GoPro HERO4 BLACK
CUSTOMER REVIEW
I'm a working professional videographer, but no i don't put the same expectations on a camera like the hero4 that i do on my other bigger cameras. Up until now I've been using a hero 3 black for both professional and personal uses. Considering my satisfaction with the hero3, picking up a hero4 was inevitable
**UPDATE: Took off a star for questionable issue: While i haven't come across any major glitches, it does seem to hiccup here and there (my hero3 did the same), the heat that comes off it can be more than warm, but it seems others are experiencing rather hot temperatures. While not entirely reassuring, i've heard some folks have positive experiences dealing with gopro on their overheating matters. We'll have to wait and see, so be sure to buy from a reputable dealer!
What i like about the hero 4 black:
-4K at usable framerates (hero3 could only do 15fps)
-Sweet 120fps slow motion at 1080
-More wireless connectivity(some hiccups, but can work)
-More slowmotion
-Sharpness is satisfactory
-Lowlight is decent enough
-More manual control
What's not to like?
-Battery still not great
-No rear touchscreen
-Doesn't make bacon pancakes
-Doesn't banish ISIS members to the phantom zone(that place jor-el banished general zod to)
New manual controls:
Finally, you can make exposure adjustments! For instance: for night timelapses, you usually want longer exposure times/shutter speed, and you can now do it with this little cam. I need to play with this more to see how well it really performs
No screen:
Many people are very confused as to why the silver edition has it but the black does not. Yea, it's odd and i would have much preferred the flagship get the screen, that being said, i've gotten along very well with my screen-less hero 3, because i have a cautious understanding of the angles it can capture at narrow/medium/wide settings. I'll usually use it as a backup/bonus angle that i don't plan to rely on.That, and it has the phone app in case i need to verify i'm getting the angle i need. The new hero4 has even more connectivity and despite the lack of a screen, as long as you have some digital device with you, it can likely connect and give you a live view.
My bottom line about the screen? You can always add a screen to the black, you cannot add the black features to the silver. The wifi connectivity suits me fine for framing.
Size/weight:
Not much change! That's a good thing, still works with most of all the accessories/etc...
Battery life:
Seems nothing improved over the hero3, still under an hour per charge. Wasabi has a decent extended battery for the hero3, grab that up once they make it for the hero4.
Heat
Possible concern: Can get very warm depending on the settings, and i've seen some users experience very hot temperatures. we'll have to see if this becomes a widespread thing, considering the hero's size, you can't imagine much heat dissipation designed into there. My main concern is the longevity of the device given the heat. heat wears electronics down, reducing their life, if this thing's average temperature is 130degrees, how long will it live? Might be a valid concern, but can't tell without real long testing.
Resolution and Framerates:
Of course the big headline feature is 4k, and that's probably what you're going to buy this thing mainly for. 4k allows for lots of reframing in editing if you're still planning on outputting to 1080. The 4k from the hero4 looks pretty satisfying, maybe not as sharp as bigger/professional cameras, but this is a tiny actioncamera, and i don't see it reasonable to hold it to quite the same standards. for a $500 pocket camera, it's plenty good.
Slow motion keeps getting better on the gopros, there's not much else to say except that you're now getting 1080 at 120fps. Something rare in a camera in this price range, my rx10 which is around a grand can only do 120fps at 720.
Bitrate:
4k gives you up to 60mpbs, which may sound low, but other more expensive cameras use a similar setup and get nice results, and the gopro does pretty well here as well. THe main area where you can see breakup in the codec is fast motion throughout the entire frame, but since all the angles are wide, and many of the details small, the breakup is pretty well controlled. Not perfect, but IMO plenty acceptable for this tiny camera.
Summary, competitors:
If you want 4k in a tiny, rugged camera, the hero4 is on a list of its own. While there are other cameras out there, the overall package gopro has with the hero4 black is impressive, and whether you're a professional or just an enthusiast, it'll get you some nice shots.
via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://ift.tt/1xWwcE6
