Seeking a better way to capture high-quality surfing stills, Nick
Woodman created a 35mm film wrist camera while on a surfing
trip. That makeshift still camera inspired him to create the GoPro in
2002, which has gone on to dominate the action cam video marketplace and
becoming the video camera for the “selfie” generation.
But in recent years, GoPro has turned its attention to the pro
market. The company hasn’t turned its back on extreme sports, but it’s
building high-end cameras that can capture footage worthy of broadcast.
One particular model is the flagship, Hero4 Black – a tiny camera that
can shoot in 4K.
The Hero4 Black ($500) is being used to capture broadcast-quality
footage of various sports, from the National Hockey League to the Tour
de France and Red Bull-sponsored extreme sports. It’s also being used
for filmmaking: its small size allows cinematographers to easily shoot
high-quality footage from tight corners, and do so cheaply when compared
to pro video equipment.
The Hero4 Black’s sibling, the Hero4 Silver ($400), is one of our
favorite action cams to date. The Silver is a Full HD camera that has
nearly all the features of the Black, plus a rear touchscreen LCD. It’s
also $100 cheaper, and brings a lot of value for consumers. But it can’t
shoot 4K (at least not at the level the Black can). So, if you’ve been
thinking about getting a GoPro, should you splurge for this
top-of-the-line model that can shoot at higher resolutions? Or could
consumers do just fine with the Silver and save some money for
accessories? Here’s why you might want to.
Back in black
The Hero4 comes in three editions: Black, Silver, and the new Session
($400), which is 50-percent smaller and 40-percent lighter than the
Silver and Black. But the Black and the Silver are almost identical in
design and function, while the Session has a different purpose. You can
read our
Silver review to
find out what the Black’s design, features, and usage are like, but the
big differences between the two is that, as mentioned, the Black shoots
4K at 30 fps; has faster frame rates throughout video resolutions
(720p, 960p, 1080p, 1440p, and 2.7K); lacks a rear LCD (more on that
later); support for external microphone with analog-to-digital
conversion; and has a higher bitrate (up to 60 Mbps versus 45).
Otherwise, it uses the same mounts, underwater housing, and battery; has
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth (the latter is used for standby); ProTune for fine
tuning the settings; Night Photo and Night Lapse modes; and GoPro’s
Studio desktop editing software.
Most GoPro users are pretty content shooting footage in 1080p (as
they should be), as well as capturing images they can immediately upload
to
social media instead of
color grade.
The Silver and Session cams, as well as the entry-level Hero
models, should suit most users’ needs. But for shooters who want to
create 4K content, you need to go with the Black. There are advantages:
It has 2x the performance of the Hero3+, including 4K capture and
120-frame-per-second (fps) rate in 1080, but more importantly, the Hero4
Black delivers superior image control. Note: the Silver can technically
shoot 4K but at 15 fps, but GoPro doesn’t promote this and, from a
performance standpoint, the Black is more powerful. Another big plus:
Shooting at a higher resolution allows you to downscale (more on this
below).
GoPro Hero 4 Black Compared To
Compared to the Hero3+, the first improvement we noticed while
setting up the Hero4 Black is that the battery is easier to remove. But
with twice the processing power, you’re going to need quite a few extra
batteries or a high-capacity portable USB battery for an all-day shoot,
especially if you’re shooting at higher resolutions and using wireless.
The 1,160-mAh battery lasts around an hour, by GoPro’s estimates.
What’s included
The Hero4 Black comes with a
standard housing,
skeleton backdoor (for access to the camera), rechargeable battery,
curved adhesive mount, flat adhesive mount, quick-release buckles,
three-way pivot arm, and Mini USB cable.
No viewing screen
A big omission is a built-in monitor. Even though it’s not the
flagship model, the Silver Edition contains a useful, built-in touch
display that allows you to make changes on the screen rather than
through tiny monochrome front-panel LCD and the Mode and Record buttons
on the camera.
The Hero4 Black may look like a simple camera, there’s a lot of sophistication underneath.
We realize previous Hero cameras also didn’t have built-in displays,
and although it’s disappointing the high-end Black doesn’t have one, you
can attach GoPro’s LCD Touch BacPac ($80) to the back of the camera if
you want to frame your shot and make changes via the touch screen. From
our tests, however, the LCD Touch BacPac isn’t as responsive as the one
embedded into the Silver, and you’ll need to purchase an optional
backdoor to accommodate the LCD.
You could, of course, bypass the optional LCD and use your smartphone
or tablet not only for live view, but also to easily change settings.
Wi-Fi does eat into battery life, but so will the LCD Touch BacPac.
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Even though 4K is a great feature many professional users are happy
to have, having more image control – especially in regards to latitude –
is a more valuable feature. GoPro has done an excellent job in
implementing “pro” image controls for post, especially if you’re
incorporating GoPro footage into a professional timeline with digital
motion picture cameras, such as an ARRI ALEXA or Sony F55. Consumers,
however may never even bother with these controls, but they are there,
should budding YouTube creators want to dabble with advanced video
production.
Learning curve
In shooting 4K with the Hero4 Black, there’s a learning curve to
master that’s different from previous Heroes. There are now a total of
47 different resolution and frame rate combinations.
If you’re working within an editing timeline with other cameras
(i.e., incorporating GoPro footage with those from another camera), the
first thing you’ll want to do is capture in Protune, a feature
that gives you more options, especially in post. Protune ups the
bitrate, increasing it to approximately 60 Mbps to give you less
compression artifacts. It also gives you more manual control over white
balance, color, and sharpness.
4K is great, but shooting at 2.7K/60p or 120 frames at 1080p is just as impressive.
With Protune engaged on the Hero3+, you were able to capture in a
“Raw” mode. Although it wasn’t a true RAW file, it captured a flat,
neutral image that gave you more dynamic range for color grading. For
the Hero4 Black, Raw has been replaced with Flat, although it’s the same
principle in terms of gaining more dynamic range in shadows and
highlights due its log curve. For advanced users, it’s very similar to
Technicolor’s Cinestyle profile for Canon DSLRs.
Although the ability to shoot in 4K is great, shooting at 2.7K/60p or
120 frames at 1080p is just as impressive, especially for capturing
action. This writer often shot in the 2.7K mode at 60p and then
downscaled the files to 1080 for a finished project. Something to note
is that the Hero4 cameras can only shoot up to 30 minutes, before it
stops and starts a new recording; you may lose some footage during that
downtime.
Our testing included shooting in Native White Balance, Flat profile,
ISO at 400 for daylight, 1600 for daylight interiors, and 6400 for night
interiors. We also set Sharpness to Low to have more control over image
sharpness in post. (Default settings for the camera without Protune is
ISO 1600, High Sharpness, and GoPro Color.) Another feature we really
like on the Black is the SuperView setting (also available in the Silver
model), which takes the 4:3 aspect ratio and stretches to 16:9, giving
you extra room at the top and bottom of the frame. This feature is
great, especially when shooting with the camera mounted to your body
while capturing fast action that doesn’t contain important details on
the horizontal edges of your frame.
We performed all of the menu settings through the GoPro app on an iPhone. The
mobile app, which is also available for
Android
and Windows Phone, functions as a live video remote as well as a
monitor for framing a shot. It was much easier navigating through the
app rather than through the buttons on the camera, and you’re able to
frame before shooting without noticeable lag time. GoPro has really
improved pairing with the camera to their
mobile app, as well as control over settings within the app.
Still photography
GoPro has also greatly increased its still
photography
power with the HERO4 Black, and the most impressive new feature is the
burst mode. You can capture up to 30-stills-per-second (up to three
seconds) at 12-megapixels per frame. This amounts to 4,000 x 3,000 in a
4:3 aspect ratio, which is pro-quality in terms of size. RED, the
cinematography camera maker, has always promoted its Epic Dragon as a
hybrid stills/video camera and the Hero4 Black can actually be placed in
this category, although as a more low-end version. What’s also new with
the Black is you can apply Protune in stills mode, giving you better
control and color information, and GoPro has added new nighttime modes
as well.
Image quality
Judging image quality on a POV action cam can be tricky, especially
when comparing it to a large sensor, interchangeable lens DSLR or motion
picture camera. After all, the Hero4 Black’s sensor is small and its
fixed lens is inferior to DSLR lenses. But with a powerful new
processor, the Hero4 Black really excels in 4K. Even when downscaled to
1080, we noticed that the Hero4 Black contains more detail and color
information then any POV camera we’ve tested. (The Hero3+ and Hero4
capture 4K but only at 15 or 12 fps, which is pretty unusable.) When
shooting with Protune with the Flat color profile, you really have the
opportunity to seamlessly cut your GoPro footage into a mixed camera
timeline with good color grading.
For professional shooters a nice feature (for future versions) might
include the ability to manually control your shutter and aperture, as
well as attaching ND filters to the fixed lens when shooting in bright
sunlight. This will create a more cinematic look and will enable you to
better match the look of video from Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III, for
example. There are third-party solutions such as
Ribcage by Back-Bone
that let you attach C-mount lenses to capture shallow depth of field,
but the majority of action shooters want to capture more depth of field.
Post work
Although GoPro has its own software, GoPro Studio, experienced video
pros, like this author, will prefer to perform ingesting and grading in
their non-linear editing system of choice. For a night shot in 4K, we
sent the clip to SpeedGrade and employed a GoPro-3200K-SL look profile.
Back in Adobe Premiere Pro we added a touch of brightness and contrast,
as well as a touch of orange to the midtones and highlights. Because we
shot in the 4K SuperView mode, we added a Lens Distortion effect that
eliminated the “fisheye” look. If you don’t have the time or tools to
grade in post, the best setting to employ is GoPro Color, which delivers
the same color you capture with Protune turned off, but still
maintaining additional image control. The Hero4 Black may look like a
simple camera, but the example we mentioned shows how sophisticated the
camera can get.
Action inspired
Some of the most breathtaking shots we’ve seen in the past few years
have been shot with GoPros, but it’s important to remember that the
GoPro is best used as an action camera rather than an A-camera on a
narrative film. So why buy a GoPro when your mobile phone can do the
job, right? This is true for casual video shooters but in our
opinion,
a GoPro is a proactive imaging tool rather than a reactive device like
a cell phone. Because of the amazing mounting options, with a GoPro, you
normally set up a terrific shot or sequence with your GoPro way in
advance (proactive) rather than pulling it out to capture something that
is already happening with your phone (reactive).
Warranty
The Hero4 Black has a one-year warranty, and GoPro will repair or
replace the product if there are any manufacturing defects. GoPro also
has a 30-day guarantee: If purchased from their online store, and if
you’re not 100-percent satisfied, you can return it for a refund. Just
remember you have to buy it through
GoPro’s online store to qualify.
Conclusion
Before considering the Hero4 Black, the only question you should ask
yourself is whether or not you want to capture 4K. As we’ve stated
earlier, 2.7K or 1080 will suit the majority of users’ needs. (When this
writer carries his GoPro around, I usually have it set up to capture
1080/30p footage with GoPro Color, which is the default, out-of-the-box
setting.) But if you’re a working pro, or if you’re looking to future
proof all of your content, the Black is a no brainer. (Sony also offers a
4K action camera for
the same price, and it actually has a higher bit rate than the Black,
but it doesn’t offer the fine-tuning tools that the Black has.) It’s
only a matter of time when all content will be moving to 4K, especially
online. But if you’re a casual shooter, an important thing to remember
is that your 4K files are going to be much larger since you’re dealing
with four times the resolution of 1080. Because of this you’re going to
need more MicroSD cards, as well as more computer storage.
All in all, we would still highly recommend the Hero4 Black for
consumers. Even if you’re not a pro-level shooter, or adept at color
grading, the ability to capture motion in glorious 4K is a worthy
investment since your footage will eventually live online from here out.
It’s always better to downscale footage now than upscale it in the
future.
Highs
- Great picture quality at 4K resolution
- Ability to capture high frame rates
- 12-megapixel photos at burst speeds of 30 fps
- More image control
Lows
- Battery life is inadequate
- No preview screen
- Difficult to make menu changes without app
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