GoPro Hero4 Session vs. Hero4 Silver Face-off
The GoPro Hero4 Session is set to hit the shelves in less than a week. <sarcasm> This is extraordinary timing, since I bought my Hero4 Silver less than a week ago. </sarcasm> Being the tech nerd that I am and in the mobile app development industry, I had to start digging into the content GoPro has put out on the new camera to see if I should return my Hero4 Silver to grab a Hero4 Session.
This is what I found out and my personal opinion on why I will be sticking with the Hero4 Silver.
GoPro Hero4 Session – PROS:
- Small
- Waterproof without a housing
- Light weight – 35% lighter than a regular Hero4
- Pivot mount (ball joint) – more versatility from single mount point
- Internal gyroscope that auto-rotates video when mounted upside down
- More aerodynamic / hydrodynamic shape
- Two microphones
GoPro Hero4 Session – CONS:
- Lens – the lens is not protected by an external housing; beware of scratches! I tend to ski trees in deep pow, hit my camera all the time off branches and such.
- Battery – internal battery; no extra batteries here
- Settings – can not change settings on camera w/o smartphone app or wifi remote (no onboard settings button)
- Image Features – less resolutions and frame rates than regular Hero4
- LCD – No preview / touch screen LCD
- Image Quality – less image quality than Hero4 Silver when compared side by side
- Lens – water droplets seem to stick to Hero4 Session lens more than regular Hero4 Silver
It came down to three (3) major factors on cons list that confirmed my decision to stick with my Hero4 Silver:
- Internal battery – if I run out of juice, I’m screwed the rest of the day. I currently have three batteries for my Hero4 Silver
- Scratch potential for main lens. I love the fact that I can scratch the main external waterproof housing for my Hero4 silver and just grab a new one pretty cheap. If you scratch the lens on the Hero4 Session, you might be buying a new camera instead of a housing.
- Image quality. The sensors seem more mature and better in the original form factor. I imagine this will get better in future versions of the Hero4 Session thereby leveling the playing field a bit possibly for the second version of the Session (Hero5 session)
If you would like to see the Hero4 Silver vs the Hero4 Session reviewed on image quality, check out this video review on wired.com – http://www.wired.com/2015/07/new-gopro/
I hope this was helpful for those caught in temporary GoPro envy.
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Tags: Gopro, Hero4session, Hero4silver, Review
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