Videos are sharp and detailed, offering a significant step up over last year’s Hero 4 Session. You can see a full breakdown of the modes on offer on GoPro’s website. If you’re looking to achieve higher frame rates, you can drop down to 1440p at 60fps, 1080p at 90fps or even 720p at 120fps for those slow-mo video recordings. It isn’t as capable as the Hero 5 Black, which offers 60fps 4K recording, but nevertheless the video quality is impressive. The Hero 5 Session’s best new feature is its ability to record 4K video at 30fps. GoPro Hero 5 Black review: The best action camera in the business, now cheaper

I do like the Hero 5 Black’s touchscreen, but given the features found within GoPro’s suite of apps, the touchscreen isn’t a feature I missed all that much. Handy if you’re skiing and don’t want to take your hands out of your mittens.īecause the Hero 5 Session doesn’t have a colour touchscreen, you’ll need to connect to it via the GoPro Capture app on your phone to change settings and review footage. The new Session also supports the same set of basic voice controls as the Hero 5, allowing hands-free control over play and pause, mode switching and stills capture.

If you press the button again, it will save your recording and then power off the camera to conserve battery life.īy pressing the mode button at the back, you can cycle between video and photo modes, and you’ll be able to see which setting you’re in alongside battery information and remaining storage on the LCD display. Pressing the shutter button at the top powers on the camera and allows you to start recording within seconds. GoPro Hero 5 Session review: Image and video quality You can supplement that with a range of optional mounts if you want to take it surfing or mountain biking. Thankfully, you do get a USB Type-C to USB cable in the box so you can charge up the camera, and there’s also a simple helmet mount supplied. The camera supports up to 128GB cards, allowing you to save all your pictures and videos – depending on your storage needs – and you can find 32GB cards for as low as £10 on Amazon. Video is recorded to microSD, but you won’t find a bundled card within the packaging, and charging and data transfer takes place via a USB Type-C port. The Hero 5 Black only managed 1hr 45mins in total. Through stop/start footage, I was able to squeeze 1hr 40mins out of it with 40% battery remaining. Thankfully, the Hero 5 Session has better battery life than its Hero 5 Black counterpart. With no way to quickly swap out depleted batteries once you’ve run out of juice (more on this below), you’ll need to rely on a power bank if you want to keep on shooting, or buy two cameras, since a charge takes just over an hour. On top is a dual-purpose power and shutter button, while a button dedicated to switching shooting modes can be found at the back of the chassis.Īnother big difference between the Hero 5 Black and the Hero 5 Session is that the latter has a non-removable 1,000mAh battery, which limits its practicality for professional videographers. Instead, you have a basic, monochrome LCD screen on top, which displays modes and status, while on-device controls are limited to physical buttons. The key difference between the Session and the Black in terms of its capabilities is that this Session lacks a colour LCD for framing and playback. This year’s Session is still waterproof up to a depth of 10m, meaning you don’t need to worry about popping it in a case unless you plan on taking scuba diving. It’s still cute and cube-shaped, weighs barely anything at 74g, and is much smaller than the Hero 5 Black, measuring 38 x 38 x 38mm in size. The key upgrade is the move from Full HD last year to 4K capture this year, more on which later, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the design of the Session. GoPro Hero 5 Session review: Build quality and features This year, the firm has applied the lessons learned in the production of the Session to the Hero5 Black, making it fully waterproof too, yet it has also found the time to update its baby action cam: enter the GoPro Hero 5 Session. It was the first time the company had overhauled its action camera chassis, and the first GoPro you could use in the wet without having to stick it in a case. Last year, GoPro went out on a limb with the GoPro Hero Session. Also, with any purchase at Argos over £100, you currently get a free £10 voucher. The price has come down from £199 to £129, saving you £70 off the RRP. DEAL ALERT: This nifty little camera is currently on offer at Argos.

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