I agree there are some differences that detract from the comparison. But, really, different shooters and different countries do not matter (let's cut the rhetoric), since you see how the cameras are mounted and neither shooter was altering the controls. Unless you mean the driving techniques? I'm surprised you did not mention different cars and different car colors?! :)

I think the main issue is that the A500 video was shot in bright sunlight, and changing light (shadows), while the GoPro environment seemed to be all in shade and less challenging. But none of that should prevent you from assessing some things, like resolution and whether you see bitrate starvation, when you download the uploaded 4K video and circumvent Vimeo compression. When you shoot "flat" you need to do something in post; all that was done was to increase saturation so as not to distract. This does mean (either with no or some color alteration), you cannot compare the color saturation of the two cameras.

The number of people in the entire world who have both the A500 and the GoPro Hero 4 Black in their possession, and know how to drive, right now is probably zero.

According to the manual, QuikCapture is just a new name for the old One Button mode., see page 57 http://cbcdn1.gp-static.com/uploads/product_manual/file/225/UM_H4Black_ENG_REVC_WEB.pdf

David Newman ( gopros Software Engineer) has posted some samples he shot with night lapse mode. They are on Flickr so you can see the EXIF data. These are from a HD4 Silver Edition The embedded stills are only 1024 x 768 resolution, the originals are available on Flickr links above in 4000x3000

In order of posting

• Regular photo mode ISO 800

• Night Photo mode auto exposure ~8s

• Night Photo mode 20s

• Night Photo mode 30s

https://flic.kr/p/pc5ejB

https://flic.kr/p/ptxU29

https://flic.kr/p/ptzorr

https://flic.kr/p/pc6rgZ

I actually get .5 secs delay on the NON plus 3Blk as well with the Prizmia app which has been optimised to reduce lag.

@Gravitatemediagroup, it's only 0.5sec with a Blk3+ on an ipad2 with the Prizmia App, so a 50% faster wifi would probably be less then that again.

@kurth - Pretty sure this is old news by now. But there's a Canadian company I think (back-bone?) making adapters for Gopro line. Last time I checked, there were a handful of different lens mounts available.

http://www.back-bone.ca/

Based on details released and gopro's history, I'm 99% sure it's similar exposure control to what we've had in the past with the addition of longer exposure times for low light / night shooting (up to 30 secs). Don't think there's any way to stop down the constant 2.8 aperture.

The upgrade from the 45nm process to the 32nm process on the new processor should allow a better battery performance and lower temps, be interesting to see real world results.

PR

SAN MATEO, CALIF. (September 29, 2014) – GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRO), enabler of some of today's most immersive and engaging content, today unveiled HERO4, the highest performance line of capture devices the company has ever made. HERO4 is available in two editions, HERO4 Black at MSRP $499 and HERO4 Silver at MSRP $399. GoPro’s Emmy® Award-winning imaging technology combines with enhanced ease-of-use and powerful new features such as 4K30, 2.7K50 and 1080p120 video capture (Black) and built-in touch display convenience (Silver), to make it easier than ever for consumers to self capture and share stunning, professional quality content of their favorite experiences.

HERO4 Black delivers 2x the performance of its best-selling predecessor and now captures cinema-quality 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps), 2.7K video at 50fps and 1080p video at a blistering 120fps, virtually eliminating rolling shutter in most scenarios while allowing for time-bending slow motion effects. HERO4 Black also features an entirely redesigned audio system that captures high fidelity sound with 2x the dynamic range of previous models. Additional enhancements include improved image quality, low light performance, highlight moment tagging and an improved user interface that allows for easier discoverability and access to key features and controls. The HERO4 Black is simply the highest performance GoPro yet.

HERO4 Silver delivers the same professional image quality as HERO4 Black less some of the higher performance video capture modes including 4K30, 2.7K50 and 1080p120. HERO4 Silver includes a brilliant built-in touch display for those who value convenience and ease-of-use over the no-holds-barred performance of the HERO4 Black.

The new HERO4 line will be available October 5 on GoPro.com and at select retailers worldwide.

“For the past twelve years, our passion has been to make it easy for people to self-capture jaw dropping, professional quality footage of themselves engaged in their favorite activities,” said GoPro Founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman. “That passion led us to embark on our most ambitious design and engineering effort ever, and the result is nothing short of the ultimate GoPro—the HERO4 Black. We can’t wait to see what the world captures with it.”

HERO4 Black – 2x the performance, yet again.

The flagship HERO4 Black builds upon GoPro’s Emmy® Award-winning technology to deliver the next level of GoPro image quality, versatility and performance:

• Incredible ultra high definition 4K video at 30fps allows for life-like video capture as well the ability to extract 8.3 megapixel video stills to use as photos
• Faster* high resolution frame rates of 2.7K at 50fps and 1080p at 120fps
• 12MP magazine cover-quality photos at burst speeds of 30 photos per second
• Updated user-interface with improved discoverability and access to key camera controls
• 50% faster Wi-Fi* combined with Bluetooth® delivers enhanced GoPro App performance and improved power management
• MSRP $499

“A common pain-point is deciding between capturing video or photos of an experience,” remarked Woodman. “Each frame of4K30 video is similar to an 8.3 megapixel photo. The result is that users can simultaneously capture eye-popping 4K30 video and impressive 8.3 megapixel photo-like video stills at 30 frames per second when using HERO4 Black. It’s one of the many wild capabilities of this impressive new device.”

HERO4 Silver – Professional quality capture. Touch-display convenience.

The HERO4 Silver sets a new precedent for convenience and ease-of-use with GoPro’s first built-in touch display:

• Brilliant built-in touch display allows for easy camera control, shot framing and playback
• Professional quality video capture at 2.7K30, 1080p60 and 720p120
• 12MP magazine cover-quality photos at burst speeds of 30 photos per second
• 50% faster Wi-Fi* combined with Bluetooth® delivers enhanced GoPro App performance and improved power management
• MSRP $399

Protune™, now for photo + video.

For those who prefer to take manual control of their GoPro to maximize versatility and performance, we’ve expanded our professionally minded Protune mode to include Color, Sharpness, ISO Limit, and Exposure controls for both photo and video capture.

New settings for after dark.

Whether you’re shooting the Milky Way or a campfire hangout, Night Photo and Night Lapse allow you to capture stunning images of ultra low-light scenes with customizable exposure settings of up to 30 seconds.

Mark your best moments.

HiLight Tag enables you to mark key moments with the push of an on-camera button while recording, making it easy to find, playback and share your favorite clips in GoPro Studio or with the GoPro App. You can also HiLight Tag using the mobile GoPro App or the new Smart Remote accessory.

QuikCapture speed and convenience.

QuikCapture makes it easy to power on and record with the press of a single button. When enabled, a single press starts video capture, while a press and hold engages Time Lapse photo capture.

High-performance audio.

A totally re-designed internal audio system combines with a state of the art microphone to capture clean, high fidelity sound with 2x the dynamic rangeof previous models.

Introducing the HERO – The perfect entry-level GoPro.

GoPro is also proud to debut HERO, the perfect entry-level GoPro. Designed with simplicity in mind and built directly into a rugged, waterproof housing, HERO captures high-quality 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps. HERO captures the same immersive, eye-popping footage that’s made GoPro one of the best-selling cameras in the world—all in a simplified package that’s accessible to everyone with an MSRP of $129.

It seems like we where off with announcement date. :-)