GoPro is credited as one of the most popular companies producing action cameras; since 2013, when the first iteration of the company’s Hero 3 camera hit the shelves, the brand has established itself as one of the go-to vendors for reliable action cams.
The 6th of July saw the company release both the GoPro Hero4 Session and Hero+LCD at a private event at Silvermist Estate, Constantia – a plush venue situated in the hilly terrain of the Constantia Nek in between Constantia and Hout Bay in Cape Town.
GoPro waste little time in setting up displays depicting the use of its Hero range in various extreme sports, and for good reason; a glance around revealed the popularity of the small camera between attendees and staff. Journalists and marketers together ascended the Nek’s slopes for a not-so-typical activity – zip-lining over the deep Constantia forests for up to 500m at a time.
While both groups zip-lined over the expanse, the staff of SA Forest Adventures and GoPro filmed the often entertaining reactions through one of the two real focuses of the day; the Hero + LCD.
GoPro’s newest additions to the Hero marque constitute the bottom end of the line, with the Hero+LCD and the Hero4 Session standing in low and mid-end territory, respectively.
The Hero+LCD represents a more traditional GoPro camera – shooting 1080p video at 60 frames per second or 720p video at 60 frames per second, the small action camera features both WiFi and Bluetooth for easy connectivity to a companion device for upload to popular social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.
The Hero+LCD, true to its name, adds a touch LCD display to the back of the unit, and is powered by a 1160mAh battery that should last an estimated 2:00 hours with the touch display off, and WiFi on.
GoPro have also worked to introduce some new tricks with the Hero+LCD, including the ability to edit clips on a connected device, including the ability to save video files to a companion device over WiFi.
The Hero+LCD once again includes some GoPro standards, and features a rugged, compact all-in-one design that is both shock and water proof, with the latter up to a depth of 40 meters.
Conversely, the mid-range Hero4 Session introduces a not entirely different, but still radical departue from the cosmetic make-up of prior entries in the Hero line; the Hero4 Session is the smallest and lightest of the range – resembling, quite literally, a tiny cubical camera.
GoPro assert that the Hero4 Session is up to 50% smaller and 40% lighter than other Hero4 cameras – in hand, the tiny camera is particular light – weighing in at just 74 grams – and fits comfortably into the palm.
While the Hero4 Session is indeed tiny, GoPro doesn’t intend the camera to be a handheld sugar-cube, and is designed to work with a multitude of mounts for ease-of-use.
The Hero4 Session captures high-resolution video at a new standard for the Hero marque at 1440p at 30 frames per second. The Hero 4 Session additionally includes an 8 megapixel stills mode that can capture time lapse photos from 0.5 to 60 seconds, or capture 10 frames per second in Burst mode.
One of the most interesting additions to the Hero4 Session is the dual mic system; the Session makes use of two microphones – one mounted at the back, and the other at the front – to maximise audio capture. The Session will automatically alternate between either mic that’s best suited to capture clear audio, reducing noise from either wind or similar disturbances.
The Hero4 Session, like its Hero+LCD counterpart, includes built-in WiFi and Bluetooth for easy social media sharing and editing.
Both new action cameras introduce improvements to the overall Hero marque, and will bolster the line over the course of 2015 as new mounts are introduced alongside them.
However, GoPro faces an increasingly contested market space; this year sees the company compete directly with the likes of TomTom, Sony, and Drift Innovation, and while GoPro might enjoy the most popular brand recall of the three, will the Hero+LCD and Hero4 Session prove enough to keep the company afloat?
TomTom, the Dutch navigation company behind a plethora of GPS devices, have made a strong entry into the fray with the Bandit – an HD action camera that not only records at 1080p at 60 frames per second, but also at 4K at 15 frames per second. Additionally, the Bandit includes built-in WiFi that syncs to a companion app and generates daily highlight videos based on a user’s speed, heart-rate and G-force pressure.
Sony, on the other hand, have the Action Cam which can record 4k at 30 frames per second, while Drift Innovation’s Ghost-S action cam claims a battery life of up to 3.5 hours.
It’s clear that – despite GoPro’s popularity – the firm is keeping a watchful eye over the Hero line and ensuring it retains a keen competitiveness against its rivals.
The addition of WiFi and Bluetooth to both the Hero+LCD and the Hero4 Session not only strike back at the TomTom Bandit, but is an equal measure to ensure the relevancy of both models against increasingly powerful camera-savvy smartphones – the Samsung Galaxy S6 (read our review of the Edge here) and the LG G4 (stay tuned for our review!).
Both the Hero+LCD and Hero4 Session rely on the GoPro name to fuel their prices; the lower-end Hero+LCD is positioned at $299.99 USD, while its sibling, the Hero4 Session, is priced towards $399.99. GoPro confirmed at the launch event that both models will be positioned around the R5000 ZAR marque.
While both models introduce new features to the GoPro range at prices uniquely low to the Hero line, it remains to be seen if the Hero+LCD and Hero4 Session will be enough to save the day for the American company and ensure the firm’s continuing relevancy and popularity amongst consumers.
What are your thoughts on GoPro’s newest additions to the Hero line? Is it enough to tempt consumers away from the likes of the TomTom Bandit? Let us know in the comments below!
