The GoPro Hero 4 Session was advertised as a smaller, lightweight version of the famous action camera, and it immediately got a lot of attention – which was understandable, considering the popularity of the original GoPro Hero models and the fact that people have been waiting for a new release for a while now. And while the mini camera is quite good overall – according to the majority of reviews – it does compromise quality a little bit in order to get its smaller size.
GoPro have admittedly done a good job at reducing the physical size of the camera, as it’s now about twice as small as the previous models from the company, and it’s far easier to use while also lasting longer with the same battery charge. However, the sensor shoots at a lower resolution than the previous models that came at a similar price, and reviewers have actually compared the footage quality to that of a cellphone camera.
Which, of course, doesn’t say much nowadays as some smartphones are actually quite impressive in their video capabilities – but we wouldn’t use any of them as an action camera in any case. The new GoPro comes at a $399 price, and that’s as much as the GoPro Hero 4 Silver which has a larger resolution as well as an integrated viewfinder.
The Session does come with a waterproof cover though, and it’s been reported to work quite well. Reviewers have been able to swim with the device, dip it in water and so on without any issues. Now we should start seeing a lot more videos from sports like surf and waterski which are obviously not very convenient to record without a waterproof device.
Even swimmers might get more active in the recording world now, and we certainly wouldn’t mind seeing some footage like that. The camera has no viewfinder, as we said above, but it does have a very wide angle of recording so a viewfinder might be a bit redundant. It just has to be pointed in the right general direction, and the user can then assume that the camera sees that it needs to see.
The camera also has some special features, such as recording timelapse stills if the user holds their finger on the shutter button slightly longer. There is also Bluetooth that can connect the device to a mobile phone with an appropriate app, which is currently available on Android and iOS. The app shows a small preview screen with some information about the current recording. It also gives additional controls over the recording, and allows the user to view what they’re shooting.
By default, the GoPro Session shoots at 1080p, 30 frames per second – however, the app allows the user to select 1080 “SuperView” – which increases the viewing angle – and even 1440p footage. A 60 fps option is there as well, and the app also gives options to adjust the time interval for the timelapse.
It can be set to anything from 1 to 60 seconds, which should make it quite versatile for some situations. Then there’s “ProTune” by GoPro, which allows the user to fine-tune their exposure in order to get a better, cleaner shot without even having to take their footage to a computer. Of course, editing on a desktop is always required to get the best results in the end, but the device does allow the user to do quite a lot without a laptop or a computer available, saving some work for later.