GoPro Hero 4 Black

WHAT IS THE GOPRO HERO 4 BLACK?

The Hero 4 Black is the current flagship of the GoPro range, and it's actually been out for a while. However, GoPro was one of the first manufacturers to offer 4K with the Hero 3 Black, although it provided 15 frames per second, and the Hero 3+ Blackdidn't go any further. The Hero 4 Black offers 4K video shooting at up to 30 frames per second, among other enhancements, and hasn't yet been surpassed in shooting abilities. Is this still the action camera to beat?

GOPRO HERO 4 BLACK – SHOOTING SPECIFICATION

Although the Hero 4 shoots 4K at a full frame rate, the resolution now tops out at Ultra HD's 3,840 x 2,160, rather than the 4K Cinema 4,096 x 2,160 offered by the Hero 3 and Hero 3+. There are numerous other shooting options, too, with 2.7K (2,704 x 1,520) available at up to 60 frames per second, and 2.7K 4:3 (2,702 x 2,028) at up 30 frames per second.

High-speed options include 1,440p (1,920 x 1,440) at 80 frames per second; 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) at 120 frames per second; and 720p (1,280 x 720) at 240 frames per second. These are just the highlights of a bewildering array of resolution settings. Most people will stick with simply one or two – maybe one 4K and a high-speed Full HD option – but there should be something there for pretty much any occasion.

If you want to speed up time rather than slow it down, time lapse is available at intervals from 0.5 to 60 seconds. Alternatively, you can turn on looping, for those who want to use the GoPro as a dashboard camera in their car or on a helmet when riding a bike. In this mode, the oldest files are replaced by newest ones when the memory is full.

The shooting options don't end here either. SuperView mode provides a wider – but more distorted – angle of vision in 4K, 2.7K, 1080p and 720p. You can also take 12-megapixel photos, and time-lapse photos at the same time as shooting video at 1,440p, 1,080p, and 720p. There are burst photo modes of up to 30 shots per second, for up to six seconds at a time.

GoPro hasn't diverged from the 1/2.3-inch sensor used in the Hero 3 and 3+ Black for the Hero 4 Black, and it still has 4,000 x 3,000 pixels, making this a 12-megapixel CMOS. This is a decent size for an action camera, and at the large end of the scale for camcorders in general too – although not huge compared to a DSLR.

GOPRO HERO 4 BLACK – MOUNTING OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES

The GoPro Hero 4 Black comes with a small selection of mounts. There are adhesive bases for flat and curved surfaces. There are two different lengths of clip, plus two link extenders that rotate the pointing direction by 90 degrees, and can be used together to create a pivot arm. The bundled waterproof housing is rated for a depth of up to 40m. There's also an open back you can use when attaching the optional LCD.

Similar to previous GoPros, the Hero 4 offers only a small low-resolution LCD on the front as standard to see your current settings. This allows most controls to be configured, albeit with good eyesight required, but it won't show you what the camera is viewing. For this, the optional BacPac LCD, which costs an extra £55 for the Touch version, is required.

Including this deficiency, the bundle is nowhere near as generous as less-well-known brands such as ISAW with its Edge and Wing models. However, being the market leader, GoPro has a wealth of optional extra mounts, from chest harnesses to head straps, to floating hand grips, suction cups, handlebar mounts, dog harnesses… and so on.

The possibilities are almost endless at the GoPro store. There are also three different Black bundles – Standard, Surf and Music – and all come with different housings and mounts. The Surf bundle is shown above.