GoPro HERO4 Session

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Small camera with quite dated specs.

1080p60, 720p100, 1440p30
WiFi and Bluetooth
Waterproof to 33’ (10m), no separate housing required
Captures 8MP Single, Burst, and Time Lapse photos
Compatible with GoPro mounts and accessories
Dual Mic system captures enhanced audio during high wind and water-based activities
Auto image rotation corrects image orientation during recording
Includes standard and low-profile frame mounts for increased mounting versatility
New Ball Joint Buckle mount is included
$399 at http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHS-101-HERO4-Session/dp/B010H05JMQ/

Much cheaper alternative for $68 - http://www.banggood.com/SJcam-M10-Cube-Car-Mini-Full-HD-Waterproof-Action-Sport-Camera-p-954164.html

Some previews

GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRO), enabler of some of today’s most engaging content, is proud to announce HERO4 Session, the smallest, lightest, most convenient GoPro yet. 50% smaller and 40% lighter than GoPro’s best-selling HERO4 Black and Silver cameras, HERO4 Session packs GoPro’s Emmy® Award-winning image quality and performance into an exciting new low-profile form factor. HERO4 Session benefits from a durable waterproof design that eliminates the need for a separate housing and features simple one-button control to make capturing immersive photos and video quicker and more convenient than ever before. HERO4 Session is compatible with existing GoPro mounts and will retail for $399.99 MSRP at authorized GoPro retailers around the world and on GoPro.com beginning July 12, 2015.

“With HERO4 Session, we challenged ourselves to produce the smallest, lightest, most convenient GoPro possible,” said Nicholas Woodman, GoPro founder and CEO. “HERO4 Session combines the best of our engineering and user-experience know-how to deliver our most convenient life-capture solution, yet.” Woodman adds, “I’m so excited about the launch of HERO4 Session because now I can finally use mine in public!”

HERO4 Session captures GoPro-quality 1080p60, 720p100 and 1440p30 video along with eight megapixel photos in Single, Burst and Time Lapse modes. It features many of the same innovative features found in GoPro’s best-selling HERO4 Black and Silver cameras, including SuperView™, Protune and Auto Low Light recording modes. An expanded set of controls and settings can be accessed when using the GoPro App or Smart Remote.

Operating HERO4 Session is very simple. A short press of the shutter button quickly powers the camera on and video recording begins automatically. A long press of the shutter button powers the camera on and triggers Time Lapse photo capture. Press the shutter button again to save video or photo content and power the camera off. This simple one button design drastically improves the speed and convenience of capturing life moments as they happen.

HERO4 Session is built to GoPro’s famous rugged standards and is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters). It features a sleek frame mounting system that is compatible with GoPro’s expansive array of mounts. An innovative dual microphone system dynamically switches sound recording between microphones to reduce wind noise during activities. Audio performance during water-based activities has been dramatically improved thanks to HERO4 Session’s waterproof design that eliminates the need for a separate waterhousing, which can often muffle sounds.

“At GoPro, sound quality is as important as image quality and we’re very excited about the stunning audio advancements we’ve made with HERO4 Session during water-based and windy activities. It’s incredible what this little GoPro can capture,” remarked Woodman.

mpgxsvcd

You forgot to mention that it has 1440p (4:3) at 30 fps. That is extremely useful for the “Selfie Action Video” perspective. There isn’t as much motion relative to the camera when the camera is attached to the subject and pointing at the subject. Therefore, you don't really need 60 or 120 FPS for those shots. A lot of the great GoPro 4K videos were done at 30 FPS in this manner.

I actually think this is a very nice update to their lineup. However, at $399 it is just simply way overpriced. These cameras need to get less expensive each generation and not more expensive.

kurth

yep...if they'd released this at 199, they'd sold millions. But at 399, it's too easily compared with the silver....with a touchscreen . And gopro , all gopros are , or should be , feeling the pressure from the competition. If you go to b&h, first page of the sports cam section, lookalikes with loads of starred reviews , priced below $100 !

peternap

Yep....it's been a while coming but I think the GoPro era is over.

Tron

Perhaps they are becoming the new Canon. Focus on big marketing deals to push the brand harder than the actual product engineering can deliver, then demand a premium just to "join the club." Last time I checked GoPro doesn't have an interchangeable lens mount that keeps their customers from going elsewhere and their accessories are cheap to replace (unless it's a drone). Such a strategy could blow up in their face much faster than big red.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

kurth

Well, I started to look into gopro clones, after my post above where I'd seen all the clones b&h are selling. The biggest clone is the sjcam, which is what you see at b&h for about 65 bucks. Interestingly, when sjcam upgraded their popular sj4000 to the sj5000+, they also released the m10...which brings me around to this chicken-or-the-egg tale. The m10 looks just like the session, or visa-versa. So while sjcam seemed to copy gopro out of the chute, it now appears that gopro's release of session shows they're doing some copying of their own.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1112363-REG/sjcam_sjm10b_mini_full_hd.html

Rambo

GoPro have had the Session 4 Cube camera under development for 3 years (2011) http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/31/square-gopro-patent/

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220110317065%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20110317065&RS=DN/20110317065

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@Rambo

May be it is too late?

I mean that Xiaomi and other guys will clearly make good cheaper options.

Rambo

Cheaper yeah Vk, but they mostly suk for image quality and many report getting only a few months out of them from poor manufacturing/QC.

Cheapies are good though for expendable or risky situations and spmetime goood enough quality.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

but they mostly suk for image quality and many report getting only a few months out of them from poor manufacturing/QC

Well, not so bad :-). GoPro is really hugely overpriced (you can see it on their business reports).

Xiaomi is hugely popular, have hacked firmware and all issues are known.

SJ5000 and SJ5000+ are also not bad.

http://deals.banggood.com/deals/edm/topic/snap_up_5.html

kurth

@Rambo - that patent application ....are you kidding me ? Someone is supposed to understand a design from that ? and how is omnivision connected to the gopro session ? And , really 3 years in development ? ....and they made a square camera that does less ? that's an accomplishment. And I wonder , if we contact, sjcam, how long they'll say their little m10 was hidden in their secret lab "under development" ? Like I said , if they'd have priced it a 199 they might have sold some, but gopro is facing some stiff competition from those chinese, although obviously gopro is better, is it 4x better...or just 2x better ?

...and looking into the sjcam , it appears from the reviews that the m10 might be their best camera. The sj5000+ got alot of bad reviews. I for one, would choose a hero4 silver over a session anyday of the week, for the same price. But, if it's a choice between a sjcam m10 for 100bills versus a gopro session for 400bills, and that little m10 has a lcd as well, I think that's gonna be an easy call.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

In stock now

http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHS-101-HERO4-Session/dp/B010H05JMQ/

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Soldered battery and very hard to repair anything.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

GoPro, Inc. revenue hit $420 million in its second quarter, which ended June 30, a 72 percent increase year over year.

Huh

Vitaliy_Kiselev

bigshotpp

They're just milking it before china eats them, it's understandable. 24 months maybe? Perhaps less.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

They're just milking it before china eats them, it's understandable.

Eat them? China?

Rambo

The full teardown https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/GoPro+Hero4+Session++Teardown/44307

Vitaliy_Kiselev

$379 already

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331615028503?rmvSB=true

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Review

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Some SjCam M10 related:

Vitaliy_Kiselev

http://www.ixbt.com/divideo/gopro4-session.shtml

Vitaliy_Kiselev

http://www.3dnews.ru/921855

Vitaliy_Kiselev

The maker of Polaroid cameras is suing wearable-camera maker GoPro Inc. for allegedly infringing on its patent for cube-shaped cameras, a dispute between old and new in the industry that poses another problem for GoPro’s latest product.

Patent on cube shaped cameras. Yes.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

$199 now

http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHS-101-HERO4-Session/dp/B010H05JMQ/

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