The Hero 5 Session: A Great Little Action Camera with Some Caveats
With the Hero 5 session, GoPro seems intent on not repeating the mistakes it made with the previous Hero 4 version. The new model is both more capable and more affordable, which is great news for consumers. However, the higher-end Hero 5 black still maintains a wealth of features that help set it apart from the session.
The good news is that the new session is a much better value than the original. While the Hero 4 session came out at a staggering $400, the same price as the more capable Hero 4 silver, the Hero 5 session is just $300. Its specs appear to put it nearly neck and neck with the $400 Hero 5 black. The session has 4K video, voice control, digital stabilization, and a fully waterproof body without the need for an extra case. It also supports GoPro's Protune feature, which lets you take more control over exposure settings.
However, it's essential to examine these specs a little more closely. The Hero 5 session is essentially built on Hero 4 era technology with a 10 megapixel sensor and consumer-grade low light performance compared to the newer 12 megapixel unit in the Hero 5 black, which has professional-grade low light performance. This means you can expect higher image quality from the Hero 5 black. The session also supports faster frame rates with full HD 1080p going up to 80 frames per second, whereas the Hero 5 black can go all the way up to 120 frames per second in full HD. As for still photography, the Hero 5 black can also shoot raw files, while the session is limited to compressed JPEGs.
One of the major benefits of the session, of course, is its small size, which makes it easier to mount in tight spaces. Its low profile helps it go unnoticed and will easily forget it's there, which is a really good thing since there's no room for an LCD monitor. You're more or less required to use GoPro's Capture app on your phone to set up the camera, but fortunately, Capture is one of the best apps we've ever used from a camera manufacturer. Once everything is set, it's easy enough to control the session with just a single press of the record button. However, you can also use voice control to use commands like "GoPro start recording," which worked well in quiet environments.
However, there is one caveat: when using voice control in noisy environments, such as during an activity with wind rushing all around, it can be challenging to get the camera to listen. You'll have to yell at it to get it to work. In practice, this can be a bit frustrating. On the other hand, GoPro's implementation of digital image stabilization strikes a good balance between maintaining sharpness and stabilizing rough footage. It doesn't take the most aggressive approach, so riding your bike down a cobblestone street will still look like a bumpy ride, but on the other hand, the image quality looks really good.
Unfortunately, the Hero 5 session's audio quality leaves much to be desired when standing still. It's fine but not great, and when moving, the overly aggressive wind noise reduction makes it sound like you're underwater, which can be a bit distracting. The results just don't sound natural overall. However, this has been an issue for a while, and many users report not having any problems with the audio. Maybe there is some room for debate here regarding video quality.
In conclusion, the Hero 5 session is a great little action camera with some caveats. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of its more expensive counterpart, it still offers excellent value for its price. However, if you're looking for high-end image quality and advanced features, the Hero 5 black might be a better choice for you.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwith the Hero 5 session GoPro seems intent on not repeating the mistakes it made with the previous Hero 4 version the new model is both more capable and more affordable but the higher-end Hero 5 black still maintains a wealth of features that helps set it apart so the question is is this new session a real hero or is it more of a side kick first the good news the new session is a much better value than the original while the Hero 4 session came out at a staggering $400 the same price as the more capable Hero 4 silver the Hero 5 session is just $300 and its specs appear to put it nearly neck and neck with the $400 Hero 5 black it has 4K video voice control digital stabilization and a fully waterproof body without the need for an extra case it also supports gopro's protune feature which lets you take more control over the exposure exposure settings this all sounds great but it's important to examine these specs a little more closely the Hero 5 session is essentially built on Hero 4 era Tech with a 10 megapixel sensor and consumer grade low light performance compared to the newer 12 megapixel unit in the Hero 5 black with professional grade low light performance whatever that means you can expect higher image quality from the Hero 5 black it also supports faster frame rates with full HD 1080p going all the way up to 120 frames per second which is great for slow motion whereas the session is limited to 80 frames per second in full HD and as for still photography the Hero 5 black can also shoot raw files whereas the session is limited to compressed jpegs the major benefit of the session of course is its small size which makes it easier to mount in tight spaces its low profile helps it go unnoticed and you'll easily forget it's there which which is a really good thing since there's no room for an LCD monitor you're more or less required to use gopro's capture app on your phone to set up the camera fortunately capture is one of the best apps we've ever used from a camera manufacturer once everything is set it's easy enough to control the session a single press of the record button will power it on and start recording but you can also use voice control to use commands like GoPro start recording in practice this worked well in quiet environments but you'll have to yell at it to get it to listen to you if you're in the middle of an activity with wind rushing all around you GoPro stop recording GoPro stop recording GoPro stop recording we also like gopro's implementation of digital image stabilization it strikes a good balance between maintaining sharpness and stabilizing rough footage that is to say it doesn't take the most aggressive approach so riding your bike down a cobblestone street will still look like a bumpy ride but on the other hand the image quality looks really good unfortunately the Hero 5 sessions audio quality leaves much to be desired when standing still it's fine but not great and when moving the overly aggressive wind noise reduction makes it sound like you're underwater sure it cancels out excessive wind noise but it's a bit distracting as the results just don't sound natural overall the Hero 5 session is a great little action camera but the experience is marred somewhat by the poor audio now this camera has been out for a while and many users report not having any issues with the audio whatsoever so maybe there is some room for debate here regardless when it comes to video The Hero 5 session is really really good and there's little not to love about itwith the Hero 5 session GoPro seems intent on not repeating the mistakes it made with the previous Hero 4 version the new model is both more capable and more affordable but the higher-end Hero 5 black still maintains a wealth of features that helps set it apart so the question is is this new session a real hero or is it more of a side kick first the good news the new session is a much better value than the original while the Hero 4 session came out at a staggering $400 the same price as the more capable Hero 4 silver the Hero 5 session is just $300 and its specs appear to put it nearly neck and neck with the $400 Hero 5 black it has 4K video voice control digital stabilization and a fully waterproof body without the need for an extra case it also supports gopro's protune feature which lets you take more control over the exposure exposure settings this all sounds great but it's important to examine these specs a little more closely the Hero 5 session is essentially built on Hero 4 era Tech with a 10 megapixel sensor and consumer grade low light performance compared to the newer 12 megapixel unit in the Hero 5 black with professional grade low light performance whatever that means you can expect higher image quality from the Hero 5 black it also supports faster frame rates with full HD 1080p going all the way up to 120 frames per second which is great for slow motion whereas the session is limited to 80 frames per second in full HD and as for still photography the Hero 5 black can also shoot raw files whereas the session is limited to compressed jpegs the major benefit of the session of course is its small size which makes it easier to mount in tight spaces its low profile helps it go unnoticed and you'll easily forget it's there which which is a really good thing since there's no room for an LCD monitor you're more or less required to use gopro's capture app on your phone to set up the camera fortunately capture is one of the best apps we've ever used from a camera manufacturer once everything is set it's easy enough to control the session a single press of the record button will power it on and start recording but you can also use voice control to use commands like GoPro start recording in practice this worked well in quiet environments but you'll have to yell at it to get it to listen to you if you're in the middle of an activity with wind rushing all around you GoPro stop recording GoPro stop recording GoPro stop recording we also like gopro's implementation of digital image stabilization it strikes a good balance between maintaining sharpness and stabilizing rough footage that is to say it doesn't take the most aggressive approach so riding your bike down a cobblestone street will still look like a bumpy ride but on the other hand the image quality looks really good unfortunately the Hero 5 sessions audio quality leaves much to be desired when standing still it's fine but not great and when moving the overly aggressive wind noise reduction makes it sound like you're underwater sure it cancels out excessive wind noise but it's a bit distracting as the results just don't sound natural overall the Hero 5 session is a great little action camera but the experience is marred somewhat by the poor audio now this camera has been out for a while and many users report not having any issues with the audio whatsoever so maybe there is some room for debate here regardless when it comes to video The Hero 5 session is really really good and there's little not to love about it\n"
