GoPro HERO4 Review

GoPro HERO4 Review
GoPro HERO4 Review

GoPro HERO4 falls under the category of mid-range action cam. Based on the low price, you may think the cam will give poor performance just like its predecessor. But it does give excellent performance. Let’s go ahead and read this GoPro Hero4 silver review and find out how good the cam is.

Design and Features: 5/10

From the design and feature, the cam looks similar to the Hero3+ Silver Edition. But the additional feature added by the company is the in-built 1.5-inch screen on the backside, which is touch-sensitive. The battery compartment is now shifted on the bottom edge of the device, and the cell is slimmer.

Changing settings is now easy with the built-in screen. To select different capture modes, you just need to swipe left. To go into a certain mode, you should swipe up. To navigate, you should scroll up and tap.

The Record/Capture and Mode buttons have not been repositioned, but the WiFi button has been replaced with the Setting button, which has made a minor improvement in the menu system of the GoPro. Tap the button and it will show up the settings of your desired mode, such as frame rate and resolution.

If you still like to use the monochrome display screen and the physical buttons for changing settings, there is an option to lock the screen: touch the screen and hold it for three seconds. Alternatively, you can push the small button on the rear surface of the GoPro. You can also turn off the touch screen.

The Hero4 Silver has no different dimensions. It measures 1.6 x 2.25 x 1.12 inches just like its predecessors i.e. Hero3 and Hero3+. The only design difference is the new black border circulating the monochrome screen in addition to the LED indicator lights on the screen’s left side. The cam weighs 5.2 ounces; the device is a bit heavier than its predecessor.

Unluckily, the battery life of the device is disappointing, but it’s not worse than the battery of other action cameras on the market. The 1,160mAh battery is not the same size as that of Hero3+, but the company claims that the battery of the cam lasts 1 hour and 40 minutes in recording mode. But the battery lasted less than an hour in recording mode with the display screen on.

Performance: 6/10

As far as video recording performance is concerned, the Hero4 silver did a much better job than Hero3+ Silver Edition. The Hero3+ took jagged and blurry videos during the test. Other than that, the device is in fact the same product Hero3+ Black Edition in a new package. The camera power is the same and it takes videos at the same resolutions.

The cam comes with Superview options for HD resolutions, such as 720p and 1080p, which stretches the pre-set aspect ratio to 16:9, which means you can record videos with much higher details; however, around the edges of the videos, you can spot some distortion.

And then there is Protune that takes raw footage. These features were added in the earlier versions of GoPro, so it is good news that there are not missing in GoPro

  • The interesting thing is that the 17:9 aspect ratio for 2.7K and 4K resolution is not available in this cam. Probably, the company thought the options are rarely used.

    The quality of perceivable video is not different either. It means the video is sharper and clearer compared to other action cameras reviewed so far. So far, Hero4 Black has not been reviewed yet.

    Overall, the picture quality of the camera is excellent when compared with that of other cameras. The details are sharp and crisp, but the image become blurry from a distance. But the Hero4 Silver offers a fresh shooting mode that records footages and takes photos at the same time in 5,10, 30 and one minute intervals. Apart from this, the new Hero4 Silver features a Night setting that lets you take photos in low light. Obviously, this option improves test shots in low light by making darker areas bright in low light, but the videos still have some noise. Photos won’t be sharp unless you put the camera on a tripod.

  • Usability: 6/10

    One thing we did notice after shooting multiple test videos are that god rays are unavoidable in bright sunlight; in fact, it would even make J.J. Abrams proud. There is no HDR mode for better dynamic range, which would have been great since we noticed a lot of areas which were over-exposed in the background. However, this can be fixed during editing.

    After we shot many test videos, we notice something: god rays are not avoidable in full sun. For improved dynamic range, the camera offers no HDR mode. It’s presence should have been great because we saw a lot of areas in the images that were kind of over-exposed. However, anyone with editing skills can fix this. Subjects that get closer to the lens of the camera go out of focus. Apart from this, if you shot with a wide view field, the distortion will be there. During our test, we recorded videos at 720p at 240fps and 1080p at 120fps in order to test the slow motion feature of the camera, and we discovered that the recorded video was smooth. The results were, without any doubt, excellent.

    Value: 6/10

    Without an iota of doubt, the GoPro Hero4 Black is a great camera at this price point. The camera has an incredible ability to record 4K 30fps videos. Its performance is very good and the build quality is great too. The camera is sturdy enough to face falls. That being said, the battery life is a big downside of the camera. The camera gets heat up, which means that the cam is suitable for taking 1080p videos.

    In this review, we have described that GoPro hero4 black best price is very reasonable, and that the camera can record HD videos at high frame rates. The plus point is that the camera’s price is very low compared to other cameras of this nature. Hopefully, you liked this GoPro Hero4 review.

    To cut a long story short, if you are looking for a decent GoPro camera, GoPro Hero 4 will most likely fit your needs. It’s a quality camera, but may be a bit expensive for you, but if money is neither here nor there in your decision making, you had better go for this camera, and you won’t regret your decision. So what do Other Think about the Fitbit Surge?




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