I am not a professional cameraman nor do I do professional shots. I am a mid-range user who, after some attempts with other cameras, decided to return to GoPro because it had not disappointed me. I mainly use it for spearfishing and extreme situations such as in the car or on a motorcycle, water sports, and for vlogging (no, you won't find me on YouTube :P don't look for me, I'm telling you) on vacations.
The first impressions were extremely impressive. I wondered: did they manage to fit all these technologies into such a small camera? Honestly, when you realize what you can do and what kind of action camera you have in your hands, I can say that it was worth every penny (euro, okay).
Features & Design:
It is exactly the same as the 10 and 9, so most (if not all) accessories work for all three. It has 10m water resistance, although it would be good to get a housing if you do extreme sports like spearfishing, because when you're struggling with an octopus inside a hole to get it out, you don't care about the camera or the amount you've spent (true story, I have destroyed a camera like that). On the front of the camera, you will find the lens, the microphone, and a non-touch color LCD for viewing yourself when you turn it to selfie mode. On the top, you will find the power button and a second microphone. On the left side (as I see it, not you, don't get confused), you will find the mode button, and below it, a third microphone inside a special water-draining port. On the right side, there is the door for the battery and the microSD card, as well as a USB-C port for charging. And at the bottom, there are the little ears or whatever you want to call them that open and close, and you can replace them if you break them. (Now that I mentioned breaking, I have put tempered glass everywhere for safety first.)
Like every GoPro, it offers many modes, to be more specific:
- Photos: which are very good, especially outdoors.
- Video: which leave you amazed outdoors, but have their issues in low-light conditions.
- Time-lapse: such as TimeWarp, StarTrails, and many others that will make you want to capture everything in slow motion or fast forward.
Everything comes with pre-made modes that you can adjust through editing. The only downside is that you can't change their names, although I think they will add that in the new update since many users are requesting it.
It has Quik, with which you can do many things, such as adjusting settings, downloading updates, or uploading your videos to the cloud (something I wouldn't recommend because it slows down the internet, especially if you have it set to automatic and connect with mobile data, then you'll cry, and it takes a lot of time).
Performance:
They have changed the interface and made it as simple as possible, which makes it very easy to navigate, especially when you're in action. You can change modes either from the mode button or by swiping right or left. Under the sunlight, I can say that it is the best I have seen in a camera and it leaves you amazed. The videos are vibrant and rich in detail.
In terms of resolution, you can choose between 5.3K, 4K, 2.7K, and 1080p, each with different capabilities in terms of frame rates and aspect ratios. In the rest, the capabilities are really numerous and the experiments are just as many, although I wanted a plug and play camera, which this is not, since it took me many hours to find a balance between what I wanted to do. Worth mentioning is the 360-degree Horizon Lock, which is truly incredible. Once you needed a stabilizer to hold the camera, but now it does it on its own and it does it really amazingly. The 10-bit color, which the 10 didn't have, really works wonders for the image if you are into video editing. And HyperSmooth 5.0 can smooth out even the most jerky movements you make with the camera, providing a very, very smooth experience without compromising the video.
The biggest flaw, I would say, is low light situations, such as indoors or at night, where it cannot handle them and maybe it's not worth shooting videos in those conditions.
Finally, the enduro battery, compared to the 10, is slightly better overall, but you won't see a big difference. Still, when shooting in 5.7K, you will need 2 batteries on your trip, as it drains them quickly. It hasn't presented any problems with temperature or shutting down to protect itself, and I have shot videos in both summer and winter with snow.
Verdict:
Maybe not such a big leap from the 10, but definitely a milestone camera for the company that does many incredible things, and it will certainly satisfy even the most demanding user. It's worth buying and more.
Pros:
+Performance
+Features
+360-degree Horizon Lock
+HyperSmooth 5.0
+10-bit color
Cons:
-Battery
-Low light
Tips:
Since it took me a long time to find the best settings (for me, at least), I have included in the images what I use, as the default settings didn't satisfy me.