session are sold for $399.99, the Hero+ LCD is sold for $299.99 and the Hero is sold for $129.99.
Image Quality
Both the Hero and Hero+ LCD are only capable of an ultra wide field of view, while the Hero4 Session is also capable of a medium field of view in addition to that. The Hero4 Silver and Hero4 Black, however, are capable of the two aforementioned fields of view plus a narrow one.
The Hero4 Silver and Hero4 Black both have ultra-sharp image quality compared to the other models, and feature professional grade low-light performance compared to the consumer grade levels found in the other GoPro cameras.
Video/Photo Features
The best quality of video that the Hero4 Black can take is 4K video at 30 frames per second, while the Hero4 Silver's maximum quality is 4K video at 15 fps. The Hero4 Session can take up to 1440p video at 30 fps, the Hero+ LCD can take up to 1080p video at 60 fps and the Hero can take up to 1080p video at 30 fps.
The Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver both pack 12MP cameras for photos, while the Hero4 Session and Hero+ LCD both have 8MP cameras. The Hero only has a 5MP camera.
Additional Features
All camera models aside from the Hero are capable of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. The Hero4 Black, Hero4 Silver and Hero4 Session also have the Protune feature for pictures and videos, but for the Hero4 Session, the feature only covers videos.
All models with the exception of the Hero are compatible with the GoPro app and are compatible with memory cards for additional storage of up to 64GB. The hero can only expand its memory by 32GB.
Why Buy Hero4 Session?
Looking at the price and features, the Hero4 Session is found lacking compared to the similarly priced Hero4 Silver. However, what could attract more customers to purchase the Hero4 Sessions is the new camera's size as a 1.5-inch cube, which is 50 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter compared to the Hero4 Silver. The small size also represents more ways to creatively capture videos and photos.
The built-in battery of the Hero4 Session also reportedly features double the life of that of the Hero4 Silver.
