Being an action camera has its occupational hazards. A small drop, an occasional dent, and the rare occurrence of falling into a canyon. An action camera has to survive all of these or it wouldn’t be much action. But like the Wicked Witch of the West, an action camera’s weakness is water. You see a lot of these cameras in pools and water sports events, but they’re always snug inside comfy cases.
GoPro has released a new addition to the HERO4 family. And it hates water. The new GoPro HERO4 Session is the smallest and lightest GoPro yet, but it’s still waterproof up to a depth of 33 feet. GoPro has been one of the notorious cameras to require a case (albeit free) for underwater adventures. With the new Session, GoPro users can conquer the water without worry of water damage.
A single unit of the GoPro HERO4 Session measures just 4.09 x 2.75 x 9.68 inches. It weighs just a meager 74g. It’s 50% smaller and 40% lighter than its siblings in the HERO4 line. The Session is a marvel when it comes to portability. You can hardly feel it while shooting videos.
Being small doesn’t mean that it can’t pack a punch. The Session sacrifices nothing for performance. It takes videos at a maximum of 1440p30. If it’s perfect slow motion action shots you’re looking for, the Session takes videos at 1080p60 and 720p100. It also takes 8MP still photos with a 10fps burst shot. In terms of video specifications, it ranks third among its siblings. It’s perfect for on-the-go adventurers who love on-the-go shooting without the need for the pro-quality GoPro HERO4 Black.
Controlling the Session is a breeze with an easy one-button control system. A single press of the shutter button powers on the camera and begins shooting video or photos simultaneously and automatically. A short press starts shooting video, while a long press powers the camera on and triggers a Time Lapse photo capture. Pressing the shutter button again saves the photos or videos and powers the camera off. No need to fumble around touch screens or multiple buttons.
A dual microphone system enhances audio capturing by alternating the active microphone whenever wind noise is present in one. The ability to submerge underwater without need of a case also enhances audio quality as cases often muffle the audio.
The new Session features many of the loved features of the HERO4 Black and Silver variants. SuperView allows the camera to capture the most immersive wide-angle field of view. Auto Low Light automatically adjusts the framerate for optimal low-light performance. Finally, Protune tweaks and optimizes video for professional post-production. The camera also has an auto image rotation for whenever the camera is mounted upside down during shooting.
The camera’s memory can be expanded with microSD cards up to 64GB. Its battery will last for up to two hours of recording time. The HERO4 Session along with compatible GoPro mounts is now available at authorized GoPro retailers. It has a price tag of P20,990.
