Tiny box of magic or just another gimmick camera?
Go Pro have really led the way when it comes to small, portable, “put anywhere” video cameras so when they release anything these days, it creates a buzz.
The newly announced Go Pro Hero Session is their smallest camera yet and is 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the Go Pro HD Hero 4 cameras and comes in a rugged, waterproof casing.
It will mount practically anywhere using a series of new accessories being the “low profile frame, standard frame and ball joint buckle.
Video Quality and Options
Sadly the Hero Session comes without 4K video but it does give you:
- 1440p 30, 25 Ultra Wide 1920 x 1440
- 1080p 60, 50, 30, 25 Ultra Wide, Medium 1920 x 1080
- 1080p SuperView 48, 30, 25 Ultra Wide 1920 x 1080
- 960p 60, 50, 30, 25 Ultra Wide 1280 x 960
- 720p 100, 60, 50, 30, 25 Ultra Wide, Medium 1280 x 720
- 720p SuperView 60, 50, 30, 25 Ultra Wide 1280 x 720
- WVGA 120, 100 Ultra Wide 848 x 480
…which isn’t bad at all for such a small camera! Videos are stored onto a microSD card with capacities up to 64GB (with at least a Class 10 or UHS-I rating).
It also has a lot of the features found on the latest Go Pro HD Hero cameras such as looping, SuperView, H.264 codec/.mp4 format, auto low light, 5mp/8mp photos, multi-shot mode (up to 10 photos in a second, time lapse (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30 and 60 second intervals), ProTune, ISO limits, spot meter and so on.
The optics are made up of an “all glass” lens which gives ultra sharp images from an ultra wide angle field of view with reduced distortion.
Battery Details
The battery is built in on the Go Pro Hero Session and is rated at 1030mAH, 3.8V, 3.2Wh. Battery life is from up to two hours using 1440p @ 30fps down to 1m 35s using 720p @ 100fps.
Photo/Video Playback
You can use the free Go Pro App to access all the modes that the Hero Session offers where you can adjust the settings on the fly or review and play back all your video clips and still images.
You can also use the excellent, and free, Go Pro Studio software to do the same as well as edit all your footage.
Included
- HERO4 Session Camera
- Standard Frame
- Low-Profile Frame
- Curved Adhesive Mount
- Flat Adhesive Mount
- Ball Joint Mounting Buckle
- Mounting Buckles + Hardware
- Micro USB Cable
The Hero Session camera comes in two styles, the standard Session or the Surf Session. The only difference being that the surf edition comes with board mounts and a tether.
All in all, pretty good and very neat. I am sure it will come in very handy for people that need the smaller form factor but at £329.99, it may be a little steep and hard to justify for some.
