GoPro has officially released its GoPro Hero 5 action cameras - Black and Session - and they're coming with great new features with an even impressive price tag, according to Tech Times. With these, just how will their predecessor, GoPro Hero 4, do against them. More importantly, are the new GoPro Hero 5 worth the upgrade?
Photo Quality
To begin this comparison, both the Hero 4 Black and Silver has a 12MP sensor for capturing very sharp images whilst the Hero 4 Session only sports 8MP. More so, they have professional-standard performance when it comes to photos in low light.
And just like the Hero 4 Black and Silver, the new Hero 5 Black also boasts a 12MP shooter capable of capturing ultra sharp pictures as well as a professional grade low light photography performance. Meanwhile, the cheaper Hero 5 Session has a 10 megapixel snapper and the same low light performance fitted into it, which isn't close to being worse than its predecessors.
FOV (Field of View)
There is no denying that GoPro's Hero 4 Black and Hero 4 Silver both have a nice range of field of view such as Narrow, Wide, Medium, and Super View. With the exception of the Narrow mode, the rest are also present in the Hero 4 Session.
Interestingly, both the new Hero 5 Black and Hero 5 Session possess the same types of FOV modes with the addition of Linear mode. This apparently fixes any distortions, or signs thereof, on wide-angle videos and photos.
Audio and Video
Despite the Hero 4 Session only able to capture 1440p resolution videos at 30 frames per second (fps), the Hero 4 flagships - Black and Silver - can shoot 4K videos at 30 fps and 15 fps, respectively. In terms of audio quliaty, these previous generation action cams delivered sound with the Advanced Audio Coding at 48KHz.
In contrast, the Hero 5 Black and Session both can record 4K videos at 30 fps, meaning that the cheaper Session variant is on par as its high-end counterpart in this aspect. GoPro also fitted the new line with a three-mic system that makes stereo recording possible and a four-speaker system to improve sound quality significantly.
Other features
The Hero 5 Black, being the more expensive of the series, has a one-button control plus a 2-inch touchscreen display with a simple interface, which allows users to turn it on easily to start recording or shooting images.
Perhaps the best feature is the Hero 5's voice control capability. With this neat trait, users can command the cameras to turn on or off, take videos or photos, start or stop time lapses, and tag moments by simply saying "GoPro, start camera" among other commands. The Hero 5 Black and Session can be used underwater up to 33 feet sans the housing.
You really cannot go wrong whichever Hero 5 you nab especially if you've never owned a GoPro before. Its next iteration of their action cameras will hit shelves starting October 2 with the Hero 5 Black selling at $399.99 and the Hero 5 Session at $299.99, which are very competitive price points considering the Hero 4 started at $499.99 upon its release.
